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Research investigating vertebrate ecology with proper permits! Photos shared with permission.
@acadianps
@schoodicinst
@collegeoftheatlantic

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Experiential work in field ecology and conservation research is the focus this summer for our College of the Atlantic Shaw Fellows. While working in Acadia National Park and beyond, these students are gaining the skills and perspectives to challenge current ecological, conservation, and management standards. 🌲🌊

Shaw Fellows work closely with faculty mentors in small research teams designing and implementing studies. Participants train and practice in various field techniques including habitat and vegetation sampling; marine monitoring; active and passive monitoring of wildlife; and use of molecular tools and other technical skills. The program is generously supported by the David E. Shaw Family Foundation.

There are three projects students are working on this summer with two different mentors, COA professors Dr. Brittany Slabach and Dr. Kara Gadeken. Gillian Smoller ’27 and Adam Nsereko ’29 are working with Gadeken on a seagrass monitoring project that aims to document seagrass health and biodiversity in a restored seagrass bed. Greta Bernier ’27and Jay van Pelt ’28are working with Slabach studying vertebrate populations in Acadia National Park. Greta has led up our bear project investigating the population ecology of black bears on MDI, while Jay led up our salamander project aimed at understanding how different environmental factors influence spotted salamander growth rates. taken in Acadia National Park by @littleboxproject

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2 months ago

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3 months ago

We have had a wonderfully busy summer! We started two new projects this summer including monitoring salamander larval growth! Spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) are mole salamanders that live in terrestrial environments. They get their name because they reside in small mammal holes but also under leaf litter. Every year adults make a pilgrimage to vernal pools to breed and lay eggs. They do this after several warm spring rains and they are explosive breeders so it’s a fast and furious week (sometimes more depending on the weather) event! After eggs are laid the adults head back to the woods leaving the eggs to develop. They can live up to 20 years making this pilgrimage about 16 times!

A variety of factors influence salamander growth including UVA exposure, temperature and resource availability. The larva hatch and remain aquatic until they reach a certain size where they absorb their gills and head to the forest! We won’t see them again at pools until around the age of four! While most of our knowledge is around the adults, we are investigating factors that influence larval growth rate. Recruitment into the population (via surviving juveniles) is important to understand because without recruitment you’ll get population decline. With changing temperatures and weather patterns it’s important to understand how individuals will adapt.

We have been sampling a variety of sites in @acadianps for larval salamanders. We trap them, and photograph them. We then use a program to measure their size allowing us to monitor growth rate. We also take a variety of water quality samples including pH, temperature and dissolved oxygen so we can better understand the variable environment they are growing under.

This work is part of a long term study and is being led by @collegeoftheatlantic third year and Shaw Fellow, Jay! Jay has basically become a salamander this summer!

Photo 1: Jay sneaking up on a green frog.
Photo 2: a larval salamander
Photo 3: amphibians we captured! This include salamanders and tadpoles!
Photo 4: Jay water sampling
Photo 5: salamanders at different growth stages and a tadpole!
#shawfellows #undergraduateresearch #ecology #amphibians by @littleboxproject

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3 months ago

The 2026 @collegeoftheatlantic Shaw Fellows students, mentors and the person who makes it all possible, @shawdavide! The Shaw Fellowship provides hands on training in field ecology and conservation research, providing students with the tools and perspective to challenge current ecological and conservation standards. Students work with research mentors tackling real world ecological and conservation challenges!

There are two teams of Shaw Fellows this year! Adam and Gillian are working with Dr. Kara Gadeken, setting up a long term project to monitor sea grass. Greta and Jay are working with Dr. Brittany Slabach, on black bear and spotted salamander ecology. Both teams began their work in the spring and are conducting seven weeks of summer research. They will be presenting their research at regional conferences this fall and spring!

Training the next generation of scientists and stewards is an honor. Providing skills, knowledge and tools to challenge the status quo is how change happens! These opportunities provide formative personal and professional growth and are only made possible through generous support. We’re incredibly thankful to @shawdavide for allowing us to provide these opportunities for students!

#undergraduateresearch #ecologyresearch #marinescience by @littleboxproject

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3 months ago

Students in my ornithology class @collegeoftheatlantic got up before dawn so we could hear the dawn chorus! We visited Sieur de Monts in @acadianps to listen to, observe and identify different birds. We’ve been discussing bird vocalizations, investigating songs and calls visually and through auditory means. We’ve been relating song types to avian ecology. Today students practiced their identification skills and tested their knowledge!

University of Maine PhD candidate James Longo led the adventure! James also serves as the director for the Hancock County Young Birders Club with Downeast Audubon.

In total we saw or heard 39 different species representing at least 9 families, including a beautiful barred owl hiding in the trees (last picture).

#birds by @littleboxproject

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5 months ago

Right after graduate school I had the absolute pleasure of getting to work in the Mojave desert. Deserts are one of the most misunderstood habitats, and are teeming with life. It was wonderful to be back for a short time and catch a glimpse of those spring blooms. The desert in winter is one of my absolute favorite places! Along with beautiful flowers we saw several pollinators and two gorgeous male fence lizards!

Photo 1: Alabama hills with the Sierra Mountains in the background
Photo 2: false woolly daisy
Photo 3: desert lupine
Photo 4: sage of some sort - hard to ID at this stage!
Photo 5: evening snow
Photo 6: lace-leaf phacelia
Photo 7: broad flowered gilia (I think)
Photo 8: beaver tail cactus (Opuntia) these flowers are a gorgeous pink!
Photo 9: desert paintbrush taken in Alabama Hills, California by @littleboxproject

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7 months ago

In my collecting nature course @collegeoftheatlantic we spend a lot of time visiting collections to understand their history, how to care for them, and to meet the people that work with them daily. These are important hands-on trips that help us further understand the value and role of natural history collections!

