Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center
August 2012 Activity Highlights
Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center
La Crosse, Wisconsin
Topics covered in the August activity report.
Agricultural Ditches, Phosphorus, and Organism Health
- William Richardson (UMESC), Victoria Christensen, Kathy Lee (MN WSC), and Tanja Williamson (NJ WSC) sampled agricultural ditches to better understand the effect of local land and water management on phosphorus flux and aquatic organism health in intensively farmed landscapes, August 29-31 near Olivia, MN. The agricultural ditches were sampled to develop Indices of Biotic Integrity (IBI) of fish and invertebrates and measurement of detailed geomorphic characteristics. This research is part of a larger Midwest Area Environmental Effects of Agriculture project assessing the effect of landuse and land-retirement on health and biology ditch biota and phosphorus flux. Agricultural ditches are heavily impacted by the local land use and water management (e.g., surface-linked, subsurface tile drains) dominating the fields and catchment they drain, as well as by the local ditch management applied (e.g., rate of vegetation and sediment clean-out).
Aquatic Invasive Species
Asian Carp
- Mike Jawson, Mark Gaikowski (UMESC), and Duane Chapman (CERC) participated in the Minnesota Game Fair, August 10-12 and 17-19 in Anoka, MN. USGS was invited to provide discussions on Asian carp and current research efforts, and to provide posters and fact sheets for sportsmen and women attending the event.
Zebra Mussels
- Jim Luoma, Kerry Weber, Todd Severson, and Jeremy Wise (UMESC) initiated field investigations on the efficacy of ZequanoxTM for controlling zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) in open water. The field trials will be conducted at Lake Carlos State Park (MN) August 13-19. UMESC’s mobile assay laboratory will be used to test Zequanox in a controlled environment, without discharging water containing Zequanox into Lake Carlos. Zequanox is currently registered with the U.S. EPA for use in closed plumbing systems, this study is focused on evaluating whether the product has potential for use in open water environments. Two additional field trials will be conducted in Minnesota and Wisconsin. All are being conducted in close collaboration with project’s study partners; which include the New York State Museum, the Minnesota and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Public outreach efforts associated with this project include Mark Gaikowski (UMESC) traveling to Lake Carlos State Park to present an overview of UMESC’s aquatic invasive species programs, including the Zequanox project.
- James Luoma (UMESC) was interviewed by Naomi Pescovitz (KSTP-TV, ch. 5, St. Paul, MN) regarding the Zequanox trial at Lake Carlos State Park. Zequanox is currently registered with the U.S. EPA to control zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) in closed plumbing systems. This study is focused on evaluating whether Zequanox has potential for use in open water environments. UMESC’s mobile assay laboratory is being used to test Zequanox in a controlled environment, without discharging water containing Zequanox into the study lakes. Two additional field trials will be conducted in Minnesota and Wisconsin. All are being conducted in close collaboration with project’s study partners; which include the New York State Museum, the Minnesota and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Sea Lamprey
- Terrance D Hubert will attend the sea lamprey control treatment of the Manistee River (MI) August 19-22, to provide technical input as representatives from the National Institutes of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and Michigan Department of Natural Resources collect samples for assessing worker safety during sea lamprey control operations. During the 1950’s sea lamprey nearly decimated commercial and sport fisheries in the Great Lakes. A joint U.S. and Canadian program to control lamprey populations uses the lapricide TFM to kill larval sea lamprey in the streams where the adults nest and reproduce. This in turn reduces the number of larval sea lamprey that transform into parasitic adults, which migrate into the Great Lakes and feed on small scaled fish like lake trout, rainbow trout, salmon, and walleye.
- Jane Rivera (UMESC) will give the presentation, “Sea lamprey pheromone regulatory actions February 2012 to August 2012,” at the Great Lakes Fishery Commission Trapping Task Force meeting, August 28-29 in Marquette, MI. The Task Force coordinates the optimization of trapping techniques for assessing adult sea lamprey populations and removing adult and transforming sea lampreys from spawning and feeding populations. Scientists at the UMESC provide expertise on United States and Canada biopesticide regulations as they pertain to sea lamprey pheromone experimental research and future registration. Application of a male sea lamprey mating pheromone to existing traps has been shown to increase the catch.
