Summers in Menomonie

        

    I grew up in Milwaukee, but when it was time to go to college, I wanted something different. Naturally, I was drawn to the University of Wisconsin Stout, and traded city living for a small town. It took some time to get used to my new environment, but after some time, Menomonie became my new home. I very quickly found my favorite places around town, from parks and trails to local restaurants and breweries. One of my favorite summer activities in Menomonie is going to the farmers market every Saturday followed by a picnic in the park. Other hobbies of mine include gardening, embroidery, and spending time outdoors.

As an environmental science student at UW-Stout, I have a good understanding of The Red Cedar Watershed, and eutrophication in Lake Menomin. Eutrophication is caused by excess nutrients, specifically nitrogen and phosphorus, which leads to the growth and over population of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). There are several factors that lead to excess nitrogen and phosphorus entering surface water. This includes the natural composition of the bed rock in western Wisconsin (high in phosphorus), run off from forestry and agricultural land, and leakage from rural septic tanks. The issue is complex, and there is no one solution, rather a combination of solutions. The goal of The Lakes REU is to farther understand eutrophication in Lake Menomin and investigate possible solutions to the problem.

Even though I am a community member, the Lakes REU has already brought a new experience. In the first week, we visited Dan Prestebak’s small cattle operation, which helped me farther develop my project. His operation is a wonderful example of regenerative agriculture, a conservation approach to farming, where uniform disturbances are avoided, and diversity is maintained.

My project this summer will focus on no-till and reduced-till practices along with cover cropping. These land management techniques can drastically reduce soil erosion and nutrient loss, which is good for the farmer and surface water. I a
m going to investigate why farmers do, and do not, incorporate these land management practices in their operation. A thematic analysis will follow these interviews, identifying patterns as to why farmers do and don’t use different land management methods. At this point, majority of my research has included literature reviews, but moving forward I will begin to meet with farmers across The Red Cedar watershed. It will give context to the land management practices incorporated on each farm, and how different practices effect the land, which effects the watershed. I look forward to meeting with different farmers and getting a better understanding of their perspective on the issues within The Red Cedar Watershed.