MAD Scientist Associates

December 18, 2024
Published by MAD Scientist Associates, LLC on December 18, 2024
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Welcome Abby!

We’re excited to welcome Abby Obert to our team! Abby joins our restoration and design-build team, bringing her expertise in CAD and a strong background in construction oversight. Previously, Abby worked at the Franklin County Engineer’s Office, where she managed drainage capital improvement projects and oversaw compliance with the county’s NPDES MS4 (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems) permits. To learn more about Abby, visit our TEAMS page!
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December 13, 2024
Published by MAD Scientist Associates, LLC on December 13, 2024
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MAD Selected as FACT Founder’s Award Recipient

Partnering with local groups to support the common goal of clean water and preservation of natural resources has always been important to us, at MAD. We are pleased to have many years of service with Friends of Alum Creek and Tributaries (FACT), who lead the charge in maintaining and advocating for Alum Creek, a large tributary to the Scioto River. This year, we were selected as their Founder’s Award recipient. We appreciate the work FACT does and plan on many more years of service together. Thank you for the recognition!
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December 13, 2024
Published by MAD Scientist Associates, LLC on December 13, 2024
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Honeysuckle HackFest

The community really came together at Honeysuckle Hackfest! Special thanks to Alexys, Alan, and Ellie for leading the charge on the cut stump treatments that will prevent plants from resprouting next year. Multiple acres of eastern deciduous forest at Deer Haven Park in Delaware will be in much better health soon. The native shrub and tree planting planned for next year will help accelerate this recovery.
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April 22, 2024
Published by MAD Scientist Associates, LLC on April 22, 2024
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Celebrating the Canada Goose- And Politely Asking it to Move Along

By: Jenny Adkins April 22, 2024 We’re guessing that at first glance, most people living in suburban American areas cringe at the sight of a Canada Goose (Branta canadensis), especially if you live near a golf course, pond, or detention basin. These large, handsome geese are actively managed as nuisance species due to their aggressive behavior and, how to put this, tremendous excrement output, which dirties sidewalks and adds nutrients to water resources. As grazers, they can also impact plant establishment. BUT, did you know that they were once on the verge of extinction? In the early 1900s, they were regularly hunted for sport and for food. Unregulated hunting accompanied with draining wetlands for farming, building, transportation routes, etc., caused their population to plummet. They […]
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March 1, 2024
Published by MAD Scientist Associates, LLC on March 1, 2024
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Invasive Species Awareness Week- Reed Canarygrass

By: Cody Wright March 3, 2022 One NNIS that doesn’t get quite enough attention is Reed Canary Grass (Phalaris arundinacea). Beginning in the 1800s, this grass has been widely used as livestock forage, for erosion control, and in landscaping. Reed Canary Grass (RCG) prefers moist, poorly-drained soils but can be found thriving in various types of habitats. From standing water to dry upland areas, this plant is highly adaptable. This adaptability, along with the production of easily dispersed seed and dense biomass via rhizomes, is what gives this plant it’s invasive nature. While it has been determined that there is a native genotype of Phalaris arundinacea, it is not possible to distinguish this difference without genetic analysis. In a field-setting, then, this simply cannot be […]
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February 29, 2024
Published by MAD Scientist Associates, LLC on February 29, 2024
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Invasive Species Awareness Week- Cattail 

By: Cody Wright March 2, 2022 In Ohio, our native Cattail, Typha latifolia, is being pushed out of its niche by its invasive cousin, T. angustifolia. These two species can interbreed and produce viable hybrid offspring, T. x glauca, which also exhibit invasive tendencies. It is thought that T. angustifolia was first introduced to the U.S. along the Atlantic seaboard via the dry ballast of European ships coming into harbor. The key characteristic that can be used to identify between these species is the gap, or lack thereof, between the male and female flower. Yes, that portion of the plant that humorously resembles a corndog is actually the flower spike that the plants use for sexual reproduction. The native cattail has no gap between the […]
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February 27, 2024
Published by MAD Scientist Associates, LLC on February 27, 2024
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Invasive Species Awareness Week- Callery Pear

By: Cody Wright March 1, 2022 This iconic suburban tree has come to be known by many different trade names throughout the years: Bradford Pear, Cleveland Select, Metropolitan Pear. Yet they all derive from one species native to China—the Callery Pear (Pyrus calleryana). This NNIS was introduced to the U.S. in the mid-1900s as an ornamental street and yard tree and quickly gained popularity for its bright white, early spring blooms and colorful fall foliage. Through selective cultivation, multiple sterile cultivar types were created and mass produced for public purchase. According to Dr. Theresa Culley, Professor and Head of the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Cincinnati, “It is not the cultivar itself that is invasive, per se, but rather the problem arises […]
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February 26, 2024
Published by MAD Scientist Associates, LLC on February 26, 2024
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Invasive Species Awareness Week- Bush Honeysuckle

By: Cody Wright February 28, 2022 If you ask any conservation professional or land manager to name the greatest challenge they face, among the most common responses you will get is the never-ending effort to slow non-native and invasive species (NNIS). Ohio has become home to numerous such plant species that wreak havoc on the local habitats and ecosystems in which they take up residence. Four of the most notorious and problematic NNIS are the Bush Honeysuckles (Lonicera spp.), Callery Pear (Pyrus calleryana), Narrow-leaved and Hybrid Cattail (Typha angustifolia, T. x glauca), and Reed Canary Grass (Phalaris arundinacea). Let’s take a closer look at why each of these species present a concern and what is being done to help prevent their continued spread. Bush honeysuckle […]
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