MAD Scientist Associates, LLC

January 11, 2022
Published by MAD Scientist Associates, LLC on January 11, 2022
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Burntwood-Langenkamp H2Ohio “Treatment Train” Wetland Constructed

Grand Lake St. Mary’s (GLSM) is located in northwest Ohio, in a heavily agricultural watershed that produces a significant portion of our state’s grains and livestock. Runoff from row crop agriculture and concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) has resulted in excessive nutrient loading to the lake, resulting in an increased frequency of harmful algal blooms (HABs). The proliferation of HABs can make the lake unsafe for swimming and adversely affects tourism, and this causes a damaging ripple effect on the local economy. Significant efforts by farmers and local officials have been ongoing since the HABs first appeared, and the lake conditions have been improving as a result of these efforts. Catalyzing these efforts, the State of Ohio has created the H2Ohio grant program to assist […]
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January 11, 2022
Published by MAD Scientist Associates, LLC on January 11, 2022
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High School Learning Opportunity at Oak Openings Wetland Restoration Site

In November, our team met with the Aerospace & Natural Science Academy of Toledo, Metro Parks Toledo, and the Ohio DNR at our wetland restoration project in the Oak Openings region to discuss the process of wetland restoration, tour the site, and plant native hydophytes that the students grew themselves! We were pleased to see this site with beautiful wetland pools and the blush of cover crop on the upland buffer. We were also reveling in the ease of planting in sandy soils that are so common in northwest Ohio! It’s always fun to share our profession and projects with curious minds and we hope they’ll remember this experience and return to the site to see how their plants grow.
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January 11, 2022
Published by MAD Scientist Associates, LLC on January 11, 2022
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FCBank Celebrates Women in Business – MAD Scientist Associates, LLC

We thank FC Bank for featuring Christine McKinney Dilley, MBA and MAD Scientist Associates, LLC CEO in your Women in Business Series! We appreciate this recognition and the support of FC Bank to help our team grow and allow us to Make A Difference for our clients. See full video here: FCBank Celebrates Women in Business – MAD Scientist Associates, LLC
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January 11, 2022
Published by MAD Scientist Associates, LLC on January 11, 2022
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Welcome Julius Duncan, E.I.T., Water Resources Engineer, and Courtney Brownlee, Office Manager!

We want to introduce you to AND give a warm (and overdue) welcome to our new staff members Julius Duncan, Water Resource Engineer, and Courtney Brownlee, Office Manager! We look forward to the great things we can accomplish with these terrific additions to our team. Check out our Team page to read about their journeys to MAD.
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January 11, 2022
Published by MAD Scientist Associates, LLC on January 11, 2022
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Sandhill Crane Wetlands Project- Our Largest Construction Project to Date

Our largest wetland restoration to date is the Sandhill Crane Wetlands in the Oak Openings Region near Toledo, Ohio. Construction on this project was substantially complete by the end of 2021. We worked with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and B Hill’z Excavating to achieve this restoration on 280 acres of former farmland. For decades, this massive field has been used for conventional row crop agriculture. To be successful, these farming operations along the northern edge of the former Great Black Swamp required intensive water management. The land is flanked by deep ditches on three sides that help to lower the water table and improve drainage, and in the winter and spring, the former farmer would run multiple pumps to pull water from the field’s drainage […]
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January 11, 2022
Published by MAD Scientist Associates, LLC on January 11, 2022
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Fall Volunteer Events & Invasive Species Removal

Fall is a great time to tackle woody invasive plants, as they are preparing for dormancy and most susceptible to systemic herbicide applications. We regularly participate in, and lead habitat improvement projects in the Central Ohio area, and this year we were pleased to make some substantial headway! In September we had a crew at Hoff Woods (Westerville) working with volunteers to remove honeysuckle and a crew in Genoa Township working a community fishing event. We had several volunteers and cleared about 2-3 acres of the invasive bush honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii). Thanks to all who came out out to participate! In October, Jenny, Alexys, Cody, and Mark worked alongside Friends of Alum Creek and Tributaries, and many community volunteers at Boyer Nature Preserve. They removed […]
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January 7, 2022
Published by MAD Scientist Associates, LLC on January 7, 2022
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Mussels & Mudpuppies

2021 brought several aquatic survey opportunities to MAD. Jenna Roller-Knapp, our Water Quality and Aquatic Ecology Specialist, led mussel surveys across Ohio and in Iowa. She is state certified to perform freshwater mussel surveys in Group 1 and 3 streams. Nick Smeenk, Wildlife Biologist and Approved Herpetologist for the Eastern Hellbender, Blanding’s Turtle, and Eastern Massasauga in addition to holding a federal recovery permit for the Eastern Massasauga. If those credentials didn’t impress you, they are both SCUBA certified as well, which comes in handy given most of the animals they study live underwater! This dynamic duo led surveys for mussels (family Unionidae) and mudpuppies (Necturus maculosus) in the Des Moines River, and mussels in Mercer, Cuyahoga, Summit, and Delaware Counties. No listed species were […]
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January 7, 2022
Published by MAD Scientist Associates, LLC on January 7, 2022
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Ecological Surveys- We Can’t Get Enough of Em!

Some of our favorite work to do at MAD are ecological surveys. They often involve all staff members, who each specialize in collecting a certain type of data: aquatic biota, terrestrial insects, herptiles, wetland delineation, stream characterization, plant inventory, bird identification, cover mapping, etc. Basically, we get to be happy ecologists in the field, making lists, taking photographs, and mapping habitats. More than that though, we get to use this information to help clients determine what they have and what they can do with their properties. Oftentimes clients need this information for a baseline survey if the property is being put under easement or covenant. Other times, land managers wan to know where opportunities lie for restoration or where to avoid disturbance if rare species […]
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January 7, 2022
Published by MAD Scientist Associates, LLC on January 7, 2022
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Botanical Adventures- Floristic Quality Assessment in Hamilton County, Ohio

This year brought another opportunity to study plant communities in Hamilton County (Cincinnati area), Ohio. Jenny Adkins led the effort, visiting over 75 plots twice throughout the growing season in order to catch fleeting species that are season-specific, such as spring beauty (Claytonia virginica). While identifying plants seems like a carefree, Victorian-era study, depending on the terrain and habitat, it can be anything but. This year’s survey area had our team on an adventure that sounded like a Mark Twain story- constructing bridges out of beaver-chewed logs, climbing trees to see the extent of plots, scaling riverbanks, crossing acres and acres of eight-foot-tall corn, sweating through clothes (many times over), and covering every square inch of skin to ward off the insatiable mosquitos. It rained, […]
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