Vernal Pool Research Featured in Press Herald Report
The Portland Press Herald reported on University of Maine vernal pool research being conducted by several doctoral candidates and led by Aram Calhoun, a professor of wetland ecology. UMaine researchers are pursuing several vernal-pool studies through a $1.48 million grant from the National Science Foundation, according to the article. “Amphibians breed in the pool but live in the forest,” Calhoun said. “Many other states don’t even have a law [to protect vernal pools]. We’re lucky to be on the map. But it’s only a starting point. We’re doing this fleet of research to get a better understanding of land practices.” Calhoun hopes the research leads to an enhancement of the 250-foot buffer zone around vernal pools that are identified by biologists as important, the article states.