Episode 3.6: Frank Wilhelm — Toxic Lakes

“We do clearly have lakes where they haven’t had blooms and then recently, I’d say within the last 10 years, as part of the regular monitoring programs that occur, people have seen an increase or an occurrence of these blooms. Example in Idaho is Twin Lakes. Last year was the first time it had a toxic bloom in its history. So, people are naturally upset about that and very concerned in terms of what the future may hold.” Meet, Frank Wilhelm (bit.ly/3l75Vlg), a professor in the Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences (bit.ly/3n6r3ZD) at the University of Idaho and associate director of the Center for Research on Invasive Species. For Frank, research is about solving real-world problems. Frank has worked across the Northwest to preserve water quality for recreation, farming, drinking and general lake health. He’s specialized in studying algae that can cause lakes to become toxic for humans, animals and plants. Visit our website go.uidaho.edu/thevandaltheory​. Email us at [email protected]. Learn about Idaho’s premier research university, University of Idaho, at uidaho.edu. More U of I Research: The new Visiting Tribal Scholars Program at the University of Idaho will connect Native American students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics with Indigenous scientific methodology that provides mentorship for student success. Read more (bit.ly/3l1ytfX). Erika Rader and Renee Love in the Department of Geography and Geological Sciences moved their Summer 2020 field course online during the COVID-19 pandemic. They used online tools like Minecraft, a video game focused on exploration and construction, to teach students how to read a map, move about the landscape safely and interpret rock formations. Read more (bit.ly/3k64mTl). U of I researchers David Ausband and Lisette Waits examined the effect of hunting on the genetic diversity of wolf populations. They found that hunting — because it creates opportunities for wolves to immigrate into nearby groups and breed — could make groups in subpopulations more related over time. Read more (bit.ly/38gInqw). Music: “Young Republicans” by Steve Combs (bit.ly/2PsMCpw) via freemusicarchive.org, not modified (bit.ly/2Ju7MQb). “Ghost Byzantine” by Blue Dot Sessions (bit.ly/35afF8Z) via freemusicarchive.org, not modified (bit.ly/32jT1cn).