Tag: freshwater science

Students Explore Water and Farming Practices in Wisconsin’s Driftless Area

Posted on by Heidi Jeter

With its bluffs, caves and cold-water trout streams, Wisconsin’s Driftless Area — the only area of the state not covered by glaciers during the last ice age — is uniquely beautiful. The topography also creates unique farming challenges such as erosion and agricultural runoff.

This spring students explored the intersection of water and farming practices in the Driftless area. Two Ag-Water Nexus courses, funded by the Freshwater Collaborative, taught students how farmers in the region are working to carefully balance farming realities with sustainable practices to protect water quality.

Students enrolled at UW-Green Bay, UW-Platteville, UW-River Falls and UW-Stevens Point had the opportunity to take a semester-long online seminar and/or a three-day field experience. The courses will rotate among the four participating universities, allowing students to learn about agricultural practices in different areas of Wisconsin.

“The vision of the courses is to give students a steppingstone into the farming aspect,” says Joseph Sanford, assistant professor in the School of Agriculture at UW-Platteville who led the spring courses. “Students aren’t going into agricultural fields, but they are going into jobs where they need to work with farmers. We wanted to give them a better understanding of agricultural practices.”

Forty-eight students took the online course and 32 took the field course in May; some students took both. The seminar course highlighted current research and applied projects addressing Wisconsin’s agricultural water issues through readings and online lectures.

During the field course, students visited farms to learn about stream restoration techniques, irrigation, rotational crop practices and approaches to working with landowners to improve habitat. They visited two winners of the Leopold Conservation Award and a new digester facility that converts dairy waste into renewable natural gas. They also conducted hands-on activities at UW-Platteville’s Pioneer Farm.

“I wanted them to take away that not one farm is the same,” Sanford says. “As a student you can learn in classes but not understand why practices aren’t implemented. We want students to understand the challenges and economics of the farmers and why they do things or don’t do things.”

Students learned about sustainable practices on dairy and beef farms.
Wisconsin is a major producers of potatoes!

A few of the students shared their experiences.

  • Alex Jourdan, UW-Stevens Point, law conservation major
  • Adam Klappa, UW-Stevens Point, hydrology major
  • Claudia Lenz, UW-Stevens Point, conservation and community planning 
  • Jessica Willette, UW-River Falls, crops and soil science major

Why did you enroll in this field experience course? Did you take the online course as well?

Willette: I enrolled in the weekend trip part of this class because I’m very interested in sustainability in agriculture and like to get ideas of implementation through observing others. 

Jourdan: The reason why I enrolled in this class is due to the diversity between the universities and experiences. Between the topography and geographical lessons regarding Wisconsin, I was hooked.

Lenz: I took this course along with the online one because I wanted to learn more about the environmental and agricultural relationships, especially in water. I want to help develop policies that benefit rural communities and landscapes in the future, and this perspective seemed like it could benefit those goals. 

Klappa: I enrolled in both the online and field components of the class for a couple of reasons. I really enjoy learning about the current research and projects that are going on in Natural Resources [at UW-Stevens Point], and this seemed like a good chance to experience different aspects of agriculture and water resources. In addition, it seemed like a direct way to apply my knowledge in water resources to agricultural systems.

What was your favorite part of the course? 

Klappa: I really enjoyed some of the field visits. My favorite was the anaerobic digester. It is a novel and creative way to engineer natural gas from livestock manure. 

Jourdan: Hands down the most enjoyable part was the field experience. The opportunity to learn at another university temporarily was a pleasurable experience and provided me with a different outlook on the Driftless Area.

Lenz: My favorite part of the course was learning how this knowledge is being implemented in unique and new ways to better the environment and farmers. I really liked the farm visits and seeing a new part of the state. I have spent very little time in the Driftless region, so it was pretty eye opening. 

Willette: My favorite part of the course was stopping at such different sites — dairy and beef operations, grain farms and old mining sites — that all have such varying impacts on the environment. It’s interesting to see what, if anything, producers are doing to counteract these impacts.

What did you learn or how did your perspective change? 

Jourdan: I had no clue how fragile this part of Wisconsin was; the push for habitat restoration in agriculture areas was so refreshing. As an avid trout angler, I can appreciate the sustainability practices that farmers implement to better water quality.

