MAD Scientist Associates, LLC

January 9, 2024
Published by MAD Scientist Associates, LLC on January 9, 2024
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Salamander Run

By: Jenna Roller-Knapp March 1, 2021 Most of the salamanders in the family Ambystomatidae spend between 70 to 95 percent of their lives underground, hence why they are called mole salamanders. This includes Jefferson, spotted, eastern tiger, small-mouthed, marbled, blue-spotted (state endangered), streamside and unisexual hybrid salamanders. They come to vernal pools at night, often during the first warm rain in late winter to breed. This typically in occurs late January to early February in the southern portions of Ohio and through late march in the northern parts of the state. Though most live within the same 100 meters of their breeding pool, males are often the first to arrive. Their presence leaves chemical scents which then attract females to the water. Once together, they […]
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January 9, 2024
Published by MAD Scientist Associates, LLC on January 9, 2024
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Landscape Design and Ecological Restoration

By: Jonathan Stechshulte February 18, 2021 The purpose of ecological restoration is in its name – to restore ecology – and that at first glance may appear counterintuitive to landscape architecture, a field sometimes characterized by its linear, inorganic concepts and questionable plant selection. However, landscape architecture, defined as “the art and practice of designing the outdoor environment”, carries an obligation that supersedes its ecological bad rap. As stewards of the outdoor environment, landscape architects and designers should look to preserve, if not enhance, the quality of landscapes on which they work. This charge extends to countless types of projects and expertise. Enter ecological restoration, again. It could be argued that ecological restoration is a design profession that is not formally categorized as a design profession. […]
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October 26, 2023
Published by MAD Scientist Associates, LLC on October 26, 2023
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Prescribed Burns with MAD Scientist Associates

We are pleased to announce the addition of a new (to us) land management service – Prescribed Fire! Our Prescribed Fire Managers and trained line crew have gained valuable experience over hundreds of acres while volunteering on prescribed burns in Ohio and Michigan, and we are dedicated to providing this service in the safest manner possible you’d like to talk about burning opportunities, please contact HERE or call us at 614-818-9156.
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February 17, 2023
Published by MAD Scientist Associates, LLC on February 17, 2023
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Women in Science Panel Discussion

As a woman-owned business, and a science-driven organization, it is important to us to celebrate the accomplishments of our staff, as well as the accomplishments of other women. This year, in honor of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (February 11), we hosted our first panel discussion at the Westerville Community Center. The event was organized and run by the “Women of MAD,”  and featured 11 AMAZING women from across the state in the fields of environmental and sustainability sciences. The event was held in-person and broadcast on Zoom. Recordings and transcripts will be made available to schools and educators across the state that want to share career options and help expose kids to the fact that there are women and minorities […]
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December 27, 2022
Published by MAD Scientist Associates, LLC on December 27, 2022
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Staff Appreciation & Bragging Rights

Each year, we are amazed and grateful for our amazing staff. Not only do they come to each other’s aid, put the hours in, problem solve, and challenge themselves- they keep each other laughing while doing it. We are truly lucky to have such a great team and we wanted to share some of their accomplishments from the year with you. Julius Duncan, Water Resources Engineer and EIT, joined our team in 2021 and recently earned his Level 2 Stream Restoration certificate. His background in environmental engineering and water resource management suits him well on the restoration team at MAD. He and Robert Keast, Restoration Designer, hit the ground running this year and have been instrumental in tackling our wetland and stream restoration projects across […]
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December 27, 2022
Published by MAD Scientist Associates, LLC on December 27, 2022
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Governor DeWine Visits H2Ohio-Funded Site

Chris and Mark had the surprise of Governor DeWine visiting a wetland design/build site of ours (partnered with Access Engineering) in Mercer County to observe and promote the successes of the statewide H2Ohio program. The 89-acre Burntwood-Langenkamp site is owned by the Lake Facilities Authority and is managed by Mercer County. The request was for a treatment train style wetland that would intercept water from a channelized waterway (Burntwood Creek) and have water filter through over a mile of meandering marsh before reentering Coldwater Creek (immediately upstream of the confluence with Burntwood) and merging into Grand Lake St. Mary’s. We were able to create/restore 32-acres of emergent marsh habitat and reforest 10-acres and add prairie seed to surrounding uplands as a buffer to the stream […]
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December 27, 2022
Published by MAD Scientist Associates, LLC on December 27, 2022
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Invasive Species- We Be Killin’ Em

We’ve always touted ourselves as having a “team that works like MAD,” but we’ve got to hand it to our Technicians and Conservation Practitioners, who truly personify this phrase. This year they’ve aided in monitoring, wildlife and vegetative surveys, performed GIS and drone surveys, organized and completed planting efforts, volunteered time to environmental causes, and tackled 250 (TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY!) acres of invasive species management. They are lean, mean, honeysuckle-buckthorn-multiflora rose-porcelain berry-euonymus-pear-tree-of-heaven-bittersweet-privet-phragmites-cattail-reed canarygrass-garlic mustard-lesser celandine-thistle-knotweed-vinca-and English ivy killing machines! Each of our staff on this team are certified pesticide applicators or trained service persons and they use meticulous care when mixing and applying herbicide, including choosing the most effective chemical that poses the least amount of environmental damage, precisely targeting invasive species and minimizing […]
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December 27, 2022
Published by MAD Scientist Associates, LLC on December 27, 2022
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Wetland Construction Underway in Geauga County

We have our first in-lieu fee wetland mitigation project under construction in Geauga County! This 30-acre site was previously row-cropped and pastured but is part of a larger (119-acre) property that contains a mosaic of depressional wetlands, ephemeral and perennial streams, and upland forest. Our design for this project will restore/add 8 acres of depressional, forested wetlands, and 18 acres forested buffer. Interesting elements of the design for this site include the repurposing of stones from a demolished barn to create a snake hibernaculum, using deadwood and felled trees for perching and basking habitat, and experimental hummock creation within pools. We have had reports of sandhill cranes (Antigone canadensis), a state threatened species, already utilizing the site presumably as stopover habitat during their fall migration […]
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December 27, 2022
Published by MAD Scientist Associates, LLC on December 27, 2022
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Community Engagement & Education

  Working in and for communities has got to be one of the best things we get to do at MAD. We partner with municipalities to offer ecological programming, often focused on wetland, stream, and watershed education. This year, we were able to host, present at, and participate in over 20 programs! We are thrilled that families enjoy learning about the ecosystems we’re so passionate about, and are lucky to have the trust of our local communities to support this type of work. If you’re interested in having our staff work with your organization, please contact Jenny Adkins, our Education Specialist.    
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