Scientists

Professionals like Paul Gregory, Environmental Specialist at Maine's Department of Environmental Protection, are contributing to and learning from the Vital Signs community.

Like no other program, Vital Signs creates a collaborative foundation for students, scientists and resource managers to respond rapidly to new environmental threats to Maine while providing essential experience to the next generation of its citizen scientists.
Paul Gregory, Environmental Specialist, Maine Department of Environmental Protection

Paul is among a handful of state professionals tasked with protecting Maine's freshwater resources from invasive aquatic plants like variable leaf milfoil and hydrilla. He is on the front lines responding to reports of invasive plants in our lakes and ponds, and working with communities to manage infestations. He knows firsthand the critical role citizens play in monitoring and early detection.

Paul is forever generous with his time and enthusiasm for Vital Signs, advising our program development, reviewing species observations, and lending his expertise to our panel discussions.

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Scientists, managers, species experts, environmental professionals, and the like participate in and contribute to the Vital Signs community in the following ways:

1. Review your species identifications. Using your written and photo evidence, they either confirm or question your identification. If questioned, they suggest alternative identifications for you and the rest of the community to consider.

2. Monitor data quality. Through their comments, they applaud quality data or lend personalized tips and tricks to help you improve your data quality.

3. Use species observations and habitat data to inform their own research or to target their management efforts more effectively.

Register or contact us if you are interested in joining our scientist network.

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OTHER SCIENTISTS IN THE VITAL SIGNS COMMUNITY

Dr. Les Mehrhoff, Invasive Plant Atlas of New England

What you see on TV portrays scientists as a bit crazy, what you read portrays naturalists as introverts who work in museum basements and behind closed doors. Vital Signs lets students see what we are really like.
Les Mehrhoff, Former Director of IPANE

Les Mehrhoff, devoted species expert and all-around Vital Signs champion and cheerleader, died suddenly in December 2010. This self-described hand lens-toting naturalist, was inspired to become a scientist by searching for red salamanders as a 3rd grader. Through Vital Signs, he saw that students would get the same kind of hands-on outdoor experiences he had in third grade, and that their teachers would get to relive the experiences that they had as youngsters.

Les was especially excited about Vital Signs because he saw that it will give students a better understanding of the environment, field biology, and natural history, and what the scientists who work in these fields are really like.

Maine Department of Agriculture
Ann Gibbs
Karen Coluzzi

Maine Forest Service
Allison Kanoti
Charlene Donahue

Maine Department of Environmental Protection
Paul Gregory
John McPhedran
Hilary

University of Southern Maine
Karen Wilson
Lois Stack
Theresa Theodose

Larry Harris, University of New Hampshire
Robin Hadlock-Seely, Cornell University
Peter Thayer, Maine Department of Marine Resources
Beth Bisson, Maine Sea Grant
Jenn Dijkstra, Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve
Curtis Bohlen, Casco Bay Estuary Partnership
Lisa St Hilaire, Maine Natural Areas Program
Roberta Hill, Maine Center for Invasive Aquatic Plants
Sarah Treanor-Bois, Invasive Plant Atlas of New England
Hillary Shultz, Pine Tree State Arboretum
Gary Fish, Pesticide Programs: Maine Board of Pesticides
Caleb Slemmons, University of Maine
Lew Incze
Brett Levin
Elizabeth Stephenson
Rebecca Martin

Gulf of Maine Research Institute
Curt Brown
Adam Baukus
Jonathan Grabowski
Rebecca Jones
Taylor Strout
Andrew Whitaker
Zach Whitener
Carrie Byron
Marissa McMahan
Katie Flavin
Sarah Kirn
Sarah Morrisseau
Alexa Dayton
Nick Record
Gayle Bodge