
20 episodes

WXPR The Stream WXPR Public Radio
-
- Science
So many of us live in Wisconsin’s Northwoods or Michigan’s Upper Peninsula because we love what surrounds us every day. We love the clear water, the clean air, and the lush forests. WXPR’s environmental reporting as part of our expanded series, The Stream, focuses on the natural world around us. The Stream is now about more than just water: it brings you stories of efforts to conserve our wild lands and lakes, scientific studies of animal and plant life, and potential threats to our environment. What do you wonder about the environment in our region? Ask us a question and it could be a future story on The Stream! Use the form below to submit your question.
-
Using trees to remediate and stabilize mining waste
For decades, the Keweenaw Peninsula in the U.P. was home to more than 100 copper mines.One of the byproducts of that is stamp sands, the practice of crushing rock and extracting heavy metals.Remnants of it are still found throughout the peninsula.
-
Mapping tools could help forest managers get ahead of invasive species
There are numerous insects that threaten the health of forests.One of the greatest challenges is finding them fast enough to stop the pests before they do irreversible damage.For WXPR’s The Stream, Katie Thoresen spoke with a Rhinelander-based scientist leading a project to try and meet this challenge.It’s part two of our series highlighting local researchers who have received Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding.
-
Study focused on creating tools needed to restore and manage resilient forests
As the Earth’s climate changes, scientists are figuring out how to best protect and preserve our natural resources.In Northwoods, that means how to make our forests more resilient.A local researcher has been awarded more than 1 million dollars in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to help solve that problem.
-
There’s hope of recovery in Trout Lake as parasite causes major drop in invasive Rusty Crayfish population
Aquatic Invasive Species are some of the greatest threats to lake health in the Northwoods.Once an invasive establishes itself in a water body, it can cost thousands of dollars to remove it, if removing it is even possible at all.Rusty crayfish has been one such invasive species.First introduced to Trout Lake in Vilas County in the late 70s and 80s, the crayfish quickly settled in with population estimates in the thousands by the late 2000s.But now it seems nature is correcting course.
-
PFAS contamination in Stella among highest in the country, the forever chemicals are now being found in nearby lakes
Further testing for PFAS in eastern Oneida County has revealed contamination in some lakes in the area.WXPR’s Katie Thoresen attended Tuesday’s town hall meeting with DNR staff. She gives us an update as part of WXPR’s The Stream.
-
UW Trout Lake Station’s Drawing Water program brings artists and scientists together
Many people often split the sciences and arts as using two different halves of their brains.But a group of scientists and artists working in Vilas County argue there’s a lot of overlap between the two disciplines.