Greetings!
We are excited to announce our first ever
Local Phenology Leader Clinic and Rally
this October
! This event will bring together up to 40 Leaders from across the country who are engaging groups in monitoring phenology. If you are a seasoned Local Phenology Leader with experience to share or just getting started with your program, there is a lot you can learn from your fellow LPLs! Get more details about the Clinic below.
We are also weeks away from launching a new
Nature's Notebook
app! This app will provide an improved interface to allow you to set up sites, add plants and animals, and review your past observations. Stay tuned for more next month!
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What's new at
Nature's Notebook
and USA-NPN
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1st Local Phenology Leader Clinic & Rally
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Do you want to connect with other Local Phenology Leaders to share ideas and gain skills you can bring to your program? Join us for the first biennial
Local Phenology Leader Clinic
this October 4-5, 2019 located at, and co-hosted by, the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and National Wildlife Refuge in Moss Point, Mississippi. The Grand Bay NERR/NWR spearheaded the
Gulf Coast Phenology Trail
, and has many great lessons to share.
We are also seeking six Local Phenology Leaders to share their work and ideas in 30-min oral presentations! The deadline for proposals is
June 9th
. Registration will open on June 24th.
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The LPL Clinic will be held at Grand Bay NERR/NWR in Mississippi
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Observer Certification Course
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Our new
Observer Certification Course
helps you test and certify your skills as a
Nature's Notebook
observer. The Certification Course consists of several modules that will teach you how to observe with
Nature's Notebook
, basic botany, tips for estimating intensity, and more. The first module, How to Observe, is now available on your Observation Deck! Test your skills or share it with your participants.
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Track insect pests with Pest Patrol
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We are seeking observers to report their sightings of insect pest species that cause harm to forest and agricultural trees. Your observations as part of this campaign will help validate and improve the USA-NPN's
Pheno Forecasts
, which help managers know when these species are active and susceptible to treatment.
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Did you catch all the great phenology on
American Spring LIVE
a few weeks ago
? If not, you can watch the recording of this great series from PBS Nature. The third and final episode, Connections, highlights the USA-NPN's
Track a Lilac project
, which invites the public to submit one-time observations of leafing and flowering in lilacs.
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Walking with Wildflowers
invites hikers along the Pacific Crest Trail to record information about the wildflowers they see. The project was started by researchers Benjamin Blackman and Nicholas Kooyers to better understand how climate change is altering plants flowering and seed-making behavior. You don't have to be a through-hiker to participate - anyone who visits Inyo National Forest, Yosemite National Park, or North Cascades National Park is invited to join!
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Recent happenings in the field of phenology
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Rethinking false spring risk
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The number of early springs followed by late freeze events, called false springs, is predicted to increase due to climate change. To determine the likelihood of damage from a late spring freeze in temperate forests, the authors of a new study in
Global Change Biology
evaluated several datasets that reflect the start of spring including the USA-NPN’s spring leaf index. Many factors play a role in the susceptibility of plants to damage from false springs, including the plant’s life stage, functional group, morphology, and phenological traits such as whether the plant puts on buds early.
A clearer understanding of how to estimate the risk of false springs for various species/functional types improves estimates of the future frequency of false springs under different climate change scenarios and can help improve models of species range shifts, carbon budgets and even feedback loops between climate shifts and forest composition.
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The impact of climate change on grizzlies
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Grizzly bears in Alberta depend on buffaloberry to fatten up before hibernation. A shift to earlier fruiting means a gap between prime feeding season and hibernation. Authors of a new study in
Nature Climate Change
worry that this could alter reproductive rates of Alberta's grizzlies.
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Graphic by Fuse Consulting Ltd
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More ways to get involved
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Welcoming spring on
Maine Calling
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A recent episode of
Maine Calling
highlights nature appreciation, phenology, and science education. Guests include Beth Bisson, Certified Local Phenology Leader and program coordinator for
Signs of the Seasons
, a New England phenology program.
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Nature of Phenology
podcast series
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There is a lot of great phenology on the radio in Maine these days! Check out
The Nature of Phenology
, a great podcast series from WERU Community Radio. Each week, Hazel Stark hosts a podcast that discusses what is happening in Maine, phenology-wise.
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Need help with bee ID? There's an app for that
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A new app helps you identify the bees you see in your backyard! It also has tips for bee-friendly plants and how to create pollinator gardens. Don't forget to log your observations of bees and nectar plants in
Nature's Notebook
!
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Especially for Local Phenology Leaders
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Congrats to our newly Certified LPLs!
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Congratulations to another round of Certified Local Phenology Leaders who completed our online course this spring (cohort 6): Teresa Caldwell, Leah Dudley, Jerry Holden, Joe Kreider, Denise Lello, Carol Margolis, Debbie Pike, Mac Post, Lynette Reiner, Amy Kletzien Riker, Lindsay Rist, Georgia Silvera Seamans, and Allyson Whalley.
We will offer another Certification Course this fall. Add your name to the
interest list
if you'd like to join us.
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Summer Short Course for Leaders
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Don't have time for the full LPL Certification Course? The
Nature's Notebook
Summer Short-course is a 4-week long, 8-10 hour online course that guides you through how to establish a sustainable phenology monitoring program. The course runs July 8th-26th and costs $25.
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Local Phenology Program Highlight
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We want to highlight your Local Phenology Program! If you'd like to be featured in our next newsletter, send us a few sentences about your group - what are your goals for monitoring, what species are you tracking, and what do your volunteers enjoy most about your program? Don't forget to also send a photo if you have one!
Email erin@usanpn.org
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Local Phenology Leaders at the USA-NPN's 10 year anniversary gathering
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Tree Spotting at the Arnold Arboretum
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Erin Posthumus
Outreach Coordinator
erin@usanpn.org
520-621-1670
LoriAnne Barnett
Education Coordinator
lorianne@usanpn.org
520-621-1803
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