Conservation science

10 07, 2024

Morgan Larson

2024-07-10T15:56:57-04:00July 10th, 2024|Con Sci Staff, Conservation science, Staff|

Morgan Larson (they/them) is another Southerner who has found their way to Abenaki territory! Originally from Anadarkos-Caddo territory (so called Dallas, Texas) Morgan grew up loving the magic of the Blackland Prairie and Cross Timbers forest, having artistic, spiritual, and recreational relationships with these beautiful (and endangered!) ecosystems. After graduating from the University of North Texas with a B.A. in Sociology in 2011, Morgan became a Master Gardener and Master Naturalist for Denton and Dallas county respectively. Through these programs they started working at nature preserves, non-profits, and public school districts [Read More...]

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27 02, 2024

Our Seeds go to Svalbard!

2024-02-28T12:55:34-05:00February 27th, 2024|Conservation science, Highlights, News, Riparian Lands|

Some of these adorable baby trees are now chilling, perhaps for 100 years or more, in a drawer in Norway! Last fall the Riparian Lands crew teamed up with the Statewide Seed Coordinator at Intervale Center to collect gray birch in the Champlain Valley and with our ECO AmeriCorps member Sarah Redman, here in Brighton, VT. Some of the seeds from both collections were later sent to the North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station in Ames, Iowa to be tested and stored long-term. These samples currently have a 96%-98% [Read More...]

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9 01, 2024

Jessica Colby

2024-06-06T13:27:38-04:00January 9th, 2024|Con Sci Staff, Staff|

Jessica Colby knew from a young age that she wanted to work in conservation. She grew up enjoying time spent out in the woods behind her house, discovering all the different plants and animals that could be found there. In 2017, she graduated from the University of Vermont with a bachelor’s degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology and a minor in Forestry. While in school, Jess was an active member of the UVM Fish and Wildlife Society, volunteering extensively with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department for several events including the [Read More...]

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8 01, 2024

Meghann Carter

2024-08-07T11:53:42-04:00January 8th, 2024|Con Sci Staff, Staff|

Meg Carter moved around between the East and West coasts as a kid, and graduated from Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon with a Bachelor’s of Science in Environmental Biology. She came to Vermont in 2010 as a fresh college graduate, moving from Oregon to work on a farm in Wheelock. After a winter working as a lift attendant at Burke Mountain, she started working for NorthWoods the following spring as a Forestry Intern. That summer, she worked as an Assistant Crew Leader for the local Corps crew and then started [Read More...]

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28 09, 2023

Repairing Erosion with Encapsulated Soil Lifts

2023-09-28T13:52:54-04:00September 28th, 2023|Conservation science, Highlights, News, Watersheds|

A river bank before and after the installation of an encapsulated soil lift. Whether paddling, casting a fishing line, or just enjoying a beautiful sunset, lakes and ponds are an integral part of the Vermont landscape. Over time, these beloved areas can become disturbed through the erosive pressures of foot traffic, wave and ice action, and the removal of native vegetation. Disturbed shorelines are directly tied to decreased water quality and require action to conserve our water resources.  An encapsulated soil lift is a best management practice that repairs [Read More...]

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30 08, 2023

Chokecherry Collection (Becoming Bog-people with VT’s Seed Coordinator)

2023-08-30T12:24:16-04:00August 30th, 2023|Conservation science, Riparian Lands|

(Photo collage - Our Riparian Lands crew teamed up with Brooke, fell into a bog, and collected from the Victory Basin Wildlife Management Area during the first week of August.) Between invasive species removal and building beaver dam analogs, the Riparian Lands Crew has been hard at work staying on top of seed collection efforts by collecting chokecherry (Prunus virginiana). With the help of State Seed Coordinator Brooke Fleischman, and ECO AmeriCorps Member Dana Welch, the crew has collected more than 28 lbs of seeds from seven different sites across [Read More...]

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30 08, 2023

How to Build Beaver Dam Analogs w/ MWA

2023-08-30T12:19:10-04:00August 30th, 2023|Conservation science, Highlights, News, Riparian Lands, Watersheds|

Controlling the flow of water is a large part of ensuring the health of riparian areas. One way that we can achieve this is by mimicking and encouraging beaver activity through the use of  Beaver Dam Analogues (BDAs). This form of Low-Tech Process Based Restoration (PBR) uses human-made “leaky beaver dams” to slow down the flow of water and spread it out to increase the saturation of the water table. Our goal is that these control structures work well enough to encourage nature’s environmental engineers (actual beavers!) to move in [Read More...]

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1 06, 2023

Restoring Watersheds in the North Country

2024-01-02T10:56:54-05:00June 1st, 2023|Conservation science, Highlights, News, Watersheds|

As the ground thawed and spring ephemerals emerged, the Spring Watershed Crew traveled throughout Vermont and New Hampshire on their first projects of the year. From the humble yarrow (Achillea millefolium) to the mighty red maple (Acer rubrum), the crew worked to plant over 5,600 native trees and 300 native plants to help improve water quality throughout the Memphremagog and Upper Connecticut River Watersheds. By restoring riparian buffer zones and installing rain gardens, these projects help to improve surface water quality by filtering and slowing down runoff from uphill areas like [Read More...]

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31 05, 2023

Seed Spotlight: Salicaceae Family

2023-08-23T10:09:22-04:00May 31st, 2023|Conservation science, Highlights, News, Riparian Lands|

You may have noticed that there is a bunch of fluff floating around in the air right now. This is because quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) is currently sending out seeds, and many other species in the Salicaceae family - such as shrub willow (Salix spp.), balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera), bigtooth aspen (Populus grandidentata), and eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides) - are about to follow suit. All of these species release millions of seeds surrounded by tufts of long, soft, white hairs annually that are carried along in the wind to be dispersed [Read More...]

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28 04, 2023

Heard about Hydroseeding?

2024-01-02T10:56:53-05:00April 28th, 2023|Conservation science, Forest Stewardship Institute, Highlights, News, Riparian Lands|

Hydroseeding is a direct seed application method that sprays large concentrations of seed on the land by using a trailer-mounted tank and sprayer system.The machine sprays out a slurry of seeds and water and sometimes (but not always) mulch and fertilizer. The sprayer is used to apply seed in a manner that minimizes the potential for movement of seeds from the site. This method is commonly used to quickly revegetate roadside excavation sites using conservation mix and grass seed.  Although it is a more common use, this method isn’t limited to [Read More...]

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