NE-MW Vernal Pools Collaborative Awarded NASA Grant

The Northeast-Midwest Vernal Pools Collaborative has been awarded a major NASA Citizen Science for Earth Systems Program grant to map and monitor woodland vernal pools across the Great Lakes region. The multi-year project will integrate cutting‑edge satellite radar (SAR) and  airborne LiDAR with on‑the‑ground observations from trained community science volunteers in order to find, verify, and monitor these small, seasonal wetlands that are often hidden beneath forest canopies.

Through this award, partners in ten states across the region will work together to develop a common definition for vernal pools, shared data standards, and a regional monitoring framework, with intensive mapping and citizen science efforts focused initially in Michigan, Wisconsin, and New York. The team will build an open, regional vernal pool database and web mapping interface that allows practitioners, agencies, and researchers to access high‑quality information on vernal pool location, condition, and biodiversity. By pairing advanced remote sensing with citizen science, the project will generate data to guide conservation planning, land‑use decisions, and support research for these ecologically critical yet often overlooked wetlands.

The Michigan Vernal Pools Partnership provides a strong foundation for this new regional effort. Over the past decade, the Partnership has developed and tested standardized field protocols, training materials, and a statewide citizen science program that engages volunteers, local coordinators, and conservation partners in mapping and monitoring vernal pools. Its experience building a robust Michigan vernal pool database and mobile data‑collection tools will guide the design of the Great Lakes–wide framework, helping ensure that new methods, resources, and platforms are practical for practitioners, accessible to community scientists, and scalable across the temperate forest region!

Stay in tuned for project updates!