Get ready with us for all of the Nantucket Biodiversity Initiative BioBlitz events. This 30-minute online workshop will guide you on how to use the iNaturalist app and explain why your observations are so important as we catalog what we see around the island.

A Science Pub presentation with author Rebecca Heisman discussing the challenges and innovative research methods in bird migration highlight her new book "Flights of Passage"

This lecture covers Nantucket's coastal habitats, their environmental significance, and potential climate change impacts. It will address ecology, natural history, coastal processes, resilience efforts, and future responses.

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.

This talk will explain climate change and its effects like rising sea levels, erosion, and stronger storms. We will look at models that predict trends and terms related to these changes, focusing on Nantucket. Drs. Jen Karberg and Sarah Bois will discuss Nantucket’s coastal environment, how climate change affects habitats, efforts to build resilience using nature, and possible responses.

Dr. Sarah Bois, Linda Loring Nature Foundation Director of Research and Education, will give an update on 5 years of active invasive pine management. This work spans across the LLNF property, including grassland bird, pollinators, moths, and vegetation research.

Join Nicole Keleher, DCR Forest Health Director, to learn about the southern pine beetle (SPB), an invasive insect from the southern U.S. that is moving north. This pest threatens pitch pine forests in Massachusetts. She will cover the current status of SPB, its risks, and how climate change affects it. Nicole will also discuss SPB detection surveys and monitoring projects planned for this year.

Tribal Nations and Indigenous Communities have long faced climate change, exacerbated by human-caused factors and colonization. Nonetheless, they are leading in climate adaptation and resilience efforts. This discussion will focus on the political landscape of Tribal Nations in the U.S., particularly along the East Coast, exploring the impacts of climate change and highlighting their adaptation initiatives.

Ben Gahagan is a Fisheries Biologist at the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries in Gloucester, focusing on restoring fish populations between freshwater and saltwater. Ben will discuss past and current projects, including studies on released fish survival and their impact on striped bass habitat and management in Massachusetts.

Dr. Wendy Puryear of the Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, will give an update on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in our region and beyond.

The Linda Loring Nature Foundation protects 275 acres of open space on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. 2022 marks our 15th year of operations, and we're celebrating by sharing our work on environmental education, stewardship, ecological research, and conservation.

Learn how to use Community Science tools to identify and record observations of invasive species.

The Great Sunflower Project: Detecting pollinator declines through community science. Dr. Gretchen LeBuhn of San Fransisco State University and the Great Sunflower Project.

The Linda Loring Nature Foundation hosts an educational presentation about a Community (or Citizen) Science project on Nantucket that monitors and tracks data related to phenological events in nature. Phenology is the study of nature's timing, and we collect data on when plants begin to bud, leaf out, or when insects are laying eggs to better understand how Nantucket's species are responding to climate change

What does it mean to be a feminist botanist? This interdisciplinary scholarship examines how gender, race, class, sexuality, and nation influence modern botany's language and theories, revealing its colonial past. Decolonizing Botany confronts these origins and proposes a new field that integrates indigenous and feminist perspectives to transform experimental biology practices.

Learn how to use the free app and website iNaturalist to identify and record observations made in nature. This is a recording of that presentation made available for anyone to view post-event.

Dr. Kim Lewis of Northeastern University. Dr. Lewis will present research on two developing treatments for Lyme disease. Acute Lyme disease caused by the spirochete B. burgdorferi is treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics such as doxycycline, but about 10% of patients go on to develop a chronic disease with autoimmune disease-like symptoms.

Join us for a virtual presentation on using eBird, a tool for birders and researchers. This session will cover eBird features, aiding in tracking sightings, contributing to a global database, and improving your birdwatching experience. Whether you're new or experienced, gain insights on maximizing this resource while connecting with a birdwatching community and supporting conservation efforts.

Dr. Richard Beckwitt will discuss White-tailed Deer, common in eastern North America, with 2,000-3,000 on Nantucket Island. Although deer remains exist at Wampanoag sites, none were on the island at the start of the 20th century. Most histories indicate that in 1922, a lone male deer was found swimming in Nantucket Sound and rescued by a local fisherman.

Dr. Lucy Zipf will discuss how climate, habitat, and biodiversity affect the breeding success of Tree Swallows in Massachusetts.

Dr. Austin Gallagher is the Chief Executive and lead scientist at Beneath the Waves. A marine conservation biologist and world authority on sharks, he has worked diligently studying and advocating for highly migratory species around the world.

Research shows that making residential yards more eco-friendly—by adding more trees, mowing less, and planting more native plants—can support diverse insects and birds. Drs. Desiree Narango and Chris Neill are part of a national project that examines how different yard care methods affect wildlife in six US cities, including Boston.

Join Thaïs M. Fournier, the Natural Resources Department’s Water Resource Specialist for an engaging talk on Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in Nantucket’s ponds; what they are, what harm they can cause, and what we all can do to help.

Join us for a virtual tour behind the scenes of Gumbo Limbo Nature Center’s Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Facility. This past December, hundreds of cold-stunned turtles were rescued from the shores of Cape Cod.

It is a touching tribute to our founder and a celebration of how we at the Linda Loring Nature Foundation carry on her legacy to connect people with nature. Whether you have supported our organization from the beginning or are just discovering us for the first time, we invite you to explore what LLNF has to offer

Dr. Jenica Allen is the Campus Living Lab Manager at Mount Holyoke College. Learn about new tools for getting ahead of range-shifting invasive plants coming soon to a landscape near you. Whether you’re a property owner, land manager, landscape professional, or policymaker, these tools are for you. The presentation will provide an introduction to the Northeast Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change (RISCC) Management network and a demonstration of the tools, followed by Q&A.

Amphibian Conservation during the Global Pandemic: New Opportunities for Research, Outreach, and Community Service"

Dr. Tobias Landberg is the Director of Research at the Amphibian Foundation in Atlanta, Georgia.

Birds and the Beach: An Introduction to Beach-Nesting Bird Conservation in New England

Sam Kefferstan, Mass Audubon Nantucket Sanctuaries Director

Dr. Sarah Bois reports on the LLNF 2020 BioBlitz

Jay Srikar Chittidi, Research Fellow at the Maria Mitchell Association presented a talk titled, "Strange Extragalactic Signals: E.T. or Something Natural?"