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    • Buckthorn Project

Introduction

The Cofrin Arboretum provides a natural classroom for UW Green Bay students to experience fieldwork without having to travel long distances. Undergraduate and graduate students gain valuable experience doing the types of tasks they will be expected to perform on the job. Students learn how to use GPS, how to trap animals, collect and identify plants and invertebrates, and set up complicated sampling designs. They learn to remove invasive plants and conduct prairie burns safely. Most of these projects cannot be found in textbooks, instead they are unique projects that contribute to the continuing health and success of the Arboretum. For example, each year students participate in laboratory projects to limit the spread of invasive species like purple loosetrife and Buckthorn and remove Gypsy Moth egg cases while learning about population dynamics, competition, and Conservation Biology. Graduate students do projects in wetland delineation that contribute to the restoration of the wetlands and preservation of salamander populations on campus.

Biodiversity Workshops

The Cofrin Center for Biodiversity at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay announces the first of an ongoing series of workshops as part of our mission to promote biodiversity protection through education and scientific research. Biodiversity staff and UW-Green Bay faculty will present the Saturday morning workshops free of charge for anyone interested in learning more about our environment. Each workshop is limited to 15 participants in order to provide a quality experience for those attending. Participants of all ages are welcome, but be aware that these workshops will go beyond an elementary introduction. Educators, students, and others with a keen interest in nature will find these workshops most rewarding. Past workshops have included dragonflies, fossils, butterflies, spiders, wildflowers,

All workshops will meet on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Center for Biodiversity headquarters in Mary Ann Cofrin Hall, Suite 212. Click here for details about each session.

Cofrin Research Grants and Symposium

Thanks to a generous endowment from the family of Dr. David Cofrin and the late John Cofrin, annual awards are awarded for student research on the Cofrin Arboretum and UW-Green Bay natural areas. Students carry out a field project in collaboration with a UW-Green Bay faculty member and will present results in at our annual research symposium. The grants are competitive and must contribute to improving our understanding of ecology on one or more of the UW Green Bay Natural Areas. Since it was founded in 1989 this program has supported 77 graduate and undergraduate researchers at UW-Green Bay.

Ecolunch: Fridays at Noon in the Biodiversity Conference Room

Spring 2005 topic is Evolutionary Ecology and Dr. Draney is the moderator. We will be reading a variety of papers chosen by participating students and faculty.

Ecolunch is a long-standing tradition among ecology faculty and students at UWGB. Each Friday faculty, local community scientists, and students get together for an informal brown-bag discussion of selected topics in ecology. Each semester there is usually a theme to organize the discussions. The schedule varies from discussions of the latest research papers and new books to presentations by students about their research plans and findings. Ecolunch provides a unique opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to gain valuable skills in discussion and evaluation of current research. It also allows students to bounce ideas off their colleagues to help them conduct more successful research projects. All undergraduate and graduate students with an interest in ecology nd biodiversity are welcome to attend.

Graduate students can take Ecolunch for credit by enrolling in ENV S&P 715: Seminar in Ecology and Evolution. This course can be repeated and instructors vary. Every spring graduate students from ES&P invite a speaker from outside the university to more closely investigate that semester's theme. This semester students invited Dr. John Bell who will speak at ecolunch and in a seminar at 2 pm that is open to the public (see schedule above).

Educator Links

An online resource of biodiversity related links for K-12 teachers. Updated quarterly.

Speakers and Seminars

We are pleased to be able to present speakers throughout the year. Speakers are invited by faculty and students in NAS, Human Biology, and by student groups like PEAC and Round River, The Cofrin Center for Biodiversity, the departments of Natural and Applied Sciences and Human Biology, and UW Green Bay. The university, student groups, departments, and NAS Plant Sale act as sponsors.

Biodiversity Topics: Introduction . Plants . Animals . Mammals . Birds . Reptiles & Amphibians . Arthropods . Spiders . Insects

© 2001-2004 The Cofrin Center for Biodiversity and the University of Wisconsin Green Bay, All Rights Reserved
Last updated on January 12, 2006