Lenz: I learned a lot about how large-scale solutions can be implemented and effective. I grew up believing that large farms and farmers didn’t really care about the environmental impacts of their farming, so it was nice to see how these farms are implementing new changes to protect water and the environment. It was surprising and gratifying to see this in practice. I also really liked learning from the smaller farms and seeing the benefits of those. Lastly, I really liked learning about stream restoration projects. I knew almost nothing about it, so it was fun to hear about. 

Klappa: I learned much about how much perspective matters in natural resources. The best case scenario changes depending on the values and goals of the person behind any project or farm. Understanding not only what someone is doing, but why they decided on that solution, helps provide context for the decision. This is also important in decision making, helping to create a solution that most everyone is at least somewhat happy with.

Willette: I learned about the process of stream restoration. This is a very complex task that I hadn’t learned about before. I can be pessimistic about people implementing conservation practices in their operations, so it was very nice to see some people are making these changes. 

Did taking the course support your career path and if so, how?

Jourdan: This class aided me in knowing where I want to go for a job. It made me think about being a conservation officer/warden in southwest Wisconsin to play a part in maintaining one of the most unique parts of the United States.

Klappa: I planned on going into county conservation (and still might in a future job); however, I was hired by the USGS as a GIS mapper. This course and its knowledge will help expand my natural resources background. I will draw on this background to make myself more effective as I work throughout my career.

Lenz: I think this course greatly supports my career path. Having a deep understanding of the impacts of agriculture on water and the environment will help me to make informed, beneficial decisions and recommendations. Lastly, as someone interested in agricultural policy, this course benefits me because it exposed me to more forms of agriculture and more perspectives of those in the field who are actually living these experiences. Regardless of what I end up doing, I will benefit from learning about water and agriculture, and I will benefit from learning from diverse experiences and viewpoints. This class gave me that.

UW-Green Bay will host the fall 2026 course offerings.

From Baker and Birder to Researcher and Mentor

Posted on by Heidi Jeter

Sarah Baughman never thought of herself as a science person. She attended an arts-based high school and then earned an associate degree in fine arts and philosophy. For 10 years, she worked as a baker in a coffee shop that also did community outreach.

A trip with a friend to the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, Wisc., in 2021 changed everything.

“We learned about the cranes and habitat restoration. I couldn’t believe that was something you could do for work and that there was a strong restoration movement in Wisconsin,” Baughman recalls.

She turned to her friend and said: “I think I want to go to college and become an ecologist.”

By the time they drove out of the parking lot, Baughman had applied to UW-Green Bay from her phone. She began classes a few months later. Soon she was working on environmental research funded through the Freshwater Collaborative.

“Within a year I went from baking full time to being a full-time student and an undergraduate researcher,” she says.

Five years later, Baughman is the bird and peatland research coordinator at UW-Green Bay. Not only does she conduct environmental research and lead community outreach programs, but she also mentors high school students through UW-Green Bay’s High School Summer Scholars Program, also funded through the Freshwater Collaborative.

A New Career Takes Flight

Baughman had a wealth of knowledge from years of birding with her father. She wanted to get hands-on research experience. She emailed Erin Giese, associate director of UW-Green Bay’s Cofrin Center for Biodiversity, about volunteer opportunities. The two women instantly hit it off, and they submitted a proposal to the Freshwater Collaborative for an undergraduate research award.

She received a $10,000 grant from the collaborative in 2022 to study coastal bird populations along Lake Michigan, from Milwaukee to northern Door County. Soon, she was scouting research sites, recruiting volunteers, writing grant proposals and reports, and coordinating community science efforts to conduct bird surveys. 

“Sarah’s Freshwater Collaborative project launched her into project leadership roles with the Cofrin Center for Biodiversity,” Giese says.

Her next step was getting involved in a budding new program: the Oneida Bird Monitoring Program, a partnership among the Cofrin Center for Biodiversity, Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, Northeastern Wisconsin (NEW) Bird Alliance and Audubon Great Lakes. She began leading bird outings for community members and used her art skills to create an illustrated beginner’s field guide to the birds of the Oneida Nation, collaborating on the project with Oneida Tribal Elders and UW-Green Bay students and staff.