American Fisheries Society Meeting
The Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center is hosting a symposium and giving a variety of presentations at the 142nd Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, August 19-23 in Minneapolis, MN. Presentations include:
- Application of Wind Fetch and Wave Models for Habitat Rehabilitation and Enhancement Projects, by Jason Rohweder.
- Asian Carp Ecological Plasticity: Are They Moving Targets?, by Reuben Goforth, Alison Coulter (Purdue Univ.), Doug Keller, Tom Stefanavage, Nathan Nye (IN DNR), and Jon Amberg (UMESC).
- Asian Carp Movement and Spawning Patterns in the Wabash River, Indiana, by Alison Coulter, Ruben Goforth (Purdue Univ.), and Jon Amberg (UMESC).
- Calibrating e-DNA Methodology: An Asian Carp Genetic Surveillance Tool in the Chicago Area Waterway System, by Kelly Baerwaldt, Richard Lance (USACE), Duane Chapman (CERC), Jon Amberg (UMESC), Edward Perkins (USACE), Meredith Bartron (FWS), Edmond Russo (USACE), and Lorin Hatch (HDR Inc.).
- Detecting the Lasting Effects of Water Level Drawdown on Aquatic Vegetation in a Impounded Stretch of the Upper Mississippi River near La Crosse, Wisconsin, by Yao Yin.
- Fish Assemblages in off-Channel Areas of the Upper Mississippi River System: Implications for Restoration, by Brent Knights, Brian Ickes, Jeff Houser, and Yao Yin.
- Hydrodynamic Modeling as A Tool for Ecologists on the Mississippi River, by Douglas Schnoebelen (Univ. of IA), Barry Johnson (UMESC), and Larry Weber (Univ. of IA).
- Lethal and Sublethal Effects of Water Temperature on Native Mussels: Implications for Climate Change Research, by Teresa Newton (UMESC), Alissa Ganser, and Roger Haro (Univ. of WI-La Crosse).
- North Central Regional Aquaculture Center Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia Project, by Ronald Kinnunen (MI Sea Grant), Mark Gaikowski, Maren Tuttle-Lau, Jeffrey Rach (UMESC), Jeffrey Malison, James Held, Ronald Johnson (Univ. of WI), Sara Kaatz, and Glenda Dvorak (Iowa State Univ.).
- Spatial Patterns of Aquatic Habitat Richness in the Upper Mississippi River Floodplain, by Nathan De Jager and Jason Rohweder.
- Terrestrial Lidar and Bathymetric Data Integration and Potential Application for the Upper Mississippi River, by Jason Rohweder
- The Effects of Water Level Manipulation on Native Mussels in the Upper Mississippi River, by Steve Zigler and Teresa Newton.
- Understanding the Differences in the Mechanisms of Detoxification Between Invasive and Native Aquatic Animals to Identify New Biocides, by Jon Amberg, Terrance Hubert, Mark Gaikowski, and James Luoma.
- Using New Technologies to Develop Controls Specific to Filter-Feeding Aquatic Invasive Species, by James Luoma, Jon Amberg, Mark Gaikowski, and Terrance Hubert.
- Variation in Gill Rakers of Silver Carp and Gizzard Shad from the Illinois, James and Wabash Rivers, USA, by Liza Walleser, Jon Amberg (UMESC), Mark Sandheinrich (Univ. of WI-La Crosse), Mark Gaikowski (UMESC), and David Howard (Univ. of WI-La Crosse).
- Vegetation Response to Pool-Wide Drawdowns on the Upper Mississippi River, by Kevin Kenow, Larry Robinson, and James Rogala.
- Visualizing Fish Community Trajectories and Ecosystem Health Indicators to Aid Management Goal Setting in the Upper Mississippi River System, by Brian Ickes, Benjamin Schlifer, and Ken Lubinski.
Common Loon Overwintering Habitat and Foraging Behavior
- Kevin Kenow gave an invited presentation on the migration and wintering patterns of common loons nesting in the Great Lakes region, at the Big Birch Lake Association’s annual meeting in Grey Eagle, MN, August 18. Kenow focused his presentation on work conducted this summer (FY 2012) on Big Birch Lake.
