To everyone who attended our Annual Summer Fundraiser last week, our 2025 Sponsors, those who donated or purchased a wishlist item & all of our Friends of Lakeside..
THANK YOU!
At events like this, we are reminded of how awesome our supporters are. When we gather as a group of like-minded people, not only is it a good time, but it’s a motivation booster for that mid-summer slump. It makes my job a whole lot easier when everyone in the room understands the importance of environmental education, water quality monitoring, research on pertinent environmental issues, & opportunities for young people to do all three. We are so grateful for the community fostered here at Lakeside, it’s truly a special place.
Lyndy Holdt
Executive Director
NO TUESDAY NIGHT LECTURE OR WILD WEDNESDAY THIS WEEK!
You can still come out and walk the trails, complete the Treasure Hike, or check out the Bug Motel – we’ll see you next week!
The Dickinson Co. Clean Water Alliance is funding soil quality restoration for homeowners to improve the health & aesthetic of their lawn!
100% of funding covered, up to $2,000.
Contact John Wills at john.wills@ia.nacdnet.net or
at 712-336-3782 (ext. 3) for an application or to learn more!
SCIENCE SPOTLIGHT
Pictured below is our Ecology course after getting a sweet treat in Le Mars, our local “Ice Cream Capital of the World!”
Professor, Dr. Brent Mortensen (not pictured) comes to us from Benedictine College in Kansas, where he teaches courses in plant and general biology and continue to study questions related to plant communities, herbivory, and biodiversity in the field, lab, and through computer modeling. Dr. Mortensen completed his PhD in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at Iowa State University, giving him a foundational understanding of Iowa’s own ecology & biomes.
“Taking the ecology class at Lakeside Lab was one of the more intense but rewarding things I’ve done. We spent everyday outside, rain or shine, and learned by doing. It was definitely challenging, but the class dynamic and Lakeside community made it an even better experience. I’ve never learned so much in such a short time.” – Jaden Johnson, Ecology student
The Okoboji Writers’ and Songwriters’ Retreat Returns Again!
The event will take place from September 28th to October 1st, 2025, at the historic Iowa Lakeside Laboratory on the shores of West Lake Okoboji, offering writers and songwriters a unique blend of education, creativity, and community.
Scholarships are also available to assist writers from all backgrounds.
COFFEE & GROUNDS
Join our facilities manager, Matt Fairchild, on Tuesdays at 8:30 AM at the Waitt Lab to help manage our 147 acres of land! Work hard, make friends, & learn about native ecosystems while helping to restore Lakeside to its original prairie & oak savanna landscape. No experience required!
Coffee, snacks, & conversation to take place afterwards, around 9:30-10 AM, on the Waitt Lab deck.
Questions? More information? Call Matt at 712-260-1474
CLAMP
Cooperative Lakes Area Monitoring Project
Summer is almost here and CLAMP will be starting to sample in June!
Since 1999 this citizen science program has relied on the help of volunteers like YOU to collect samples for testing at Iowa Lakeside Laboratory’s water quality lab. This information is used to monitor the health of all the different lakes in the area & to inform decision makers like those at the Department of Natural Resources.
Boat not needed to join!
Contact megan-vigdal@uiowa.edu or ashley-scheve@uiowa.edu for more information!
Looking for a fun way to spend time in nature? Try our Treasure Hike! For all ages. Follow the map around campus to put the pieces together! Maps are available beginning Memorial Day weekend and can be found by the map in the parking lot, or in Waitt Lab.
Iowa Lakeside Laboratory is located on the homelands of several Indigenous nations including the Báxoǰe (Iowa), Umoⁿhoⁿ (Omaha), Póⁿka (Ponca), Dakota/Lakota/Nakoda, and Sahnish/Nuxbaaga/Nuweta (Three Affiliated Tribes) and acknowledges the sovereignty and traditional territories of these people, the treaties that were used to remove them, and the histories of dispossession.
Mitakuye Oyasin – We are all related.
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Friends of Lakeside Lab | 1838 Hwy 86 | Milford, IA 51351 US