“Sarah is one of the best students I have ever had the privilege of working with, and I would be lost without her leadership and dedication to bird conservation,” Giese says.

It’s no wonder that after graduating from UW-Green Bay in 2025, Baughman was hired to coordinate the Oneida Bird Monitoring Program as well as peatland research at the campus herbarium, where she also had worked as a student. Both roles are steeped in community outreach.

Baughman credits her Freshwater Collaborative research grant with preparing her to work in public outreach. Giese encouraged her to present her undergraduate research at Research in the Rotunda twice.

“Those first presentations set a foundation for me to see how research can be shared,” she says. “They built my skills as a student and a communicator. Now I’m leading the way for others and helping them learn.”

From Mentee to Mentor

Baughman works closely with interns in UW-Green Bay’s High School Summer Scholars program. They join her on bird surveys where they learn to identify birds and record data, and she tells them about the importance of conservation and restoration in land management decisions. Students also help plan and participate in events where they talk to community members about birds and wetlands. She also brings art and science together to create educational materials.

This spring, Baughman reviewed applications for the Freshwater@UW Summer Research Opportunities Program, a program coordinated through UW-Madison and funded by Freshwater Collaborative. It gives undergraduates in Wisconsin and beyond mentored research experiences at one of the Universities of Wisconsin campuses. Two students will conduct research with UW-Green Bay faculty this summer.

As for her own career path, Baughman is enrolled in UW-Green Bay’s Biodiversity Conservation and Management program, an online certificate program that builds to a master’s degree. Between the graduate program and full-time work, Baughman is busy but happy.

“I’m solving problems every day that improve our program,” she says. “And I still get to go birding all the time with my dad. I can’t believe this is what I get to do.”

Written by Heidi Jeter, Freshwater Collaborative

Summer Research Project Helps Homeowners Access Drinking Water Information

Posted on by Heidi Jeter

Claire Schoenemann, a 2025 graduate of UW-Eau Claire, says knowing how to communicate scientific research to the broader community helped her land a job as an environmental scientist with Foth Infrastructure & Environment in De Pere, Wisc.

Schoenemann was one of 10 undergraduates who participated in the Freshwater Science Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), funded by a grant from the Freshwater Collaborative in 2022. The REU introduced students to societal challenges in freshwater and career opportunities in freshwater science that will tackle those issues.

“Working at the intersection of public relations and the science behind groundwater quality was an amazing experience and really allowed me to see how important scientific communication is,” she says.

Identifying Drinking Water Resources

She and Rachel Klinker, a 2024 graduate, conducted an audit of online public information about the quality of drinking water. Neither student had a background in drinking water quality — and that was the point.

UW-Eau Claire faculty Sarah Vitale, a groundwater expert who focuses on water quality, and Mary Worley, a communications expert specializing in crisis communication, wanted to identify how easy it was for the average homeowner to find relevant information.

“The students’ searches did not direct them to the sources that house what I consider to be vital information,” Vitale says. “People have no clue where to look, what to look for, or even that they’re supposed to be looking.”

To address this knowledge gap, the students pitched an idea to the county’s groundwater advisory committee that would help advertise the importance of water quality testing in private wells and direct people to testing resources.

Creating Useful Tools for Homeowners

They produced an ad for a recycler mailing that goes to every home in Eau Claire County and a magnet to hand out at community events. The goal was to create simple yet informative materials that would give homeowners quick references.

The poster Schoenemann and Klinker presented included the designs for the annual mailer and magnet.

Schoenemann says working with the groundwater advisory committee gave her confidence in public speaking about her research. It kickstarted her interest in hydrogeology and the intersection of water resources, geoscience, and scientific communication. And it led to additional hydrogeology research with Vitale and Eau Claire County to detect PFAS in well water. (Freshwater Collaborative provided student salary support to complement funding from Eau Claire County.) All while providing the community with important resources.

“The science is one thing, but without properly communicating about water quality, resources, and solutions for the public, there is a huge gap in moving things forward,” Schoenemann says. ““I could go on about the skills I gained from this project forever, but I think most importantly it opened my eyes to the kind of work I knew I wanted to be involved in.”

