Hosted by the U.S. Geological Survey, the questionnaire will collect public feedback about waterfowl harvest and regulations for the Wisconsin Open Water Zone that will be effective for the 2021 through 2025 waterfowl hunting seasons. Input from hunters will help natural resource managers develop regulations for the Open Water Zone. The new Open Water Zone …
Read moreHunter Survey Available for Green Bay and Lake Michigan
Note to Editors: In the public interest and in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration regulations, the USGS is announcing this low-level airborne project. Your assistance in informing the local communities is appreciated. Starting on or around January 4 and lasting two to three weeks, a helicopter towing a large hoop from a cable will begin …
Read moreLow-flying Helicopter Will Survey Northeast Wisconsin for Geologic Study
(Credit: USGS. Public domain.) “Leaky infrastructure and overflows from sanitary sewers can contaminate urban waterways, and the detection of human-associated bacteria and viruses indicates the presence of sewage, a potential health hazard,” said Peter Lenaker, a USGS scientist and the lead author of the study. “Results from our study can help Milwaukee-area water managers develop …
Read moreHuman Bacteria, Viruses from Sewage Found in Some Milwaukee Streams
Meet the Midcontinent Rift, one of the most geologically fascinating regions in the United States and Canada.(Public domain.) Now, you too can learn some of that history and see a small part of the mineral potential of the United States without leaving your comfortable chair! The USGS has just released a new interactive Story Map …
Read moreUnderstanding the Mineral Resources of the Midcontinent Rift
The Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system ranks ninth in the nation as a source of groundwater for public supply, providing 631 million gallons per day for this use. The aquifer underlies an area with a population of about 26 million people in parts of seven states and includes the metropolitan areas of Chicago, Illinois; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and …
Read moreGroundwater Quality in the Midwest: The Cambrian-Ordovician Aquifer System
U.S. Geological Survey scientists have shed new light on processes that happen deep underground. These processes — which cause radium to leach from aquifer rocks into groundwater — are responsible for high concentrations of naturally occurring radium in groundwater from the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer. This aquifer provides more than 630 million gallons of water a day …
Read moreScientists Home in on Causes of High Radium Levels in Key Midwestern Aquifer
This tadpole shows signs of severe Perkinsea infection, which causes organ failure. (Credit: William Barichivich, USGS) Frogs and salamanders are currently among the most threatened groups of animals on the planet. The two most common frog diseases, chytridiomycosis and ranavirus infection, are linked to frog population declines worldwide. The new study suggests that that SPI is the third …
Read moreEmerging Disease Further Jeopardizes North American Frogs
Attendees will have the opportunity to meet face-to-face with USGS Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center scientists and learn about research conducted at the La Crosse, Wisconsin, facility. Fish and wildlife-oriented activities will be available for children, and refreshments, including popcorn and lemonade, will be provided. The event is an opportunity to learn about science careers …
Read moreUSGS La Crosse Science Center Opens Doors for Interactive Experience
Managers have reduced Lake Michigan stocking levels of Chinook salmon at least three times over the past decades in response to declining prey fish and the natural reproduction of Chinook salmon. (Credit: Michael Humling, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Public domain.) Reduced stocking of Chinook salmon, however, would still support a substantial population of this highly desirable …
Read moreLake Michigan Could Best Support Lake Trout and Steelhead
This hibernating little brown bat shows signs of white-nose syndrome. (Credit: Alan Hicks, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Public domain.) USGS scientists tested samples collected from bats, the environment and equipment at eight bat hibernation sites in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia. They found that bats occupying such sites in summer can …
Read moreDeadly Fungus Affecting Hibernating Bats Could Spread During Summer
This southeastern bat from Alabama shows signs of infection from the Pseudogymnoascus destructans fungus that causes white-nose syndrome. The USGS National Wildlife Health Center later confirmed WNS in this animal. (Credit: Dottie Brown, Ecological Solutions, Inc.) The diseased bat was found in Shelby County, Alabama, at Lake Purdy Corkscrew Cave, by surveyors from the Alabama Department of …
Read moreAlabama Survey Finds First Southeastern Bat with White-Nose Syndrome
This information is critical in helping resource managers mitigate effects of an Asian carp invasion. Great Lakes fisheries generate economic activity of approximately $7 billion annually in the United States alone. Due to the introduction or invasion of many non-native species, Lake Michigan’s ecosystem has already undergone broad and rapid change in fish and other …
Read moreAsian Carp Would Have Adequate Food to Survive in Lake Michigan
This deer shows visible signs of chronic wasting disease. (Credit: Terry Kreeger, Wyoming Game and Fish and Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance.) Scientists with the USGS and partners developed a novel scientific model to forecast the growth and spread of chronic wasting disease, or CWD, in white-tailed deer in southwestern Wisconsin. The model showed that CWD prevalence …
Read moreDeadly Deer Disease Expected to Grow Rapidly and Spread in Wisconsin
Image of the VTEM Plus AEM system from Geotech Ltd. in flight. A similar system will be flown during the upcoming USGS AEM study.(Public domain.) Yes, 10,000 feet in the air might not be where you’d expect to find underground mineral research being done, but believe it or not, this is an important part of …
