Emiquon Field Station

Spring 2010

2010-04-09T03:27:00.000-07:00

It's been a long and rough winter. The ice on Thompson Lake caused considerable damage to area utilities and instruments, not the least of which was loss of power to the UIS field station for about a month. The YSI sondes (instruments that collect water data in real time) were damaged by the ice - we spent part of yesterday getting 1 of 3 units running. I attach a photo taken by Deborah Berman to give you some idea of the conditions at that time.

Winter seems like ages ago now. Since, we have had some warm days. The pelicans have returned and we are trying to get back on the lakes to sample. Yesterday was quite windy and coupled with high water levels, induced shore erosion. We are running a little shorthanded for sampling and, in addition, I am in the process of replacing our part-time technician, Doyn (in foreground of picture), as she is moving on to work on USGS food web project taking place this summer.

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

2009-12-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

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

2009-08-20T16:39:00.000-07:00

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

June 10 - Evidence of cyanobacteria dying

2009-06-10T16:51:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-06-10T16:24:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-10T16:20:00.001-07:00

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!"

2009-04-28T05:50:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-28T05:49:00.001-07:00

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?

2009-04-17T01:24:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-05T20:00:00.001-07:00

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!

2009-04-05T19:53:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-23T05:33:00.000-07:00

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

At flood stage

2008-09-29T05:42:00.000-07:00

We sampled the last two Fridays without mishap (9/19/08 & 9/26/08). Thompson Lake water depth is about 2.5 m, up about 0.6 m from the summer. On the 26th, a cyanobacteria bloom was evident with a more dense bloom at the south end. The news for us has been on Lake Chautauqua. On the 19th, as we sped by motor boat to the south end, I noticed a lot of drift wood in water. Sometimes when the water rises, it floats wood from the banks and you have to keep an eye open to avoid bigger pieces. But we also noticed the water was darker. Upon reaching the south end, we saw the river was coming "in" through Quiver Lake, which is a connected lake to the Illinois River. At this spot, pelicans were gathering, I'm guessing because it was good fishing. I took a bottom core and it is hard to see in this posting, but about 1-2" new sediment had come into our sampling site. I also post a picture of our sampling rig - our old Cheyenne and double-axel trailer . . . hey, they aren't pretty but they get the job done. We had parked the rig on dry pavement and upon returning in our boat (the students have name it the "Prairie Shark"), we saw thing had gotten pretty wet. The lake had risen in depth at about 7" in 2 hours! We thought things might have stabilized by Friday (9/26) but we measured river current of 0.40 m/sec at the south end and 0.26 m/sec in the middle of the lake. Although it is thought that, someday, Thompson will be opened to the IL River like Chautauqua, the connection will be under greater management. Still, our comparative study continues to yield interesting, and hopefully valuable, results. You can see the water level for the Illinois River at Havana, IL in the graph shown here or at this site.

Rain, rain, rain

2008-09-16T01:25:00.000-07:00

Sampling on September 12, 2008 can be summed up in a word - wet! The rain came down fairly steadily throughout the day. However, my sampling partner, Doyn Kellerhals (UIS graduate candidate) and I were dressed for it. Probably like most field crews, rain itself does not pose a big problem and a warm rain is not that bad to work in - - - - of course that's all about to change in a few weeks. We don't sample in lightening. High winds can pose a problem on these shallow lake systems as the waves kick up fast and produce unstable conditions for both moving and holding position to sample. All in all, it turned out to be a good day sampling on Friday with the serious Ike rains hitting the area Saturday and Sunday.

Echos of Gustav

2008-09-11T04:41:00.000-07:00

I checked the weather radar at 4:30 a.m. Rain was on its way, but it looked like we had a window for the day's sampling of Thompson and Chautauqua Lakes. For most of the summer, I was able to meet one of the students doing field work at the Emiquon Field Station (EFS). We are still using UIS as our home base for equipment and water sample processing until more resources show up at EFS. On this day, I met Doyn Kellerhals at UIS, loaded equipment, ice for samples and gas for the boats and we took off. Doyn is a biology M.S. student that has worked for several years in my lab. While I try to find a new field person, Doyn volunteered to step in.

We hit a heavy rain about 1 hour into our drive - around Kilbourne, IL. However, when we hit Havana, IL, we found not rain had fallen. This would change. We swiftly loaded the boat and got on Thompson Lake. The wind was picking up and the main storm front was moving to our south directed by a north wind. I did not see any new bird arrivals but did note the swallows were not out in numbers, preferring calmer days for feeding. As I sampled, it was apparent that this was the first day the air was cooler than the water. As we watched the skies for lightning, we saw many changes in the clouds - changing from almost "open" areas to heavy blue-black, and occasionally waves. The wind would bring heavy rain, drenching us, then would change and circle as we completed our work on Thompson and finished on Chautauqua as the eddy's of Hurricane Gustav rolled over the Illinois River floodplain.

Sampling on Thompson Lake

2008-09-11T04:34:00.000-07:00

The sun was already up but the day was calm as I stood outside the boatshed, waiting for the field vehicle to back so I could hook the boat for sampling. On the water, the 15 horse Johnson outboard purred along on glass-smooth water. Turning north towards our first sampling point, the boat tremored slightly as light breeze rippled the water. It was another beautiful late summer day on Thompson Lake. The "algae" bloom of last week had subsided slightly, yet I puzzled over the cause of the tea-colored water - it had been nearly crystal clear only months ago. At mid-lake, the "algae bloom" (actually cyanobacteria) was still evident. Over the water soared hundreds of swallows, swooping effortlessly to harvest the ariel plankton. All summer I had enjoyed the skill and company of my graduate student, Jackie Negro. This was to be her last time, at least as an employee, for us to work together. Jackie had become proficient at field sampling. There are many rhythms that must be adjusted to, like hooking the boat, loading equipment, filling out data sheets, reading instruments precisely - Jackie did this masterfully, growing in skill throughout the field season. It was a wonderful day for our last tour.

Busy Summer, for the Algae Too

2008-09-11T04:30:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy summer at Emiquon. We kicked off the season with the opening of our new Emiquon Field Station. We currently have several researchers that use the facility weekly, but have also hosted a summer field biology class, a workshop on wetland plants, a star party, and several other groups.
We are looking forward to a busy but interesting fall. I hope you will be able to visit us. I've decided for this "blog" session that I would log in our weekly sampling trips. Every week, my students and I sample Thompson Lake at Emiquon and USFWS's Chautauqua, across the Illinois River from Emiquon. This is a comparative study that measures water quality and microorganisms. We sample weekly because of the dynamic changes that occur in floodplain systems (in general) and restoration systems in particular.
Probably nothing else captures the sense of place and the rythym of the seasons on the river than being physically on site. This week, I sampled with Jacke Negro - a graduating UIS M.S. student. We have busy weeks and really busy weeks and this was the latter. While I gathered top and bottom water, algae, and sediment samples, Jackie records water quality information, such as temperature, pH and water clarity. This week, the air was still and the lakes were calm, giving the appearnace of huge mirror. We noted the increased numbers of commorants and egrets. There is also the 2nd of two "algae" blooms going on.
I welcome visitors on these sampling trips, espeically if you are interested in science and or conservation. We don't do much fooling around but you would get to see how some parts of resarch are being done at the sites as well as getting exposed to some great country.

Welcome to the Emiquon Field Station Blog

2008-06-02T08:12:00.001-07:00

Watch this blog spot for ongoing, informal communications from Dr. Michael Lemke, the director of UIS's Emiquon Field Station.