Posts by Kevin Tolan

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How to Find and Confirm Vernal Pools in Your Neighborhood

February 26, 2026  |  Kevin Tolan

A proposed rule change puts unconfirmed vernal pools in Vermont in peril. Reporting vernal pools to the Vermont Vernal Pool Atlas ensures that they’re afforded regulatory protection. And you probably have one right in your neighborhood!

Field Report: What Is Loud and Clear in the Quiet of the Deep Forest

September 2, 2025  |  Kevin Tolan

As I walk between survey points, I think about how loud the bird chorus must have been when the points were first established in 1989, and then how quiet the chorus might become in the coming decades.

Pervasive Invasives: The Catch-22 of Grassland Management

September 4, 2024  |  Kevin Tolan

In recent years, we’ve learned that delayed haying for bird conservation creates a dilemma. Fields can’t be cut when birds are nesting, but not cutting allows invasive plants to seed and spread freely.

Further Adventures in the D.R.: On the Trailless Trail of the Bicknell’s Thrush

February 28, 2023  |  Kevin Tolan

Part two of our DR trip brought us north to Reserva Privada Zorzal. This one-of-its-kind preserve hosts an entirely different assemblage of species and provided our crew with opportunities to attach a few more GPS tags.

Evolution in Spatial Tracking of Bicknell’s Thrush

July 6, 2022  |  Kevin Tolan

In VCE’s 30+ years of Bicknell’s Thrush (BITH) research, we’ve used many different methods to unlock the species’ ecological secrets. We’re talking tissue samples, nest cameras, and a myriad of…