Researcher hopes to raise interest, knowledge of Cedar Lake
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — After slipping on his waders, Danny Hughes emerged from underneath a shelter along the Cedar Lake loop trail and into the sunlight, ready to discover the wildlife that live there.
Hughes, a Coe College assistant professor of biology, was on the lookout Saturday for any plant and animal species. Could the day’s walk around the lake lead his team to find turtles, frogs or snakes?
The potential for new scientific discoveries propelled Hughes, two Coe College student researchers and a few community members forward on a 1.6-mile journey around the paved trail. Along the way, they checked about 30 boards for snakes, waded into Cedar Lake to check turtle traps and scoured their natural surroundings for any chance encounters of new species.
Pausing at the second board, Hughes — in true professor form, standing at the front of his outdoor classroom — asked, “Anyone want to do the honors?”
Lyssie Ahern, a Coe College rising senior who just started working on the project, stepped up to check for snakes under Hughes’ watchful eye. The two examined the many rollie pollies and millipedes clinging to the board before resuming their stroll toward the turtle traps.
The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports this walk around the trail was part of an effort Hughes is spearheading at the Coe College Biology Department to research the biodiversity of Cedar Lake in a citizen collaboration. The effort aims to raise awareness for local species, generate excitement for urban parks and educate all on the importance of biodiversity.
The project is funded by a $2,500 grant from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, which helped purchase equipment such as turtle and minnow traps and allows Hughes’ team to do sampling.
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