Mammal Ecology, Taxonomy & Natural History

RGV BioU Mark

Instructor: Ash Kerby-Miller
September 27 - 28, 2025 | $295
Course size: 12 students
Financial support available (contact us)

M

ammals are a dominant taxon across the globe, inhabiting every continent and often filling the niches of both apex predator and primary vertebrate herbivore in any given terrestrial ecosystem. Their impact on natural systems— from shaping rivers, to the modern species composition of forest trees—is profound, as is their entwinement with human history of economics, war, epidemic disease, extirpation, and reintroduction. While Vermont lists 58 mammal species, fully half of those are rarely seen. Small size, nocturnal habits and reclusive nature make these animals difficult, yet rewarding, to study.

This field-based course will cover the natural and cultural history of mammals in Vermont, with a focus on techniques to observe and identify species in the field. Topics will include mammal evolution, behavior, and topics in current and historical conservation, as well as techniques for observing reclusive mammal species using camera or audio recorders. Students will leave the course with skills to identify any of the 58 Vermont mammal species, and a grounding in their natural history and relationship with humans and the environment.

Course Goals & Objectives

  • Become familiar with the diversity of Vermont mammal species.
  • Understand evolutionary history of Vermont mammal families.
  • Gain historical context for the interactions between humans, nonhuman mammals, and the landscape of Vermont over time.
  • Practice methods of in-person and remote field observation.
  • Learn to identify a broad range of mammals by sight, skull, skin, track or sign.
  • Discuss behaviors of various species and how to use that knowledge to better observe them.

About the Instructor

Ash is an educator, ecologist, and the Staff Naturalist at North Branch Nature Center. They studied Conservation Biology at Middlebury College, then researched the natural world professionally with the Smithsonian in Panama, in the Green Mountains with the Vermont Center for Ecostudies, and as a contract mammologist. At NBNC they facilitate amphibian road crossing and owl banding community science programs, as well as lead educational programs from insect tracking to hide tanning. When not knee-deep in a river or nose-deep in a field guide, you might find them subscribing to a non-human calendar by foraging the ripest blueberries or skating to glassiest lake ice.

Physical Requirements

Participants must be able to walk 2-3 miles over the course of each day, sometimes off trail over uneven and potentially muddy terrain. Participants should be comfortable outside in potentially hot, muggy, wet, and/or buggy conditions for long periods of time. Please reach out to us if you have any questions about mobility and/or other accessibility needs.

Recommended Reading

  • Camera Trapping Guide Tracks, Sign, and Behavior of Eastern Wildlife by Janet Pesaturo
  • Mammal Tracks and Sign by Mark Elbroch
  • Animal Skulls: A Guide to North American Species by Mark Elbroch
  • Tracking and the Art of Seeing by Paul Rezendes
  • The Story of Vermont by Christopher McGory Klyza and Steve Trombulak
  • Mammals of North America by Fiona A. Reid (fourth edition)

Meals

Participants should bring their own lunches and snacks. Coffee, tea, and snacks provided in the mornings.

Timing & Location

Course begins 9 AM on Saturday and Sunday at North Branch Nature Center and concludes by 5 pm each day. Sunday will include visits to off-campus field sites near Montpelier.

Academic Credit / Professional Development

This course may qualify for 1 graduate-level credit for an additional $200 course fee. All BioU courses may be accredited by Castleton University. Participants interested in receiving credit must contact us at one month in advance so we have time to arrange course accreditation.

It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that home institutions will accept the credit. Participants pursuing academic credit will be required to complete an additional assignment above and beyond the course hours, including literature review, reflective writing, or a field-based project.

This course qualifies for 20 hours of professional development hours and continuing education units. Certificates of completion are provided at the conclusion of the course.

Cancellation Policy

While we realize that unexpected circumstances arise that are out of our control, North Branch Nature Center cannot guarantee refunds for registrations cancelled within 30 days of the course.  If a cancellation occurs within this window, NBNC will attempt to fill the space from our wait list and provide a full refund. If the course needs to be cancelled by NBNC, we will provide a full refund.

North Branch Nature Center

713 Elm Street
Montpelier, Vermont 05602
(802) 229-6206

Hours: Center Open Monday-Friday 9-4
Trails Open 24/7