End of Field Season on Thompson Lake (at least the ice-off phase)

As you know, we sample Thompson Lake weekly up until the last months when we opted to go out every two weeks (cold and/or bad weather). You may not know, the transom on the Prairie Shark (boat) has fractures and we are thankful that it carried us through ice-cold waters these last days without mishap (I had to go swimming for it a month or two ago and that was cold enough for me!). Our faithful boat goes into dry dock for repair if I can locate a good aluminum welder.

And alas Jack London fans, with the recent cold weather, 2" of ice is across the lake. It is too thick to navigate and too thin to walk on (though we might in a few weeks; skating party anyone?). So - we finally have our rest from field work.

There are good days, scary days, and just plain miserable days on the lake when you are running a schedule, but they are all very much "alive" days, and perhaps this another reason we do it.

Many, many thanks to our field technician, Doyn, and volunteers for helping out on the project. It has been a long year but I am convinced we are on to trends that will be groundbreaking. I am now looking for time/funds to process the 2009 samples as recent data and published literature indicates that the trends we are discovering on Thompson reflect circumpolar trends throughout the world (NOTE - PNAS at http://www.pnas.org/content/106/50/21208.full.pdf+html).

And so, this is the rhythm and consistency of field work and the science that goes with it. Should we teach this to our next generation? - - - - without a doubt.

To that end, Michael Cheney and I met yesterday and outlined a 2 week course that would meet needs for the International Study defined by Jonathan Goldbergbelle BUT also be a very good UIS upper division/graduate course. I get many inquiries about field study classes and work at Emiquon. We are at first draft stage with much room for input, but Michael is writing up the notes and we will share soon.

Take care - all the best for the holidays - and most of all, thank you for your support of the field station and the restoration of an amazing area -

Mike

Still a bloom

The bloom that started in spring is still with us on Thompson Lake

June 10 - Evidence of cyanobacteria dying

It looks like someone spilled blue-green, blue, and amber paint in some of the quiet coves around the Thompson Lake boat landing. However, this is actually evidence of death of some of the cyanotbacteria (see April 28 post) that has been blooming since April (blue-green and blue pigments) and duckweek (amber bleached-out very small floating plants). Lakes go through a lot of changes in a year, especially if they are going through the transitions involved in restoration.

Our Summer Interns - from France!

Say hello to Charlotte (right) and Delphine (left), our summer interns from Montpellier SupAgro (an International Center for Higher Education in Agricultural Sciences). They will be staying at the Emiquon Field Station and doing several projects with The Nature Conservancy and lending me a hand sampling and processing water/DNA samples.

May 29

Well, I have some catching up to do. It's been a really busy spring-summer.

I'll start with a picture from a few weeks ago. Our field station became full of activity when 17 archeologists (professor and students) from Michigan State University moved in at the end of May. To celebrate and welcome all, we threw a picnic for them and invited folks from The Nature Conservancy, Dickson Mounds Museum, and the Univ. of Illinois at Springfield (UIS). After, we spent time on Thompson Lake and UIS Provost Harry Berman and his wife, Deb, canoed the lake and captured some excellent pelican pictures. I am posting one (with permission).

Cynanobacteria - "They're back!"

There were two big stories on Thompson Lake when we sampled last week (4/22/09). The first was that there were people fishing on the lake. This is perfectly legal and regulated, but there had been no fishing up to this point. More at: http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/illinois/press/press3965.html

The second eye-catching event was that the cyanobacteria that had “filled” the lake the year before was back. The green material floating in lakes is commonly called an “algae” bloom, even though in this case, they are technically not microalgae, but phototrophic bacteria. Last year, we started picking it up in early June. I’ve gotten confirmation from an algal biologist that the species genus name is Aphanizomenon. I supply a diagram.

Upon first glance, the cyanobacteria looks like small, cut-up grass leaves. Upon closer examination, you can see it is composed of individual filaments, and under the microscope can ascertain the heterocysts (specialized cells that “fix” nitrogen from the air) and akinetes (thick, dormant cells that resting/”surviving” cells). I post a copy of a picture I had taken last year.

