Greg LeClair
he/him | 26 | Waterville | University of Maine
Founder of Maine Big Night, a citizen science project assisting amphibians cross Maine’s roadways
Collecting data on amphibian road mortalities and advocating for solutions
Collaborating with the Maine Department of Transportation on infrastructure funding and solutions
Greg is the founder and lead organizer of Maine Big Night (MBN), a citizen science project focused on collecting data on road-crossing amphibians in Maine. He initially started the project in 2018 as a Unity College student. Now in grad school, Greg continues to manage MBN as a passion project. Greg recruits and trains volunteers of all ages and backgrounds statewide to participate in data collection and assisting amphibians across roadways, especially during spring migration season. Over the years he has recruited more than 400 volunteers and monitored 200 survey sites statewide.
Greg’s findings and research derived from Maine Big Night have been published; the project is helping to identify amphibian road mortality hot spots and prioritizing infrastructure solutions, and the project helps move and save thousands of amphibians across roadways annually. When the Covid pandemic hit just weeks before the big spring migration, Greg’s quick problem-solving ensured volunteers could participate safely. He is assisting similar efforts in New Jersey and New Hampshire and is collaborating with the Maine Department of Transportation to secure funding for wildlife crossings from the federal infrastructure bill. Greg is putting his passion for science and conservation into practice by mobilizing Mainers to protect Maine wildlife.
