Category: Research Profile

Mussels play a critical role in the health of Wisconsin’s rivers and streams, but according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, nearly half of Wisconsin’s native mussels are listed as endangered or threatened, with even more listed as species of concern.  

Wisconsin conservation groups and resource agencies have implemented stream restoration projects to help conserve the mussels, but their capacity to assess, monitor and survey the numerous streams and communities in the state is limited. 

Throughout the summer 2022, a team of undergraduate students from UW-Platteville helped fill the void. With a grant from the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin, seven students worked with faculty mentors to conduct fish, mussel and habitat surveys at eight different stream sites in the Grant, Platte and Blue River watersheds to help assess stream restoration efforts of the Harry and Laura Nohr Chapter of Trout Unlimited and WDNR. 

“We got so excited when we found mussels. We went to all these backroads and to river crossings not knowing if we’d find anything,” says Lindsey Ockerlander, criminal justice and biology double major who will graduate in December 2023 and begin working at Prevention Genetics. “For two weeks we found nothing, and on the last day we found 10 different species of mussels. We were on cloud nine.”

In addition to documenting mussel species, students had a unique opportunity to participate in a mussel relocation effort that was part of a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project to mitigate bank erosion on Goose Island in the Mississippi River.

“Prior to any bank work, the mussels in the area needed to be relocated out of harm’s way,” says Kristopher Wright, biology professor at UW-Platteville and lead researcher on the Freshwater Collaborative grant. “We joined the collaborative team that included the Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Wisconsin DNR and Minnesota DNR.”           

The mussel work built upon previous undergraduate research, including that funded by the Freshwater Collaborative in 2020 and 2021. This grant provided the opportunity to integrate fish surveys to supplement Trout Unlimited’s management and restoration efforts. 

The students presented their findings at the annual meeting of the Nohr Chapter of Trout Unlimited and contributed to a report that was provided to the Nohr Chapter, WDNR and local landowners. 

Carol Murphy, president of the Nohr Chapter of Trout Unlimited, says the students’ research will help them in their mission to conserve, protect and enhance the cold water streams of southwest Wisconsin. 

“The monitoring and evaluations provide essential data on the health of our streams, before, during and after our restoration efforts,” she says. “This project collaboration with UW-Platteville continues to be an invaluable and enjoyable highlight to our chapter!”

Not only will the data provide valuable insight into local watershed management, but the students gained hands-on field experience that will prepare them for the workforce. For biology majors Myah Sierens and Chloe Mellody, fish shocking was one of the most interesting skills they learned. They were surprised to find so many different types of fish, even in narrow spots of the rivers. 

“I really love fish, so I think the most useful skills that I learned were fish identification, how to handle fish, how to find fish, and what signs to look for in an environment when you’re looking for fish,” Mellody says. “The most important thing for me was learning how to do formal surveying when it comes to habitat and invertebrates. It will make it a lot easier for me to learn how to do field work.” 

Tyler Vargas, who graduates in December, says the experience went beyond research skills.

“The most important thing I gained was learning the value of teamwork while doing field research and taking advantage of every team member’s strengths,” he says. “The research project helped me discover new career paths that I didn’t even know existed before. It also gave me skills that I can translate to future tasks and opportunities when working with others. ”

Read more about the student’s experiences: UW-Platteville Students Spotlight: Mussel and Fish Surveying

Wisconsin’s abundant rivers, lakes and streams helped the state become an agricultural leader. Yet agricultural processes, including irrigation and pesticide use, also greatly impact our state’s water quality and quantity.

One of the biggest challenges facing Wisconsin is determining how to maintain the state’s agricultural prominence while also ensuring plenty of safe water for drinking, recreational use, manufacturing and other uses.

Wisconsin’s diverse geographic areas further complicate the water challenges at the nexus of agriculture and water. Interdisciplinary teams are needed to identify opportunities that improve both agriculture processes and water health.

The Wisconsin Agriculture-Water Nexus Network (WAW2N), established with funding from the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin, is a cross-campus network of water researchers who are developing educational courses that will train students in agriculture-water management.

“We thought it would be good to introduce students to the water management issues across the state so they can be prepared to be employed anywhere in the state,” says Stephan Gunn, assistant professor at UW-Green Bay and lead researcher on the WAW2N project.

