Introduced to Malheur Lake as early as the 1920s, likely as a food source for people living in the arid region, the invasive carp have now taken over the lake. Historically, Malheur Lake was utilized by up to 35% of the Pacific Flyway’s canvasback population, was the second most important redhead production site in the
In 2013 U.S. officials applied about 17 million tons of salt to roads. Salt lowers the freezing temperature of water and thus melts street-clogging snow and ice. But its public safety benefits do come with some ecological drawbacks. Salt not only damages metal and concrete, it contaminates drinking water, kills vegetation, and accumulates in streams,
Wild rice is an annual aquatic grass that produces seed that is a delicious and nutritious source of food for wildlife and people. Harvested in the early autumn, wild rice was an immensely important commodity to Native Americans, particularly the Ojibwe and Menominee, who lived in the areas where it grew abundantly. The Menominee even
Yosemite Valley is a glacial valley in the Sierra Nevada, part of the Yosemite National Park, drawing close to 3.7 million visitors annually. The Hetch Hetchy Valley is virtually an identical twin to Yosemite Valley, but you will never see its stunning rock formations and dramatic waterfalls. With steep valley walls, a narrow outlet and
Each fall, elementary school students gather along the Milwaukee River to release fingerling lake sturgeon—an act that symbolizes just how far the river has come. Once written off as polluted and lifeless, the Milwaukee River now supports more than 30 native fish species and has become a model of urban river recovery. Decades of environmental
Attending the Wisconsin Lakes Partnership convention is an annual event that Aquarius Systems looks forward to every year. We enjoy seeing old friends, meeting new friends; customers, DNR agents and academics. This year’s event featured a speaker that has literally made headlines, although not always in a good way. Dr. Tyrone Hayes of the University
Global warming is a topic of contention for many people. This winter has skeptics high on their soap boxes spouting phrases such as “I thought this was global warming, why is the temperature outside negative 45°?” And when researchers studying global warming get stuck in Antarctic ice, skeptics are given a little more fuel for
Watching our boats at work never gets old—but seeing The Titan framed by the massive skyline of Brooklyn is something special. The scale says it all: a powerful, purpose-built vessel operating confidently in one of the most demanding urban waterfronts in the world. It’s a reminder that even in a city defined by its size
Refrigerators, foam buoys and even ketchup bottles are piling up on Alaska’s beaches. Almost two years after the devastating Japanese tsunami, its debris and rubbish are fouling the coastlines of many states — especially in Alaska. At the state’s Montague Island beach, the nearly 80 miles of rugged wilderness looks pristine from a helicopter a