January 6, 2022
The interns have arrived! AND cicadas! We’re excited to start this year’s busy field season with three fantastic interns- Mackenzie Brown, Corbin Binkley (returning for a third season), and John Eshem.
January 6, 2022
Volunteers are AWESOME! 🤩 We – MAD Scientist Associates, Bridgeway Academy , ROAR’s Nature-based Solutions Group, and Green Columbus – had 50+ terrific, hardworking volunteers plant hundreds of native trees and shrubs at the Bridgeway Academy campus in Columbus today. This building was formerly occupied by a business and thus checked all the boxes for a corporate/sterile setting. We were approached by Bridgeway to help them make use of native plants to create necessary screens, provide habitat for wildlife observation, and celebrate native options in an edible garden. We were happy to assist and selected species that would provide fast cover, produce berries or nuts, serve as host plants for insects, and provide shelter for birds. We hope the rain made it all the way […]
January 6, 2022
April marks the first of six Frog Friday events we host at the City of Westerville’s Highlands Park Wetland. This program was born from our enthusiasm for the growing amphibian population at the wetland- which was restored in 2012-2013. If any of you are familiar with amphibian breeding season in Ohio, things start heating up so-to-speak in spring once things have thawed and warm evening rains become more frequent. Activity really picks up after dusk, when frogs and toads can call from their perches and along the wetland edge under the safety of darkness. You’ve no doubt heard a chorus of treefrogs or the trill of toads if you live near a water source and leave a window cracked at night. Even in urban settings, […]
January 6, 2022
One of the unique jobs we got early in 2021 was mowing the Milford Center Prairie, a State Nature Preserve. It is one of those unique relic prairie habitats that is ironically protected by a utility corridor. These narrow seams of prairie flank an old railroad bed that now functions as powerline right of way. You may be wondering, “why mow this habitat if it’s so rare?” Aside from development and agriculture, the greatest threat to prairie habitat is actually the encroachment of woody species. Most prairies require periodic fires or mowing to prevent trees, shrubs, and woody vines from establishing and creating shade. These disturbances arrest succession, allowing the system to maintain a community dominated by herbaceous species. Our team of conservation technicians mowed […]
May 28, 2021
We recently celebrated Endangered Species Day and would like to highlight two of our new staff members that will help create and restore Ohio’s native habitat and study-monitor state and federally listed species. Nicholas Smeenk Ph.D., AWB, joins us with a background in wildlife and environmental studies and research in wetland assessment methods. He specializes in herpetology and is Ohio Division of Wildlife Approved Herpetologist for the Eastern Hellbender, Blanding’s Turtle, and Eastern Massasauga in addition to holding a federal recovery permit for the Eastern Massasauga. Jonathan Stechschulte joins us with a background in biology and landscape design. He will lead design efforts for restoration sites and help our clients visualize site goals with his fantastic digital renderings and artwork. Visit our Team and Blog (MAD […]
November 4, 2020
We are proud to share that we are now among the newly certificated State of Ohio WBE businesses! This new certification allows Ohio woman-owned businesses to be recognized as such in reciprocating states.
November 4, 2020
This beautifully-patterned dragonfly, the aptly-named Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens), ventures far from water and can be found flying about as late as early November in parts of Ohio.
September 21, 2020
MAD Scientist Associates has been recognized as the 2020 GreenSpotLight winner (small business category) for the City of Columbus! We are thrilled to share this honor with Ohio Health (large business) and E.P. Ferris & Associates a (medium business). The Columbus GreenSpot Program grants these awards to recognize companies that demonstrate excellence in sustainable business practices by going above and beyond the requirements of the program. We are honored to be selected and happy to participate in programs that help our city’s sustainability efforts! Examples of how we are committed to sustainability include: 1) Developing effective and impactful environmental restoration projects by choosing appropriate sites, minimizing earthwork and heavy equipment use, reapplying native soils, repurposing woody debris, and transplanting viable plants, using native plants and […]
September 3, 2020
A late-season breeder, the American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) waits for the thistledown to be ready so it can provide a soft nest-lining for its young. This brood was spotted in a Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) shrub at a mitigation wetland in Gallant Woods Park, Delaware County, Ohio.