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December 5, 2018 Bats
Brian Heeringa, Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Forest Service

Brian Heeringa is the Wildlife Biologist for the Washburn Ranger District of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. He received his degree from the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point and has worked with the USDA Forest Service since 2003. In addition to coordinating the bat monitoring program on the National Forest, Brian works with a team of biologists to coordinate bat acoustic survey efforts across the Eastern Region of the Forest Service. A recent sharp-tailed grouse translocation project and the on-going restoration of a globally imperiled pine barrens ecosystem are also areas of focus and interest. Brian is a member of The Wildlife Society and serves as a board member of the Midwest Bat Working Group.
Come and learn about the important and unique role that bats play in our world! As the primary predator of nighttime flying insects Wisconsin’s bats are vitally important to not only the health of the environment, but people as well! The Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest and surrounding lands provide critical habitat for Wisconsin bats and are essential for helping them survive the continuing threat of the disease White-Nose Syndrome. Join Brian as he speaks about the bats that call Wisconsin home, what is being done by the Forest Service and partner agencies to protect these important animals, and ways that you can get involved in your very own backyard.
November 7, 2018 Politics of Resentment: Rural Consciousness in Wisconsin
Kathy Cramer, Political Science, UW Madison
Katherine J. Cramer Ph.D. is a Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Natalie C. Holton Chair of Letters & Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Professor Cramer’s work focuses on the way people in the United States make sense of politics and their place in it. She is known for her innovative approach to the study of public opinion, in which she uses methods like inviting herself into the conversations of groups of people to listen to the way they understand public affairs.
Her award-winning book, The Politics of Resentment: Rural Consciousness in Wisconsin and the Rise of Scott Walker, brought to light rural resentment toward cities and its implications for contemporary politics, and was a go-to source for understanding votes in the 2016 presidential election .
Join us for a thought provoking conversation about the current political climate.
October 3, 2018  Aquatic Invasive Species
Jake Vander Zanden, Center for Limnolgy, UW Madison
Jake Vander Zanden is the Wayland Noland Distinguished Chair, Director of the Center for Limnology, and Professor of Integrative Biology at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. He is a fourth generation Wisconsinite from the Fox River Valley. He received his Bachelor's degree in Geography (1994) and PhD in Biology (1999) from McGill University in Montreal. 
Jake studies the factors that degrade freshwater ecosystems, most recently focusing on the role of aquatic invasive species. He has authored >125 scientific studies on a wide range of topics including lake food webs, limnology, water quality, invasive species, climate change impacts, and managing sustainable fisheries.  While the primary emphasis is the study of Wisconsin’s lakes, he has also conducted research in Mongolia, Denmark, Iceland, Canada, New Zealand, and Mexico.  He maintains an active outreach program, and teaches courses at UW-Madison, including 'Ecology of Fishes’, as well as the world’s largest ‘Limnology’ course.
Invasive plants and animals are a major environmental issue for Wisconsin's lakes and rivers. Research conducted over the past decade has produced some surprising findings that may have implications for invasive species management in a changing world.
Field Trip
​September 15, 2018  Explore the Wetlands of Kemp Natural Research Station
​Join Ron Eckstein and Tom Jerow on a field trip to learn about the wonders of our Northwoods Wetlands
Wisconsin’s Wetlands are nurseries for fish and wildlife, purifiers for lakes, rivers and groundwater, and storage for floodwaters. They’re also playgrounds for birders, hikers, hunters and paddlers, and a storehouse for carbon, one of the greenhouse gases fueling climate change. Please help protect and restore Wisconsin’s wetland wonders. 
​Ron Eckstein grew up in Wisconsin and received a bachelor's degree and master's degree in Wildlife Ecology from UW-Madison. Ron retired from WDNR after 36 years as Wildlife Biologist at Rhinelander.  He has worked on forest habitat issues including biodiversity, early successional forests, and old growth forests and specialized in eagle and osprey recovery as well as wild rice conservation.  

​Tom retired from the Wisconsin DNR in 2013 after 34 years mostly in the water programs. He was the Northern Regional Water Leader when he retired.  Tom has a degree in Soil Science from the University of Wisconsin in Stevens Point and has done post graduate course work in hydrogeology. For much of his career he managed the Waterway and Wetland program for the Northern Region of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in Rhinelander, Wisconsin.
The program will start with a discussion covering the basic functions and values of wetlands in the natural environment. We will also cover the regulatory frame work for protecting wetlands and some recent changes to wetland protection laws.
From there we’ll head out into Kemp station to explore and observe several examples of high quality wetlands. A pair of knee boots or old sneakers that can get wet are recommended. There will be some uneven terrain and we’ll be traveling through the woods without a trail.
