Learn about these unique habitats and what you can do to support them
WHEN: THURSDAY, May 20 AT 6:00PM
WHERE: ZOOM - A LINK WILL BE SENT FOLLOWING REGISTRATION BELOW.
Each spring, water pools in areas of Maine’s landscape, creating vernal pools. This habitat makes it possible for wood frogs, spotted and blue-spotted salamanders, and fairy shrimp to survive and brings the joyful sound of frog calls with the disappearing snow. These unique habitats and the creatures that live in them are an important part of Maine’s forest ecosystems. Right now, the wood frog and salamander eggs in pools across the state are hatching, and the young salamanders and frogs are starting to journey out into the nearby forests. The presentation will touch on the ecology of these systems as well as actions that we can take at the individual property owner, land trust, and community level to support vernal pools and the creatures that live in them.
Aram Calhoun is a Professor of Wetland Ecology in the University of Maine’s Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology and has been researching, teaching, and sharing information about vernal pools for more than 25 years. Her work focuses on the importance of conserving these habitats and the species that live in them on private lands by addressing both human and ecosystem needs for land use and conservation. As a result of this focus on both people and nature, her work has blended research and outreach. Much of her research focuses on the precise habitat needs of the creatures that live in vernal pools, and her wide range of outreach work has included working with small Maine towns to develop innovative strategies for conservation that balance community development and vernal pool habitat needs. Dr. Calhoun is actively working with a range of stakeholders, from community scientists and land trusts to governments at the local town, state, and federal levels, on wetland policy and conservation issues. You can read more about her research and Maine’s vernal pools at http://www.vernalpools.me/.
Supported by the Merrymeeting Bay Trust and the Onion Foundation