LTER Road Trip – Vegetation Surveys Under the Waves

The North Temperate Lakes LTER vegetation survey team leapt out of their research boat, wetsuits and dive gear ready to go. The survey site bordered the opposite side of Trout Lake, a straight shot from the research facility and student dorms. Two bald eagles, native to this part of Northern Wisconsin, appeared disgruntled at our…

LTER Road Trip – Zebra Mussels Arrive

In 2015, a group of undergraduates from the University of Wisconsin, Madison launched boats into Lake Mendota at the edge of campus, ready to put lessons from the classrooms to the test in hands-on field research activities. As they moved through research protocols, a student brought a metal pole from the soft bottom to the…

National Parks Traveler – Girls and Boys Club Clean Gulf Islands National Seashore

Gulf Islands National Seashore extends along the Florida and Mississippi coastlines, comprised of barrier islands and important shoreline beaches and habitat. As their borders touch the Gulf of Mexico and intracoastal waterways, these beautiful ecosystems can become an accidental catchment for a range of marine debris, including plastics, cigarette butts, and more. To celebrate Earth…