Libby Buck (LLNF) will dive into the first year of Nantucket Osprey Watch and what we are learning about osprey nesting across the island. We will explore how community observations turn into real data, share results from the first season, and discuss why long-term monitoring matters for understanding these remarkable birds.

Caroline Collatos, Ph.D. candidate at UMass Boston and the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium, will be joining us to discuss her dissertation research focused on sandbar shark presence, residency, and annual habitat use along Nantucket’s shoreline. Join us to learn more about these fascinating, often misunderstood fish that call our local waters home from early summer to early fall.

In this first LLNF Science Pub of the 2026 season, Dr. Sarah Bois (LLNF) will kick us off with all the wonderful ways we monitor, measure, and share local precipitation and weather information. We will hear about the Community Collaborative Rain Hail and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS), a Community Science network of people across the country who measure precipitation contributing to long-term data sets. This talk includes history, highlights, and how to access the weather information in real time from the comfort of your own home. We’ll also hear about how you can become a CoCoRaHS volunteer and set up a rain gauge in your own yard. A small number of FREE CoCoRaHS rain gauges will be available with sign up with pick up in-person only. Sarah is the Director of Research and Conservation at the Linda Loring Nature Foundation. LLNF is considered a Climate Center recording daily precipitation for NOAA as well as CoCoRaHS since 2014.

Dr. Xie will discuss her collaborative research with Dr. Sarah Bois of the Linda Loring Nature Foundation investigating native and invasive shrub phenology using a combination of herbarium data, field observations, and time-lapse photography. Biological invasion and climate change are among the top drivers of global biodiversity loss, and the interaction between them can cause greater challenges in biodiversity conservation. Previous studies suggested that native and non-native species may have distinct timing of life cycle events (i.e., phenology) and responses to climate change, which is likely to facilitate species invasion and increase the threats on native biodiversity in the future. Native biodiversity in the coastal plant communities of Nantucket has been showing particular vulnerability under invasive species and threatened by challenges from climate change.

By integrating herbarium specimens, community science networks, visual observations, and time-lapse cameras, this project aims to assess phenology and the responses to climate change between native and invasive plant species on Nantucket Island. This project helps assess the resilience and vulnerability of the plant communities to species invasion under climate change on Nantucket Island. Using the knowledge generated from this project, we expect to better inform biodiversity conservation management and climate change mitigation actions.

Join LLNF’s Master Bird Bander, Libby Buck, for an exciting and informative presentation about the important role bird banding plays in scientific research and conservation. Libby will share the history of bird banding on Nantucket and discuss the creation of the Linda Loring Nature Foundation’s new bird banding station. Discover how the station contributes to our understanding of bird migration, what species have been caught so far, and what’s next for the station. Learn about a typical bird banding day, including the process of capturing, banding, and releasing the birds, and how you, the community, can visit and witness the bird banding process firsthand.

Fishing communities in the Northeast US are on the frontlines of climate change. With many communities reliant on the marine environment for social, economic and/or cultural reasons, understanding how climate change is impacting marine species, ecosystems, and the people who depend on them for their livelihoods and well-being is crucial for adaptation and resilience planning and action.

Dr. Maltby will reflect on recent and ongoing work that examines climate impacts on fisheries in the Northeast, how fishing communities are adjusting to climate change impacts, and discuss potential actions and approaches for supporting future resilience of ecosystems and dependent communities.

Dr. Murry Burgess is the Co-Founder & CEO of Field Inclusive, Inc., a non-profit that aims to amplify and support marginalized identities and those historically excluded individuals spending time outdoors.

Murry (she/her) is an Associate Wildlife Biologist and Assistant Professor at Mississippi State University. As an urban ecologist and ornithologist, Murry researches the impacts of anthropogenic stressors on songbird metabolic health and physical development.

She is also a children’s author and public scientist. As a DEI activist, she was driven to start Field Inclusive based on her own experiences living in predominantly white areas of the Deep South and her determination to make the road easier for future wildlife professionals.

Originally recorded 1/27/25 as part of the Linda Loring Nature Foundation Science Pub Speaker series. Allison Black spends weeks at a time each year at sea searching for marine life as a contracted Seabird & Marine Mammal Observer for the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). During her presentation, she’ll talk about life aboard a research vessel, the research she contributes to, and what we can learn from studying seabirds. She’ll also share some of her most unique sightings at sea, and cover tips and tricks for sea-watching from a boat. Enjoy a plethora of photos, and an insider’s look at what wildlife our New England waters hold. Allison Black is a Connecticut native and became interested in birds after taking an ornithology course while completing her undergraduate degree. She has turned her love of birds into a career, working in various roles for non-profit and state organizations alike. Allison is the founder and compiler of the Norwich Christmas Bird Count and is on the Board of Directors of the Connecticut Ornithological Association (COA), currently serving as COA’s Secretary and the chair for their Workshops and Mini-Grants Committees. She was recently featured in the Connecticut Audubon Society’s “Young, Gifted, and Wild About Birds” lecture series and their annual “State of The Birds” publication. When not on a ship somewhere in the ocean, she resides in eastern CT with her equally sea-going husband, Ryan.

We've all heard amazing facts about bird migration—the long distances that birds travel, the ways that they navigate, etc. But did you ever wonder how we figured all of this out? While working for the American Ornithological Society, Rebecca Heisman became fascinated with the varied and creative techniques that scientists have used to study bird migration, and this eventually became the basis for her book Flight Paths: How a Passionate and Quirky Group of Pioneering Scientists Solved the Mystery of Bird Migration. In her talk, she'll share some surprising stories from the history of bird migration research and discuss why understanding migration is so crucial for bird conservation. Bio: Rebecca Heisman is a freelance science writer who lives in Walla Walla, Washington, and has worked with organizations including the Audubon Society, the American Bird Conservancy, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the American Ornithological Society. Flight Paths is her first book.

Science Pub is a virtual speaker series by the Linda Loring Nature Foundation to connect people with real-world science and research. Guest speakers present their work in an informal and relaxed setting where questions and discussion are encouraged.

Elizabeth Crisfield will talk about a 5-year regional pollinator project in the northeast, including Nantucket, and the effects of management on xeric (dry) habitats and the native pollinators these habitats support.