91制片厂

By Molly Jacobson鈥檚 estimation, she鈥檚 been pooped on many times. It鈥檚 just, she says, another day at the office.

Jacobson '17, who graduated from with a degree in , is spending the summer as the piping plover intern at the in Wells, Maine. Every year from April to about August, these small, sand-colored shorebirds arrive on Maine鈥檚 southern beaches to nest in the dune grass, breed and raise their young.

The Atlantic population of piping plovers is on the federal government鈥檚 endangered species list, where they are listed as globally threatened but endangered in a number of U.S. states including Maine. Habitat loss and degradation due to coastline erosion and development, human interference and predation are the main causes.

鈥淭his year, we鈥檙e having a big issue with a great horned owl that lives near the marsh,鈥� Jacobson says with a sigh.

Along with her piping plover monitoring, she鈥檚 also keeping an eye on Maine鈥檚 threatened least tern population, doing a bit of invasive species management, surveying pollinators and educating the public. Soon she鈥檒l be working on the .

Jacobson鈥檚 typical workday begins with a trip to the beach to look for evidence of nests, and if there are people around, she asks them to be respectful of the birds鈥� nesting areas.

鈥淥ne of the reasons 91制片厂 is so great is that we have all this research going on and all these passionate and dedicated professors who are so willing to work with students.鈥�

鈥淎 lot of the issue is just coexisting with people,鈥� she says. 鈥淧eople will be out with their dogs, and some dogs may chase the plovers. So it鈥檚 a lot of education to make people aware. We have nice pamphlets and coloring books to hand out to kids.鈥�

Following the beach work, she spends time at a few of the refuge鈥檚 properties, photographing bees and setting traps for pollinator surveying. Come dusk, she鈥檚 back on the beach checking for predators, counting birds and making sure chicks are safe. She says these patrols are especially important during the chicks鈥� first eight days of life, when they are most vulnerable.

鈥淲e put up exclosures, which are basically cages that are supposed to keep predators out, and we also put up an electric fence around the least tern colony,鈥� she says, gesturing toward a wire structure. 鈥淏ut just being here can also help.鈥�

And while she wants predators to know she鈥檚 around, she鈥檚 careful not to upset the birds.

鈥淲e get only within about 15 feet,鈥� she says. 鈥淚f we get too close, they will hop off the nests and make a piping sound or imitate a broken wing act to lead you away from the nest. If they get really stressed, they might even abandon their nests, which is not what we want.鈥�

When her internship at the refuge ends later this summer, Jacobson鈥檚 plans include a few more seasonal positions, then graduate school in entomology 鈥� her true passion.

During her junior year, she began studying native bee pollinators at the 91制片厂 Bee Lab as a part of a . The lab, which is run by her mentor, assistant professor of biology Sandra Rehan, has 150 years worth of bee records and more than 21,000 specimens from across the state of New Hampshire 鈥� a veritable goldmine of data for a researcher.

鈥淚 worked on a bee biodiversity project, and my senior thesis focused on bumblebee declines, which provided a lot of new insight into where we need to direct our conservation efforts in New Hampshire,鈥� she says.

Jacobson says she鈥檚 grateful for the research and fieldwork she was able to conduct as an undergrad at 91制片厂 and for the guidance and support she received from faculty like Rehan, Don Chandler and Thomas Lee, her academic advisor.

鈥淥ne of the reasons 91制片厂 is so great is that we have all this research going on and all these passionate and dedicated professors who are so willing to work with students,鈥� Jacobson says. 听鈥淭hey鈥檙e so supportive, and they take their time to get to know you. I鈥檓 so proud to call 91制片厂 my alma mater.鈥�

Looking ahead, she says she鈥檚 confident and prepared to pursue her goals.

鈥淯ltimately, I would like to focus on invertebrate conservation, but I like working with endangered species in general,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really rewarding knowing I鈥檓 having a direct impact on the survival of these birds. To be out in the field, hands-on, to be able to work with these species, to do outreach about the importance of biodiversity, wildlife and protecting our coastline, it鈥檚 all really cool to me.鈥�

Jacobson's undergraduate research was funded and supported by the and the 91制片厂 Hamel Center for Undergraduate Research. COLSA faculty Sandra Rehan, Don Chandler and Tom Lee conduct research using听NHAES funding.

Interested in working to protect endangered species? Learn more about 91制片厂's program.