making a difference

December 27, 2024
Published by MAD Scientist Associates, LLC on December 27, 2024
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Hellbranch Meadows Controlled Burn

Earlier this month, MAD Scientist Associates had the opportunity to manage a controlled burn for the Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District at the Hellbranch Meadows site in Galloway, Ohio. This area is part of the historic Darby-Plains, which was managed through fire and other human intervention to keep an open prairie-savannah habitat versus forest. This was beneficial for grazing animals and diversity of plant types and communities.  This site took expert level planning to sustain the fire and keep it going in the right direction. Our team, led by Alexys Nolan and Cody Wright, worked the burn for nearly six hours. The footage of the burn at twilight is truly remarkable. We look forward to seeing how this area comes back to life next […]
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December 18, 2024
Published by MAD Scientist Associates, LLC on December 18, 2024
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Education Highlights of 2024

At MAD Scientist Associates, educating others on the value of wetlands, biodiversity, and other natural resources, is part of our mission. We consider ourselves lucky to have opportunities and partnerships with local municipalities, parks, and education-centered organizations. We couldn’t do programs like Frog Friday or Wetland Wednesdays without support from communities that value wetlands. Also, as a woman-owned business we want to highlight other women working in our field, and have started hosting Women in Science events. Since 2023, we’ve had over 20 professionals from around the state participate as panelists. Our hope is for students and community members will have exposure to careers in ecology and environmental science, and build a network of women scientists across the state. Whether it’s a tabled vendor space […]
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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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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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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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