Dedication Ceremony for UMESC Facility Upgrades and Renovation Projects
- The USGS Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (UMESC) in La Crosse, Wisconsin will host a dedication ceremony August 24 to celebrate the completion of several facility upgrades and renovation projects. Several of the upgrades addressed critical space needs which have existed since the late 1990s, when the USGS Science Center in La Crosse, WI merged with the Science Center in Onalaska, WI. The most notable of the upgrades was the addition of a new conference facility and office complex, additional projects include the renovation of UMESC’s experimental ponds and the construction of an invasive species containment facility. Dignitaries attending the event include U.S. Congressman Ron Kind (WI), Wisconsin State Senator Jennifer Schilling, Department of the Interior Deputy Secretary for Water and Science John Tubbs, and USGS Deputy Director Suzette Kimball. Following the ribbon-cutting ceremony attendees will be provided with an opportunity to interact with UMESC’s scientists to learn about their projects and tour the facility.
Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI)
Project #80, Birds as Indicators of Contaminant Exposure in the Great Lakes
- Christine Custer (UMESC), Diana Goldberg, and Jocelyn Tschaikovsky (NWHC) were interviewed and filmed for a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources video describing Wisconsin's Areas of Concern (AOC) on the Great Lakes. Custer's Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Project #80, Birds as Indicators of Contaminant Exposure in the Great Lakes, uses tree swallows as an assessment endpoint at AOCs across the Great Lakes. The video is mostly shot at the Milwaukee AOC.
Project #82, Characterize Habitat and Foodweb Structures across Great Lakes Rivermouth Estuaries.
- Andrew Strassman and Erin Hoy (UMESC) will conduct fieldwork in the Manitowoc (WI), Ford (MI), and Pere Marquette (MI) river mouths August 12-17, for Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) project #82, Characterize Habitat and Foodweb Structures across Great Lakes Rivermouth Estuaries. This project focuses on how the wetlands at the mouths of these rivers interact with the Great Lakes in light of dynamic systems that have seen significant anthropological modification.
Greenhouse Gases
- Michael Jawson (UMESC) co-authored the book chapter, “GRACEnet: Addressing Policy Needs through Coordinated Cross-location Research,” within the publication, “Managing Agricultural Greenhouse Gasses.” The forward to the book (co-authored by Jawson) describes GRACEnet as; the Greenhouse gas Reduction through Agricultural Carbon Enhancement network (GRACEnet) is a multi-location project of the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the primary in-house research agency for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Initiated during 2002, GRACEnet was an outcome of the process ARS uses to establish and plan the centrally coordinated research of its National Programs. The intent of those who had the original idea was to link ARS’s long-standing research on soil organic matter with the increasing attention and need for information on how to use working lands to sequester carbon from the atmosphere in an attempt to mitigate climate change.
- Walthall, C.L., S.R. Shafer, M.D. Jawson. 2012. GRACEnet: Addressing policy needs through coordinated cross-location research. In: Liebig, M.A., A.J. Franzluebbers, R.F. Follett. Managing Agricultural Greenhouse Gasses; Coordinated Agricultural Research through GRACEnet to Address our Changing Climate. Academic Press. Elseiver. ISBN: 9780123868985. pg. 13-19.
North American Ornithological Conference
- Eileen Kirsch and Wayne Thogmartin (UMESC) will participate in the North American Breeding Bird Survey, at the North American Ornithological Conference in Vancouver, Canada, August 15. Both scientists are scheduled to present papers. Kirsch, a board member of the Cooper Ornithological Society, will participate in a board meeting held n conjunction with the conference. Thogmartin will participate in the Partners in Flight Science Committee meeting and several other meetings held in conjunction with the conference. Presentations include;
- “Tree species preferences of foraging birds during spring migration in Upper Mississippi River floodplain forests,” by Eileen Kirsch and Mike Wellik.
- “Extinction Risk Estimated for Every Species Adequately Surveyed by the North American Breeding Bird Survey,” by Wayne Thogmartin and Patrick McKann.
- Thogmartin is also slated to present his views on employment in a federal science agency, in a session titled Careers in Bird Conservation.
