Meeting 1165 Minutes
Minutes from the 1165th Meeting of the Cambridge Entomological Club
President Jack Boyle called the 1165th meeting of the Cambridge Entomological Club to order at 7:30 pm on Tuesday, March 10th in MCZ 101, 26 Oxford St. Approximately 18 members and guests were in attendance.
New business:
Scott Smyers announced a walk at Mt. Wachusett on April 4, and another field trip on May 16th at Long Pond in Littleton.
Bruno is looking for photos for the Club’s Facebook page.
Jack reminded attendees about the Club’s election in April.
Andrew Mckenna-Foster, Director of Natural Sciences at the Maria Mitchell Association, told us about the reintroduction of the American burying beetle to Nantucket Island.
The federally endangered American burying beetle, Nicrophorus americanus is possibly one of the rarest beetle species in the US, and on the east coast its only wild population is on Block Island, RI. In 1994, 48 N. americanus were released on Nantucket Island in an effort to build a second east coast population. After a peak in capture numbers in 2011 (212 beetles), provisioning of the beetles with quail carcasses was ended and beetle populations dropped 50% in 2012 and again in 2013. The numbers increased slightly in 2014. Availability of carrion of a certain size seems to be the limiting factor. Success of the Block Island population possibly linked to its population of ring-necked pheasants. The project continues with limited provisioning and an assessment of carrion availability and competition from other scavengers.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 for discussion and refreshments.
Respectfully submitted,
Andrea Golden, CEC Secretary