In 2022, faculty from UW-Green Bay, UW-Madison, UW-Platteville and UW-Stevens Point developed a pilot three-day field trip course built around regional variations in Wisconsin agriculture. The 21 students who enrolled in the course met with professionals in water and agricultural industries in three areas of the state.

In northeastern Wisconsin, one of the most intensive dairy regions in the United States, students talked with farmers about phosphorus and agricultural runoff treatment and monitoring. In central Wisconsin, an important vegetable-growing region, they learned about irrigation and how it affects groundwater. And in southwest-southcentral Wisconsin, they discussed best practices for grazing along streams as well as processes that remove harmful nutrients from wastewater before it’s released back into urban watersheds.

“Seeing the different soil and water issues across the state gave myself and other future natural resource managers a better feel for how certain issues carry over and differ from region to region,” says Dane Friis, who is majoring in Land Use Management and Planning at UW-Stevens Point.

Friis found the interaction with students and faculty at other UW schools to be beneficial. He particularly enjoyed talking with agronomy majors from UW Platteville, noting that their insight helped him understand what farmers need to grow viable crops while implementing management practices.

With a second round of funding, the WAW2N will expand to include UW-River Falls and UW-Stout. Faculty at the six institutions will offer learning modules that dive into the specific challenges of each of the three regions through an online course. The online course will be open to students on any of the campuses. A one-credit course offered each semester will include a three-day field trip during which students will come together to explore a specific region in Wisconsin and meet farmers and people from organizations working in the area.

Students will be able to take one or more of the courses, giving them a greater understanding of the geographic issues and connections between agriculture and water.

“Wisconsin has very different water quality issues depending on the specific region,” says UW-Madison student Micah Robinson, who participated in the pilot course. “Getting to see various regions gave me a broader understanding of water quality issues in the state, and better prepared me to solve unique water quality issues.”

A new companion course and the three-day field trip will be offered in spring 2023 at UW-Green Bay, UW-Madison, UW-Platteville, UW-River Falls, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Stout. View course descriptions.

An Nguyen is an international student originally from Vietnam who is majoring in Environmental Science at UW-Stout. After graduation, she hopes to get a job in conservation and restoration areas that need testing and research.

Through the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin, she had the opportunity to complete an internship at the Environmental Research and Innovation Center (ERIC) at UW Oshkosh. From May to September 2022, 22 students from UW-Eau Claire, UW-Madison, UW-Milwaukee, UW Oshkosh, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Stout and UW-Whitewater worked in the ERIC and its community embedded labs, analyzing 2,200 water samples for business and community partners.

Here’s what Nguyen said about her experience at the ERIC lab.

Why did you want to work in the ERIC?

I was looking for a summer internship because I want to gain professional skills as well as figure out if I would like to work in a lab in the future.

What projects did you work on and what skills did you gain from that work?

I took part in biogas testing, compost testing, bacteria testing and hydroponics. For biogas potential testing, I read gas volume and analyzed the portion of the gases in the eudio tubes. Regarding compost testing, I did total solid and volatile solid testings. To test for bacteria, we used media to examine the presence of coliforms in drinking water and surface water.

I grew tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and lettuce on a hydroponics system and learned how to set up the system and keep track of its pH, electronic conductivity, temperature, nitrate and nitrite frequently in order to adjust the amount of nutrients added.

Throughout these projects, I gained research skills, data management practices and applied theory to real-life testing. I am also aware of lab safety, quality assurance and quality control when carrying out tests.

Were there benefits to working in a lab at a different university?

I had the chance to work with students from different universities. They created and encouraged diversity in the workplace, letting us exchange ideas and build networks.

What was your favorite part about this research experience?

The favorite part is that I did not only take part in the lab procedure but was also involved in the sampling process and outreach activities, such as being a teaching assistant and boat inspector to act on invasive species. 

How will the skills in this internship help you attain your career goal?

Working in the lab helped me have a better idea of how real-life research takes place, increased my communication skills and expanded my networking.

The FreshWater@UW Summer Scholar Research Program has 31 paid undergraduate research positions open at multiple UW System campuses. The program will run from May 31 through Aug. 5, 2023. Accepted students receive a $6,000 stipend, $600 meal allowance and provision of housing.

