Motivating People to Action

by Chris Hubbard, Education Director

As an educational institution, we not only strive to educate others, we also strive to educate ourselves, often through professional development. We seek to inform and enhance our work, and we look for avenues to increase our own knowledge. This fall, Cara and I are involved in a course titled “Environmental Education for Sustainability: Motivating People to Action through Learning Experiences and Educational Materials,” presented by the Massachusetts Audubon Society and Lesley University. A long title, for sure!

This class focuses on the approaches and best practices for effectively teaching adult learners who come to us for environmentally focused education. We’ll explore the approaches, theoretical frameworks, and best practices for effectively teaching adult learners, as well as the psychological and sociological factors and influences at play in people’s lives and behaviors.

We’ll also be examining the tendency to expect that all who attend classes or workshops focused on the environment will self-identify as environmentalists and be inclined to act in environmentally responsible ways. Our mission, “to inspire curiosity, love, and responsibility,” calls upon us to motivate people to act responsibly for the betterment of natural and working lands. I’m excited to learn how we can better facilitate this work.

BioBlitz 2021 Recap

by Tim Duclos, MSc., Conservation Manager

The third annual Merck Forest BioBlitz, held over the 48 hours between July 24th and 25th went off without a hitch, proving yet another successful weekend-long effort of discovery, education and community engagement at Merck Forest.

Visitors stop to learn about the BioBlitz and use of iNaturalist.

The goal for this year’s event was to break the 1000 confirmed species mark for the property, and we blew straight past that number. As of the writing of this article, the confirmed species tally for the property, captured within the iNaturalist project known as the Merck Forest Biodiversity Project, stands at 1,167 – these from over 5,000 observations contributed by 85 participants and aided by over 700 identifiers – all this in the last 3 years since the project launch.

This year’s event featured ten expert guides from agencies and organizations such as the Vermont Dept. of Forest, Parks and Recreation, Vermont Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, The Orianne Society, Audubon, Vermont Center for Ecostudies and others. Guides led a continuous series of workshops from dawn until dusk both days focused on many groups of species including birds, insects, flowering plants, trees, mushrooms, lichens and moss, reptiles and amphibians, bats, butterflies, and moths. A hearty thank-you to all of our guides!

Max Miley, our Student Conservation Association Summer Conservation Intern, co-hosted the event and was on-site for its entirety. Shterna Gordon, Burr and Burton Academy student, also participated in the event as part of a 100-hour ecology-focused internship at Merck Forest supported by a Stratton Community Foundation Brown Grant Scholarship. We could not have seen this success without the aid of Max, Shterna and all of the volunteer guides who offered up their precious time and knowledge.

The first observation of the event, of a daylily leafminer (Ophiomyia kwansonis) taken at the visitor center by Max Miley was also the first documented occurrence of the species in the state of Vermont. This goes to show that there is much to be discovered around us and that iNaturalist is a powerful scientific tool to capture such findings.

Success by the numbers:

• Observer contributions to eBird: 23 species of birds

• Observer contributions to e-Butterfly: 28 species of butterfly

• Observer contributions to iNaturalist:

• 262 Insect Species

• 163 Plant Species

• 69 Fungi Species

• 23 Arachnid Species

• 10 Amphibian Species

• 8 Bird Species

• 4 Protozoan Species

• 2 Reptile Species

The most observed species on iNaturalist were:

1. Herpetogramma moths (12)

2. Common Idia Moth (Idia aemula) (12)

3. Asian Lady Beetle (Harmonia axyridis) (10)

4. Monarch (Danaus plexippus) (9)

5. Two-spotted Bumble Bee (Bombus bimaculatus) (8)

6. Banded Hairstreak (Satyrium calanus) (8)

And so far, over 170 different iNaturalist users have contributed to the identification of 555 species from over 1300 individual findings posted during the weekend. In addition to the over 80 people we engaged with during the course of the event, there have been over 200 people involved with the effort

The exploration never stops; using tools like eBird (eBird.org), eButterfly (e-Butterfly.org), and iNaturalist (iNaturalist.org), you can contribute to science every day, wherever you are.

For more information on iNaturalist and to explore, contribute, and/or identify species found on Merck Forest property, including during the BioBlitz, check out the following ongoing iNaturalist projects by typing these URLs into your browser: www.inaturalist.org/projects/merck-forest-biodiversity-project www.inaturalist.org/projects/merck-farmland-biodiversity-project www.inaturalist.org/projects/merck-forest-farmland-center-pollinator-project

For more information on eBird, and to explore and contribute your Merck Forest bird findings to science and the community at large, check out our eBird hotspot at: ebird.org/hotspot/L280833

For more information on e-Butterfly, and to explore and contribute your Merck Forest butterfly sightings, check e-butterfly.org at: tinyurl.com/7w7f35k6