2012 Outreach Schedule
1. All sessions require advance registration.
2. Sessions are free of charge, unless indicated otherwise.
3. To register, contact Karla at (715) 358-5667 or kemp@cals.wisc.edu. If emailing, please include the session name, name/s and number of people in your group, and phone number. You will receive a reply confirming your registration.
Sessions may be held in the Boathouse Classroom, in the Fralish Library & Lounge at the Mead Residence Hall, or in the Outdoor Pavilion.
May 17 (Thursday) 6:00 pm
(Inclement weather date: May 20)
Flight of the Timberdoodle
Session Leader: Amber Roth, Michigan Tech University
Learn about one of our most unusual birds - the American Woodcock. Following the indoor presentation the group will make a trip off Station to observe displaying
woodcock. Other birds active around sunset will likely be observed including thrushes, whip-poor-wills, nighthawks, and maybe owls. Site visit details: Personal vehicles will be driven caravan style to the field site. Please anticipate approximately 15 minutes for travel. Detailed maps and driving directions to the site will be provided before Station departure. Be sure to dress for the weather, remembering that temperatures drop after sunset. Wear outdoor shoes/boots to protect against muddy conditions. Please bring a flashlight, as it will be dark when we finish. You may leave for home directly from the site after the program.
June 9 (Saturday) 1:00 pm
Lichens!
Session Leader: Matthew Nelsen, University of Chicago and Field Museum
Join us for an introduction to the world of lichens, symbiotic associations between fungi and algae. Learn more about those bright splashes of color on rocks and trees, the “reindeer moss” along the side of the road, and the “old man’s beard” hanging from trees. We’ll begin indoors by looking at the biology and diversity of the lichen symbiosis, the roles lichens play in ecosystem functioning and how lichens are used to monitor air
quality and forest health. Following this, we will move outdoors and will examine the lichen biota of the surrounding area. You will gain an appreciation for the abundance and diversity of these often overlooked associations! A hand lens is recommended.
June 19 (Tuesday) 7:30 pm
Bats & Roost Monitoring
Session Leader: Heather Kaarakka, Wisconsin DNR
Learn about bats and help count the bats that use the Kemp Boathouse as their roost. The evening will begin with an indoor presentation about bats — their biology and ecology. Wisconsin DNR Conservation Biologist, Heather Kaarakka, will then give an update about White Nose Syndrome and provide an overview of the roost monitoring project. Finally, after a brief training, participants will be invited to help count bats as they emerge from the Boathouse at dusk. This will require taking boats a short distance off shore, although counting may also be done from shore. Please dress appropriately for being outdoors in the evening.
June 23 (Saturday) 9:00 am
MIAD Field Experience Presentations
Session Leaders: Maurizio Murru & Paul Engevold, MIAD
Students from the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design will spend a week at Kemp Station conducting short term research projects. Each student will investigate a specific ecological concept in both aquatic and forest systems. A unique learning opportunity, the students are forced to think critically, outside their art/design comfort zone. Join us for the capstone of this intense field experience, where each student will present their research findings and conclusions. A question and answer session will follow each student presentation. Public participants are invited to join students for a complimentary lunch over the noon hour and presentations will resume following lunch. Registration limit: 20
June 25 (Monday) 7:00 pm
Migration and Foraging Patterns of Common Loons
Session Leader: Kevin Kenow, USGS
Common loons breeding in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan were equipped with satellite transmitters during summers 2010 and 2011 to provide information on movements and wintering ground affiliations. Join Research Biologist Kevin Kenow for an overview of what has been learned from this study of loon movement. Topics include the timing and patterns of loon migration, the importance of the Great Lakes as a fall stopover area, the botulism risk posed to loons in the Great Lakes, wintering ground affiliations, and loon foraging patterns.
July 10 (Tuesday) 7:00 pm
Wolf-Human Conflict in Wisconsin
Session Leader: Erik Olson, UW-Madison
Join us for an exploration of the relationship between wolves and humans in Wisconsin. Erik Olson, an Environment & Resources PhD Candidate with the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, will discuss various aspects of wolf-human conflict and review the wolf’s historical, temporal and spatial patterns. Learn about the current research being done to predict risky areas for depredations, put risk into perspective and the human attitudes toward wolves.
July 15 (Sunday) 9:00 am
Vegetation of Wisconsin
Session Leader: Christine Anhalt, UW-Colleges
Join students from University of Wisconsin-Washington County for an introduction to Wisconsin’s vegetation. You will have the opportunity explore the forest at Kemp Natural Resources Station. We will begin with a brief lecture on Wisconsin’s plant communities. You will learn the use of plant ID tools and basic vegetation sampling techniques. Afterward, you will have the opportunity practice those techniques during a forest walk at Kemp. Registration limit: 10
July 24 (Tuesday) 4:30 pm
How To Capture & Share Nature’s Beauty
Session Leader: Kelsey Egelhoff, UW-Madison
Social media is all the rage and what better way to share some of your outdoor sightings than through video. Join UW-Madison Forestry student, Kelsey Egelhoff, for a short demo on how to create your own video or slide show. Participants are encouraged to bring their digital cameras along on a short nature hike to capture some footage or images. Then learn simple video editing techniques and how to share your video or slide show on-line. Registration limit: 20
July 31 (Thursday) 7:00 pm
Batty about Bats!
Session Leader: Chris Yahnke, UW-Stevens Point
Join students from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point for an introduction to Wisconsin’s bats. You will have the opportunity to look at museum specimens of the seven common species of bats found in the state and examine their skulls under a microscope. Then listen to their echolocation calls and learn how to interpret a sonogram. After the sun sets, we will take a walk and record bats using a bat detector. If time permits, these data will then be uploaded to a website as part of the WDNR’s Citizen Monitoring Program. Registration Limit: 10
August 6 (Monday) 7:00 pm
Our Bountiful Forests
Session Leader: Kelsey Egelhoff, UW-Madison
Have you ever wondered what happens to that load of logs you see on the highway? Our forests produce a large variety of products we use every day. UW-Madison Forestry student, Kelsey Egelhoff, will present on this fascinating topic, explaining the path trees take from our forests to become products in our homes. Several short videos produced by Kelsey as part of her summer internship project will be featured.
August 16 (Thursday) 2:30 pm
Hidden Treasures in our Waters
Session Leader: Lisie Kitchel, Wisconsin DNR
Learn about one of Wisconsin’s most diverse, yet hidden treasures--our 52 species of native mussels (clams), their fascinating life cycle (that requires a fish host), their amazing ways to attract fish, and their contributions to the history of Wisconsin, from food to buttons to pearls. You are guaranteed to come away with a greater appreciation of these unique animals and their beauty. Once you get an eye for finding mussels it’s very hard to quit! Please bring shoes for wading and clothes that can get wet. We will hunt for mussels, rain or shine, so please dress appropriately for the weather
August 18 (Saturday) 10:00 am
Talk-then-Walk: Fungi
Session Leader: Carrie Andrew, Northeastern Illinois University & The Field Museum, Chicago
Learn - or review - fungal ecology through a brief talk by Dr. Carrie Andrew, who will highlight the major fungal groups and their distinctions based on feeding habits and associations with other organisms in the natural world. Following this, join us on a stroll around Kemp Station in search of fruiting fungi. While we’ll stay on the beaten path, please dress appropriately for outdoor weather. A camera and a hand lens may help you see ‘the forest for the fungi.’ Post-walk, we’ll display our fungal collection and review identification characteristics.