Projects
School Partnerships
We began sponsoring bioblitz events in 2019, starting with 9 Vermont schools. North Branch Nature Center and Vermont Center for Ecostudies trained teachers in the design of bioblitzes and the use of iNaturalist. The students made over 2500 observations, leading to the identification of over 550 different species. Among the exciting finds was the observation of Parancistrocerus leionotus, a species of potter wasp recorded only 20 times, twice in New England in iNaturalist. It is listed as a threatened species in Ontario, though little is known about its population status in the US. An even more unusual sighting was Ceraturgus fasciatus, a species of wasp-mimicking Robber Fly. This is only the 5th record of this species in iNaturalist.
We also organized a week-long series of educational events in 2019 to introduce Half-Earth concepts to teachers, professors and students in 8 schools and the University of Vermont. Over 750 attended these sessions featuring Dennis Liu, VP for Education of the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation.
In 2020, we collaborated with the North Branch Nature Center and Vermont Center for Ecostudies to organize the Vermont Spring Backyard Bioblitz. This month-long event recorded over 10,000 observations and the identification of over 1,300 species.
We continued the collaboration in 2021 with the North Branch Nature Center and Vermont Center for Ecostudies. We co-sponsored a Spring Schoolyard Bioblitz that was held in May and June.
Biodiversity Educator’s Institute
We supported North Branch Nature Center as it designed and offered this week-long course in the summer of 2020 and 2021 for 7th-12th grade teachers. It was organized to teach educators about biodiversity and its conservation.
A Shared Life
In 2018, we raised the necessary funds and secured the services of a Field Naturalist Master’s student from University of Vermont to create an online resource for state residents and conservation organizations. The resource features stories of what a diverse set of state residents have done to protect biodiversity on their farms, yards and forests. These stories are presented in context with the state’s conservation priorities – conveyed in Vermont Conservation Design and its online resource BioFinder, biodiversity principles, and the Half-Earth Project.
The following resources were created by Eric Hagen as part of his Master’s project in the University of Vermont’s Field Naturalist Program and were published online in 2020:
“A Shared Life: People and Biodiversity in Vermont”
A series of stories about what some Vermonters are doing to protect and restore biodiversity on their land, farms and yards. The Northeast Wilderness Trust, Vermont Natural Resources Council, and Audubon Vermont highlighted “A Shared Life” in their communications.
“A Vermonter’s Guide for Protecting Biodiversity”
A practical guide on actions state residents can take to conserve biodiversity in their yards, towns, and across the state.
American Flatbread Farmstead Gatherings
In 2019, we sponsored an event titled Celebrating Biodiversity in the Mad River Valley: A Free Community Workshop and Dinner, hosted by Lareau Farm Inn and American Flatbread in Waitsfield. The workshop featured a presentation by Joe Roman, a prominent conservation biologist and researcher at the University of Vermont and author of Listed: Dispatches from America’s Endangered Species Act. Read more about this event here.
In 2021, we co-sponsored an event titled Growing a Homegrown State Park with the Vermont Natural Resources Council and hosted by Lareau Farm Inn and American Flatbread. The event and a series of community education programs featured Doug Tallamy, the highly-regarded entomologist from University of Delaware and author of Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard. Read more about this event, view photos, and watch Doug Tallamy’s presentation here.
The goal is to offer this workshop in other parts of the state.
