• Posts tagged with Citizen Science

    VPAtlas Places Statewide Vernal Pool Data at Your Fingertips

    VPAtlas Places Statewide Vernal Pool Data at Your Fingertips

    Conserving sensitive, vitally important ecosystems and natural communities, like vernal pools, is essential to addressing biodiversity loss. However, knowing vernal pools’ locations is a critical first step. The Vernal Pool Atlas (VPAtlas), a joint effort of the Vermont Center for Ecostudies and the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department, is designed to do just that.

    Reflections from 65 (Collective) Years of Birding the Upper Valley

    Reflections from 65 (Collective) Years of Birding the Upper Valley

    Some retirees seek new pursuits in life, branching out and diversifying with their newfound free time. Others simply do more of what they always did. Chris Rimmer and Kyle Jones embody this latter approach, birding local Upper Valley haunts more than ever since their recent retirements. Read their reflections on 65 collective years spent birding the Upper Valley.

    Field Guide to January 2024

    Field Guide to January 2024

    Although the days are slowly growing longer, life in the Northeast still finds itself in the depths of winter. January is about survival. Wildlife that doesn’t migrate adapts instead to make it to spring. Here are a few tidbits of natural history happening outdoors this month around you.

    Field Guide to December 2023

    Field Guide to December 2023

    Fear not—during December’s short days and long nights, there’s still plenty of life in the fading light. Once we pass the winter solstice, which strikes at 10:27 PM on December 21, more light will creep back. Until then, here’s some wintry natural history to keep you going.

    Vermont eBird Volunteer Data Experts Retire

    Vermont eBird Volunteer Data Experts Retire

    After more than a decade of service, two of the first-ever Vermont eBird volunteer data experts are hanging up their keyboards. Ian Worley and Craig Provost first joined the project in 2010. Over the past 13 years, they have reviewed tens of thousands of records submitted by bird watchers and have been outreach champions for Vermont eBird.

    The Caretakers: Reflections from 40 Years of Loon Volunteers

    The Caretakers: Reflections from 40 Years of Loon Volunteers

    Loon conservation in Vermont is as much a story of people as it is of birds. From the most disheartening days of the state’s loon census in the 1980s through the incredible recovery we’re witnessing today, VCE volunteers on the Vermont Loon Conservation Project have been the beating heart of the stewardship effort.

    After Two Decades of Searching, Biologist Discovers Rare Butterfly in Vermont

    After Two Decades of Searching, Biologist Discovers Rare Butterfly in Vermont

    A rare and elusive butterfly has been discovered for the first time in Vermont, flying this spring at one of the state’s protected natural areas. Bog elfin, patterned in brown and rust, and no bigger than a penny, had eluded detection in the state until one flew past a Vermont field biologist who had been searching for it for two decades.

    Birds, Bees, and Trees: A Summer Working for VCE

    Birds, Bees, and Trees: A Summer Working for VCE

    From long days spent in wooded hillsides to early mornings on top of Mt. Mansfield, it was a busy—but exciting—summer for VCE’s 2021 Alexander Dickey Conservation Intern.

    A Record Year for Loon Nesting in Vermont

    A Record Year for Loon Nesting in Vermont

    This year proved a highly successful one for Vermont’s breeding loons—a record, in fact! However, every loon breeding season is more than just numbers. It’s also about the stories of difficult moments and the experiences of our hardworking volunteers who make everything we accomplish possible.

    July Updates from the Loon Conservation Team

    July Updates from the Loon Conservation Team

    July is here and Vermont’s lakes and ponds are bustling with loon-related activity, keeping VCE biologists and volunteers quite busy. This month’s loon update shares news of new nesting pairs and opportunities for getting involved.