Biology

Vermont Loonwatch

Project Dates: 
2014-05-01 to 2014-08-31
Project Goal: 
Gain information on the distribution and abundance of loons, their nesting success and chick survival rates to improve conservation efforts and continue the comeback of this endangered species.
Your Role: 
Conduct surveys in a variety of different ways: casually observe and report loons when you see them; adopt a lake for the summer; or assist managers with maintaining nesting rafts.
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Website: 
Visit the project website for further details and to sign up.

Vermont Loon Recovery Project

Project Goal: 
Protect the future of loons, which had been down to just 7 breeding pairs in 1978.
Your Role: 
Contribute in a variety of ways: spend a day doing casual surveys; monitor a lake for an entire summer; become a rescuer; or build nesting rafts and warning signs.
Read more
Website: 
Visit the website for details and to sign up.

Vermont Forest Bird Monitoring Program

Project Goal: 
Provide baseline data from which population changes can be compared and collect habitat specific data across a range of forest types.
Your Role: 
Be able to identify forest birds by sight and sound, hike to selected survey sites and gather data.
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Website: 
Visit the website for details and to sign up.

Vermont Vernal Pool Mapping Project

Project Goal: 
Learn where vernal pools occur to improve our knowledge of them and how best to protect these critical habitats.
Your Role: 
Use the interactive map to find candidate vernal pools, sign up, visit the pool to conduct some field work and submit your data.
Read more
Website: 
Visit the website for details and to sign up.

Vermont Atlas of Life

Project Goal: 
Improve and update knowledge and of biodiversity in Vermont; provide open access to biodiversity data; foster discovery, conservation, and education; and build a community of those interested in natural heritage.
Your Role: 
Look for species and share your sightings via eBird, iNaturalist, eButterfly or Odonata Central.
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Website: 
Visit their website for further details.

The Hym Course

HYM Course 2014 will be offered at Eagle Hill Institute in Steuben, Maine in August this year.

The main objective of the course is to provide participants with knowledge and experience in identifying parasitic and predatory wasps, sawflies, wood wasps, bees, and ants. We will also present information on the natural history of wasps, bees, and ants, and that information will be reinforced with fieldwork. Techniques used to collect, rear, preserve, and curate wasps, bees, and ants will be presented in a hands-on manner to allow participants to learn directly by doing.

Course Dates: 
Sunday, August 17, 2014 to Saturday, August 23, 2014
Website: 
Visit course website for details.
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Vermont Bumblebee Survey

Project Goal: 
Document the relative abundance and distribution of bumblebees (Bombus) and the eastern carpenter bee (Xylocopa virginica) across Vermont
Your Role: 
Select a site and monitor it for bee activity, collect some specimens as required and report your findings.
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Website: 
Visit the website for details and to sign up.

Project Bumble Bee

Project Goal: 
Track the status of five bumble bee species to determine whether their population is in decline and where current populations live.
Your Role: 
Create habitat that bumble bees prefer, report activity near nesting sites.
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Website: 
Visit their website for further details.

Bumble Bee Watch

Project Goal: 
Track and conserve North America's native bumble bee population.
Your Role: 
Learn how to identify and find bumble bees, photograph them and report your observations. You can go one further and create ideal habitat for bees, stop using pesticides and spread the word.
Read more
Website: 
Visit the website for details and to sign up.

Spring Beauty and the Bees

Project Goal: 
Determine: which pollinators are most important to rare plants; which pollinators influence the evolution of floral traits; and which pollinators are most important for increasing crop yield.
Your Role: 
Locate a patch of spring beauty (Claytonia virginica or Claytonia caroliniana), observe the flowers for pollinator activity, record your data over the course of 3 - 4 weeks while the flowers are in bloom and submit your results.
Read more
Website: 
Visit the website for details and to sign up.

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