Luanne Johnson ’16 (New England, PhD in Environmental Studies) was quoted in “Massachusetts ecologists build a winter ‘hotel’ for snakes” on GBH 89.7 Boston Public Radio. The story highlights ecologists in Massachusetts who have built a subterranean “hotel,” a 20×20-foot hibernaculum reaching 11 feet below ground, to give snakes a safe winter refuge.
In the article, Johnson says: “The days of just setting aside conservation land and thinking that that’s enough, those days are quickly going into the rearview mirror. We need to be more hands-on than we used to be when habitat was more expansive and connected than it is today.”
Johnson founded BiodiversityWorks in 2011 because she saw a need for a conservation organization focused specifically on wildlife monitoring and research across the entire island of Martha’s Vineyard. She also saw a need for mentoring opportunities for young adults. She envisioned a collaborative organization that promoted biodiversity conservation through participation. An organization that works with conservation groups, private landowners, federal and state agencies, community members, students, and scientists to ask questions and find answers together.
