Year: 2017

Off the Reel: Dredgin’ with Carol and Linden

by Riley Steinbrenner Last week, I canoed out on Nichols Lake with Carol and Linden in search of spiny water flea tails! Click the right arrow under the picture to scroll through the slides. [Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”11″ gal_title=”Linden Carol 6/8″]

Trout Lake Research Rewind: Bog Walks, Lab Work & Wild Rice

by Riley Steinbrenner Week One One of the first things I did up north was walk on water–well, on a bog, that is! TLS Interim Director Susan Knight took CFL outreach/communications specialist Adam Hinterthuer and me out to “Why Not” bog (because, why not?), which is located across from Firefly Lake and nearby Crystal Lake. …

From the Vault: Madison in Bloom – Blue-Green Algae Hits Home

A cool, wet Spring and booming populations of algae-munching daphnia couldn’t hold-off the inevitable – Madison’s lakes have been beset by cyanobacteria blooms the last few day. We dusted off this older post to explain what’s going on and precautions you should take during blooms: The Bloom Begins (Originally published June 21, 2017) — It …

Off The Reel: In the Middle of Anywhere with Pete and Raina

by Riley Steinbrenner This week, I ventured with Pete and Raina out into the woods! Click the right arrow under the picture to scroll through the slides. [Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”7″ gal_title=”Pete Raina 6/7″]

Tapping into the “Wonderful World of Wood”

by Riley Steinbrenner At the last Science on Tap session of the summer at Minocqua Brewing Company Wednesday night, Michael Wiemann of the USDA Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory talked about his journeys into the “wonderful world of wood.” Wiemann, a wood technologist and botanist, started his career working to help create an identification key …

Stuck Between a Hand Drill and a Hard Place

by Riley Steinbrenner It’s hard to believe it’s already been almost two weeks since I arrived at Trout Lake Station! After battling the big waves of Johnson Lake with Susan and Adam, I realized I never formally introduced myself. So… Hi there! My name is Riley and I am a rising senior at the University …

Zebra Mussel Invasion in Full Swing in Lake Mendota

Somewhere along the way, someone lost a pair of Oakley sunglasses. Maybe they were blown off on a full-throttle boat ride. Or slipped from a shirt pocket while wrestling a fish on board. Whatever the cause, the sleek, black glasses with the reflective lenses sank eight meters (about 24 feet) and settled on top of …

Battling the Big Waves of Johnson Lake

by Riley Steinbrenner Just outside of Minocqua, Wisconsin, we drove up to the Johnson Lake boat launch and you could see them clear as day. No, not the different species of macrophytes, or aquatic plants, we were after, but wind-driven white caps. White caps may be a promising sign of catching some gnarly waves in …

You’re Not Seeing Mayflies Around Town – Those Are Midges

As I jumped on my bike and left the Lowell Elementary playground after dropping my kids off yesterday morning, I overheard a conversation between two parents that I hear pretty consistently this time of year. It went something like this: Parent 1: “Ugh, can you believe these swarms of bugs?” Parent 2: “Yeah, those are …

Hasler Lab Open House – Friday, June 23rd!

Mayfly. Bladderwort. Freshwater Drum. No, these aren’t names of some obscure band headed to town, they’re the names of some of the many plants, animals and insects that call Madison’s lakes home. And, on Friday, June 23rd – from 2 to 6pm – you’re invited to come down to Hasler Lab to meet them! That’s …