Mass Audubon’s Bobolink Project, Metrowest Conservation Alliance, and Tufts University

Why Bird Conservation?

Bird conservation is always a balancing act—especially in landscapes shared by wildlife, people, and agriculture. This balancing act can be particularly challenging for grassland species such as the Bobolink, which face increasing threats due to habitat loss and agricultural practices that often conflict with their breeding cycles. Recognizing this challenge, a recent project at Tufts University shows how academic institutions can play an essential role in grassland bird conservation while also enriching student learning and fostering new research.

The project centered on the Tufts Cummings School Farm in Grafton, Massachusetts. As part of a field projects course, graduate students in the Master of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning program created a Hayfield Management Plan aimed at protecting Bobolinks while balancing the needs of the existing agricultural operations at the Cummings School Farm. Grassland birds such as Bobolinks can exhibit a high degree of site fidelity, often returning to the same fields to nest year after year. These birds require large open fields away from forests and roads, and their nesting success depends on land managers delaying mowing until after fledging occurs when young birds can fly.

Sparked by a collaboration between The Bobolink Project and the Metrowest Conservation Alliance (MCA) to study and conserve grassland birds in the region, the Tufts project took place in the spring semester of 2025. The project made use of research conducted in the fall of 2024, when Hyla Howe, coordinator of The Bobolink Project, connected with Mike Perrin, Sudbury Valley Trustees Conservation Associate and MCA Coordinator. Howe and Perrin collaborated to create a GIS map identifying high-quality grassland habitat in areas west of Boston, which is the region the MCA—a partnership of land trusts, municipalities, state agencies, and nonprofit organizations—works to protect and steward. One of these partners is Mass Audubon, a conservation organization that administers The Bobolink Project and a land trust that protects more than 40,000 acres across the state.

After Howe and Perrin synthesized data from eBird and the Northeast Bird Habitat Conservation Initiative Mapping Tool, they conducted outreach to landowners identified on the map who owned or managed grasslands in these areas, including managers of the agricultural fields at the Tufts Cummings School Farm, which is a school of veterinary medicine. This outreach led to a connection with Dr. Kathryn Davies, who coordinates the field projects course at the main Tufts campus in Medford, Massachusetts.

Having supervised a previous field project focused on land stewardship at the Grafton campus, Davies knew some of the key players and decision makers at the Cummings School Farm. A group of six first-year graduate students enrolled in the field projects course, including Amy Tse and Lia Schwartz, took on the project, pulling from their backgrounds in biology, environmental planning, and spatial analysis to integrate qualitative and quantitative findings in a Hayfield Management Plan. The students dove into the project with very little knowledge about grassland birds; in fact, Schwartz notes that she didn’t even know how to say “Bobolink” before the project began. By the end of the semester, the students not only knew how to say the names of grassland bird species but also knew which fields on the campus would provide the most suitable habitat for them.

However, this project wasn’t just about grassland birds—it was about creating a sustainable, replicable conservation model for other institutions facing similar land management challenges. By working collaboratively across disciplines, students, faculty, farmers, and conservation organizations identified strategies that benefit birds, support farm operations, and create opportunities for student research. The result is an innovative approach that highlights the power of partnerships and the importance of people in conservation work.

Spotlight Resources: eBird, Northeast Bird Habitat Conservation Initiative Mapping Tool, Collaborative Partnerships

At the heart of this project was the use of eBird, a participatory science platform that collects bird observation data worldwide. Students used eBird data to identify fields where Bobolinks had been previously sighted. They combined this information with internal data from the Cummings School Farm, including hay yield reports and anecdotal observations on field conditions such as slope and soil dryness. With this information, they developed a two-part suitability analysis: one map showing hay production potential, the other highlighting Bobolink habitat suitability. These maps were overlaid to identify optimal fields where bird-friendly management could be implemented with minimal impacts on hay production.

“Conservation work is actually people work,” says Perrin, who helped advise the students throughout the semester. After identifying key community members and decision-makers, the student team conducted interviews with a number of stakeholders, including the Farm Manager and the Dean of the Cummings School. Davies says one of the keys to the success of the project was the willingness of key stakeholders to engage with the team; they shared data, answered questions, and voiced challenges and concerns.