June 6, 2018 A Career in Public Radio
Larry Meiller
Larry Meiller is a Professor emeritus at UW - Madison in the Department of Life Sciences Communication (LSC) and host of “The Larry Meiller Show,” a 90 minute, call-in talk show heard each week day from 11-12:30 on Wisconsin Public Radio. Larry began one of the most remarkable careers in the history of broadcasting in 1967, when he took a summer job at WHA Radio in Madison…and never left.
Meiller earned his Ph.D. in Mass Communications from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and served for 40 years as a much-admired professor in the UW College of Agricultural Life Sciences; in 2007 he became an emeritus professor. As a broadcaster and a teacher, Meiller mentored, inspired and served as an invaluable resource for thousands of college students in Wisconsin. He also developed student training programs in countries throughout the world that continue to set a standard of excellence in community-based radio broadcasting.
Meiller pioneered Wisconsin Public Radio’s call-in format in 1978, when he began hosting “The Larry Meiller Show,” which is now the longest-running call-in show in Wisconsin. He was instrumental in founding WPR’s Ideas Network in 1988.
He and his radio guests talk about a wide variety of topics which explore and celebrate life in Wisconsin. Topics touch all aspects of our shared experience including the environment, health, consumer issues, finance, gardening and many others. The program airs on 18 stations across the state.Larry also teaches broadcast classes and advises up to 100 undergraduates. He received the Outstanding Advisor Award and the Excellence in Teaching Award from the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. He has served as advisor and committee member to approximately 200 masters and doctoral students. He was the longest-serving faculty member of the UW’s student radio station, WSUM, and played a key role in launching the station on air and in developing its organizational structure.
 Larry has received several awards for his radio work, including the UW Distinguished Service Award, the Joyce Kilmer Award from the UW Foundation, the Leadership in Nutrition Awareness Award from the Wisconsin Dietetics Association, and the Friends of Conservation Media Award. He was inducted into the Wisconsin Broadcasters Hall of Fame in June, 2017.
May 2, 2018 Wisconsin’s Large Carnivore Community  
Scott Walter,  Large Carnivore Specialist- Bureau of Wildlife Management WI DNR   ​
Scott Walter Ph.D., is the Wisconsin DNR's new large carnivore specialist. Scott will oversee the development and coordination of wolf, bear and cougar management within Wisconsin.
He is coming to this position from the Ruffed Grouse Society, where he served as the Director of Conservation Programs. In his former position, he worked with staff members, DNR personnel and the public to develop and apply a variety of programs and projects.
Prior to working with the Ruffed Grouse Society, Scott held the upland Wildlife Ecologist and Farm Bill coordinator positions at DNR from 2011-2015. Walter has a bachelor's degree in biology from Beloit College and a master's degree and doctorate in wildlife ecology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
"As a Wisconsin native, I've always appreciated the diversity of our wildlife community and been particularly fascinated by the many biological and social issues surrounding large carnivores," said Walter. "Certainly, there is a lot of public interest in wolves and bears in the state, and I very much look forward to engaging with our committed partners and the public as we explore opportunities
and address challenges related to the management of these important species."
Join us for a conversation about the future and management of our large carnivores.
April 4, 2018  Salting our Lakes
​Hilary Dugan, UW Madison Center for Limnology
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​Hilary Dugan, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in Integrative Biology. Dugan is a limnologist, studying how terrestrial and atmospheric changes, such as warming air temperatures or land use patterns, alter biogeochemical fluxes and aquatic processes in lakes . Fascinated by earth sciences and how ecosystems work, she fell in love with fieldwork and studying global change while a research assistant in the Canadian Arctic .
Lakes are integral to Wisconsin, used for recreation, fishing, and drinking water. At the Center for Limnology , UW-Madison, Hilary is working to understand the flow paths of water and carbon in lake-catchment systems. Through her research, she hopes to bring more awareness to water quality issues across Wisconsin.
In the 1940s, Americans found a new way to love salt. Not simply for sprinkling on food — we had acquired a taste for the mineral long before that — but for spreading on roads and sidewalks. Salt became a go-to method to de-ice frozen pavement.
During the past half-century, annual U.S. sales of road salt grew from 160,000 tons to about 20 million tons, as pointed out in a study in the Proceedings of the Natural Academy of the Sciences. NaCl kept roads free from slippery ice, but it also changed the nature of North America's freshwater lakes. Of 371 lakes reviewed in the new study, 44 percent showed signs of long-term salinization.