Upper Mississippi River Restoration – Environmental Management Program
Climate Change
- Barry Johnson will present, “Peak River Discharge and Climate Change: A Review of Recent Work,” at the workshop Methods of Projecting Hydrologic Impacts of Climate Change, sponsored by NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, August 27-29 in Muskegon, MI. The workshop will focus on factors associated with climate change that are likely to effect hydrology and hydrologic cycling, and on methods of predicting changes in hydrology based on predicted changes in climatic factors.
- Barry Johnson will participate in a Science Council meeting of the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts (WICCI), September 10 in Madison, WI. The meeting will focus on results of downscaled climate modeling for the eastern U.S., and on developing new working groups to explore adaptation to climate change for specific areas of interest within Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest.
Land Cover/Land Use and LiDAR
- Larry Robinson (UMESC) delivered the presentation, “Land Cover/Land Use and LiDAR Products Update,” at the Upper Mississippi River Restoration (UMRR) program’s Environmental Management Program-Coordinating Committee (EMP-CC) meeting, August 30 in La Crosse, WI. UMESC is working with the Upper Mississippi River Restoration-Environmental Management Program's (UMRR-EMP) Long Term Resource Monitoring Program (LTRMP), creating 2010/2011 aerial photo mosaics, 2010/2011 land cover land use data sets, and high-resolution elevation products for the UMRR-EMP LTRM. Robinson’s presentation provides an update on the status of these projects, along with product availability, and FY 2013 work plan. As the data sets become available UMESC serves them through the Center’s Web site, at http://www.umesc.usgs.gov.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Region 3 Aviation Program Review
- Kevin Kenow and Larry Robinson (UMESC) delivered presentations for the 5-year review of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Region 3’s Aviation Program, August 30. UMESC has worked with FWS Region 3’s aviation program since the late 1980s, more notably during the last few years as UMESC has assisted them with the purchase, configuration, and use of their Applanix DSS 439 medium-format digital camera system. Robinson and Kenow have been working with the FWS Region 3 pilot Brian Lubinski for several years, collecting aerial photography and conducting waterfowl surveys throughout the Midwest. The 5-year reviews are used to identify areas of excellence and areas requiring improvement, and are designed to increase aviation safety, efficiency, effectiveness, and economy.
Regional Landscape Models and Predicting Avian Abundance
- Wayne Thogmartin (UMESC), Jaymi Lebrun (Iowa State Univ.), and James Miller (IL DNR) published the results from an examination of spatial and temporal context of species distribution models commonly used in regional conservation planning efforts. As to be expected, models and maps developed for understanding regional patterns in abundance smooth the variability in species abundance seen at local levels and distribution maps for species associated with ephemeral habitats (e.g., early successional forest) have a shorter ‘shelf-life’ than maps developed for species occurring in more mature habitat. These results should help Landscape Conservation Cooperatives and All-bird Joint Ventures tailor the spatial scope and frequency of species mapping efforts when developing regional conservation guidance.
Wildlife Occupancy Models – Bias
- Patrick McKann (USGS/IAP WorldServices), Brian Gray, and Wayne Thogmartin (UMESC) published the results from their evaluation of a model commonly used to estimate colonization, extinction, and recolonization rates of species among sampling sites. Their findings suggest that the number of sites required to estimate model parameters without important levels of bias may need to exceed 60, and may often need to exceed 120.
Other
Acronyms
AOC – Area of Concern
ARS – Agricultural Research Service
CERC – Columbia Environmental Research Center
DNR – Department of Natural Resources
EMP-CC – Environmental Management Program-Coordinating Committee
EPA – Environmental Protection Agency
FWS – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
GLRI – Great Lakes Restoration Initiative
IBI – Indices of Biotic Integrity
LiDAR – Light Detection and Ranging
LTRMP – Long Term Resource Monitoring Program
NIOSH – National Institutes of Occupational Safety and Health
NOAA – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NWHC – National Wildlife Health Center
TFM – 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol
UMESC – Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center
UMRR – Upper Mississippi River Restoration
UMRR-EMP – Upper Mississippi River Restoration - Environmental Management Program
USDA – U.S. Department of Agriculture
USGS – U.S. Geological Survey
WICCI – Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts
WSC – Water Science Center
URL: http://www.umesc.usgs.gov/outreach/highlights/2012_aug_umesc_highlights.html
Page Contact Information: Contacting the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center
Page Last Modified:
November 27, 2012
