From Mountains to Rolling Hills

Let me preface that I have never been to the Midwest, so my 6 a.m. departure into MSP could not come soon enough. When I did arrive, we had to wait for another student, so in the meantime, Arthur Kneeland and I explored MSP. We stopped at an Asian Noodle Market and scoured the area for a restaurant that was open on a Sunday morning. You would be surprised at the lack of a selection. We did end up at a great, authentic Mexican restaurant. Once everyone was collected from the airport, we took a very scenic drive into the town of Menomonie. The rolling hills remind me of home; however, there is a stark difference between Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, there are no mountains, and every inch of the hills is occupied by farmland.

While exploring the town, I got to talk to some very invested community members. I learned that the LAKES REU means quite a lot to them. Lake Menomin (actually a reservoir) is an excellent area for recreation, particularly in the winter, but in the summer, it goes untouched because it is a significant health hazard. A few conversations later, I learned of the issues associated with Lake Menomin and the massive amounts of phosphorous polluting the waters. I listened to a lecture from Dr. Nicole Hayes on nutrient pollution from runoff in the lake feeding cyanobacteria. The cyanobacteria form into Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) that release dangerous toxins into the water. The reservoir turns green in the summer, and the exact timing is due to the water flow. The process of cyanobacteria blooms takes four consecutive days of 90-degree weather after a rainstorm to concoct the perfect lake brew. I have yet to see the reservoir in the noxious; I am just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

There were multiple activities planned for our first week in Menomonie. We visited Dan Prestebak’s sustainable farm and the Chippewa Valley Bean farm. I learned about the farming practices that should be adopted in the area to reduce nutrient pollution. There are significant barriers to sustainability, most being behavioral and mental blocks; years of farming tradition and habits are hard to break. It is mainly tricky because this is a farmer’s entire livelihood; change is difficult, especially when there is evidence of success with and without modification. One of the cohort’s jobs this summer is to see if there are ways to break some barriers and help struggling farmers make the transition easier by providing information and forming a relationship with the local farmers.

My project, although not focusing solely on the farmers, is focused on trying to remediate the damage done to Lake Menomin. The lake has extremely nutrient-rich soils entering the system that, if studied, could prove to be the cause and solution to an issue. The lake has been dredged on different occasions, and the soils go to landfills. This is a waste of nutrients, so I will focus on whether harvestable crops can be grown in and outside the lake. If the study works, it could remediate the lake into a functional recreation
area, allowing nutrient-rich soil to be returned to the farmers’ lands.

I am eager to be a part of such a strong cohort working towards the same goal from different perspectives. The diverse backgrounds of everyone create a fantastic dynamic based on educating each other. The collaboration between the various disciplines will help us reach our goal to better the environment and lives of those residing there.

I will miss the mountains, but I cannot wait to see what experiences these hills will bring.

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.

Introduction to LAKES REU

 As a UW-Madison student, you would think I would be used to the numerous lakes of Wisconsin, but my arrival to Menomonie reminded me that I am still surprised by how many Wisconsin has. My home state of Kansas has significantly less surface water, so lakes are a lot more exciting to me than your typical Wisconsinite. As an environmental science and GIS major, I am particularly interested in water quality, so I am excited about the opportunity to study Lake Menomin and work on research that could improve its nutrient pollution. The dynamics of nitrogen and phosphorus are complex, particularly with excess anthropogenic inputs, so remediation of the lake is no easy task. The frequent cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cHABs), a result of excess nutrients, disturb the ecosystem and recreation within and around the lake. As part of the biology team, my project will focus on analyzing the areas of the watershed with the greatest impact on nutrient pollution. I will use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools to index land use by its contribution to pollution and compare sub-watersheds within the whole watershed. By identifying the areas that contribute the most to nutrient pollution, I hope to find the potential areas conservation practices would be most effective. In addition, I may look at how changing cropland to grassland across the watershed can impact pollution. Moreover, I hope to further utilize my background in GIS and cartography as well by creating maps relating to my project, such as the spatial distribution of high impact areas or changes in land use.

My primary interest in environmental science stems from the way it integrates so many sciences and other disciplines to create a fuller picture of how we interact with the environment. Similarly, the LAKES REU aims to connect social, economic, and environmental factors to study the overarching problem of nutrient problem. During our introduction to the program, it was exciting to learn how we will be working with various mentors and the rest of the students on their different projects. Beyond expanding our perspectives on environmental issues, the diverse backgrounds of the other students have already provided me with the opportunity to learn about the environmental issues faced across the country. And it has been incredibly enjoyable getting to know my fellow researchers through dinners, trips, and movie nights. Outside of research, I am looking forward to further adventures with the other students such as a trip to Lake Superior, which most of us have never seen before. Overall, I am grateful for this opportunity to explore scientific areas of interest and potentially further efforts to restore Lake Menomin.

First Impressions

 My time here in the Midwest has been undoubtedly so great so far! As I arrived in the town of Menomonie, I could not help but think “Aww, I love this small-town USA vibe!” Before this summer, I never genuinely had the opportunity to live in a tight-knit small town that offered so many traditions through its events, activities, and festivities all within walking distance of the town’s neighborhoods. I absolutely loved the fact that I could bike or walk to most of the town’s offerings whenever I wanted to. In three to five minutes, I can be at any of the cute local coffee shops, bakeries, parks, downtown shops, or pubs from my room. This by far has been the greatest pleasure I have been enjoying. With this pleasure, I have been able to enjoy already a great number of things with many others from the program. Specifically, my favorite thing we have all done together so far of enjoying pizza and beer at Lucette Brewing Company. It was the perfect place for all of us to meet each other and share our first meal together. That evening has definitely set the tone for my time here so far.

Furthermore, covering all the knowledge I have learned on watershed concepts is so much more than what I am about to summarize. The interconnected relationships, actions, and history that are all involved in this initiative have been the necessary foundation needed to comprehend the agricultural and scientific concepts being accounted for in our projects. To begin with, one of the most important things to understand about the severe eutrophication of Lake Menomin is that it is not witnessed until after at least four hot dry days have gone by. Without this condition, many people may unreasonably believe there are no severe issues to address in the watershed of Lake Menomin. This however is not the case. Cool breezy days with rainfall in between them, as we have been currently experiencing so far here in Menomonie, will not last for long. After understanding this key fact, then one is ready to understand and resonate with the rest of the environmental and agricultural processes involved. After a big pour, many of the nutrients, mainly phosphorus and nitrogen, from the watershed begin to seep into Lake Menomin as a result of various factors. These nutrients then being to pollute and toxify the surface waters through water runoff. Once these nutrients make it into the water, the cyanobacteria that are already present consume it eventually becoming too big to be eaten by the heterotrophic planktons that manage their population growth. This is when we start to see the cyanobacteria on the surface of Lake Menomin that makes it nasty and toxic, stopping everyone from being able to enjoy it.

Nonetheless, given this unfortunate situation, I hope to do my best to help with my research project by working with farmers from an economic standpoint on how using and implementing best management practices will help with the eutrophication of the lake and also help them increase their profit and spend more time with their family and friends doing enjoyable activities instead of spending their entire week outside.