Join Us for a Field Trip in 2025!
Throughout the spring and summer, VCE’s staff scientists are spread across the state, monitoring birds, checking up on vernal pools, identifying Vermont’s wild bees, and more. We invite you to join them in the field for a full sensory experience of New England’s natural places and their animal kingdom citizens.
Check out our currently available trips on our field trip page.
Learn from VCE Staff in Person and Online
Pull up a chair and learn about the latest conservation news, plus how you can be involved. If you have an event, group, or organization that would like to host a VCE staff member for a particular topic, please fill out our Speaker Request Form.
If you’d like to support VCE’s biodiversity conservation work, please consider a contribution. Donate easily and securely online anytime!
Partner Event: Windham County Conservation District Presents Grassland Bird Workshop
June 22, 20259:00 AM - 11:00 AM. Join Windham County Conservation District for a great opportunity to learn best practices for managing fields to support nesting grassland birds. Windham County is home to many smaller fields that are currently under a wide variety of management approaches. These fields can provide critical habitat for nesting grassland birds, particularly Bobolinks. Come learn about how to support these birds with your management practices. You'll also be able to learn about available financial and technical assistance through the conservation district's programming. Registration Required. Register Here »
Rare Bees of the Winooski Delta
June 28, 20259 - 11am, in Colchester, VT. Join VCE Conservation Biologist Spencer Hardy to check on a large nesting aggregation that includes several rare, wild bees bees and should provide for close observations and discussions of a communal pollen specialist and two associated cleptoparasitic species. We will also explore the unique plant communities of nearby bog, giving us a chance to find a number of uncommon bees. Register Here »
Bees and Butterflies: A Pollinator Safari
June 30, 20259 am – noon in Shaftsbury, VT. Take an easy and slow walk along agricultural fields and meadows with VCE Conservation Biologists Spencer Hardy and Kent McFarland to learn about native wild bees and butterflies. Along the way, you’ll learn how to add your observations to the Vermont Atlas of life to help science and conservation. Find full details on registration page. Register Here »
Paddling with the Loons
July 01, 202510 am – 2 pm in Northwestern Essex County, VT. Join VCE Loon Biologists Eric Hanson and Eloise Girard for a guided paddle adventure on one of Northwestern Essex County’s pristine ponds to observe nesting loons and their chicks in their natural habitat. With five active pairs and a stunning landscape, this peaceful waterway offers a perfect setting for wildlife viewing. Along the way, learn about loon behavior, conservation efforts, and how to respectfully admire these iconic birds up close. Find full details on registration page. Register Here »
Explore the Ecology of the Spruce-Fir Zone
Fall Date TBD. Join Mountain Birdwatch Leader Jason Hill on a moderate-to-challenging 5.5 mile hiking excursion to the top of a mountain in Windham County to learn about the ecology of the spruce-fir zone. If you want to skip the hike and just meet us at the top, there’s an easy almost-hike-free option for that as well. Then, join us for supper following the hike! Find full details on registration page. Photo © Bryan Pfeiffer Register Here »
VCE Workshop: VCE 2025 Community Science Teacher Workshop
July 07, 2025Join us from July 7th through the 10th for VCE’s fourth Community Science Teacher Education Workshop. This program is intended to engage science educators in inquiry-based exercises that incorporate both data collection and analysis. Throughout the four-day long program, participants will receive a primer on the Upper Valley’s ecology, gain confidence incorporating field methods into their curriculum, work with open access data, and discuss both planning and conducting community science studies. A $150 stipend and continuing education credits are available to participants. Participation is limited to 12 educators on a first come first served basis. Learn more and register here »
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:
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.
