Establishing the nature of environmental change in the St Joseph County Kettle Lakes Corridor.
The St Joseph County Kettle Lakes Corridor (SJCKLC) project is using a combination of remote and local methods to establish the extent of environmental change in kettle aquatic habitats 12 km west of the campus of Notre Dame. Kettle lakes, ponds, and bogs are important ecological features formed by depressions created by melting ice trapped in glacial outwash. These aquatic habitats or kettle holes fill predominantly with groundwater and are found in distinct clusters. Kettle holes are often disconnected hydrologically from other nearby aquatic habitats, and consequently have a unique ecology. Moreover, kettle holes exhibit diverse hydrological conditions, such as varied trophic status and drainage areas, while being important wildlife refuges; kettle holes are especially important rearing habitat for frogs and toads. Kettle holes are also impacted by different components of environmental change including changes in land use and climate, pollution, and introduction of non-native species. Students will develop their own projects to better understand how kettle holes are being impacted, now and in the future, by environmental change.
The intent is to create a diverse, dynamic, and innovative community for undergraduate students to learn about and develop the practice of environmental science. The project is important because information generated by the SJCKLC project will inform management strategies to address environmental change in the region, especially property managed by the Shirley Heinze Land Trust which includes two of our existing study sites, Lydick Bog and Deer Lake.