Find details and apply at this link: https://water.wisc.edu/wateruw-madison-undergraduate-research-experience The deadline is Feb. 15, 2023. 

These are unique opportunities for undergraduates to work closely with water-related faculty mentors and graduate students in their major discipline. There will be professional development and cross-campus programming, concluding with the chance for students to present results of their individual projects in a group setting.

Descriptions of each available project are posted on the FreshWater@UW project page. Applicants will be asked to identify their top five project preferences on the SROP application.

In-state undergraduate applicants are encouraged to select opportunities that are not on their home campus. Participating campuses for 2023 include Eau Claire, Green Bay, La Crosse, Madison, Manitowoc-Green Bay, Milwaukee, Oshkosh and Superior.

The 2023 freshwater science experiences are funded by the UW Water Resources Institute, the Wisconsin Sea Grant College Program and the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin.

UW-Green Bay, Atlas Science Center, NEW Water and the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin partnered to offer K-12 educators a half-day workshop in August that promoted freshwater education. The goals for the summer teacher workshop were to 1) inform teachers about the NERR (National Estuarine Research Reserve) while experiencing a boat ride on Green Bay, 2) allow teachers to examine transformational restoration work at Ken Euers park, and 3) connect teachers to water-related community resources in the region.

Twenty educators, including two from the Maritime Museum in Manitowoc, took a boat tour of Lower Green Bay with updates on designating the Green Bay’s NERR; toured the Ken Euers Nature Area, focusing on wetland restoration and park improvements; and received a sample of different STEM-related kits and activities from Atlas Science Center that are available to K-12 educators for their classrooms.

Brook Wendorf, the founder of Forest to Brook Enrichment Education Services, a local business in Abrams, Wis., discussed the enrichment opportunities provided by her business for creating accessible environmental education programming for students and adults with disabilities.

“The teacher workshop was a wonderful collaboration of UW-Green Bay campuses, community partners, and teachers from 10 school districts,” says Lynn Terrien, ​K-12 outreach assistant coordinator at UW-Green Bay. “I heard engaging conversations between teachers, saw new ideas being exchanged and witnessed lots of smiles on everyone coming off the boats. Couple that with perfect weather, and I think we can say we had a highly successful day!”

The workshop was part of UW-Green Bay’s “Educators and Students Rise to Freshwater Challenges” grant from the Freshwater Collaborative. The multifaceted project involves building a network of freshwater educators throughout northeast Wisconsin’s coastal communities, developing freshwater field experiences for high school students and teachers to expose students to water careers and connect them to UW System researchers, and to engage community partners in water-focused STEM events.

Here’s what some of the teachers had to say about participation in the workshop:

“I loved the hands on with the researchers. 1) Boat tour was excellent and a great way to interact with current research students. 2) Loved the shore hike and the information presented on invasive species. 3) Really appreciated the labs that could be used to various science classes and grades.”

“I liked the opportunity to see real science being done in the bay. As teachers we sometimes lose a connection to current research and projects.”

“This was an excellent amount of information, and I absolutely loved this workshop. Thank you to everyone!” 

“Favorite thing: The combined perspective of the lower bay NERR and the reclaimed wetlands on the west side of the bay. Both have potential and easy access for student projects.”

 

Nadalee Thao, a high school junior from Milwaukee, had heard that the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse was a good science school, and she was interested in checking it out. She had the opportunity to do so as a participant in My River Adventures Camp (MRA), a pre-college summer camp at UW-La Crosse supported in part by the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin.

“The counselors were awesome, and all the people there made it really fun,” Thao says. “I learned how to be a leader. I also learned a lot about biology and environmental science.”

The weeklong camp is part of the university’s efforts to recruit students for careers in STEM, specifically water-related sectors, such as biology, ecology and aquatic science, where skilled professionals are in high demand.

A primary goal of the camp is to address the lack of diversity in the water sector and to expose students from underrepresented communities to careers in STEM. Funding from the Freshwater Collaborative made it possible to provide the camp, as well as food and lodging, free of charge to 30 students. These funds greatly increased the camp’s accessibility, regardless of a student’s socioeconomic status.

“The importance of this camp is to provide a campus-based experience for students who may not have normally had an opportunity like this,” says Laura Lauderdale, Pre-College coordinator at UW-La Crosse and the camp’s director. “Participating in faculty sessions in college academic buildings makes the possibility of attending college tangible and attainable for these students.”

