Maria Mitchell Association

The Natural Science Department of the Maria Mitchell Association actively conducts research and surveys of Nantucket’s ecology and biodiversity. Current projects include Osprey monitoring, American burying beetle recovery, and spider species surveys.  The Museum houses important scientific collections dating to the early 1900's.  The Electronic Field Guide to Invasive Plants on Nantucket is a project recently completed in collaboration with the University of Massachusetts Boston. The Maria Mitchell Association also plays a key role in the collaborative Nantucket Biodiversity Initiative.

Research

Click on a link below to learn more:

Ospreys and Barn Owls
American Burying Beetle
Spiders
Earthworms and Isopods
Snake Biodiversity

Collections

The Maria Mitchell Natural Science Museum is a depository for important scientific specimens from Nantucket, Tuckernuck, and Muskeget Islands. The Museum contains plants, birds (the Edith F. Andrews Ornithology Collection), marine life, mammals, and invertebrates (insects, spiders, etc.). Many of these collections were started decades ago and thus, not only do they represent important local species records, but they also document how the species composition has changed throughout recent history. Collections can be viewed for research or educational purposes by contacting Dr. Bob Kennedy at rkennedy@mmo.org . Below is a breakdown of our specimens:

Herbarium (plants): 4,500
Ornithology (birds): 1,000
Mammalogy (mammals): 20
Ichthyology (fish): ~14
Invertebrates (insects, spiders, worms, millipedes, etc.):
    Marine: ~20
    Terrestrial: ~9,000
Shells: ~350
Fossil Shells: 66

In 2009, MMA joined in partnership with the Museum of Comparative Zoology in Cambridge, MA.

Above: Specimens from the MMA Natural Science Museum Collection.

The Electronic Field Guide to Invasive Plants on Nantucket

Electronic field guide technology, developed at the departments of Computer Science and Biology at the University of Massachusetts Boston, is the basis for this joint endeavor with the MMA to electronically document island biodiversity. The Electronic Field Guide to the Invasive Plants of Nantucket (EFG) is the first product of this partnership. To help bridge the gap between people and the natural world, the EFG uses taxonomic and ecological data along with visual aids to connect people to a database of more than 60 terrestrial alien plant species that occur on the island of Nantucket, Massachusetts. This user-friendly guide introduces the general public to the fundamentals of plant identification while describing the impact non-native species have on the ecosystems of Nantucket. It enables users to recognize invasive plant species and teaches them about the threat these species pose to natural habitats. The underlying database will also serve as a baseline for scientific research.
Please click here to access the Electronic Field Guide

Nantucket Biodiversity Initiative

The Nantucket Biodiversity Initiative (NBI) is a partnership between Nantucket conservation organizations, government agencies and individuals interested in documenting the biodiversity of the islands and adjacent waters and monitoring and conserving that biodiversity over time.
This collaborative effort is being undertaken to inventory and monitor the many species of plants and animals found on Nantucket and to educate the public about the importance of protecting the rare elements that contribute to Nantucket’s rich local biodiversity.
Click here to access the Nantucket Biodiversity Initiative website.