Meet Nate and Charly!

Last month, we celebrated Ainsley Mackenzie, one of our senior lab members who will be graduating this spring, and her accomplishments during her four years of working with MassMammals. This month we want to take the time to appreciate some of our teammates who are on the opposite end of their journey: Nate Albert and Charly Avril, two of the newest MassMammals members! Nate and Charly, both Amherst ‘25, joined the education team last fall. In collaboration with other students, they create lesson plans for elementary and high school students on biology and ecology topics. 

Charly has enjoyed her experience getting involved with citizen science and science education. “Over my time working on the project, I’ve learned how to better adapt our biology lessons to fit the needs of the different age groups we work with. When I work on creating lesson plans, I try to approach the content from the point of view of someone else who has less experience in Biology. In doing so, I often end up learning new things myself!” she writes.

“I would say that joining the group has been a very positive experience,” Nate says. “It’s important for me to get to know the town of Amherst and the people in it better and I think that the Citizen Science group has been a great way for me to get more involved in that. I look forward to continuing with the group next semester!”

Nate and Charly have been excellent teammates who have brought enthusiasm and a new perspective to the education group. We’re looking forward to working with them more soon and seeing what they’ll create next!

Photo of the Month!

Thank you to one of our volunteers for this cool picture of a very impressive-looking bear! Do any of you have amazing pictures of bears like this one? We depend on volunteers just like you to learn more about Massachusetts mammal pictures! As the weather is warming, more mammals may be out and about, so please submit any sightings on our website linked below!

Backyard Bear Safety Tips!

Now that the bears are once again out and about, you might find yourself with some guests in your yard! If this is the case - don’t panic! Bears are often simply out looking for food and are then on their way, but nonetheless, you wouldn’t want to accidentally startle (or be startled) by one when venturing outside. Here are a few tips to help minimize these sorts of encounters:

Tip 1: Avoid leaving trash out in the open.

Bears will often rummage through the trash in search of food around this time of year, and so to avoid drawing them onto your property, if you cannot keep your garbage inside until garbage day, tightly bag up any food waste and tightly close any trash can lids and avoid leaving bags of trash out in the open where they might be easily accessible to bears. You might also consider purchasing a bear-proof trash can.

Tip 2:  Be vigilant around dawn and dusk
Bears are often most active around dawn and dusk, so if you are going outside around these hours, to maybe go for a run or walk a pet, be alert and stay in well lit areas if possible and keep your pet on a leash.

Tip 3: Clean out grills and bird feeders

In a similar vein of thought to the first tip, we might not think to do it, but scraps of food left behind in grills, especially if they are uncovered, as well as bird feeders, which might have bits of fruit, nuts, and seeds that might seem very enticing to a bear! Also, avoid leaving any pet food on your porch or outside, if at all possible!

Source: https://www.nps.gov/articles/bearsafetyfood.htm

Volunteer Corner!

Although Earth Month is drawing to a close, every day is a good day to take care of the environment and enjoy the great outdoors! As the weather is warming up, and the flowers begin to bloom, it's a wonderful time of the year to spend some time outside and enjoy the wonders that nature has to offer. We hope you spot some cool critters as you explore, and please remember to submit mammal sightings to your website if you do!