Wildlife Research, Monitoring & Mentoring
Conventional pools use an alarming amount of energy and chemicals to operate, whereas natural pools utilize regeneration sections with native plants to naturally filter water and add aesthetic beauty. This summer, we visited with Geraldine Brooks, a fellow Natural...
In an earlier blog post, we discussed the detrimental impacts of manicured lawns and the value of re-evaluating how much lawn space you actually need. One Natural Neighbor decided to act on this suggestion and began the quest of converting unused lawn space into a...
According to the Northeast Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change network, nearly 100 southern invasive plants are at risk of becoming range-shifting species, expanding North as average temperatures warm. Invasive species threaten native plants and animals with...
Water is a vital and attractive resource for a variety of wildlife and thus a powerful element to include in backyard habitat. This is especially apparent when water is scarce during periods of drought - such as the Vineyard has experienced in several recent summers,...
The BiodiversityWorks shorebird management team is wrapping up its 11th season of monitoring beach-nesting birds at select sites across the island. The Vineyard's beaches represent critical habitat for these birds and their well-camouflaged eggs and chicks. Our staff...
A vastly diverse and ecologically vital group of insects, the moths (most of the members in the order Lepidoptera) have also emerged as one of the most popular subjects for amateur nature study. There are good reasons for this: moths can be incredibly beautiful, and...
Black skimmers began nesting in Massachusetts in 1985, but always in low numbers (fewer than seven pairs). They first nested on Martha's Vineyard (MV) in 2010 at Norton Point beach in Edgartown; however, they failed to fledge chicks that year. When a few pairs...
Natural Neighbors participants are making great strides in increasing native plant diversity on their property and providing essential sources of water and cover in year two of the program. We have 180 individuals and neighbors enrolled in the program! They all have...
How can we promote the well-being and safety of pets and wildlife? Moral and philosophical debate surrounds the issue of outdoor cats because they are known to hunt wildlife. A common justification of cat owners is that hunting is a natural instinct or behavior for...
There is virtually no end to the list of strange life histories insects have evolved. I came across a good example as I tended a moth sheet (a white sheet illuminated by black-light bulbs, used to attract nocturnal insects) during our Long Point Wildlife Refuge...
Would you like to receive email notifications when we publish a new post?