Two scholarships established in memory of Erin Peterson and Joan Trial.
The Erin Peterson Memorial Award was established in memory of Dr. Erin Peterson, a graduate of the University of Maine and a fisheries biologist with the State of Washington. Erin lost her life at the age of 31 doing what she loved.
The award is a collaboration with the Penobscot County Conservation Association (PCCA) and Erin’s family and friends. Beginning in 2024, the award will be made annually to an individual who is pursuing an advanced degree focused on conservation and management.
The Joan Trial Graduate Travel Award was established at the University of Maine Foundation with gifts from family, colleagues, and friends.
Of particular interest to Joan were the students she taught and mentored. Establishment of this award will continue to support student’s professional development in her memory.
To learn more about these two new awards or to make a donation to either of them, please visit – https://umaine.edu/wle/alums/give-back-department/
Wildlife In the News
See what faculty, students, staff,
and alums are up to
Two new murals in Bangor aim to draw attention to local ecosystem and culture (Fedarick)
April 25, 2025 – NewscenterMaine.com
Elizabeth Brennan: Outstanding Graduating Student
April 29, 2025 – UMaine News
Elizabeth Brennan of West Chester, Pennsylvania, is the Outstanding Graduating Student in the College of Earth, Life, and Health Sciences. She is a wildlife ecology major and member of the Honors College, through which she wrote a thesis titled “Phenological changes in Arctic and Common Terns across Maine’s coastal islands.”
Vernal Pools Are the Place to Be for Woodland Critters—as Long as They Last (Calhoun)
Spring 2025 – by Alice Sun, Audubon News
Researchers and community scientists have teamed up to map and protect these ephemeral biodiversity hotspots before they disappear for good.
Manchester family donates almost 100 acres to Kennebec Land Trust (Record)
March 10, 2025 – by Ethan Horton, Kennebec Journal
Matt Sinclair and his grandfather, Robert Hopkins, are hoping their gift of land in Manchester will give future generations an opportunity to be in nature.
Farmland- An Unexpected, Yet Important Habitat for an Elusive Migratory Bird (Darling)
February 11, 2025 – Nova Scotia Environmental Farm Plan
In an effort to address the decline in American Woodcocks (Figure 1), the Eastern Woodcock Migration Research Cooperative (woodcockmigration.org), an international collaborative project led by the University of Maine, partnered with dairy farm owners James (Sandy) and Emma Cole from Elderbank, Halifax County NS to study their migratory ecology.
In memory of Douglas Vollmer ’53
January 16, 2025 – Legacy.com
Douglas Albert Vollmer was born in New Rochelle, NY, on September 16, 1930, to Walter E.B. and Amy E. Olive (Griffin) Vollmer. He peacefully passed away from kidney failure on January 16, 2025, under the compassionate care of the Maine Veterans’ Home.
International team studies the migration of the American woodcock (Blomberg, Roth, Brunette, Darling)
November 25, 2024 – Phys.org
The American woodcock, a plump harbinger of spring, is a well known shorebird found across eastern North America. The species is a popular game bird and has earned the admiration of hunters, birders and others through its spring display, whistling wings and unique quirks.
UMaine leads international team to study, conserve woodcock (Clements, Fish)
November 22, 2024 – UMaine News
The American woodcock is a well known shorebird found across eastern North America. Each year, they migrate from overwintering locations in the southeastern U.S. to breeding locations across the northeastern and midwestern U.S. and southeastern Canada.
Another Mural could be coming to Bangor (Fedarick)
November 19, 2024 – by Kathleen O’Brien, Bangor Daily News
Bangor could get another mural next summer, this time featuring marine life found in the Penobscot River.
Bangor Beautiful, a local nonprofit organization with the mission of improving the aesthetics of the city, asked city councilors permission to paint a mural on all four sides of the Kenduskeag Pump Station on the corner of Broad and Washington streets.
Record named executive director of UMS TRANSFORMS Student Success and Retention Initiatives
November 1, 2024 – UMaine News
A University of Maine wildlife faculty member will oversee the continued development and implementation of various programs that will help students throughout Maine’s public universities excel during and after their college careers.
UMaine steps up efforts to track ticks (Gordon)
October 18, 2024 – by Vivien Leigh, News Center Maine
ORONO, Maine — Maine could be on pace to set another record-breaking year for cases of Lyme disease. There have been 2,544 in 2024, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The state record of 2,943 cases were reported in all of 2023.
Ece’s (’24) Honors College Journey
August 2024 – University of Maine YouTube channel
Honors College senior, Ece Yeldan, describes her time in the UMaine Honors College and explains how her decision to join Honors has shaped her college experience and beyond.
Mark McCollough (’81) receives “Ding” Darling Memorial Award
September 6, 2024 by Megan Radk, The Wildlife Society
Mark McCollough, a longtime biologist and artist, has earned the Jay N. “Ding” Darling Memorial Award for Wildlife Stewardship through Art. His artistic abilities have been raising awareness for wildlife conservation in Maine for over 35 years.
Paying Closer Attention to Nature (Charney)
August 23, 2024 – Maine Calling
This show is a rebroadcast of an earlier show (original air date June 27, 2024); no calls will be taken.
Maine is filled with nature lovers—but it takes an extra level of mindfulness to really pay close attention to nature. We’ll learn how to not only stop to smell the flowers—but to truly study them and focus with all of your senses on the natural world. And we’ll discuss how to capture nature’s wonders through photography, art, writing and other methods.
Watch out for amphibians crossing Acadia Park roads (Monroe/Charney)
August 20, 2024 – Mount Desert Islander
ACADIA NAT’L PARK — Fall can be a rainy time in Acadia, prompting toads, frogs and other amphibians to move about the landscape, including into roadways.