Written by Heidi Jeter, Freshwater Collaborative.

Freshwater Field Course with Professionals Prepares Students for Workforce

Posted on by Heidi Jeter

When faculty at UW-Milwaukee’s School of Freshwater Sciences sought to redesign one of their core courses, a top goal was getting input and participation from industry and governmental partners. They wanted to ensure their freshwater field course would prepare students for the workforce.

Experimentation and Analysis in Freshwater Sciences 513, a field course for undergraduate and graduate students, reflects the importance of multidisciplinary highly applicable research. Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin funding supported course enhancements, which include hands-on training with water professionals.

“The strongest part of the redesigned course is that it focuses on a pipeline to jobs,” says Sandra McLellan, a UWM professor who worked on the course update. “Students are not only learning field and lab methods, but they are participating in real-world applications of those techniques with practitioners.”

Partners from US Geological Society (USGS), the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Stantec and Watertech of America advised on the new curriculum and are co-teaching field work. For example, in fall 2024, USGS collaborators taught students how to take water samples and took students into nearby streams to capture invertebrates for biological indices and to use electrofishing to examine fish diversity.

Throughout the course, students learn a variety of water quality analysis techniques, microbiology techniques, fish sampling and analysis, water and bacterial sampling, and biotic indices. They also gain the skills to conduct and analyze experiments. More students in majors outside of freshwater sciences are taking the course to better understand the basics of monitoring and analyzing water quality.

Students also gain unique insight into how university researchers form long-term partnerships with government agencies and private sector companies to tackle water-related issues.

“This is a field class, but there are ample opportunities for students to have conversations about what a job is like or how joint research projects work,” McLellan says.

For those who want to work in water-related careers, the networking opportunities provide a leg up in the job market. Not only do they have practical skills after taking the course, but they also have a professional network and knowledge of the kinds of jobs that are available.

Engaging with students also benefits employers. Hayley Olds, a graduate of the School of Freshwater Sciences master’s program and a hydrologist with the USGS, was involved in one of the classes. She taught students biological sampling methods and how to calculate metrics that can determine stream health.

“The USGS connects with future scientists through university courses like Freshwater Sciences 513, where we showcase our diverse research initiatives,” Olds says. “These interactions help spread awareness about the wide range of scientific work conducted at USGS, inspiring the next generation of researchers.”

Experimentation and Analysis in Freshwater Sciences 513 is offered every fall. Prerequisites are junior standing with BIO SCI 152 and CHEM 104 or equivalents, or graduate student standing. The next offering will take place Thursdays, 9:30 a.m.-12:10 p.m. beginning Sept. 2, 2025. UWM students register through PAWS. Non-UWM students can enroll as a special student/guest student. Email Mal Kaul, head of Academic Services for School of Freshwater Sciences, for details.

Written by Heidi Jeter, Freshwater Collaborative.

Applications Due May 20 for Hands-On Summer River Restoration Experience

Posted on by Heidi Jeter

Are you looking to gain hands-on experience in river restoration? Join the two-week summer DAM Crew and learn professional skills for monitoring the impacts of dam removal on the Kinnickinnic River.

UW-River Falls is hiring up to 12 students from any Universities of Wisconsin campus to work on the fourth annual DAM Crew. Students will work alongside experts from Inter-Fluve and Trout Unlimited. One student will be hired as a part-time intern during the academic year to continue data analysis. 

The summer DAM Crew is a free, non-credit experience provided through the Freshwater Collaborative. Funds are available for food, travel expenses and campus housing. Apply by May 20 at https://forms.gle/Xfdh1s7GtgWyWasSA

Read the full position description

The DAM Crew conducts river monitoring each summer and provides ongoing data and recommendations to the City of River Falls and the Kinni Corridor Collaborative, a nonprofit that is leading fundraising efforts for the dam removal and river restoration work. Students receive hands-on training and networking opportunities — and their research contributes to the community’s 10-year monitoring plan for the dam removal. Read about past DAM Crew experiences

New Camp Introduces High School Students to Freshwater Experiences

Posted on by Heidi Jeter

The UW Oshkosh Environmental Research and Innovation Center (ERIC) hosted 18 high school students from Wisconsin and Illinois for its inaugural residential “Freshwater High School Experience” on the UW Oshkosh campus. 

