Back in 1992, long before VCE was even a twinkle in anyone’s eye, I hired a quiet and capable conservation biologist into the research department at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS).
Steve Faccio was fresh off a master’s degree at Southern Connecticut State University, where he studied the ecology of a reintroduced fisher population. He immediately proved his mettle—and
versatility—at VINS. Now, more than 30 years later,I am privileged to give my fellow VCE co-founder a proper send-off into his retirement in June.
Few biologists can match Steve’sbreadth of field skills. He’s climbed along precariously narrow cliff ledges to band Peregrine Falcon nestlings, meticulously censused breeding birds as leader of the Forest Bird Monitoring Program, coordinatedVermont’s 23 North American Breeding Bird Survey routes, and investigated bird-friendly maple syrup practices.
But Steve’s conservation legacy will almost certainly be defined by his cutting-edge work in vernal pool research. In 2000 he broke new ground with a project to implant tiny radio transmitters in
Halicite salamanders, discovering that they overwinter in subterranean rodent tunnels. From 2015 to 2017, he documented methylmercury bioaccumulation in vernal pool–breeding Wood Frogs and Spotted Salamanders. He next launched the volunteer-driven VermontVernal Pool Monitoring Project, then created the Vernal Pool Atlas, an online database and map of pool locations for community scientists. From 2022 to 2024, he led the first-ever Vermont FairyShrimpAtlas, a community science–based inventory of these little-known and highly sensitive vernal pool invertebrates.
Steve’s absence from the VCE lunch table will leave a noticeable void. Apart from his wise, succinct insights, Steve’s masterful quips and knack for pithy catchlines have lightened many a VCE meeting and endeared him to his colleagues. One epic Faccioism: During a planning session early in VCE’s history, he coined our tagline “Uniting people and science for conservation.”
Steve epitomizes our motto. While intrigued by research questions and inspired by fieldwork, Steve’s focus has never wavered from applying his findings to guide conservation. His published salamander telemetry data led directly to the establishment of legally protected buffer zones around vernal pools. Location data and field verification methods from the Vermont Vernal Pool Atlas are used extensively by wetland biologists to ensure compliance with regulatory protections, and have inspired similar efforts in Canada and the Midwest.
Steve, you have contributed immensely to VCE’s robust success. Thanks from all of us, and enjoy your richly deserved next chapter!
