Cedar Point Times Volume 16

It has been a long time coming, folks, but the Goodall Lodge deck is open for business! The deck is big and has great views of the lake and cliffs, and it is already a popular spot for dining and birdwatching. We have new windows all around, and we can actually clean them from the deck. Come on out to our alumni weekend next month if you want to see it!

In other news, Cedar Point has hummed along this summer doing what it does best. We have exciting new classes such as Spatial Ecology (with Stella Uiterwaal, see page 2) and Advanced Conservation Biology (with Dennis Ferraro). Both combine intensive conceptual work with the outdoors and real relevant experiences that bring the topics alive. We have loads of undergraduate research projects on birds, snakes, turtles, mice, parasites, and moths (see page 3). There’s music in the lodge, turkeys at the feeders, and owls in the canyons. We have new students and old-timers. All that’s missing is you! So sign up for the alumni event and we’ll see you next month. 
--John P. DeLong

This summer, Cedar Point hosted a brand new course, Spatial Ecology. The course was open to undergraduate and graduate students and was designed to build practical skills for careers in ecology, conservation, and natural resources. The class mixed fieldwork, short lectures, and coding exercises to develop students’ spatial analysis skills.

In the field, we learned how to record spatial data, conduct surveys, radio track wildlife, and collect video-tracking data. In the lab, we developed our coding skills, learning to work with spatial data, create maps, and implement statistical tests to answer ecological questions. We then used a range of real-world applications to put these new skills into practice, including an investigation of sex-specific movement differences in wolf spiders and an analysis of mountain lion GPS data to identify potential locations for wildlife crossing structures.

After a deep dive into spatial skills, we shifted our focus towards independent projects. Students either conducted an in-depth analysis of data they brought with them or designed a project from scratch and collected data at CPBS. Some students performed fine-scale movement analyses of questing ticks or groups of water striders. Others investigated the role of light, testing how different wavelengths alter the phototaxis (movement towards light) of midges or exploring how owl migration changes with moonlight. Yet other projects examined why turkeys choose certain locations for nesting or assessed the relationship between deer observations and Nebraska’s roads. I was so impressed by the diversity and creativity of the projects. They nicely highlighted the many ways spatial ecology can be used to understand the natural world.

As an instructor, it was great to hear from students that the class was “what they needed”, filling in gaps in analytical or fieldwork skills, supporting their graduate research progress, or helping them refine their post-college interests. I am especially excited that several students are continuing to work on their projects even after the class ended, with the goal of submitting their papers for publication in peer-reviewed journals. Seeing independent projects turn into published scientific contributions underscores the impact of experiential learning!

We look forward to another fun summer when Spatial Ecology returns 2027! Will you join us? --Stella F. Uiterwaal

Note from the director: This story, written by UNL’s Kristina Jackson, originally ran in Nebraska Today (see it here).

Research in biological sciences requires a certain amount of “playing in the mud,” Rhianna Metcalf said, but it’s also about learning from the data you gather while you’re there.

Assisting with research at Cedar Point Biological Station gave Metcalf, a senior biological sciences major from Lincoln, the opportunity to participate in hands-on research, expand her network and learn more about a passion she discovered at the station: parasitology.

“(Parasitology) is things infecting things infecting things,” Metcalf said. “Every layer, no matter how small, shapes the next, like a biological Russian nesting doll.” Metcalf previously took the field parasitology course at Cedar Point with Scott Gardner and has worked in the Manter Laboratory of Parasitology. Already during the field parasitology course, she gathered data to determine if males and pregnant mice tended to be infected by parasites more frequently. 

Metcalf’s piece of this new study, which looks at population cycles of mice, involves trapping different species of mice and collecting data about their physical characteristics, reproductive status, behavior and infection status, with a particular focus on parasites such as ticks, fleas and botflies. Other teams will gather information about predators like owls and snakes. When compiled, the data collected can tell researchers if mice with certain behaviors are more likely to be preyed on by a certain predator or be infected with parasites. “We’re going to look for if certain predators are eating certain prey with different behavior,” Metcalf said. “We’re also going to see if those behavioral elements contribute to patterns in parasite infection.”

Metcalf said the data could give researchers more information about how the rise and fall in population of each species influences the population of the others. Additionally, Metcalf’s portion of the study deals with parasites that can also infect humans, so her data could provide more information about why these parasites might infect people. “In theory, as mouse populations boom, we should see a delayed effect with botflies similar to predator-prey cycles,” she said.

Metcalf raised and showed rabbits as a child, but this was her first exposure to parasites. From pin worms to mites to fungal parasites, she’s seen it all and developed an appreciation for animal health. Metcalf thought for years that she would become a veterinarian but eventually realized she preferred research to clinical work. “I loved seeing all these different trends in infection patterns and I was like, ‘This is exactly what I want to do,’” Metcalf said.

Now that she’s getting deeper into the research world, Metcalf has grown to love the process even more, especially as she learns the intricacies of what is involved through her hands-on work. Metcalf is so passionate about the research happening at Cedar Point that she and another student founded a “Friends of Cedar Point” student group that is doing outreach and fundraising for student support.

“Having to do all the steps of collecting that data, and the trial-and-error process, makes me value the numbers that come out even more,” Metcalf said. “That level of investment definitely makes it worth it.” Metcalf said collaborating with her own and other teams and Cedar Point has been eye-opening. She has worked with and lived alongside teams from the University of Denver and others and learned from them, as well as her own experience, which has been one of the greatest benefits of conducting research at Cedar Point. She has shadowed them and learned more about how to identify other species and their habitats in addition to the ones she is working with.

“I’m meeting people I wouldn’t have otherwise met,” Metcalf said. “It doesn’t take much to establish a network out here, learning about these niche things. It’s all intertwined, and it’s so beautiful.”

Artist-in-residence Juliette Lee recently had a show of her work in Denver and shared these thoughts about her time at Cedar Point: I greatly benefited from my artist residency at Cedar Point to continue my exploration of grasslands and their possible futures. My work inquires into human displacements and our relationship to the environment, often through themes of resilience and disaster. I happened to be visiting during an extensive wildflower bloom, which led me to take quite a bit of video footage. Much of that footage became the basis for a new installation video piece that I exhibited at the Denver Art Museum. This installation explored the immense diversity of grasslands, our participation in their evolution, and what the desert dreams about. My figure, referencing a Korean salp'uri dancer, gestures at calamity AND the potential for healing. Salp'uri is a traditional cultural dance form for bringing cleansing and healing to the community. You can learn about my installation, writing, and video work at silent broadcast.com.