About Charley Eiseman


Self-Portrait with Grouse I grew up in the woods of Pelham, Massachusetts, playing with the frogs, salamanders, and assorted insects in my backyard. That never really got old for me, so I got a B.S. in Wildlife & Fisheries Conservation at the University of Massachusetts, with a minor in jazz guitar. Beginning partway through college, I held a dozen or so seasonal field positions throughout New England and New York, also spending a summer in Oregon. A lot of these jobs involved ornithological research and surveys; I have banded over 5000 birds and have been certified as a bander by the North American Banding Council. Other work included botanical inventories, natural community classification, reptile and amphibian surveys and studies, and a little geology. The winter being a lean time for seasonal field work, I spent countless days learning about bobcats, fishers, and other mammals by following their tracks in the snow. I supplemented my independent learning by taking workshops and classes with Paul Rezendes, John McCarter, Mark Elbroch, Sue Morse, and Tom Brown. Eventually I was ready for some more formal education, and I got an M.S. in the University of Vermont's Field Naturalist Program in 2006. For my master's project I conducted a natural resource inventory and assessment of the lands managed by the Winooski Valley Park District (17 properties covering 1700 acres). Meanwhile I joined a Burlington-based band, PossumHaw, which is still active and has released two CDs. Since graduating I have worked for the Vermont Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, Mass Audubon, and the University of Massachusetts Landscape Ecology Lab, as well as completing small projects for towns and private landowners and several contracts with the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program. Meanwhile I have been conducting an ongoing wildlife corridor study for the Winooski Valley Park District, making maps for the Kestrel Trust, and teaching an annual winter tracking class with Noah Charney. I have also been evaluated and earned a Level III certificate in track and sign interpretation from CyberTracker Conservation. My first book (with Noah), Tracks and Sign of Insects and other Invertebrates, will be available in early 2010.

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