White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are a native ungulate species found throughout America that are managed and pursued as a big game species. It has been hypothesized that white-tailed deer can exhibit selective foraging, which would allow…
The goal of this project was to identify if there are any correlations between human access areas and the locations of known invasive plant species. The plant locations plotted against the road locations and habitat types to better determine the…
Phalaris arundinacea (L.), or reed canary grass is an invasive species threatening many native wetland species including Calamagrostis canadensis (Michx.), commonly known as canada blue joint. These two species are often found competing with one…
The purpose of this two-year study was to determine the North American wood duck's (Aix sponsa) preferred orientation of nest boxes. Determining any preferences can increase available nest sites for wood ducks. Sixteen nest boxes were placed at four…
Crayfish are an important part of food webs in lakes and rivers. Rusty crayfish Orconectes rusticus, a crayfish native to the Ohio River Basin, is a non-native crayfish now found in Michigan waters. O. rusticus has been found to out compete and…
Hereditary hemochromatosis is a common, but underdiagnosed mutation in the HFE gene causing the body to absorb and store too much iron. The excess iron builds up in the body's organs over time and eventually leads to organ damage. If hemochromatosis…
Mallard cylinders, a type of artificial duck nest, were deployed in Jackson County and Chippewa County, Michigan in 2014. These cylinders were placed on ponds and wetlands to evaluate the relationship between cylinder characteristics (distance from…
Preservation of breeding habitat and careful monitoring of nesting sites has aided in the recovery of the endangered Great Lakes Piping Plover to a record 73 breeding pairs in 2015. While the required physical characteristics of breeding habitats,…
This project was implemented to address the objectives of the Partnerships for Improving Community Health (PICH) grant that was awarded to the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians in 2014. The PICH grant focuses on chronic disease prevention through the…
Atlantic Salmon were once native to Lake Ontario but, were extirpated by 1900. Atlantic Salmon are now intensely reared in hatcheries for restoration stocking and in the aquaculture industry. The culturing of Salmon has grown very rapidly and rearing…