We recently visited some collections @mczharvard and the herbaria. We got to talk to directors, curators, and preparators. We learned new techniques and discussed how a specimen is so much more than just one object! We were lucky enough to be able to get a tour of the magical glass flowers and see several library collections too! Our second day we visited the public exhibits to explore how the exhibit collection differs from the research collection. It was an amazing and fantastic trip that was jam packed full of learning and laughter! We are so thankful to the amazing staff for sharing all of their time and knowledge!

On our way to Boston we stopped @mainebeerco to see Finny the finback whale articulation! A few students in the class assisted with the work and it was great to see the specimen up close and as a comparison to older specimens!

Students - feel free to tag yourselves!

#naturalhistory by @littleboxproject

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8 months ago

We use wildlife game cameras for a variety of projects. They are a great passive way to understand movement patterns, biodiversity and presence. We have several cameras out monitoring some hair snare sampling sites for this summer and we were lucky to get this gem of a capture.

Here a red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is grabbing at our flagging tape. The tape is attached to barbed wire - the snare - and is there as a safety measure (we don’t want to trip on the wire!). Canids, like foxes, coyotes, and wolves, are very curious creatures. Studies have shown that wolves won’t cross fences with flagging tape attached. In fact, it’s been used as an anti-predation tool by some ranchers out west.

This red fox was traveling under the snare and turned to grab at the tape in a fairly playful way. It didn’t tear it down, but tried to capture it then made its way to check out the scent baited site. It’s a privilege to get a peak into the behaviors and activity of our wildlife neighbors!

#wildlifemonitoring #wildliferesearch #ecology by @littleboxproject

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8 months ago

The @collegeoftheatlantic collecting nature course is a deep dive into the history and science of scientific collecting with a focus on animals and plants. We talk about the history of collections, read field journals and discuss how the colonial past influenced our understanding of the natural world. The class provides students with hands on curatorial skills working with the Dorr Museum of Natural History and Herbarium. A big part of the course is visiting other collections and talking to the people that care for them. Our guiding question is what should be (or is) the role of collections in today’s society?

Our first big field trip was to the amazing @lcbatesmuseum in Hinckley, ME. Started by Reverend Hinckley the collections represent a variety of display styles and specimens from Maine and beyond. The museum also has a variety of cultural artifacts. They are closed during the winter and were kind enough to open their doors for a tour! The students explored the collection, learned about the history and challenges facing collections and museums. We ended with the best snarl face everyone could give! It’s an awesome gem here in Maine!

Students, tag yourself if you’d like!

#naturalhistorymuseum by @littleboxproject

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9 months ago

Total projects: 5 (plus some pilots!)
Miles hiked: 500+
Mammals captured: 100+
Salamanders monitored: 200+
Fruit snacks eaten: a pallet (probably)
New questions: loads!!!
Fun had: immeasurable!!!!

What a year! We are continuing to study the vertebrates of @acadianps and the northeast. From the sea to mountain summits we have started new projects, continued collecting data on long-term projects, and are finalizing old projects, working on manuscripts.

I’m endlessly grateful for collaborators, funding agencies, and most of all the students. The students are the driving force behind this work and I’m so thankful for their have endless questions, their curiosity, and their trust in me when I say let’s go have an adventure!

To a year filled with amazing science and lots of adventure!

@packardz17 @themagicmoongirl @ellie_jaxn_outside @haysie_bird @_esmereldam_ @nate.morgan54 @kaydenlovallo
@collegeoftheatlantic @shawdavide @friendsofacadia by @littleboxproject

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10 months ago

We’re still investigating Acadia’s Mountain top communities! @collegeoftheatlantic Shaw Fellow Colleen Nelsen has continued sampling social trails with the help of Environmental work study students. This data will help us to understand visitor use of mountains, assisting National Park Biologists!

With a new series of restoration plots recently placed on Sargent and Penobscot Mountains, we are also monitoring organismal visitation to the plots. Last week, @collegeoftheatlantic Vertebrate Zoology and Environ Science work study students assisted in setting up a series of cameras to monitor these plots. We have had some visitors! This data allows us to understand if, and how, organisms are using restoration plots. As seed predators small mammals can influence restoration efforts - in positive and negative ways.

@shawdavide @friendsofacadia @acadianps

#undergradresearch #mountainecology #ecology by @littleboxproject

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a year ago

@collegeoftheatlantic Vertebrate Zoology students spent the afternoon learning from Kareem A. Dieng (@omnitracker)! Kareem is a registered Maine guide, the Director of Outdoor Education @campbeechcliff and a certified wildlife tracker.

Students practiced observation skills, and applied their knowledge of organismal ecology and behavior to identifying sign. Kareem led the students in wonderful discussions to help them practice their critical thinking and outdoor skills. He even set up a mock tracking exam for the students to test their knowledge! It was a fabulous, wintry afternoon filled with laughter and learning!

Photo 1: Kareem and the group discussing different types of sign observed.
Photo 2: Students walking through a field.
Photo 3: An exam question examining two different types of scat.
Photo 4: coyotes scat!
Photo 5: A group working to identify some carnivore scat. Verdict= skunk!
Photo 6: Different type of beaver sign
Photo 7: The group in discussion.

📸 by @omnitracker by @littleboxproject

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a year ago