Educational Events

Biodiversity in Freshwater Habitats

In October 2006, the BRWA hosted a public program on “Biodiversity in Freshwater Habitats,” by Dr. Kerry Yurewicz, a biology professor at Plymouth State University. The talk addressed a number of interesting questions, such as: Why do species occur in some habitats but not in others? How do species interact with each other? How does biodiversity change over time, and why? Assessing biological diversity can be used to help evaluate the water quality of lakes and streams. Dr. Yurewicz explained her work on understanding the biodiversity of amphibians and insects ponds in Michigan and Northern Wisconsin and how this type of research might be applied to help understand and protect the Baker River Watershed. The BRWA steering committee has monitored the biodiversity some of the tributaries entering the Baker River and is very interested in applying the work done by Dr. Yurewicz to local waters.