Along with the ERIC staff, professors from Biology, Environmental Studies, Engineering, and Geology ran sessions for the students. The goal was to introduce high school students to academic and professional career options related to water resources and technology.

During the three-day camp, students participated in extensive hands-on experiences. Topics included drinking water treatment technology, field sampling techniques, groundwater resources, wastewater treatment, laboratory analysis of E.coli, microorganisms causing dangerous algal blooms, and much more. 

Students took advantage of the location by using the Fox River and Lake Winnebago for lake sampling via boats, High Cliff State Park for field experience, and the many lab facilities available at UW Oshkosh.

The program was sponsored through a grant from the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin. The ERIC team hopes this will become an annual event!

Written by Heidi Jeter, Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin.

Freshwater@UW Scholar: Eva Riveros

Posted on by Heidi Jeter

Eva Riveros from Fordham University was excited to embark on environmental research through the Freshwater@UW Summer Research Opportunities Program. She’s learning a new skillset with research into pesticide leaching and how water moves through soil.

Funding for this program is provided by the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Sea Grant, the UW Water Resources Institute and Water@UW-Madison.

UW-Green Bay Students Contribute to Lake Sturgeon Conservation Research

Posted on by Heidi Jeter

Lake sturgeon first evolved around 200 million years ago, around the same time as the dinosaurs. This unique fish species once numbered more than two million. Fish biologists estimate about 3,000 adult fish exist in the Great Lakes proper today.

Wisconsin is an international leader in lake sturgeon conservation. The state’s efforts target sustaining populations that use four major tributaries of Green Bay for reproduction: the Fox, Oconto, Peshtigo and Menominee Rivers. The Freshwater Collaborative is funding undergraduate research at UW-Green Bay that centers on lake sturgeon reproduction, survival during early life stages and behavior.

“Because of the evolutionary history of lake sturgeon, and their cultural significance in the region, no one really wants to see the species at risk of extinction,” says Patrick Forsythe, an associate professor of biology at UW-Green Bay. He has studied lake sturgeon for about 20 years.

Lake sturgeon spawn in rivers, and their larvae need a long stretch of river to provide protective habitat for growth before they move into the bay and then Lake Michigan, where predators abound. The Menominee and Park Mill Dams, located about a mile upstream from Green Bay, restrict reproduction for lake sturgeon living in the bay.

Enter the Menomonee River Fish Passage Project, which allows adult lake sturgeon to access important spawning habitats upstream from the dams. Sturgeon swim into an “elevator” inside the Menominee Dam. They are then moved by truck upstream of the Park Mill Dam to reproduce further up the Menominee River. The adults and juveniles then journey back through several bypass routes in the dams and into the bay.

Using genetic techniques to determine parentage of recently produced larvae emerging from habitat downstream from the Grand Rapids Dam, Forsythe and his team have determined that nearly 90 percent of the fish passed upstream of the two lower dams —and those impeding access to historic spawning sites — reproduce successfully. That’s good news for conservation efforts, but it’s only on part of the equation.

With funding from the Freshwater Collaborative and supporting partners including the Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act and We Energies, Forsythe and students in his lab are looking at survival rates. Do juveniles in their first year of life survive the journey? If so, which routes do they take through the dams before entering the Bay of Green Bay?

Students are collecting larvae and raising them until they are large enough to surgically implant acoustic and PIT transmitters. The transmitters will track the fish as they move downstream. The collected data will inform whether river and dam management can improve survival rates of juveniles as they journey downstream. This knowledge could improve overall conservation efforts.

Forsythe says students are directly involved in every aspect of the project. This includes experimental design, setting up the tailer to collecting larvae, inserting transmitters, and caring for the fish before they are released and tracking can commence.

“This project gives students a lot of experiences,” he says. “My students are in a really good position to apply for graduate school or get their first job. I’m really proud of that.”

The students routinely participate in planning sessions with working professionals, giving them networking opportunities and insight into the complexities of large collaborative projects.

