VCE Science Projects
Bicknell’s Thrush Full Annual Lifecycle
VCE’s long-term commitment to Bicknell’s Thrush conservation demands that we pay careful attention to issues beyond its breeding range here in New England, including its habitat needs during migratory and wintering seasons. For over 20 years we have been unraveling its elusive winter ecology in the Caribbean to inform conservation efforts. Recently, we have begun new research to investigate stopover habitat for Bicknell's Thrush in the Mid-atlantic as well.
Taxa: Birds Ecosystem: Caribbean, Forests, Mountains Region: Caribbean, Northeastern US, Eastern North America, North America, Vermont Volunteers: No
Eastern Whip-Poor-Will Monitoring
On moonlit nights in the summer, volunteers listen out for the unique song of the Whip-Poor-Will. Their monitoring helps us track the prevalence of this increasingly nostalgic bird.
Taxa: Birds Ecosystem: Forests, Grasslands & Meadows Region: Vermont Volunteers: Yes - Beginner
Mount Mansfield Songbird Research
Our scientists, with the help of student interns and volunteers, have operated mist nets along the ridgeline of Mt. Mansfield each summer since 1992. Our research helps us understand changes in the breeding bird community in relation to weather, climate, forest changes, and more. Our findings have been applied throughout the Northeast in the management of state and national forests, alpine ski areas, timberland management, and ridgeline development projects.
Taxa: Birds Ecosystem: Mountains, Forests Region: Eastern North America Volunteers: No
Second Vermont Butterfly Atlas
The Vermont Butterfly Atlas is a five-year survey that is completed every 20 years with the help of volunteer community scientists, who document the abundance and distribution of butterflies across Vermont.
Taxa: Invertebrates Ecosystem: Grasslands & Meadows, Forests, Developed, Mountains, Agricultural Region: Vermont Volunteers: Yes - Beginner
Vermont Atlas of Life
The Vermont Atlas of Life is a library of knowledge on Vermont’s animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms—an online, real-time resource with maps, photographs, and primary biodiversity data open for anyone to use.
Taxa: Amphibians, Invertebrates, Mammals, Plants, Reptiles, Mollusks, Arachnids, Birds, Fungi, Fish Ecosystem: Forests, Grasslands & Meadows, Mountains, Developed, Lakes & Ponds, Agricultural Region: Vermont Volunteers: Yes - Beginner
Vermont Breeding Bird Survey
For more than 60 summers, expert volunteer birders have risen before dawn to count birds along roadside routes across North America. The Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) is the continent’s longest-running landbird monitoring program, a cornerstone of modern bird conservation.
Taxa: Birds Ecosystem: Forests, Grasslands & Meadows, Mountains, Lakes & Ponds, Developed, Agricultural Region: Vermont Volunteers: Yes - Advanced
Vermont Forest Bird Monitoring Program
The Forest Bird Monitoring Program is one of the longest-running efforts tracking forest bird populations, and it relies on people like you to make that work possible. As birds lose forest habitat in their wintering grounds in Latin America and the Caribbean, your monitoring helps us understand how changes in diversity and abundance affect birds on their summer breeding grounds here in Vermont.
Taxa: Birds Ecosystem: Forests Region: Vermont Volunteers: No
Vermont Vernal Pool Monitoring Project
Vernal pools are one of the Northeast’s most dramatic seasonal ecosystems, bursting with life as frogs and salamanders gather to breed. While vernal pools provide critical breeding habitat for charismatic species and serve as hidden powerhouses within forest ecosystems, they face an uncertain future in Vermont.
Taxa: Amphibians, Invertebrates Ecosystem: Forests Region: Vermont Volunteers: Yes - Beginner
Vermont Wild Bee Survey
Wild bees are a diverse and ecologically important insect group. And as one of the most important groups of pollinators, they provide essential ecological and agricultural services.
Taxa: Invertebrates Ecosystem: Forests, Grasslands & Meadows, Developed, Agricultural Region: Vermont Volunteers: Yes - Beginner
