Help discover vernal pools-<br> April Training for Citizen Scientists
Vernal pools are an important breeding ground for many amphibians. Photo by esagor via Flickr
Scientists at the Vermont Center for Ecostudies are attempting to identify and protect vernal pools in the state. Vernal pools provide critical breeding habitat for many species of frogs and salamanders. They fill with water as the snows melt but dry up in the heat of summer. The project is in its second year. Workshops will be held throughout Vermont to train volunteers to recognize and document vernal pools. Then the volunteers will be asked to field-check previously identified pools, collect biological and physical data, and report locations of unmapped vernal pools.
This year, the effort focuses on the Champlain Valley, central Vermont and the Upper Valley. Space in the workshops is limited, so interested people are asked to pre-register. Workshops will be held:
- April 20, 5-8 PM, Green Mountain Audubon Center, Huntington, e-mail, michael@arrowwoodvt.com
- April 26, 5-8 PM, Ripton Elementary School, Ripton, email sfaccio@vtecostudies.org
- April 27, 5-8 PM, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, Woodstock, email sfaccio@vtecostudies.org
- April 29, 5-8 PM, North Branch Nature Center, Montpelier, e-mail michael@arrowwoodvt.com
For more information visit http://www.vtecostudies.org/VPMP/
