Learn Online with VCE
We’ll cover a variety of fascinating natural history topics presented by both VCE staff and conservation collaborators. Check back often, as we’ll be adding new webinars and other events throughout the year.
All webinars will be conducted through Zoom and are free for everyone. Please note that events will be recorded and made available afterward on VCE’s Multimedia Resources page for those who are unable to attend.
If you’d like to support this webinar series and VCE’s wildlife conservation work, please consider a contribution. Donate easily and securely online anytime!

Birding in Mount Auburn Cemetery
May 18, 2023Join VCE Board member Jared Keyes and VCE Executive Director Susan Hindinger for a morning of birding in Mount Auburn Cemetery during spring migration. Learn more and register to save your spot. »

Getting Started with eButterfly Worldwide: Join a Webinar on Thursday, May 18 at 3PM
May 18, 2023Every time butterfly watchers raise binoculars and cameras to record a butterfly sighting, they collect important data. Recording the number, date, and location of each and every butterfly, no matter how common or rare, may seem trivial, even repetitive— but this detailed information can be invaluable to science and conservation. Butterflies act as early warning signals for habitat degradation, climate change, and other ecological forces. Do you want to learn more about how to use eButterfly? Join Dr. Rodrigo Solis Sosa, our Human Network and Data Coordinator at eButterfly, as he explains how to use eButterfly in this webinar and ask him all your burning questions. Register »

Long-Term Bird Monitoring Field Trip at Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest
June 08, 2023Join VCE Data Scientist Mike Hallworth for a tour of Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest with a focus on the long-term bird monitoring project. Learn more and register to save your spot. »

Biodiversity Jamboree!
June 10, 2023Celebrate birds, bugs, plants, pollinators, and all the other creatures that call Vermont “home” in this summer nature festival. North Branch Nature Center and the Vermont Center for Ecostudies are co-presenting this day full of field outings, nature exhibits, kids' activities, live songbirds and raptors, music, food, art, and more! Explore the woods and meadows, and bring your discoveries to our naturalist-staffed laboratory tent equipped with microscopes, guides, and specimens. The afternoon will feature a keynote presentation by Doug Tallamy, Author of Nature's Best Hope. Check out the full event on NBNC's website. »

Loon Nest Checks Field Trip
June 15, 2023Join VCE Loon Biologist Eric Hanson to check on loon nests for chicks. We will paddle to two nesting sites on Chittenden Reservoir to observe the loon nests and see if we can spot any chicks. Learn more and register to save your spot. »

Fire Ecology in Dry Oak Forests Field Trip
June 29, 2023Join VCE Director of Conservation Science Ryan Rebozo for a hike on the "Dome" in the Green Mountain National Forest. There we will explore the use of fire as a management tool on dry oak forests, an uncommon habitat type in Vermont that hosts a number of rare species. Learn more and register to save your spot. »

Long-Term Forest Bird Monitoring Field Trip
July 11, 2023Join VCE Conservation Biologist Steve Faccio to visit one of VCE's long-term Forest Bird Monitoring study sites where a field team is conducting vegetation and arthropod abundance measurements for a collaborative study between VCE, Audubon Vermont, and UVM. We will be joined by UVM PhD candidate, Liza Morse, to discuss the forestry metrics that are being collected and how they will contribute to best management practices for active sugarbushes that will benefit forest birds. Learn more and register to save your spot. »

2023 Community Science Teacher Workshop
July 17, 2023Join VCE for our second Community Science Teacher Workshop. This four day program will invite science teachers out to the field to cover incorporating field methods and community science initiatives into the classroom. Click the link below to learn more and register. Learn more »

Butterflies and Brews Field Trip
July 18, 2023Join VCE Biologists Kent McFarland and Nathaniel Sharp to learn about butterfly ecology as they conduct surveys for the Second Vermont Butterfly Atlas at Little Ascutney WMA, with the option to come socialize at Outer Limits Brewing afterwards. Learn more and register to save your spot. »

