Public Meeting to be Held on Conserved Lands in Northeast Kingdom
The meeting will discuss the proposed long-range management plan for Victory Basin Wildlife Management Area, Victory State Forest, and Darling State Park on Tuesday, January 10 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Burke Mountain Room at Lyndon State College.
iNaturalist Vermont Becomes Biodiversity Big Data in 2016
With over 122,000 observations of nearly 5,000 species contributed by 1,321 citizen scientists, in just four years iNaturalist Vermont, a project of the Vermont Atlas of Life, has become a big data biodiversity source in the Green Mountain State.
Bird Watchers Post Big Data to Vermont eBird in 2016
This year marks the 14 year anniversary of Vermont eBird, the first state portal for eBird. In just a decade-and-a-half, the bird checklists that bird watchers have shared have helped make Vermont eBird, a project of the Vermont Atlas of Life, the largest citizen science biodiversity project in the state and around the world.
December 2016 iNaturalist Vermont Photo-observation of the Month
Congratulations to Dean and Susan Greenberg for winning the December 2016 iNaturalist Vermont photo-observation of the month contest. Their image of a Bobcat (Lynx rufus) looking back at the camera was the most popular photo-observation as measured…
Happy New Year and Thank You
Threatened species update
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species includes 742 new species of birds. One of these newly recognized species is the Western Chat-tanager, an Hispaniolan endemic that we’ve been studying for many years.
Volunteers Help Loons to Another Record Breeding Season in 2016
It was a banner year for Common Loons breeding in Vermont. Volunteers helped us monitor 93 nesting pairs around the state, a record number since monitoring began four decades ago.
Field Guide to December 2016
Fear not, during these short days and long nights of December, we’re still finding plenty of life. Once we pass the winter solstice, more light will begin to creep back into our lives. Until then, here’s some wintry natural history to keep you going.
November 2016 iNaturalist Vermont Photo-observation of the Month
Congratulations to Ron Payne for winning the November 2016 iNaturalist Vermont photo-observation of the month contest. His image of an American Beaver’s incredible woodworking skills was the most popular photo-observation as measured by clicked ‘favs’.
Spiders in Winter
Spiders are “poikilothermic,” meaning their body temperatures vary significantly, more or less tracking that of their environment. The chief challenge of winter for spiders in the temperate zone, then, is dealing with the cold.
Outdoor Radio: Deer and Data
Biologists Sara Zahendra and Kent McFarland visited a deer reporting station in Barre during Youth Hunting Weekend. They talked with biologist John Buck of the Vermont Fish & Wildlife…
Two Mountain Birdwatchers Receive the 2016 Julie Nicholson Citizen Scientist Award
This year’s citizen science awardees, Mike Zimmerman and Steve Chorvas, have climbed peak after peak, year after year, helping to conserve montane birds.