Faculty members Adam Driscoll, Tisha King-Heiden, and Brian Pompeii from the university’s River Studies Center led instructional sessions and visits to regional rivers and marshes in the surrounding area for fieldwork and observation. Participants were also assigned an undergraduate mentor who worked one-one-one with them as they engaged in various hands-on activities, including using GPS to navigate marshlands, flood plains and natural habitats; analyzing and identifying fish and plant species as part of DNR sampling activities; learning about water-quality sampling; and viewing specimens under a microscope.

“I learned a lot about bodies of water, fish and wildlife in the marsh and rivers,” says sixth grader Matheo Huerta Perez.

The experience also offered leadership and hands-on learning opportunities to the nine camp mentors. UW-La Crosse undergraduate Maddie Renaud is majoring in middle childhood/early adolescent education and minoring in at-risk youth and childcare, and she’s been involved in the university’s Pre-College programs since 2018. Working as the camp assistant and a mentor will be beneficial when she graduates in December.

“I have learned many valuable skills and lessons throughout my experience with the MRA camp — both about the value of our local water sources as well as the confidence to be able to facilitate, engage and build meaningful connections with Wisconsin youth,” Renaud says. “I am extremely grateful to have been a part of this collaboration and hope to see this program continue in the future, as the city, staff and community partners of UW La Crosse enlightened these kids’ lives in a multitude of ways.”

In addition to the science component, camp participants and their undergraduate mentors learned more about careers within the STEM fields and freshwater sciences. And students were encouraged to try new things.

“I stepped out of my comfort zone and did activities I usually wouldn’t do,” says Blossom Xiong, a ninth grader from Altoona, Wis. “I also learned about the different creatures in the marsh and how chemicals in the water can affect them.”

Seeing students push themselves is one of the things Lauderdale enjoys most about running the camp.

“The students we worked with were truly phenomenal,” she says. “They embodied our ‘challenge by choice’ mentality and stepped outside of their comfort zone all week.”

MILWAUKEE, Sept. 15, 2022—In its latest round of funding, the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin has awarded $544,541 for eight projects that will increase research and student training collaborations among 10 UW System universities.

Students will be involved in projects and programs that include expansion of the Wisconsin Agriculture-Water Nexus Network, summer field experiences in western and central Wisconsin, lab and field training in water quality techniques, examination of the economic impact of recreational and commercial fishing, monitoring of the Red Cedar Basin watershed and expansion of the Innovative Weather program.

“Our latest funded projects will create new collaborations and strengthen existing partnerships among the UW institutions and external partners that will further enhance the student experience and prepare undergraduates for careers in Wisconsin’s workforce,” said Marissa Jablonski, executive director for the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin. “We were very pleased that many of the projects will involve students, faculty and staff at multiple universities.”

Freshwater Collaborative funding to date has been awarded to UW-Eau Claire, UW-Green Bay, UW-La Crosse, UW-Madison, UW-Milwaukee, UW Oshkosh, UW-Parkside, UW-Platteville, UW-River Falls, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Stout, UW-Superior and UW-Whitewater.

Grant descriptions for the latest funded projects are available at https://freshwaterdev.wisconsin.edu/funded-projects-august-2022/

The funding is part of a statewide initiative, backed by the Wisconsin State Legislature and Gov. Tony Evers, to tackle Wisconsin’s grand water challenges and support curriculum development, undergraduate research opportunities, career development and field training experiences for students interested in studying water-related fields at the 13 UW universities.

Startup funding for the Freshwater Collaborative was provided in 2019 by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation and the UW System. In July 2021, the state legislature and Gov. Evers approved $5 million in the biennial budget to expand the collaborative’s ability to train water professionals and establish Wisconsin as a leader in water-related science and economic growth. The Freshwater Collaborative awarded $3.42 million in March 2022.

By Jerry Poling, UW-Stout

Gilbert Creek in Dunn County slips through marshland and oak savanna between chest-high grasses and flowering plants. It can be hard to find and reach during the glory of midsummer.

Yet, one section of the slender creek — one of more than 12,000 rivers and streams in the state — was busy on a recent day as University of Wisconsin-Stout professors, UW-Stout students and high school students from Wisconsin paid a visit and gave it some special attention.

