Archivos de diario de mayo 2019

06 de mayo de 2019

April 2019 Photo-observation of the Month

Congratulations to Ashley Bray for winning the April 2019 Vermont Atlas of Life iNaturalist photo-observation of the month. The image of Wood Frog riding a Spotted Salamander during spring migration garnered the most votes. With nearly 5,500 photo-observations submitted this month, it was competitive. But the action shot showing this annual rite of spring won the most attention.

Spotted Salamanders are the quiet celebrities of vernal pools. Loudly marked, and fixed with what seems to be a perpetual smile, the Spotted Salamander has slimy starpower, the vernal pool's equivalent of a Giant Panda. They also have fascinating life histories – essentially spending the year underground and emerging during spring rains for a once-a-year breeding session. Beyond that, Spotted Salamanders are among our best indicators of healthy vernal pool and woodland ecosystems.

VCE’s work with Spotted Salamanders comes in the course of our projects to map and monitor vernal pools – forested wetlands with a specialized suite of invertebrates and amphibians. Spring Peeper, Wood Frog, Jefferson Salamander, Fingernail Clams, and Fairy Shrimp are among other vernal pool species. Spotted Salamanders are also part of our work examining mercury levels in vernal pools. These pools and their distinctive wildlife are at risk. Threats include timber harvesting, which if it doesn’t ruin the pool itself can reduce the “canopy closure” necessary for Spotted Salamanders and other amphibians that rely on vernal pools for breeding.

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!

Publicado el mayo 6, 2019 01:48 TARDE por kpmcfarland kpmcfarland | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

22 de mayo de 2019

VCE Citizen Science Survey - We Need You!

You, our citizen scientists, are what make the Vermont Center for Ecostudies stand out from the crowd, and we value your insights into our citizen science projects, like the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist. Therefore, we'd greatly appreciate it if you would complete our citizen science survey. Your ~15 minutes of honest feedback will strengthen citizen science at VCE, allow us to further improve our programs to better meet your expectations, and understand how involvement with our programs has impacted your life. And we have some great prizes to show our appreciation for those who participate!

Click here to take the survey. Read on to find out what you can win!

Grand Prize Drawing:
Everyone who submits a completed survey will be entered to win a spot on VCE's 3-day trip to glorious Monhegan Island in Maine to witness the spectacle of fall bird migration! The trip is a $1,200 value - or we can offer an alternative $250 cash prize if you're unable to spend three days with us having an amazing time, eating incredible food, and observing birds up-close while walking around Monhegan.

First 10 respondents will receive:

  • A VCE hat or T-shirt (winner's choice).

Other drawing prizes you can win include:

You will be asked to provide an email address at the end of this survey if you're interested in entering the drawing. Please know that ALL responses will remain confidential. We value your privacy; no VCE staff will ever see names or email addresses associated with survey responses at any time.

Feel free to contact our Director of Communications, Karen Bourque, at kbourque@vtecostudies.org with any questions or concerns.

Thank you for your time, and as always, please stop in and say hello if you're ever in the Upper Valley of Vermont.

Kent McFarland

Publicado el mayo 22, 2019 08:38 TARDE por kpmcfarland kpmcfarland | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

Archivos