The students also thought about potential stakeholders in the future, prioritizing fields accessible for student research and birding, ensuring that their conservation recommendations could be integrated with educational opportunities. Tse, whose focus was on the GIS portion of the project, notes that the team looked for crosswalks on the Cummings School campus to identify fields that would be accessible to students walking to fields for bird-related activities. The team’s Hayfield Management Plan provides detailed information about their methods and findings, including the spatial analysis process and final recommendations.

Stakeholders were willing to engage because the student group was careful about how they were framing the project for decision-makers, notes Davies. They asked themselves how key players could perceive interest and value in the project, working to build connections and help others see themselves in the project.

Making the Connection

One of the clearest takeaways from this project is that bird conservation efforts thrive on strong, thoughtful collaboration. The Tufts student team quickly learned that success depended on understanding and navigating the complex web of relationships between stakeholders—from farm managers and faculty to university administrators and outside conservation partners.

Because the Tufts farm operates differently than a commercial agricultural enterprise—valuing both production and education—the project offered a unique opportunity. Student research itself became a core conservation benefit, even beyond traditional metrics like nest success or population increases. The project also sparked unexpected collaborations, such as a partnership between The Bobolink Project and a drone technology class. One graduate student is now testing the use of thermal imaging drones to detect Bobolink nests—an emerging method that could transform grassland bird monitoring in the future.

The project also exemplified how eBird can serve both technical and relational goals. Maps showing bird sightings helped establish trust among stakeholders, making the case for bird-friendly management more tangible.

“Bringing a map that showed where birders were observing Bobolinks at the Cummings School helped build a community at the campus around a threatened grassland species.”

Mike Perrin, Sudbury Valley Trustees Conservation Associate and MCA Coordinator

Advice to Other Land Trusts

The team emphasized the importance of mapping out all potential stakeholders early in the process. This isn’t just about listing names; it’s about digging deeper to understand each person’s priorities and concerns. As the students discovered, every institution has its own unique dynamic. The farm staff, for example, were focused on agricultural productivity, while faculty members were most interested in providing meaningful educational opportunities for students. Conservation advocates, on the other hand, were looking to improve habitat for Bobolinks. Finding where these interests overlapped—and respecting where they diverged—became a critical step in their work.

Another lesson was the value of intentional outreach. The students didn’t hesitate to connect with a wide range of people, even if they weren’t sure where each conversation would lead. Many connections were straightforward, but others were unexpected. For instance, reaching out to a drone technology professor—initially just an exploratory idea—resulted in an entirely new research initiative that may ultimately lead to groundbreaking tools for grassland bird conservation far beyond Tufts.

Through the project, the team learned that the way they presented the project would directly affect the level of interest and support they received. Instead of pitching it solely as a bird conservation effort, they highlighted multiple benefits—improved student learning, new research opportunities, and sustainable land management practices that could serve as a model for other institutions. Their goal wasn’t simply to push a conservation agenda but to help each stakeholder see how they had something to gain by participating.

Underlying all of this was a commitment to building something that would last. Rather than rushing toward quick results, the team focused on laying a foundation for future work. They recognized that implementing changes to hayfield management practices would take time, requiring ongoing data collection, relationship-building, and institutional buy-in. By focusing on replicable methods—such as their eBird and GIS analyses—and clearly documenting their process, they aimed to make it easier for future students or partner organizations to continue the work they started.

Reflecting on the project, Schwartz describes it as both complex and deeply rewarding. “We were always thinking about how to make the project sustainable—not just environmentally, but socially and institutionally,” she says. “We wanted to make sure it had value beyond just the final report.”

In the end, their advice to others pursuing similar projects is straightforward but profound: Be patient. Build relationships. Stay open to unexpected collaborations. And always, always keep the long view in mind.

Next Steps

Though the project formally concluded with the students’ final report and presentation, its impacts continue to grow. The drone research is ongoing, with promising early results. Tufts faculty are exploring ways to integrate further research into courses and thesis projects. Conservation partners, including The Bobolink Project and the Metrowest Conservation Alliance, are considering how the project’s model could be applied to other natural areas and working lands owned by other universities.

Davies, the project’s faculty advisor, sums up the project’s future this way: “We’ll keep putting compost on it, watering it, and seeing where it grows.” That mindset reflects both the agricultural roots of the project and its far-reaching potential.

Ultimately, this project shows how student-driven research, supported by collaborative partnerships and powerful conservation tools, can help create lasting change for birds, farms, and communities alike.