We apologize for the unsavory nature of this post on the day we celebrate Wisconsin’s fabulous fried fish culinary tradition, but we promise to leave out the gory details! After a summer spent in the shimmering waters of Crystal Lake, the Crystal Mixing Crew is hunkered down in the lab processing the samples they collected …
by Colin Smith Year two of the Crystal Lake Mixing Project’s rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) eradication efforts have officially begun. The project is testing a new method of removing cold water invasive fish from a lake inhabited by warm water tolerant native species. Essentially, the experiment involves big trampoline-like air bladders that rise and fall …
“Alright. Who is ready to get messy?” Zach Lawson’s question is greeted with incredible enthusiasm. It is all-hands-on-deck in the wet lab and, today, everyone is sorting bugs. Ten undergraduate students crowd around two small tables, armed with small plastic sampling bottles and metal tweezers. They meticulously sift through plastic tubs of sand, muck and …