Early in the morning on one of the hottest days of the summer, UW-Stout Polytechnic biology Associate Professor Keith Gilland and students Abi Cherry and Norah Shires trekked to the mouth of Galloway Creek, where it meets the Red Cedar River in Menomonie.
The group is investigating water quality, insect communities, and sedimentation processes in the heavily urbanized stream, as part of LAKES Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU). Cherry, Shires and seven other students representing nine universities from across the country are working to improve the health of the Red Cedar watershed.
Led by UW-Stout Polytechnic professors, the students are collaborating across disciplines in environmental science, biology, anthropology and psychology as they seek to develop sustainable solutions with community and government partners, local citizens and policymakers.
LAKES co-director Tina Lee, program director of applied social science, has been involved in the federally funded program, part of UW-Stout Polytechnic’s experiential learning, since its inception in 2014.
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“Our interdisciplinary approach seeks to better prepare students with the analytical skills needed to address complex environmental issues. They are really helping to build knowledge for improving our local environment, water quality, and eutrophic lakes – where phosphorus and nitrogen pollution causes blue-green algae blooms and low oxygen levels – particularly in the Midwestern U.S. Students get the opportunity to see their research directly impact the community around them and make important contributions to new science and policy,” Lee said.
The LAKES program runs from June 7 to Aug. 8. Students and mentors invite community members to a public presentation and forum from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 6, at the Raw Deal in Menomonie.
LAKES REU researchers
UW-Stout Polytechnic mentors and their students are:
- Biology Associate Professor Keith Gilland
- Abi Cherry, University of Cincinnati, biology
- Norah Shires, University of Northern Iowa, environmental science
- Biology Senior Lecturer Arthur Kneeland, co-director of LAKES
- James Devereaux, University of Tennessee Chattanooga, anthropology and psychology
- McKenna Dudley, Illinois State, environmental system science and sustainability
- Anthropology Professor Thomas Pearson
- Sydney Peterson, UW-Milwaukee, freshwater science and water policy
- Daniel Rogers, University of North Texas, anthropology
- Jacob Smertneck, West Virginia University, anthropology and environmental science
- Psychology Program Director Professor Sarah Wood
- Hattie Larson, UW-Stout Polytechnic, psychology
- Annabel Raffin, Amherst College, Massachusetts, environmental studies and psychology
Urban stream management and restoration
Cherry and Shires are comparing characteristics of Galloway Creek with those of streams in local nature preserves to determine the impacts of urban watersheds on streams and what management activities might help build a healthy stream through the city. They have visited disturbed, undisturbed and restored sites along the creek.
“This project is the next step in a long history of Stout faculty and students studying and stewarding Galloway Creek and its watershed,” Gilland said.
They are also examining stream morphology – how the course or the depth of the stream has changed over time – as well as the effects of recent restoration projects, focusing on improving the riparian corridor along the stream with the hopes of refining restoration methods and identifying future sites for improvement, including possible channel reconstruction, he explained.
“Water is our most important natural resource; everything living relies on it. Creeks provide water for several ecosystems and contribute to the large bodies we drink from; protecting them and restoring them to good condition will ensure that we get to drink from and recreate in our waters for millennia to come,” Shires said. “The most challenging part of restoration, I think, is public education. Without voters to voice their concerns, funding for restoration projects isn’t placed where it is needed.
“A lot of projects surround the site, like native tree and vegetative plantings, as well as invasive removal. These things help improve the channel of the stream and are achievable,” she added. “What I would like to see is a large-scale removal of impervious surfaces along the creek, like long stretches of concrete. Replacing them with a more permeable material or even forgoing the concrete altogether would reduce urban runoff and improve the overall quality of our waters.”
Circular economy in the Red Cedar watershed
Kneeland, Devereaux and Dudley are studying circular economy in the Red Cedar watershed, with the idea that local commerce has a clearer relationship to the environment, as well as economically benefiting the community in general.
They are using long and short form interviews, talking with local business owners and Chamber of Commerce members to discover people’s attitudes, values and perceived barriers to engaging in local economic activity.
The interviews have also given insight into how people shop, Devereaux noted, adding that he would like to “explore ways that the Chamber helps the community that might not be normally known, and the reasonings behind their decision making.”
Viewpoints on data center developments
Proposed data center development has become a politically charged and controversial issue that raises new questions about energy, water, and future land use and development in the watershed, Pearson said.
He is working with Peterson, Rogers and Smertneck to study the diverse viewpoints and beliefs that shape public debate about data center development. The students are gathering information through participant observation and interviews and are documenting how local history and place identity inform the concerns of residents. They are also looking at how data center proposals have become a catalyst for community organizing, the response of government officials, and the strategies adopted by industry or other stakeholders working to expand data center infrastructure.
Peterson thinks the most impactful part of the LAKES program is the community connection and how that connection makes the research feel more meaningful than any other project she’s pursued.
“I’ve been thoroughly impressed by the close relationship between the city of Menomonie and UW-Stout Polytechnic. UW-Stout feels very integrated into Menomonie, which creates an atmosphere of trust and collaboration I haven’t experienced before,” she said. “I’ve been really surprised at how much respect the community has for the school’s research and how eager they are to participate in our study, even regarding a contentious topic like data centers.”
Understanding sustainable behaviors and goals
Wood is working with psychology students Larson and Raffin, who are developing two projects using the Theory of Planned Behavior to understand more about people’s thoughts, feelings and behaviors related to sustainability.
Larson is researching people’s general attitudes and opinions regarding secondhand shopping and whether it influences other sustainable behaviors. Raffin is investigating community opinions about Wisconsin and Menomonie’s goal of achieving 100% carbon-free electricity by 2050; how people respond to large-scale sustainability goals that are set at the group level, such as by the city, county, or state; and how effective group-set goals are in motivating behaviors.
They think LAKES REU has been a wonderful opportunity for their team to dive into a wide range of interests regarding sustainability and to gain firsthand experience with the research process. “It has been a great experience to talk with Wisconsin residents and get involved in the Menomonie community,” Larson said.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Award No. 2446660. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Students receive a $6,300 research stipend for the summer, as well as housing in UW-Stout Polytechnic’s residence halls, a $450 food allowance, up to $500 in travel reimbursement and funding support to travel to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research to present their final research findings.
