Although we've passed the winter solstice and each day brings a few extra minutes of light, life in the Northeast now finds itself in the coldest depths of winter. January is about survival. Wildlife that doesn’t migrate adapts instead in order to make it to spring. Read our Field Guide to January to learn about how some species weather the cold.
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Naturalists Help the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist Build Biodiversity Big Data in 2020 |
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From the first observation of 2020–a Gray Fox still celebrating the New Year at 4:30 AM–to Great Mullein leaves poking out of the snow shared at twilight on the last day of the year, naturalists added nearly 175,000 biodiversity records to our rapidly growing database of life in Vermont. Read Kent McFarland's year-end blog for highlights from an amazing year.
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Craig Provost: A Birding Quest for the Ages |
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Craig birding somewhere along Lake Champlain.
Undated photograph, photographer unknown (or long forgotten).
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In June 2020, lifelong birder Craig Provost achieved an extraordinary milestone that precious few Vermont birders will ever realize, becoming just the second person in history to document 150 species in all of Vermont’s 14 counties, each within a single calendar year! Read all about Craig's incredible feat on the VCE blog.
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Vermont Birders Rally During
10th Annual eBird County Quest
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From the first day of 2020 when eBirders reported an incredible 81 bird species, to the discovery of a Crested Caracara in Woodstock, Vermont birders scoured fields and fens, mountains and meadows, lakes and lawns to find as many bird species as possible during the 10th annual Vermont eBird County Quest. In the process, they also collected invaluable data for science and conservation. Get the complete stats for 2020's competition on our blog!
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Nathanial Sharp birding © Michael Mawson |
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Embracing Community: It’s time to take the “citizen” out of citizen science |
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Middlebury College students participating in a VCE community science project – setting up a monitoring station for the Vermont Vernal Pool Monitoring Project. © Kate Talano |
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Over the last year, many of us have taken much-needed, concrete steps toward making our communities, working spaces, and lives more inclusive and welcoming. We’ve seen firsthand how labels used to describe groups of people have the power to bring us together or push us apart. Since VCE’s founding we have strived to unite (all) people and science for conservation. The legions of naturalists–until now, referred to as “citizen scientists”–who work with us have contributed immeasurably to the success of our field research and monitoring projects. VCE has taken the next step in our transformation to becoming a more inclusive organization by describing our collaborative science efforts from here on out as community science. Learn more about this transition on VCE's blog.
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Allow us to introduce, with great enthusiasm and excitement, two new staff members who joined the VCE family this month. We welcome Ryan Rebozo as our new Director of Conservation Science, and Laura Prothero, our first-ever Development Manager. All of us look forward to getting to know Ryan and Laura better–as you will, too–during the weeks and months ahead! |
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Before joining VCE, Ryan served as the Director of Conservation Science for the Pinelands Preservation Alliance in New Jersey. He completed his PhD at Drexel University in 2015 and received his BS in ecology from Rutgers University in 2010. Ryan is an ecologist whose interests include disturbance ecology, plant-insect interactions, mycology, and rare plant demography. Learn more about Ryan on his staff page.
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Laura recently moved back to New England from Washington state, and brings 10 years of fundraising experience helping organizations develop deeper relationships with their partners and supporters. Her favorite part of development work is seeing the transformative, powerful change for good that comes when people connect over their shared interests. Learn more about Laura on her staff page.
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Virtual Suds & Science: Urban heat wave effects on human and environmental health
February 2, 2021
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Introductory video describing Dr. Shandas' research. © Portland State University |
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Hosted by VCE biologist Jason Hill, Suds & Science is a scientist-led community discussion that provides a forum for science fans (like you) to engage with an expert through compelling personal narratives, to gain understanding on a particular scientific research topic. These discussions have historically taken place at a warm and inviting Norwich tavern, with foamy beverages in hand, but due to COVID-19, this season Suds & Science will meet virtually (so BYOB!) in an interactive interview-style format. Mark your calendars for our February event:
February 2 | Vivek Shandas | Portland State University
"Urban heat wave effects on human and environmental health"
Dr. Vivek Shandas from Portland State University, and founder of the Sustaining Urban Places Research Lab, joins Jason Hill in a Zoom conversation about urban heat waves and green stormwater infrastructure. Check out this great video for a short introduction to Vivek’s collaborative and transdisciplinary research. The new online Suds & Science format was a great success at our first meeting in January. We encourage you to ask real-time questions throughout the conversation, and you’ll also have the opportunity to further engage and converse in small groups via a virtual Wonder room before and after the talk. We'll post the registration link on both VCE's Suds & Science page and on our Events page in mid-January. We hope to see you online!
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Outdoor Radio:
Invasive Zebra Mussels
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In the latest episode of Outdoor Radio, hosts Kent McFarland and Sara Zahendra find themselves on the shores of Lake Champlain, accompanied by biologists Michael Lew-Smith from Arrowwood Environmental and Mark Ferguson of the Vermont Fish & Wildlife
VCE and Vermont Public Radio unite the sounds and science of nature in our monthly feature aired on the 3rd Wednesday of every month at 6:20 PM, and again on Thursday at 7:50 AM. You can also listen to every episode online on VCE's website. Frogs and ferns, finches and fish—anything is fair game for co-hosts Kent McFarland and Sara Zahendra. Join us to explore and uncover some of the mysteries of our natural world.
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Photo-observation of the Month
Leucistic Red-tailed Hawk by Daron Tansley
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Leucism is a genetic condition in which some or all parts of an animal’s body surface lack cells capable of producing pigment. (The word is derived from the Greek word leukos, meaning “white.”) Leucism is different than albinism, a similar condition in birds and other wildlife. Considered to be extremely rare in the wild, albinism is marked by a total lack of the dark pigment melanin. Leucism, while also rare, impacts only a bird’s feathers, while albinism is apparent in the feathers and elsewhere. Albino animals almost always sport red eyes, as well as pale pink or red skin, feet, and bills. Leucistic birds usually have normally colored eyes, skin and feet, while the extent of white among feathers can vary greatly.
Visit the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist, where you can vote for the winner this month by clicking 'fav' on your favorite photo-observation. Make sure you get outdoors and record the biodiversity around you, then submit your discoveries—and you could be a winner!
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The Vermont Center for Ecostudies promotes wildlife conservation across the Americas using the combined strength of scientific research and citizen engagement. Find us online at: vtecostudies.org
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