Video series: Changes and Choices in the Yahara

Lakes, Cheese, and You: A visual essay 
November 7, 2017
This visual essay shows how our food choices matter in supporting healthy farms, soils and lakes in Wisconsin.
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Views about water policies reflect beliefs about government 
July 6, 2017
A survey of 1100 Dane County residents sheds light on what types of policies they supportand the factors driving that support.
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Government transparency limited when it comes to America's conserved private lands
May 25, 2017
Information about conserved private land can sometimes be inaccessible due to limited capacity within some federal agencies and law prohibiting data disclosure, study finds.
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Study quantifies role of 'legacy phosphorus' in reduced water quality
March 14, 2017
Information about conserved private land can sometimes be inaccessible due to limited capacity within some federal agencies and law prohibiting data disclosure, study finds.
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Here's more reason to green our cities
February 6, 2017
More green space could help urban plants cope better with the urban heat island and a warming climate.
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Climate change is happening in Wisconsin
January 13, 2017
The real debate is what we do about it. Now is the time to discuss and implement solutions. Read our statement on the science.
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Hope for improving the clarity of Wisconsin's lakes
November 30, 2016
Study shows a quarter of Wisconsin's lakes are getting murkier, but limiting farmland in riparian areas will help to improve water clarity.
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Discussion guides facilitate future thinking
October 26, 2016
Organize a Yahara 2070 discussion group to discuss and work towards desirable futures for water and people.
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Two schools of thought are better than one
October 12, 2016
Interdisciplinary research can reap solutions for water sustainability, as demonstrated by new WSC study.
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Invasive jumping worms could change forests
September 8, 2016
Their voracious appetites could strip forest floor and flood soil with nutrients, according to new WSC study.
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WSC research stars in public television documentary
August 22, 2016
Born of a partnership between WSC and Wisconsin Public Television, the show debuts September 1st at 7:30pm on WPT.
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Spring comes sooner to urban heat islands
May 25, 2016
Green space provided by urban parks can serve as "cool island" refuges for wildlife, showing fine-scale decisions will matter under a warming climate.
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Announcing winner and runner up of the Our Waters, Our Future writing contest
March 22, 2016
A story about a young woman learning to manage a hops farm under a warmer climate is the winner. It appears in Madison Magazine's June 2016 issue.
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Grassland biofuels a win-win for people and birds
February 10, 2016
Switching marginal farmland to grassland biofuel crops could provide many natural benefits, says WSC-supported study.
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Small landscape changes can mean big freshwater gains
November 17, 2015
Adjusting the size and type of land-cover patches can bring about improvements in water quality and supply, says new WSC study.
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Our Waters, Our Future Writing Contest
November 10, 2015
What's your vision of a positive future for water and people in south-central Wisconsin?
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How to simulate the future of a watershed
November 4, 2015
An introduction to WSC's ecosystem models and one of the people behind them.
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Heat waves hit heat islands hardest
September 28, 2015
Cities will be especially vulnerable as the planet warms under climate change.
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When a high water table isn't a bad thing
August 31, 2015
Study shows cases when it can benefit crop yields and help meet global food demands.
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Wisconsin's phosphorus legacy and the long road ahead
August 19, 2015
WSC and Center for Limnology partner on an exhibit at Wisconsin Farm Technology Days, Aug. 25-27.
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Challenges to cleaning up the Madison lakes
April 23, 2015
Study shows unaccounted-for changes in land use, climate and agriculture are undermining efforts.
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A 'safe operating space' for Wisconsin's lakes
March 20, 2015
New study sheds light on need for stronger management to boost lakes' resilience to climate change.
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Policy maps may help efforts to clean up the Yahara lakes
February 25, 2015
New WSC study shows where policies are applied in the watershed.
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Humanity crosses 4 of 9 planetary boundaries
January 15, 2015
Civilization has crossed four of nine “planetary boundaries” due to human activity. WSC PI Steve Carpenter led research indicating we've crossed phosphorus cycle boundaries.
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Making sense of urban heat island: It's about the plants
October 22, 2014
A new study by WSC scientists sheds light on why there are seasonal differences in the urban heat island effect. Their study has implications for health, resource consumption and quality of life.
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Blame the bursts of phosphorus
August 25, 2014
WSC researchers have discovered that big bursts of phosphorus account for most of our water quality problems, a finding that has significant implications for efforts to clean up the Yahara lakes.
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A shock to the system: the Asian crazy worm
July 25, 2014
WSC scientists are exploring the effects of a new invasive worm.
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Yahara 2070 scenarios now online
May 14, 2014
On May 14, 2014, WSC unveiled the Yahara 2070 scenarios to an audience of over 200 people at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery.
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Good news and bad news for reducing phosphorus in the lakes
January 15, 2014
When it comes to reducing phosphorus in the Yahara lakes, there is good news and bad news, according to two recent papers co-authored by WSC PI Steve Carpenter and Richard Lathrop from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
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Tradeoffs and win-wins in ecosystem services
July 1, 2013
When it comes to maintaining the many benefits, or ecosystem services, that nature provides for us, there are both tradeoffs and win-win situations.
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For crops, shallow groundwater can be a boon or a bane
June 1, 2013
Shallow groundwater levels, or where the water table is close to the earth’s surface, can be beneficial or detrimental to crops, depending on the weather conditions of a growing season and the texture of a field's soil.
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