“Under normal conditions the research scientist is not an innovator but a solver of puzzles.” —Thomas Kuhn
We are the puzzle-solvers—the ecologists, scientists, researchers, and writers who work in National Parks in the northeastern U.S. We count critters, tally trees, and survey shorebirds. We test the water, the soil, and the air. Our observations are like pieces of a puzzle. Collectively, they paint a picture of the natural systems in National Parks in the northeast.
Blackburnian Warbler
Field Notes is a meeting ground for all those interested in northeastern National Parks. Established as part of a science communication summer internship program based at the Schoodic Education and Research Center in Acadia National Park, the blog seeks to build a community where researchers, staff, and writers in northeastern National Parks can present their observations on science and nature to a diverse readership. Blog posts will focus on the activities of National Park Service workers, entities, and programs in the Northeast, but they are meant to engage anyone interested in science and nature. We hope that by giving science and nature a “voice”, we are effectively communicating the relevance of knowledge gained through scientific research at these Parks. As we explore this medium of science communication and invest ourselves in this community, we hope that many others will be inspired to follow, thus bridging the gaps between researchers and the public and science and learning.
Our stomping grounds are a motley crew of National Parks in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey. Although many of our parks are historic sites or cultural museums, they all contain unique natural features and wildlife adapted to the four-season, temperate climate characteristic of this part of the world.
Get to know our parks. We’re sure you’ll love them as much as we do.
Acadia National Park (Maine) Appalachian National Scenic Trail (Maine to Georgia) Boston Harbor Islands, a National Park area (Massachusetts) Marsh-Billings Rockefeller National Historical Park (Vermont)Minute Man National Historical Park (Massachusetts)
Morristown National Historical Park (New Jersey) Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic Sites (New York) Saint-Gauden’s National Historic Site (New Hampshire) Saratoga National Historical Park (New York) Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site (Massachusetts) Weir Farm National Historical Park (Connecticut)
Disclaimer: The opinions on this blog are only the views of the authors, not of the National Park Service, The Northeast Temperate Network Inventory & Monitoring Program, any of the aforementioned parks, Department of Interior, the Schoodic Education and Research Center, Acadia Partners, or any other official sounding entity.
