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CONSERVING THROUGH RESEARCH AND EDUCATION

Hello all -

As I write this we are experiencing a thaw. Perhaps a thaw of several kinds, but the one I write of relates to winter and the gradual melting of that wonderful snow we had the other day. Spring is coming, but winter will not go without a fight. I hear those Northern Cardinals, and already the House Sparrows are eying the gaps in my gutters for nests.

And this is also when the ephemeral wetlands around here fill with meltwater. They will then continue to host a variety of plants and animals that live nowhere else. We recently celebrated those wetlands, and we appreciate all of those who helped with that or joined in the conversation. We had to delay Deanne Zepp's Macroinvertebrate talk, and I note that we are presenting that this week Tuesday. More info below.

Unfortunately, most seasonal wetlands in Indiana are on the verge of losing their protection. Senate Bill 389, which removes all state protections for wetlands, has passed the Senate and is in the House. The next month will be a critical one in determining protection of and mitigation for those habitats. Those of you who know me are aware of my deep fondness for wetlands, especially our "isolated", seasonal (ephemeral) wetlands, and the splendid plants and animals that live only there. I wrote a piece for the Journal Gazette about them that was published February 14th, coupled with others on the same topic. I took the tack to write instead about their instrumental value in terms of environmental services, figuring that others would focus on their uniqueness and beauty. I was correct about that. At the end of the newsletter, I include a draft of that article for your convenience.

We continue to have great success with our student interns this winter. From wetlands programming to social media and web design, and even to circuit design, they are helping us progress on research and engagement!

Happy February!
Bruce Kingsbury 
ERC Director

World Wetlands Day and Beyond

What's already happened and what's next!

Thank you to all who attended our (mostly virtual) World Wetlands Day celebration this year! As always, we love sharing the power and importance of our wetlands and all the critters that call them home. In case you couldn't attend the February 2nd festivities please consider our virtual talk on Feb 23rd at 6pmDeanne Zepp of the Environmental Resources Center will present:

Macroinvertebrates: Big Players in a Little Wet World
 
Aquatic macroinvertebrates may be small, but they play a huge role in maintaining a healthy wetland, from cycling nutrients to acting as a food source. Their presence (or absence) gives us clues to the ecological state of aquatic systems. Learn about a dragonfly nymph’s lightning fast hunting style, how midge larvae  survive in low oxygen water, and other facts about the fascinating lives of these wee creatures

Join the Zoom Meeting: https://purdue-edu.zoom.us/j/91754272898 

Interns Expand the ERC Team

Student interns working on a variety of projects gain valuable real-world experience while helping us expand capacity

Our team has more than doubled in size over this past year because of our effort to expand student opportunities at the Environmental Resources Center. Working with students across departments helps us to gain new perspectives and get more done, while providing students an opportunity to gain real world experience. We'd like to highlight our interns and celebrate the work they put in at the Environmental Resources Center.

In October, Purdue Fort Wayne seniors Jenna Lehman and Deanne Jenson joined the team as student interns. Jenna is working towards a degree in Marketing and came to us with skills in videography, social media, and marketing approaches. She has been helping us to develop virtual programming and a marketing plan which will be an element of our overall, strategic plan. Deanne is a Biology student with a background in macroinvertebrate research and engagement with local conservation organizations. As the Waterfield Sustainability Intern, she has been developing water related planning and programming, while also strengthening connections with Fort Wayne water conservation organizations. Make sure to catch Deanne's talk this Tuesday, Feb. 23 at 6pm!

Since the start of 2021, two more students, Naim Miah and Chase Lose, have also started working with us. Naim, a graduate student in Engineering, is working with Biology graduate student Bria Spalding to design and construct GPS data loggers. These units will be attached to female turtles in an effort to explore nesting movements and improve conservation approaches. Chase Lose, a graduating senior in Computer Science, has been working to develop the ERC website, including a platform to share the virtual programming Jenna has been assisting with. 

The "circuit board" like combination of strengths that these students contribute add such a variety of valuable skills, knowledge, and unique perspectives to the ERC team and we are glad to have the opportunity to work with them. With only one full time staff member here, we benefit greatly from the involvement of student interns and volunteers – and always welcome anyone who is interested!

