Lunch with a Scientist is an ongoing monthly lecture series at Cedar Creek. Each month, scientists present a general-audience lecture about their work at or related to Cedar Creek and take questions from the audience.

The series has been running since January 2019 as an in-person program. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was shifted online in April 2020, from which point recordings are available. Programs take place on the second Tuesday of each month (11:30am central time), either in-person at Cedar Creek, via zoom, or both. Details about speakers and delivery mode are at cedarcreek.umn.edu/lwas

April was a hybrid program given by Dr. Amy Kendig, biometrician and wetland research scientist for the Minnesota Biological Survey at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Minnesota is home to millions of acres of wetlands that provide critical habitat and services. However, we have lost almost half of our historic wetlands, and our existing wetlands experience ongoing threats. The Minnesota Wetland Conservation Act was created in 1991 to help protect the quantity, quality, and biodiversity of Minnesota’s wetlands. At the Department of Natural Resources, scientists like Dr. Kendig monitor wetland quantity and hydrology to evaluate the state’s wetland extent, and to identify potential drivers of wetland loss. This year, she established a new station in our wetland hydrology monitoring network at Cedar Creek and discussed her work onsite.