Growing up in China, Maine, Hunter Praul said he always had an interest in exploring nature, especially reptiles and amphibians. He became an Eagle Scout, but even outside of his troop outings he found himself in forests, lakes, and creek banks looking for frogs, toads, turtles, and whatever else he could find. to find.
As a research student at the University of Maine, Praul took his love for nature’s slimy, scaly creatures and applied it to the conservation mission in Maine.
When Praul graduated from high school, he was appointed to the Maine’s Top Researchers program, which provides full tuition and research opportunities for the state’s top high school seniors to attend the University of Maine.
Since early spring 2022, Praul has worked on a variety of turtle conservation research projects in the lab of Matthew Chatfield, assistant professor in the School of Biology and Ecology. Praul’s main project aims to record the population of Eastern Musk Turtles on nearby Lake Pushaw, which is considered one of the most northerly (if not the most northerly) parts of the habitat’s range. of the species.
“It would be interesting to get data and information on the northernmost population to see if there are any differences with those in the south or even just further south in the state, although there are no haven’t had a lot of research on them, especially in Maine,” Praul says.
Every month for the past two months, Chatfield and Praul have traveled to three different plots near Gould’s Landing to set six sardine-baited traps on each, strategically placing them at different levels of vegetation and at different depths along the shore. During this week, they return each morning to check traps, repair damage from hungry raccoons or snapping turtles, and record their sightings.
“I have worked with thousands of students in the classroom and dozens in a field or as a mentor and I have to say that Hunter [Praul] is probably the most meticulous student I have ever met,” says Chatfield. “Every word and number on the data sheet is recorded exactly as it should be. He is certainly one of the best undergraduate researchers I have met.
Praul admits, however, that he hasn’t had much luck finding stinkpots this summer. He only found one, although he saw plenty of Common Painted Turtles throughout his study.
“We may be in the wrong place in the lake, but it may also be that there aren’t as many in the lake as we originally thought,” says Praul. “We are taking a little break and will try again at the end of this summer to see if there is a seasonal change in the numbers.”
Praul still hopes to use the stinkpot project for his main capstone project, but if he doesn’t find enough stinkpots to draw any substantial conclusions about the Lake Pushaw population, he will use data from a survey project. in the Chatfield Wood Turtle Laboratory. . Praul assisted graduate students with fieldwork using radio telemetry to observe and record the nesting behavior of wood turtles, a heavily trafficked and listed endangered species. international organization that would have a stronghold in Maine.
Almost every week, Praul will join a graduate student researcher at their site by the river; the exact location is confidential, to protect the heavily trafficked turtles. They use a receiver to find the turtles observed for this study, which are tagged with radio telemeters, and record environmental and behavioral data on their subjects.
Turtles aren’t the only animal Praul interacts with for this research, either.
“To help find wood turtles, there’s a dog that’s been trained to find them,” says Praul. “Sometimes his master [Lindsay Ware of Science Dogs of New England] and I take him to go sniff in the grass and the stream. If she finds a different species, she’ll pass it on, and if she finds a wood turtle, she’ll stay there until we get there.
The dog’s name is Chili Bean, Chili for short. Some of the wood turtles also have names, like Crowley, Outlaw and Jennifer Lawrence – to make them easier to identify in the field, of course.
Apart from her herpetology projects, Praul also works at UMaine’s Environmental DNA Lab to conduct laboratory procedures. He says it’s “very interesting” and “cool to do,” but he prefers to study the natural world on a larger scale.
Praul plans to graduate this spring after his third year at the University of Maine. He doesn’t know exactly what he will do after that, but one thing is certain: he wants to work with animals.
“I always say that herpetology is my main interest, but I’m also fundamentally interested in all animals,” says Praul. “It’s a little harder to choose something if there are so many options.”
Contact: Sam Schipani, [email protected]
Growing up in China, Maine, Hunter Praul said he always had an interest in exploring nature, especially reptiles and amphibians. He became an Eagle Scout, but even outside of his troop outings he found himself in forests, lakes, and creek banks looking for frogs, toads, turtles, and whatever else he could find. to find.
As a research student at the University of Maine, Praul took his love for nature’s slimy, scaly creatures and applied it to the conservation mission in Maine.
When Praul graduated from high school, he was appointed to the Maine’s Top Researchers program, which provides full tuition and research opportunities for the state’s top high school seniors to attend the University of Maine.
Since early spring 2022, Praul has worked on a variety of turtle conservation research projects in the lab of Matthew Chatfield, assistant professor in the School of Biology and Ecology. Praul’s main project aims to record the population of Eastern Musk Turtles on nearby Lake Pushaw, which is considered one of the most northerly (if not the most northerly) parts of the habitat’s range. of the species.
“It would be interesting to get data and information on the northernmost population to see if there are any differences with those in the south or even just further south in the state, although there are no haven’t had a lot of research on them, especially in Maine,” Praul says.
Every month for the past two months, Chatfield and Praul have traveled to three different plots near Gould’s Landing to set six sardine-baited traps on each, strategically placing them at different levels of vegetation and at different depths along the shore. During this week, they return each morning to check traps, repair damage from hungry raccoons or snapping turtles, and record their sightings.
“I have worked with thousands of students in the classroom and dozens in a field or as a mentor and I have to say that Hunter [Praul] is probably the most meticulous student I have ever met,” says Chatfield. “Every word and number on the data sheet is recorded exactly as it should be. He is certainly one of the best undergraduate researchers I have met.
Praul admits, however, that he hasn’t had much luck finding stinkpots this summer. He only found one, although he saw plenty of Common Painted Turtles throughout his study.
“We may be in the wrong place in the lake, but it may also be that there aren’t as many in the lake as we originally thought,” says Praul. “We are taking a little break and will try again at the end of this summer to see if there is a seasonal change in the numbers.”
Praul still hopes to use the stinkpot project for his main capstone project, but if he doesn’t find enough stinkpots to draw any substantial conclusions about the Lake Pushaw population, he will use data from a survey project. in the Chatfield Wood Turtle Laboratory. . Praul assisted graduate students with fieldwork using radio telemetry to observe and record the nesting behavior of wood turtles, a heavily trafficked and listed endangered species. international organization that would have a stronghold in Maine.
Almost every week, Praul will join a graduate student researcher at their site by the river; the exact location is confidential, to protect the heavily trafficked turtles. They use a receiver to find the turtles observed for this study, which are tagged with radio telemeters, and record environmental and behavioral data on their subjects.
Turtles aren’t the only animal Praul interacts with for this research, either.
“To help find wood turtles, there’s a dog that’s been trained to find them,” says Praul. “Sometimes his master [Lindsay Ware of Science Dogs of New England] and I take him to go sniff in the grass and the stream. If she finds a different species, she’ll pass it on, and if she finds a wood turtle, she’ll stay there until we get there.
The dog’s name is Chili Bean, Chili for short. Some of the wood turtles also have names, like Crowley, Outlaw and Jennifer Lawrence – to make them easier to identify in the field, of course.
Apart from her herpetology projects, Praul also works at UMaine’s Environmental DNA Lab to conduct laboratory procedures. He says it’s “very interesting” and “cool to do,” but he prefers to study the natural world on a larger scale.
Praul plans to graduate this spring after his third year at the University of Maine. He doesn’t know exactly what he will do after that, but one thing is certain: he wants to work with animals.
“I always say that herpetology is my main interest, but I’m also fundamentally interested in all animals,” says Praul. “It’s a little harder to choose something if there are so many options.”
Contact: Sam Schipani, [email protected]
