Significant Number of Specimens Identified Through the Franzen Biodiversity Fellowship at Wolter Woods and Prairies

SHERRILL, Iowa - Environmental science major Tatum Levendahl has systematically surveyed a variety of fungi, arthropods, plants, and more at the University of Dubuque's Wolter Woods and Prairies Environmental Stewardship and Retreat Center.

"One of the most exciting organisms to add to the collection was the Asiatic Dayflower. The bloom only lasts for one day, so I was really lucky to run into it when I did," she said. "I also love to find parasitic insects. They're so interesting to learn about, and it almost feels like I'm uncovering a mystery when trying to identify them."

Levendahl, a junior from Saint Joseph, Missouri, was the first student-researcher selected to participate in the Franzen Biodiversity Fellowship at Wolter Woods and Prairies. She learned about field research and conducted surveys as well as collected, prepared, and cataloged specimens over the summer.

"I had a lot of fun learning and finding species that we did not have on record yet, and I gained a deeper understanding of the relationships between them all," Levendahl said. "When searching for plant specimens, I made sure to pay attention to what is flowering. I'm familiar with a lot of species out on the property already, so when something different shows up, I usually notice. I've also learned about hotspots for some organisms. I started to check dead logs for fungi and often visited the prairies for arthropod collecting."

David Koch, PhD, assistant director of Wolter Woods and Prairies, curator of the Wolter Woods and Prairies Herbarium Collection, and associate professor of environmental science, was impressed by Levendahl's observational skills.

"Tatum located rare and hard-to-find specimens for the herbarium collection," Koch said. "In the third year of the herbarium collection project, Tatum has accounted for around 20 percent of the collection's total species count at a time when finding new species should be difficult."

Moving forward, there is still work to be done. Levendahl continues to organize her collection and will add new specimens as the academic year progresses. She will wrap up her experience with the Franzen Biodiversity Fellowship in April when she presents her findings in a poster at the annual meeting of the Mississippi River Research Consortium in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

"A life lesson I've learned through this fellowship is to be okay with the progress you make each day," Levendahl said. "I struggled at first accepting that some days felt more productive than others. I often had to change my plans to get other tasks done, or things would not go to plan at all. Learning this has better shaped my understanding of science, though. There are often many bumps in the road, and your end product is not always what you expect it to be. Even when things do not go as planned, you can still be satisfied with your work and the things you learned along the way."

The Franzen Biodiversity Fellowship at Wolter Woods and Prairies is sponsored by Pat (Wild) Franzen (C'68) and Dick Franzen (C'67) - a couple with a deep appreciation for nature.

"My love of nature began as a child growing up in the Northwoods of Wisconsin," said Pat Franzen. "My father was a Presbyterian pastor in Superior. We had little discretionary income, so we spent considerable time at a humble cabin at nearby Lake Nebagamon. My father and I spent our time fishing, hiking, and just enjoying the beauty of God's natural world."

A biology and English major, Pat Franzen became a science teacher and later a curriculum developer after she graduated from UD. She worked as a freelance life science curriculum developer and course instructor with Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in the late 1980s, serving in that capacity for over 35 years. Their first course was Particles and Prairies, followed by Energy and Ecosystems. The courses were held onsite in the over 900 acres of woodlands, wetlands, and prairies where Pat Franzen would teach teachers to how to best utilize the programs for their schools.

"The best times were always with students - young and older," Pat Franzen said. "Watching their faces light up as we observed insects, pond critters, and the great diversity of the prairie instilled in me the compulsion to perpetuate this passion. What better way to help ensure that the future will be bright for our natural world than to empower our young people to dive deeper."

Over the summer, Pat and Dick Franzen visited with Levendahl at Wolter Woods and Prairies where they saw first-hand the young Spartan's passion for nature.

"When I met Tatum last summer and saw her glow as she described her studies, I knew UD made a great choice in selecting her for this internship," Pat Franzen said. "Tatum exemplifies the drive and determination so critical with biological field studies. It is hard work! Tedious at times and certainly not always comfortable in the elements nature can dish out. Yet, Tatum persevered and made some fascinating observations. We reconnected at Homecoming and I have every confidence that she will transfer her passion into the world after graduation."

The Franzen Biodiversity Fellowship at Wolter Woods and Prairies has been extremely valuable and successful in its first year already, according to Gerald Zuercher, PhD, director of Wolter Woods and Prairies.

"The identified biodiversity of targeted groups of organisms will feed into our understanding of the larger ecology of the property and guide our management decision-making processes," he said. "Tatum has done exceptional work finding and identifying fungi and arthropods, two ecologically significant groups of organisms for which we previously had very little information at the property. In addition, she has added a significant number of specimens, including new species, to the Wolter Woods and Prairies Herbarium Collection. I could not have designed a better first year for this internship."