Following is a list of events currently scheduled at the UW-Madison

When Janet Silbernagel grew up playing along the banks of the Sugar River near the town of Riley, she never imagined she was following in the footsteps of a famous naturalist.

CALS forest ecologists are studying how environmental factors such as forest fires and climate influence carbon levels in the northern hemisphere’s conifer-dominated boreal forests. Their most recent findings, reported in the Nov. 1 issue of the journal Nature, offer insight into the balance of carbon uptake and release that contribute to atmospheric carbon dioxide levels worldwide.

The Aspen Free Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment experiment is a large-scale and long-term environmental study located in the Harshaw Experimental Forest. Twelve conspicuous patches of aspen, birch and maple form a state-of-the-art outdoor laboratory for researchers from around the U.S. and world to study the likely impacts of climate change on northern temperate forests.

Grad students Amber Roth and Ron Hull, who are cataloguing bird species in one of several aspen plots scattered around north central Wisconsin, are just two of dozens of seasonal residents at the Kemp Natural Resources Station in Woodruff, Wis.

At any given spot in Wisconsin, chances are that you’re not far from a lake or a farm, or both – but the combination is not always a harmonious one. The future of both may hinge on proper management of an essential element: phosphorus.

A team of University of Wisconsin-Madison faculty, students and community organizations, however, is out to construct a new reality: green housing that doesn’t require as much up-front expense.

When he was in seventh grade, Mike Hillstrom was happiest when he was playing with bugs. A dozen years later, it’s still true. But now the bugs are a lot bigger and more exotic. And technically, he’s not just playing.

Vegetation plays a lesser role than other factors in how well rain gardens trap storm water runoff.

Students in Rick Chenoweth’s Human Behavior and Environmental Problems course this semester teamed up with the Lake Ripley Management District to create a plan centered on community-based social marketing, an approach to promoting social behaviors that draws heavily on social psychology. CBSM has shown promise in medical campaigns, but its use in advancing environmental goals has outreach professionals around the state taking notice.