NWRC Weekly Highlights 10/1/2007

Weekly Highlights

MEMORANDUM

From: Susan Horton
Subject: Weekly Highlights, USGS National Wetlands Research Center, October 1, 2007

Current

USGS Scientist Assists Louisiana Native Plant Initiative: A lack of native, locally adapted plant materials have restricted native plant conservation and restoration efforts in Louisiana. USGS scientist Larry Allain’s research conducted at the National Wetlands Research Center, is providing essential information about native plant species and restoration methods to the Louisiana Native Plant Initiative (LNPI) whose mission is to collect, preserve, increase, and study native grasses, forbs, and legumes from Louisiana ecosystems. Larry serves as a technical advisor to LNPI and will work with volunteers collecting seed from natural sites this fall. The LNPI is a partnership of USGS, Natural Resources Conservation Service, McNeese State University, Nicholls State University, Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program, and the Coastal Plain Conservancy. (Larry Allain, Lafayette, LA, 337-266-8677)

USGS Scientist Continues Mentoring for JASON Project: USGS scientist Jacoby Carter from the National Wetlands Research Center served as a host researcher for the JASON Expedition: Disappearing Wetlands in Louisiana in 2004. Students from around the country who are currently studying Louisiana wetlands for the first time continue to contact Carter for updates on his research activities including his work with nutria, an invasive species eating wetland vegetation, and his frog mark-recapture studies. The JASON program utilizes multi-media technology and real-world scientists to enhance both the teaching and study of science in the classroom and beyond. (Susan Horton, Lafayette, LA, 337-266-8655)

Notable Congressional Activity

USGS Scientist Discusses Health of Fish in Lake Mead: On October 10, USGS scientist Michael Rosen from the Nevada Water Science Center will present a cyberseminar for representatives from Senator Harry Reid’s office about the impacts of organic chemicals, especially endocrine disruptors, on fish species such as the common carp, in Lake Mead. The ongoing research characterizes the environmental contaminants in Lake Mead including estrogenic and other compounds in pharmaceuticals and personal care products, and examines possible correlations with changes in endocrine and reproductive biomarkers. Supporting the field research, USGS scientist Jill Jenkins from the National Wetlands Research Center in Lafayette, LA, conducts laboratory work with biomarkers of male carp specimens from Lake Mead. For more information see http://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/2007/286/ (Jill Jenkins, Lafayette, LA 337-266-8607)

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