March 7, 2018  The Art of Communicating Science
Terry Daulton and John Bates
Science often goes right over the heads of people, or is rejected due to beliefs and values that seem to conflict with the science. Are there ways to help our left and right brains intersect so science is better understood and accepted? What role can the arts and humanities play in helping the communication of science? Join the discussion with Terry Daulton, a biologist and visual artist, and John Bates, a naturalist and writer.​
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John Bates is the author of nine books and a contributor to seven others, all of which focus on the natural history of the Northwoods. He’s worked as a naturalist in Wisconsin’s Northwoods for 29 years, leading an array of trips and giving talks, all designed to help people further understand the remarkable diversity and beauty of nature, and our place within it. 

Terry Daulton’s pastel paintings reflect her deep ties to the landscape and her background as a biologist and environmental educator.  Daulton states, “For me painting is both personal and a teaching tool.  I hope that I can help others to develop a closer relationship to the natural world and to discover their own creative energies.” 
In recent years, Terry has brought her work as a field biologist together with her art interests.  In 2006­, she created and curated an art/science education exhibit called “Paradise Lost? Climate Change in the Northwoods” which involved 20 artists and 6 scientists.  Building on that project she began a longer term collaboration with the University of Wisconsin – Center for Limnology and the North Temperate Lakes Long Term Ecological Research Project.  In this collaboration, she is working with scientists to bring the arts and sciences together in a public education campaign.  Their first project was “Drawing Water: Artists and Scientists Explore Northern Lakes”  (www.limnology.wisc.edu/ltearts/exhibition).
February 7, 2018  Wildlife Science in Wisconsin
A Sand County Almanac’s Long Shadow
Tim Van Deelen, UW Madison Wildlife Ecology
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Tim Van Deelen Ph.D. is a professor of wildlife ecology having worked as a researcher in several conservation agencies in the Great Lakes region. His teaching and research focuses on the management of large mammals. These include population estimation and dynamics, hunting, interaction of deer life history and chronic wasting disease—and, not least, the growth of Wisconsin’s wolf population and its effects on white-tailed deer in the Great Lakes region.
Tim currently is investigating the factors that determine the distribution and abundance of the terrestrial carnivore guild in an island archipelago. The Apostle Islands are a chain of 22 islands of varying size in Lake Superior, and may be a model system for studying the effects of island biogeography on the carnivore community. Tim's group is in their third year of placing camera traps in a rigorous design on the islands. Their current studies are focusing on carnivore richness, occupancy, extinction and recolonization rates, and how these will be affected by climate change.
The Land Ethic Reclaimed
In 2015 the UW offered an online course titled “The Land Ethic Reclaimed: Perceptive Hunting, Aldo Leopold and Conservation.” The focus of the material was to help participants learn about the historical legacy of wildlife management and recreational hunting as part of conservation, the role of wildlife in ecosystems, and the legacy of Leopold, the 20th-century conservationist, father of wildlife management and former UW–Madison faculty member. Below are links to 4 of the 21 videos offered in the course which will introduce Aldo Leopold’s belief of a "land ethic", a responsible relationship existing between people and the land they inhabit. 

​We ask you to take a few minutes to view these videos as an introduction to our February Science on Tap. 
 Aldo Leopold: Birth of the Land Ethic
Managing Herbivory  
Thinking About Ethics
A Challenge
January 3, 2018  Private Forest Lands
Paul Delong, American Forest Foundation
Paul DeLong is Senior Vice President for Conservation at the American Forest Foundation (AFF) and American Tree Farm System (ATFS) where he leads a team which develops and implements projects to engage family woodland owners in stewardship. These projects address some of today’s most pressing issues with the goal of ensuring Americans have clean water, wildlife habitat, and sustainable wood supplies from family-owned forests. Prior to joining AFF, Paul had been appointed Wisconsin State Forester for 13 years at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. In that role he had partnered with AFF in their first, place-based landscape pilot in the Wisconsin Driftless Area where they launched and tested new strategies to reach and engage family woodland owners.
AFF has an incredible 75-year history of landowner engagement, housing the nation’s oldest and largest sustainable woodland system in the world, the American Tree Farm System (ATFS). AFF is now at the forefront of landowner engagement, building on the success of ATFS through an increasing number of innovative programs. AFF has developed a suite of strategies and new tools to engage hundreds of thousands of family woodland owners in tackling these issues. AFF is also now working with a range of partners to implement projects in sixteen landscapes, using modern day outreach, marketing, and engagement techniques to help landowners manage their forests and deliver the benefits Americans use every day.
​​https://www.forestfoundation.org/aff-hires-paul-delong