How Many Turtles are There? 

Graduate student Dan Earl shares an update on his Blanding's turtle research

Across most of their range Blanding’s turtles have been on a documented decline; with habitat loss, fragmentation, and road mortality being the major factors impacting populations.

Starting in summer of 2019, graduate student Dan Earl has been working in Dr. Kingsbury’s lab to analyze Blanding’s turtle abundance and habitat selection across Michigan and Ohio. This research is part of a larger project across Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio with partners including: the Kingsbury and Jordan labs at Purdue Fort Wayne, the Michigan Natural Features Inventory, The Ohio State University, and The Toledo Zoo.

The goal of this project is to monitor known Blanding’s turtle populations across this region of the species range and attempt to document new populations by surveying new or historic sites for the species. Sites surveyed cover a wide range of habitat types, land use, and human activity use. Dan will examine which variables may effect site populations of the species. To monitor for the species; visual surveys for basking turtles are conducted in the early spring and trapping for the species occurs from early spring through late fall.


Dan will use the data from the visual and trapping surveys conducted across Michigan and Ohio to create occupancy models that can determine habitat and anthropogenic factors that impact Blanding’s turtles’ populations across the state. Data from this research may be used to inform future management decisions at high priority sites in Michigan and will also be used to add new populations to existing species databases.

In Defense of Wetlands: Why They Matter and Who Pays When They Are Gone

Here is a version of Bruce Kingsbury's article that appeared in the Journal Gazette February 14, 2021

Senate Bill 389 would remove all state protections of wetlands in Indiana and in doing so would be seriously environmentally damaging without general economic benefit. Instead, it passes the costs of environmental responsibility from developers to you. While I find wetlands beautiful and marvel at the array of wildlife they support, I will temporarily set aside those aesthetics and focus here on their instrumental value, that is, what they do for us.  

One of the reasons we have flooding downtown is because we have lost water storage capacity upstream. Wetlands “detain” flood waters and help keep streams and rivers from being too “flashy” with surges of storm water. That water has to go somewhere. If it is not stored upstream, it will be “stored” along the rivers, including downtown. Wetlands also act as filters for a variety of pollutants. Related to flooding, they help capture sediments and keep them from entering streams, to be redeposited on river bottoms. Those deposits, themselves increasingly caused by flooding, raise water levels as well downstream, and increase flooding further.  

Other pollutants from residential and agricultural activities are also captured and processed in wetlands. There is ample research showing that wetlands have “ecosystem functions” that hold and modify pollutants to make them less noxious. Recall the recent environmental disaster in Toledo of the cyanobacteria bloom, caused by phosphate pollution from up this way, that led to massive fish kills and the shutdown of the city’s public water system. Given these examples, we can see that savings to some by not protecting wetlands leads us to collectively pay for processing this excess water and variety of pollutants that in part resulted from wetland loss. We “socialize” the responsibility for the actions of some making a short term profit by polluting the commons. The problem does not simply wash downstream – we pay for it here. Or our kids and their kids will. 

Arguments are made that wetlands are already protected federally. That is largely not the case. Much of the responsibility for protecting wetlands is at the state level. In Indiana, most wetlands, and in particular “isolated” wetlands - those that lack an obvious connection to streams - are not covered by federal law. Federal protections focus on “navigable waters” and immediately adjacent wetlands. However, all natural bodies of water are connected over time via surface flow and percolation, including the aquifers beneath us.   

In the end, even if you do not care too much about migratory waterfowl, lady slipper orchids, pitcher plants, dragonflies and basking turtles, it is clear that wetlands have utility to humanity for their environmental services. SB 389 has passed a senate vote and is over in the House for a vote before going to Governor Holcomb. Consequently, if you wish to express your opinion about it -either way - to your state representatives, now is the time to make your voice heard. 

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Bruce Kingsbury
Environmental Resources Center
Purdue University Fort Wayne (PFW)
2101 East Coliseum Blvd.
Fort Wayne, IN 46805-1499

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