Last week I took advantage of the clear water conditions to observe fish in their natural habitat. While it was an awesome experience, I was left wondering: “Why does the water start off clear and get exponentially scummier over the summer?” At first glance, the question doesn’t seem complicated. Algae don’t thrive in cold conditions, …
This week’s Fish Fry Day – our series of posts featuring fish of Wisconsin – is taking a Southern twist! While catfish is a common menu item down south, it’s uncommon to find the tasty cornmeal-battered fillets offered in Wisconsin. In most of the state, fishermen tend to avoid catfish except for along the Mississippi …
by Emily Hilts While walking along the lakeshore to my first day of work, I spotted a smallmouth bass hanging out in the rocky shallows of Lake Mendota. After watching for a minute, it finally struck me … the water was clear. I could see the bottom! So much for the scummy cesspool I’d imagined. …
by Aisha Liebenow “You love what you know.” This is how Susie Hoffman, Director of the Center for Conservation Leadership (CCL), described the interest that the Lake County high school students showed during Trout Lake Station director, Tim Kratz’, presentation at the North Lakeland Discovery Center. She continued, “You know how when we first came …
Once again, the batter is coming out in the kitchens of restaurants across Wisconsin and folks are preparing to cap off another work week with the time-honored ritual of eating fried fish – happy Fish Fry Day everyone! Today’s special: black crappie. As any angler knows, May and June are good months for crappie fishing …
This summer, UW-Madison undergrad, Emily Hilts, will be exploring Lake Mendota and the other Yahara lakes and writing a running diary of sorts detailing what she finds. Stay tuned for more great posts from her about the history and ecology of the lake, as well as closer looks at the animals and plants that call …
You’re Invited to the 2013 Hasler Lab Public Open House! On Friday, June 21st, from 2pm to 6pm, the Center for Limnology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison will open the doors of Hasler Lab for a “behind the scenes” tour of the study of lakes, rivers and streams. The open house will offer visitors a …
The weather keeps alternating between chilly and warm as Lindsey Sargent, a graduate student from the University of Notre Dame, steers our small boat out into Star Lake in northern Wisconsin’s Vilas County. We’re on the hunt for the invasive rusty crayfish. Today, Lindsey is out collecting crayfish to bring back to Trout Lake Station, …
As spring moves to summer, an unprecedented scientific collaboration is sending researchers around the globe scrambling into their boats and simultaneously heading out onto the world’s lakes. It’s called “Spring Blitz,” and, from Wisconsin to Florida to Switzerland, scientists are out monitoring everything from water temperature to dissolved oxygen to plankton communities as lakes in …
by Aisha Liebenow Northern Wisconsin, or the ‘Northwoods’, is known as a beautiful summer vacation spot with thousands of clear, pristine lakes. Every year, tourists fill restaurants for fish fries, buy homemade salt water taffy at local shops, and partake in all sorts of other outdoor activities, from hiking to fishing to paddling. But there …