Both irrigation wells and municipal wells affect water levels in the Little Plover River, Wisconsin. (Credit: Ken Bradbury, Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey) The Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey and the U.S. Geological Survey have released the results of a three-year project to develop a groundwater flow model for an area around the Little …
Read moreWells Affect Water Flows in the Central Sands Region
Scientists with the USGS and U.S. Department of Agriculture tested 290 water samples from eight rivers in the Great Lakes Basin from February 2011 to June 2013. The two most frequently detected pathogens were human adenovirus C, D and F in nine percent of samples, which can cause minor respiratory illnesses in people, and bovine …
Read moreHuman, Cattle Viruses Detected in Some Great Lakes Tributaries
Driveways in a residential subdivision are coated with black coal-tar-based sealcoat, contrasting with the white cement sidewalk. (Public domain) Runoff from pavement with coal-tar-based sealant is the primary source of toxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, to streambed sediments in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, according to a U.S. Geological Survey and Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District study published today. …
Read moreCoal-Tar-Sealant a Major Source of PAH Contamination in Milwaukee Streams
A tufted puffin, the species most affected by a recent seabird die-off in the Pribilof Islands, Alaska. (Credit: Sarah Schoen, USGS) A beach littered with bird carcasses is a sobering sight. Since mid-October, hundreds of dead seabirds have washed ashore the north and east sides of St. Paul Island, Alaska, an otherwise serene volcanic island landscape in the …
The timely removal of leaf litter can reduce harmful phosphorus concentrations in stormwater by over 80 percent in Madison, Wisconsin. (USGS) The timely removal of leaf litter can reduce harmful phosphorus concentrations in stormwater by over 80 percent in Madison, Wisconsin, according to a recent U.S. Geological Survey study. Autumn leaf litter contributes a significant …
Read moreRemoval of Fallen Leaves Can Improve Urban Water Quality
A common insecticide used in urban and agricultural areas, bifenthrin, is harmful to aquatic ecosystems at levels that were previously considered safe, according to a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey. The insecticide was measured in several streams in the Midwest at levels that caused harm to artificial aquatic ecosystems. Bifenthrin is used to …
Read moreCommon Insecticide Identified in Midwestern Streams
Tiny pieces of harmful plastic, called microplastics, are prevalent in many rivers that flow into the Great Lakes, according to a study published today in the journal Environmental Science & Technology. Results are also illustrated on a new USGS microplastics website. Microplastics fall off decomposing bottles and bags, wear off of synthetic clothing and are manufactured …
Read moreWidespread Plastic Pollution Found in Great Lakes Tributaries
There is an elevated incidence of skin and liver tumors among White Suckers caught in certain Wisconsin rivers that flow into Lake Michigan according to a U.S. Geological Survey study recently published in the Journal of Fish Diseases. The three-year study looked at White Sucker tumor prevalence in the Sheboygan River and Milwaukee Estuary, which …
Read moreHigh Rate of Tumors Found on white sucker in some Wisconsin Rivers
A hibernating little brown bat with a white muzzle typical of white-nose syndrome. (Greg Turner, Pennsylvania Game Commission, public domain) The bat-killing fungus recently detected for the first time in western North America is genetically similar to strains found in the eastern United States and did not likely originate in Eurasia, according to a study …
Read moreDeadly Bat Fungus in Washington State Likely Originated in Eastern U.S.
While exposure was low at most sites, USGS scientists found high concentrations of dioxins and furans in tree swallow eggs from Midland, Michigan, and from the Saginaw River and Bay. (Thomas W. Custer, USGS) Birds at most study sites in the Great Lakes basin were minimally exposed to most environmental contaminants, with the exception of high …
Read moreLow Levels of Contaminants Found in Great Lakes Tree Swallow Eggs
Results of the study indicate the potential for small fish to be transported through the electric dispersal barrier, which was built to keep invasive species such as Asian carp from passing between the Mississippi River and Great Lakes Basins. However, there is no evidence to date that Asian carp have crossed the Electric Dispersal Barrier …
Read moreMoving Barges Have Potential to Transport Invasive Fish
Drought periods followed by rainfall caused nitrate levels to increase to the highest ever measured in some Midwest streams during a 2013 study, according to a U.S. Geological Survey report published today in the Journal of Environmental Quality. Nitrate, a form of nitrogen, is a common pollutant in U.S. streams and groundwater. Excessive concentrations in …
The first-ever National Lakes Assessment of toxins from harmful algal blooms challenges several long-held assumptions, including the extent, distribution and make-up of toxins from harmful algal blooms. The assessment, conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, sampled 1161 inland lakes and reservoirs throughout the United States. Harmful algal blooms can be …
Read moreNew Science Challenges Old Assumptions about Harmful Algal Blooms
U.S. Geological Survey scientists will conduct a high-resolution airborne survey to study the rock layers under a region of the south-central Upper Peninsula, Michigan, and parts of northeastern Wisconsin, starting in early April and lasting until as late as August. When the data analysis is complete, resulting geologic maps will help USGS researchers improve an …
Beginning in early April and continuing for approximately two weeks, the U.S. Geological Survey will conduct an aerial survey designed to scan the upper part of the earth’s crust. As part of this survey, a helicopter will be flying low to the ground towing equipment shaped like a giant hula-hoop beneath it. The flight region …
Read moreUSGS Goes Airborne to Define What Minerals Lie Beneath the Upper Midwest