Thanks to two Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin grants, the group parted the grasses to find the stream, waded in, employed special testing equipment and collected data at the Gilbert Creek Fisheries and Wildlife Area.

One of the grants is the Red Cedar Basin Monitoring Program, nearly $72,000 UW-Stout received earlier this year to do work like at Gilbert Creek, where students checked for macroinvertebrates, measured for water clarity and volume, tested for ammonia and more.

The second FCW grant included professors and students from UW-Stout guiding six high school students for the day. The high school students were taking part in a weeklong program called Freshwater Science Field Experience in Western Wisconsin: The First Step in Developing a Skilled Workforce. Led by UW-Eau Claire, it included water-focused days at UW-Stout, UW-River Falls and UW-Oshkosh.

“This will help the high school students build awareness of the potential careers in this field and develop some skillsets,” said UW-Stout Associate Professor Keith Gilland, who teaches in the environmental science program.

The section of Gilbert Creek that the group tested was seven miles west of Menomonie on Highway 29, near Highway Q. That section previously had been restored; the new data will help show how well the restoration is holding up, Gilland said.

Gilland and other professors lead similar water testing in a general education biology course at UW-Stout. The data goes into a state database, which helps determine which bodies of water are most in need of attention and state funding. Also facilitating the project for UW-Stout was Professor Amanda Little.

The data also will be used to help develop a new 10-year plan for managing the Red Cedar River watershed, Gilland said.

Gilbert Creek flows into the Red Cedar River at Menomonie.

Red Cedar Basin Monitoring Program

The UW-Stout students working this summer and fall with the Red Cedar Basin Monitoring Program are Kal Breeden, of Lakeville, Minn., environmental science; Dylan Kostuch, of Amherst, applied science; and Britney Serafina, of Baldwin, environmental science.

They’ve also collected data from Galloway Creek and Wilson Creek in Menomonie, the Hay River and lakes Menomin and Tainter, as well as aerial imagery from previously restored sites and other sites with water quality issues where land use practices may be a factor.

“I’ve done some of this in class, but this experience has really solidified how this works and given me a better perspective of what I can do with my major,” said Serafina, who is majoring in environmental science after switching majors twice.

“This is one thing I’m thoroughly passionate about. I love the program. We don’t just sit in the classroom, but we get to go out in the field and do it,” she added.

Her long-term goal is to own a hydroponic farm where she can mass produce crops sustainably and not harm the soil or the environment.

High school grant program

Hometowns of the high school students who participated included Eau Claire, Chippewa Falls, Mauston and Greendale. They receive college and high school credits for participating.

“I’ve learned a lot more about stream flow and the structure of the stream, how the material on the bottom can help determine the health of the stream,” said Martin Wolf, from Mauston, who hopes to major in college in freshwater science, biology or a related major.

“I like this program a lot. It’s nice for students who love to do something with a lot of hands-on work,” Wolf said. “This is an awesome course for me.”

Students determined the volume of water at Gilbert Creek by measuring the width and depth of the creek and then the rate of flow at various points across the channel.

The presence of certain types of bugs in the stream can be an indicator of water quality and clarity, said Aaron Walczak, a teacher at Elk Mound High School who was helping direct the weeklong program.

When students were checking for bugs, UW-Stout Assistant Professor Nicole Hayes, biology, who guided half of the high school students during testing, wondered if they had found anything larger than one micron after they dipped a net into the stream.

Insect life helps support Gilbert Creek’s trout population.

Water clarity was determined by students when they filled a clear tube with creek water, then recorded where on the tube they could see a disk at the bottom.

When the creek area was restored, native grasses and sedges were planted to provide cover and nesting habitat for wildlife. The plants’ strong root systems reduce bank erosion and filter out pollutants. Flowering plants like goldenrods, bee balm and native shrubs like dogwoods and gooseberries have joined the herbaceous vegetation mix, Gilland said.

The high school students’ other experiences included testing on Lake Michigan during their day in Oshkosh and at Little Niagara Creek in Eau Claire.

In March, UW-Stout received $306,108 to lead eight projects for the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin this year. A total of 42 projects were funded at 13 UW System campuses.

UW-Stout is Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University, with a focus on applied learning, collaboration with business and industry, and career outcomes.