Partners include USGS, Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Unit, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wisconsin DNR, Michigan DNR, the cities of Menominee and Marinette, WE Energies and the Mitigation Enhancement Fund, Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, Michigan Hydropower Reform Coalition, River Alliance of Wisconsin, and Eagle Creek Renewable Energy (owner and operator of the Menominee and Park Mill Dams) and fish biologists from Carlton University in Canada.

Lauren Klawiter is an undergraduate working on the project. She gained so much experience last year that she snagged a summer internship with Colorado State University. She is working with the Environment for Management of Military Lands at Fort McCoy.

“I will be using my skills from last summer and adding additional skills, which I am extremely excited for,” she says. “I have really enjoyed my experiences with fish. I hope to obtain a position working at a fishery or potentially with the DNR.”

Klawiter shared her research at Research in the Rotunda in March 2024. She also presented it at the 154th National American Fisheries Society Conference, attended by more than 3,000 people. Graduate students Steve Hughes and Zach Nordstrom presented posters at the AFS conference as well.

In 2023, students helped collect and care for about 1,500 lake sturgeon. This summer, three new undergraduates and a graduate student joined the team to continue the research. The project is expected to wrap up at the end of 2025 when results will be submitted for publication.

Analyzing the Viability of Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy for the Accessible Detection of Toxic “Forever Chemicals” (PFAS) in Drinking Water

Posted on by Heidi Jeter

The 2024 Research in the Rotunda featured 16 Freshwater Collaborative-funded research projects. Students shared more about their experience.

Student: Andrew Glasgow
University: UW-Madison
Major: Civil and Environmental Engineering, Environmental Emphasis
Graduation date: December 2023
Mentor: Haoran Wei

Summarize the research and your role.

The research was aimed at developing a novel, innovative approach for detecting per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water. Despite PFAS exposure’s strong links to various cancers and other health effects, current PFAS detection approaches are very expensive and time-consuming, rendering them inaccessible to many communities — especially marginalized groups and those without financial resources. This inaccessibility is made even more pressing because marginalized communities are more likely to be continually exposed to high levels of PFAS in their drinking water. 

Together with my advisors, Hanwei Wang and Dr. Haoran Wei, I worked to assess the viability of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) as a low-cost approach for the rapid detection of PFAS in drinking water. My role consisted of preparing, testing, and analyzing experimental data for different PFAS species, to determine if our experimental approach could help detect various compounds. I likewise had the unique opportunity to choose many of the next steps for experimental and variable analysis, and gained experience with advanced scientific instrumentation (e.g., scanning electron microscopy). Much of my work during the research program was accomplished in an independent manner, with my advisors being available for consultation as needed.

What skills have you gained?

The most valuable skill was gaining a strong comfort with the research process. Most of my prior research work had been “automatic,” with next steps being self-evident due to the nature of the experiments. My PFAS research through the SROP required a much more intensive and nuanced approach, as a slew of confounding variables (e.g., chemical properties) could potentially be influencing the results we obtained. Learning to trace and navigate the potential influence of these factors was an arduous process at first, but one that I believe made me a much more versatile researcher.

What was your favorite part of this project?

My favorite part was the opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals who are passionate about research that impacts the environment and society. Over the summer, one graduate student shared with me the importance of developing friendships with one’s coworkers, as they serve as a powerful motivator when the research process inevitably becomes discouraging. I found this piece of wisdom to be unequivocally true through my summer research experience and hope to continue to apply it during my future research endeavors.

What are your plans after graduate?

In autumn 2024, I will begin pursuing a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech. In the interim between my graduation and the start of my doctoral studies, I have been working as a research assistant in two laboratories to gain additional experience with PFAS and contaminant research. Career-wise, I hope to become an environmental chemistry professor, to improve public health through the development of novel detection and treatment approaches for contaminants.

How will this experience help you attain your career goals?

This experience has provided me with significant knowledge and skills that will allow me to navigate graduate school and a career in the environmental chemistry field more easily. The experience solidified my dedication to scientific research that can improve society. For example, a true hope of mine one day is to aid in addressing the widespread and marked PFAS contamination in Okinawa, Japan. This goal stems directly from my research through the SROP, as the experience allowed me to fully realize my passion for research that can tangibly address severe environmental injustices.