Wednesday Evening Lecture at the Field Station

Thought you'd like to see this press release -
UIS Emiquon Field Station to host “Spring Migration By The Numbers”

"Spring Migration by the Numbers," a public lecture and nature walk, will be presented at the University of Illinois at Springfield’s Emiquon Field Station beginning at 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 29th, at the Field Station. The program is free and open to the public; reservations are not required.
The program will be led by Jim Herkert, director of conservation science for The Nature Conservancy. According to Mr. Herkert, “We will explore the phenomenon of migration in birds covering things such as how many species of birds migrate through Illinois each year? How do birds navigate their way along migration? How far do birds migrate each year? And how important is Emiquon as a migratory stopover site for migrating birds?”
“Emiquon is a great place to observe bird migration because it contains a wide variety of habitats (e.g., woodlands, prairie, and wetlands) and therefore provides habitat for a wide range of migratory birds and because of its very large size which allows for very large concentrations of birds to use the site during their annual migrations,” Herkert added.
The Emiquon Field Station is at The Nature Conservancy’s Emiquon Preserve, located between Havana and Lewistown. Entrance to the field station is on Prairie Road, located off Illinois Rts. 97/78, approximately one-and-a-half miles north of the Dickson Mounds turnoff. A sign will be posted.
A map is also available online at www.uis.edu/emiquon/about/images/mapToTNCEmiquon.jpg. The program will start with a presentation and then follow with to a walk on the nearby trails. Everyone entering the property will be asked to sign a liability waiver. Participants younger than 18 must be accompanied by a responsible adult and must have their waiver signed by a parent or legal guardian.
All are encouraged to wear walking/hiking shoes and to bring binoculars.
For more information, contact Mike Lemke, Emiquon Field Station Director, at lemke.michael@uis.edu or 217/206-7339.

New species discovered?

Well - no, not really a new species . . . but maybe a "habitat extension" - in any case, I wanted to get your attention so I could tell you this story.

One thing I've learned a long time ago was that you never know what you'll come across when you are working on the water. We were finishing up our sampling on 4/8/09 when I noticed an unusual dark object in a shrub about 150 m from the shore line. Of course this needed investigation. Upon closer examination, Doyn (Emiquon Tech.) and I found that it was a raccoon! Well, raccoons are by no means uncommon in the Illinois River basin, but the curious thing was that this one was all snuggled up in this small tree quite far away from land (and about 7 feet above water!). We circled the raccoon several times to get a closer picture (and, to tell you the truth, to get a positive i.d.!) and it did not stir. Come to think of it, not a bad place for a nap - nobody to bother you (except those pesky researchers!), swaying away in a gentle breeze - to tell you the truth, it sounds pretty good - maybe the raccoon is on to something here!

Web Cam

I also wanted to tell you that we have a stationary web cam pointing out of the field station. In the evening this time of year, you can usually see deer grazing. We are getting ready to put up another web cam up over Thompson Lake that viewers will be able to direct. To a view from our front porch, go to: http://66.99.65.227/popup.html

Water, water everywhere!

Thompson Lake is waking up to spring, and most the measurements taken 4/4/09 seemed reasonable. What was surprising was that the lake gained 10 cm of depth, which translates into a heck of a lot of more water (see photo). If it weren't for our GPS unit, I'd be hard pressed to find the sampling stations. There is more good news as we are getting to process samples faster at the field station as we have more equipment on hand. Lastly, the YSI units are being serviced and should be back on deck to give live data from around Thompson Lake. Right now, live data can be obtained from the main ditch at: http://www.ysieconet.com/public/WebUI/Default.aspx?hidCustomerID=94

Year 1 Data

As we begin to gear up for sampling the lakes once again, it is satisfying to look back at some of the data we have acquired to date. In Thompson Lake, the real story seemed to be cyanobacteria bloom, which appeared to be linked to phosphorus release.

Pictured here are some Thompson Lake data.

For more about the science at Emiquon, take a look at the abstracts from our recent science meeting (March 12, 2009) at https://edocs.uis.edu/mlemk1/www/Emiquon2009_final.pdf