Browsed by
Author: Rick Lathrop

Mouse Hotels

Mouse Hotels

Researcher Dr. Heidi Herb showing off a mouse hotel, part of a tick research program. Ticks can transmit a variety of pathogens that can make people ill, including the bacteria that causes Lyme disease and the blood parasite that causes babesiosis. These pathogens persist in the environment in wildlife hosts. One of the most important reservoirs of tick-borne pathogens in the northeastern United States is the white-footed mouse, which is commonly found in forests. Researchers at the Center for Vector…

Read More Read More

Building Community through Bird Watching

Building Community through Bird Watching

The Rutgers EcoPreserve provides wonderful opportunities for watching a variety of bird species no matter the season.  Several years ago, undergraduate student Liam Fleisher established a bird feeding station near the Avenue E Roundabout EcoPreserve trailhead kiosk to provide visitors the opportunity to observe birds at a close distance. After going quiet for a year, the bird feeding station is (is or soon will be) back in business. Jade Tollis along with a team of Undergraduate students and the Rutgers…

Read More Read More

Why did the snake cross the road? Unfortunately, it’s a hazardous crossing.

Why did the snake cross the road? Unfortunately, it’s a hazardous crossing.

Photo of Dekay’s brown snake trying to cross the road; by Tianqi Huang, PhD student Rutgers Ecology & Evolution Program Oftentimes, population ecology of herpetofauna is overlooked in the existing body of literature due to their elusive and secretive nature. However, some reptile species tend to occur at high densities in urbanized environments and can be frequently encountered, which renders them good model organisms to explore various aspects of reptile population ecology. Tianqi Huang, PhD student in Rutgers Ecology &…

Read More Read More

Celebrate  National Trails Day at EcoPreserve Saturday June 1

Celebrate  National Trails Day at EcoPreserve Saturday June 1

Celebrate  National Trails Day at EcoPreserve  Saturday June1    11am-1pm 2024 Various activities including; litter clean-up, trail work and a guided hike Meet at EcoPreserve Parking Lot Road 3 for hike & clean-up Bring a water bottle.  more info at https://americanhiking.org/national-trails-day/