Bumble Bee Workshop: Identification, Capture, and Handling
July 20, 2023Join VCE Conservation Biologist Jason Hill to learn about bumble bee identification and ecology. You'll also learn to safely capture, handle, and photograph bumble bees and other insects that we find. Afterwards, you're invited to socialize with us at the King Arthur Baking Cafe. Learn more and register to save your spot. »

Butterflies and Brews Field Trip
August 15, 2023Join VCE Staff Biologist Nathaniel Sharp to learn about butterfly ecology and conduct surveys for the Second Vermont Butterfly Atlas on the Mad River Greenway, with the option to come socialize at Lawson's Finest Liquids afterwards. Learn more and register to save your spot. »

Introduction to Bee-Watching Field Trip
August 29, 2023Join VCE Biologist Spencer Hardy for an introduction to bee-watching with a focus on finding rare species and extended observation to better understand their natural history. Learn more and register to save your spot. »

Fall Migration on Monhegan Island
September 29, 2023Ten miles off Maine’s midcoast, songbirds pour from the skies at dawn on Monhegan Island. Whales feed offshore, and Monarch butterflies stop to find rare nectar at sea. The Vermont Center for Ecostudies is excited to offer this very special, four-day birding trip to Monhegan Island. We invite you to join us to experience the fall migration spectacle on Monhegan Island from September 29 - October 2, 2023. Learn more and register. »
Suds & Science is Now Hybrid
Hosted by VCE biologist Jason Hill, Suds & Science is definitely not a lecture–it’s a community discussion led by a scientist where you meet other fans of science, engage with an expert through compelling personal narratives, and gain an understanding of someone’s scientific research. So what can you expect in this hybrid series–an online PowerPoint presentation? Absolutely not! Jason will interview the scientists about the intersection of their lives and their research. If you are attending virtually, you’ll have the chance to pose questions when you register, and Jason will incorporate your questions into the conversation. You’ll also have the chance to comment and ask questions throughout the conversation–not just at the end, although you will have to BYOB.
Interested? Of course you are, and it’s easy to participate. Simply click on the “Register Here!” link underneath the talk description in the schedule below. After registering, you’ll receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. You do not need a Zoom account to participate. If you have any questions, just reach out to Jason via email.
Check out our 2023 Suds & Science schedule by visiting “News” >> “Suds & Science”
Interested in having a VCE conservation biologist speak at your event, or lead a field outing?
Please fill out our Speaker Request Form to start the process.
Example Presentations Available in 2023:
Presenter: Spencer Hardy
Title: Exploring Vermont’s Wild Bees: Natural History, Identification, and Conservation.
Presentation Summary: When most people think of bees, they imagine the famous Honey Bee (Apis melifera), yet that is just one of more than 300 species of bees found in the state. Since 2019, the Vermont Wild Bee Survey has been criss-crossing the state to document these important pollinators. We have found dozens of species not previously known from the state and are amassing a rich database that will be invaluable to conservation planners for years to come. Hear more about this project–including our most exciting findings, ideas on conserving vulnerable bees, and ways you can join our future monitoring efforts.
Presenter: Kevin Tolan
Title: Eastern Meadowlarks in Vermont: Ecology and Conservation of an Imperiled Grassland Bird
Presentation Summary: Eastern Meadowlarks in the Northeast are rapidly declining; based on the latest USGS Breeding Bird Survey results, they’re undergoing an estimated 8.7% annual decline in Vermont. With their recent designation of Threatened in New Hampshire, and imminent listing in Vermont, now is a golden opportunity for targeted survey efforts. The Vermont Center for Ecostudies is partnering up with New Hampshire Audubon to launch a bi-state “blitz” this spring to encourage birders and community scientists to target areas of grassland habitat with the goal of seeking out meadowlarks. Join VCE and our collaborators to learn about these imperiled songbirds and what you can do to help keep them on the Vermont landscape.