Field Notes: Rings of Time

Several decades ago, some forward-thinking politicians and water resource specialists created the Great Lakes Compact, a legally binding interstate compact with protections for the use and transfer of the waters of the Great Lakes and signed in 2008 by the governors of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. The full title, the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement, also includes the premiers of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec.

Insects don't simply vanish, nor do they all succumb to the severe freezing weather. Instead, they employ an incredible array of biological winter survival strategies, ranging from supercooling their blood to entering deep states of dormant suspended animation.

How do scientists talk about their research, and how can you untangle their sometimes overwhelming explanations?

Several local plants have exploding fruits. They might not rival the fireworks on the fourth, but they are fun to see.

In this month's installment of Field Notes, Scott Bowe of Kemp Station discusses the warmouth. An amazing fish native to Northern Wisconsin.

Most flowers attract pollinators with fragrant scents, and energy-rich nectar and pollen as rewards for visiting flowers. But this is life, and some flowers don’t play by the rules. Here are three examples: one stinks, one cheats and one is downright treacherous.

Maple sap flow for maple syrup production occurs during a narrow window in late winter and early spring.

Stephen Moss’ book, “Ten Birds That Changed the World” is a fascinating exploration of ten bird species with remarkable natural histories and often, disastrous interactions with humans.

Every spring, Kemp Station taps maple trees and produces a few gallons of maple syrup. In March 2026, we are planning a public demonstration project—moving beyond the simple sap buckets and sap bags—to a modern tubing system for gravity-flow sap collection.

Many people are aware that trees can be dated by counting the layers of tree rings in a cross section. But, less folks know that fish, snails, mussels, and the teeth of many local mammal species build seasonal growth rings that are used to age individuals.