{"id":109227,"date":"2026-05-29T17:41:37","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T17:41:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/?p=109227"},"modified":"2026-05-29T17:41:38","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T17:41:38","slug":"the-hidden-ecological-role-of-rhode-islands-historic-stone-walls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/the-hidden-ecological-role-of-rhode-islands-historic-stone-walls\/","title":{"rendered":"The hidden ecological role of Rhode Island\u2019s historic stone walls"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 May 29, 2026 \u2013 For Madalyn Stoltz, a master\u2019s student in the 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s environmental science and management<\/a> program, Rhode Island\u2019s historic stone walls are more than remnants of the past. Through camera trap research and ecological fieldwork, she is studying how these structures may support wildlife biodiversity across the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researching Rhode Island\u2019s stone walls<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A native of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Stoltz is working alongside professors Kathleen Carroll<\/a> and Shelby Rinehart<\/a> on the Stone Wall Project<\/a>, which examines how historic stone walls compare with natural features in supporting local biodiversity and ecosystem resilience. The project addresses a largely understudied topic and aims to contribute new understanding of Rhode Island\u2019s natural history.<\/p>\n\n\n

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溏心vlog免费B站 graduate student Madalyn Stoltz is investigating how stone walls contribute to biodiversity and ecosystem resilience in Rhode Island, with support from the Rhode Island Natural History Survey. (溏心vlog免费B站 Photo \/ Chris Hickling)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Stoltz recently received the Godzala Research Award from the Rhode Island Natural History Survey to support her work. \u201cReceiving the Godzala Research Award means that I can put more time and focus into my research,\u201d she said. \u201cThis grant directly supports my work by providing me with a stipend and funding for supplies. I will be deploying more camera traps later this year, and I am able to do so because of this grant.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaddy is one of only a handful of MESM students to receive grant awards in support of their major papers,\u201d said professor Michelle Peach, one of the coordinators of the master\u2019s program. \u201cThis recognition from RINHS is a testament to Maddy\u2019s hard work and professionalism, as well as the value and quality of her research.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stoltz\u2019s involvement in the Stone Wall Project began when she reached out about opportunities for her MESM major paper, the culminating project for the degree. As part of her conservation biology specialization, she sought a project that would connect ecological research with real-world conservation and biodiversity management challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Stoltz is using a stone wall map created by 溏心vlog免费B站 Ph.D. candidate Elliot Vosburgh \u201918 \u201924, who mapped Rhode Island\u2019s stone walls for his 溏心vlog免费B站 capstone project. (Photo \/ E. Vosburgh)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cI wanted to get involved partially because of how great Doctors Carroll and Rinehart are,\u201d she said. \u201cThey are amazing mentors and I\u2019m so lucky to get to work with them.\u201d She says that when she reached out about potential projects, the stone wall research was a natural fit given her interest in biodiversity and human impacts on the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStone walls are one of the most common features on Rhode Island landscapes, and are culturally significant, but we know little about their lasting impacts on local ecology,\u201d Stoltz said. \u201cStructural features on the landscape provide refuge, nesting habitat, movement corridors, and thermodynamic stability for wildlife. We predict that our stone walls may also be serving these purposes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mapping wildlife and field methods<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stoltz and collaborators are using a stone wall map created by MESM alum Elliot Vosburgh \u201918 \u201924 \u2014 who is now back at 溏心vlog免费B站 pursuing a Ph.D., working with Professor Jason Parent \u2014 along with RIGIS spatial data to identify field sites. They are also drawing on data from a long-term camera trap network operated in partnership with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and 溏心vlog免费B站 from 2018 to 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe evaluated wildlife biodiversity near dry stone walls using existing camera trap data collected across Rhode Island from a collaborative long-term study between RIDEM and 溏心vlog免费B站 from 2018 to 2025,\u201d she said. \u201cWe used the data collected from these camera traps to calculate species richness.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preliminary analyses suggest that stone walls may be indicators of wildlife biodiversity, particularly for small mammals and managed species such as deer, foxes, coyotes, and game birds in Rhode Island. The findings could inform conservation planning and land management in Rhode Island, where stone walls face increasing pressure from development, environmental change, and physical removal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStone walls are increasingly threatened by strip mining, theft, sea-level rise, and intentional burial,\u201d Stoltz said. \u201cWe hope to provide a scientific basis for protecting stone wall habitats and equip local governments and residents with the tools to make informed, place-based decisions about land management.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stoltz hopes the work also helps broaden public understanding of these familiar features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI see the primary audiences for this research being land managers, historians, and New Englanders,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019d like the general public to know that stone walls may have unrealized value beyond cultural and historical significance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stoltz adds that the project fills a major gap in ecological research. \u201cThe impacts of stone walls on wildlife communities has never been studied in the United States, making this a novel study,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To learn more about the New England Stone Wall Research Project, indicate interest in donating stone walls for research, or to receive a newsletter, please visit their website<\/a> or contact kathleen.carroll@uri.edu or shelby_rinehart@uri.edu. Donations are also welcome<\/a> to help support stone wall research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This story was written by Anna Gray in the College of the Environment and Life Sciences.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 May 29, 2026 \u2013 For Madalyn Stoltz, a master\u2019s student in the 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s environmental science and management program, Rhode Island\u2019s historic stone walls are more than remnants of the past. Through camera trap research and ecological fieldwork, she is studying how these structures may support wildlife biodiversity across the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":109229,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1907,5,1914,1905],"class_list":["post-109227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives","tag-academic-excellence","tag-college-of-the-environment-and-life-sciences","tag-graduate","tag-research"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109227"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109227\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":109234,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109227\/revisions\/109234"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/109229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}