UW undergrad, Emily Hilts, spent her summer getting to know Lake Mendota. While she didn’t fall head over heels for Madison’s lakes, she’s leaving on good terms. by Emily Hilts This morning, I moved my …
Muckraking Mendota
Muckraking Mendota: “Take this fish and look at it”
Louis Agassiz was an early prominent ichthyologist (someone who studies fish) at Harvard in the mid-1800s. When one of his graduate students, Samuel Scudder, showed up for his first day, Agassiz told him to take …
Muckraking Mendota: Mouthing Off (with Fish)
Last fall, as I moved in to a new house, I asked my parents (who are regular patrons of rummage sales) to look for a taxidermied fish. When they scrounged up a musky, with its …
Muckraking Mendota: A Brief History of Fish
Last week, like every week this summer, I was out on the water looking for stories about Madison’s lakes. But, this time, I had company. One of the cooler summer jobs at the Center for …
Muckraking Mendota: Life on the Rocks
“NO WAY!” I yelled as I pulled up a rock from a creek bed, with a huge smile on my face. “Look! It’s a FRESHWATER SPONGE!” Chelsey Blanke, who was watching from the boat, just …
Muckraking Mendota: What Do We Mean By “Clean?”
by Emily Hilts When I worked at Trout Lake Station, I usually went running after a day in the field and then jumped in the lake – not only to cool off but to get clean. …
Muckraking Mendota: The Color of Water
By Emily Hilts This week I had the privilege of returning to Trout Lake Station to help with the annual public open house. Sitting on the dock felt like coming home, and I let out …
Muckraking Mendota: Of Shrimp and Glaciers
By Emily Hilts Lakes transform when the sun goes down. The once-familiar shoreline becomes unrecognizable and water takes on an inhospitable chill, making an after-hours trip a notch more exciting. So, when graduate student Jake …
Muckraking Mendota: The Water/Land Interface
by Emily Hilts So far this summer, I’ve either stayed below the surface of Mendota’s waters or perched on top of the lake in a boat. Which means, of course, that I’ve been missing big …
Muckraking Mendota: A Forest of “Weeds”
In Muckraking Mendota: A Naturalist’s Investigations, UW-Madison undergraduate, Emily Hilts, plunges beneath the surface of the Yahara chain of lakes to answer questions about Madison’s aquatic ecosystem. Follow her to uncover your own connection to …