Scientific Research in Michigan Do you want to partner with the Conservancy to do research on our preserves? If you are a professor or student at an academic institution and would like to help The Nature Conservancy discover answers to Conservation Science research questions, please fill out a research application. Maulik Vaishnav went to our Zetterberg Preserve at Point Betsie to learn about GPS data collection, but came away with a greater appreciation for the Great Lakes. Maulik Vaishnav at the Zetterberg Preserve at Point Betsie with Professor Sarah Emery and the baby's breath crew.

Maulik Vaishnav joined The Nature Conservancy's office in Michigan as part of the Science Intern Program for the summer. An international student from Bhuj, India, he graduated from Lake Forest College, IL in May 2008, majoring in Mathematics and Comparative Urban Studies. This fall, he will begin  working towards his Master’s degree in Urban Planning at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. To further his interest in Geographic Informational Systems (GIS), he recently returned from a week-long field experience working on GPS data collection at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

By Maulik Vaishnav
Summer Science Intern, The Nature Conservancy

International Student Learns About Lake Michigan Dunes

Zetterberg Preserve at Point Betsie, 2008

Though I have lived for the past four years on the other side of Lake Michigan, I was stunned to see the expanse of the lake and the ocean-like beaches that wash the shore of northern Lower Michigan. It is fascinating to imagine how years of wind blowing over the lake have created sand mountains that drop down more than 500 feet to the shores! Coming from a semi-arid coastal area of Bhuj, Gujarat in western India, I am familiar with ocean sand and beaches. But, proximity between the stunningly high dunes, hardwood forests and beautiful inland water bodies like the Crystal Lake was definitely a new and wonderful experience.

My goals for the summer internship with The Nature Conservancy included learning more about GIS-GPS interface. While I spent most of my time working on updating the Conservation and Recreational Lands (CARL) GIS database, my supervisor Director of  Science Dr. Patrick Doran, planned a great on-the-field experience for me. He has partnered with Professor Sarah Emery of University of Louisville to conduct field research on the dunes. In mid-July, I joined her and her research group of three students to help them with fieldwork while collecting GPS data points for fifteen plots in different sites along the Lakeshore.

Many parts of the National Lakeshore and Nature Conservancy properties are invaded by Gypsophila Paniculata (commonly known as baby’s breath), a flowering plant with a harmless look, which has a commercial value for its use in decorating bouquets. Threatening to active dunes, baby’s breath has strong tap roots that reach deep into  the dune soil for water, and as more plants take over the sand, they begin to stabilize the system. Many volunteers for the National Lakeshore and The Nature Conservancy follow a tedious procedure of chopping the tap roots of the plants as a removal mechanism. To avoid the plant from re-sprouting, the tap root has to be cut deep into the soil.

Professor Emery is monitoring the effects of this work, while also researching into other effective methods of removal. Moreover, she is also studying the negative effects of invasion of baby’s breath on the survival of an endangered native species, Pitcher’s thistle. I am glad to see that many people like Professor Emery and my supervisor, and organizations like The Nature Conservancy are working to protect this diverse and important place in Michigan. I hope their work will bring awareness and people will not be fooled by the looks of baby’s breath!

You can help protect Lake Michigan dunes! Volunteer for a stewardship workday at The Nature Conservancy's Zetterberg Preserve at Point Betsie. For more information on how The Nature Conservancy is working to control invasive species like baby's breath, please see the 2007 Lake Michigan Dune Restoration Report.

Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Maulik Vaishnav (Maulik Vaishnav); Photo © Sarah Emery (baby's breath crew).