Posts by Kent McFarland

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State to Hold Meeting on Proposed Endangered Species Law Updates

July 28, 2015  |  Kent McFarland

The Agency of Natural Resources will hold a meeting to discuss proposed changes to Vermont’s threatened and endangered species law. The meeting will take place August 5, 2015 at 6:30 p.m. at the Pavilion Auditorium, 109 State Street, Montpelier, Vt.

Vt. Adds to Threatened and Endangered Species List

July 7, 2015  |  Kent McFarland

Vermont has added nine species, including three bumble bees, to its list of threatened and endangered species thanks to data from the Vermont Atlas of Life.

Admirals at Sea

July 7, 2015  |  Kent McFarland

Drifting in a boat several miles out in the Gulf of Maine, Chris Rimmer, director of the Vermont Center for Ecostudies, didn’t expect to see any butterflies.

Celebrating Town Forest with eBird Hotspots

June 22, 2015  |  Kent McFarland

In 1915 the state of Vermont passed a law which allowed towns to acquire forest land for public benefit leading to the creation of over 300 town forests across the state. We would also like to recognize these important properties and encourage birders to suggest which town forests should be eBird Hotspots. Learn more…

BioBlitz 2015: Find Something Wild

June 19, 2015  |  Kent McFarland

Part scientific endeavor, part festival, and part education, on July 11th the 2015 BioBlitz at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park will bring together leading scientists, naturalists, and community members of all ages to find and document as many species as possible in one day at the park as part of the Vermont Atlas of Life.

Outdoor Radio: Counting Terns

June 18, 2015  |  Kent McFarland

Hard hats in hand, VCE biologists Kent McFarland and Sara Zahendra head to Lake Champlain. They are taking a boat to Papasquash Island, owned by Audubon Vermont, to help count Common Tern eggs and chicks on the island.

Outdoor Radio: Eye on an Eyrie

May 25, 2015  |  Kent McFarland

VCE Biologists Kent McFarland and Sarah Zahendra recently took a trip to the Bolton Notch and joined Margaret Fowle, from Audubon Vermont in search of this lightning fast bird. Listen to the show.

Discover Biodiversity Locally, Tally Globally

May 15, 2015  |  Kent McFarland

From May 15th through May 25th, people all over the world are documenting biodiversity for the Global Bioblitz 2015. Let’s put Vermont biodiversity on the global map. Learn how you can contribute…

eBird Wins Award

May 12, 2015  |  Kent McFarland

eBird is the recipient of the first ever Leon Levy Award for Innovation in Bird Conservation, awarded by the American Bird Conservancy.

spotted salamander on leaf cover

A Vernal Explosion of Life

May 4, 2015  |  Kent McFarland

On an early spring day, biologists Kent McFarland and Sara Zahendra stand in front of a vernal pool in Strafford. It’s noisy. Early spring heralds the return of life to the pools.

Photo-observation of the Month Winner

April 14, 2015  |  Kent McFarland

Congratulations to Larry Clarfeld for winning the March iNaturalist Vermont photo-observation of the month contest.

Are Chickadee Nests the Key to an Effective Bumble Bee Nest Box?

March 25, 2015  |  Kent McFarland

Given that no effective bumble bee nest box exists in North America this is a call to action to flesh out the possibilities of this technique. You can help!