Introduced

Episode 24: When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade; when life gives you carp, you make carp leather pants! Meet Kim Boustead, who turns invasive species into art. From buckthorn ink to fish leather, Kim shares her journey of transforming unwanted materials into useful creations.

Episode 23: What happens when we look at invasive species through the lens of art? In this episode, Jenna takes us to an immersive art exhibit that reimagines Lake Michigan’s invasive species challenges in a surreal, sci-fi-inspired world.

Episode 22: When starry stonewort was first discovered in a Wisconsin lake, alarm set in—officials scrambled, residents feared the worst, and drastic measures were taken. But ten years later, an unexpected truth has emerged: sometimes, the best response to an invasive species is to do less, not more. In this episode, we unravel the science…

Bonus Episode: Today, we’re airing a bonus episode from Points North, a podcast about the land, water, and inhabitants of the Great Lakes from Interlochen Public Radio.

Episode 21: How can art help communicate invasive species science? Today, we’ll meet an artist on a journey to turn some thrifted fabric into a biocontrol bug that is larger than life!

Episode 20: Introduced is back for Season 3! In this episode, we explore the names we use for invasive species. How do species get their names? And what real-life consequences can these names bring?

Episode 19: On Listening through time, we talk about climate change, which threatens to upend everything Western science understands about native and invasive species.

Episode 18: This week, we dive deep into two news stories that flew under the public’s radar. In the summer of 2020, individuals all over the country started receiving random packages of unsolicited and unidentified seeds. In the spring of 2021, pet stores around the country found that the moss balls on their shelves carried…

Episode 17: On August 27, 2009, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources gets a call about small lobsters crawling around a neighborhood pond in Germantown. The extent of the problem is more than anyone bargained for.

Episode 16: The miniscule Spiny waterflea was introduced into Madison’s Lake Mendota and lurked undetected for years. This hour, Bonnie and Sydney take a new look at a well-studied lake and try to figure out how an introduced species can float below science’s radar for so long.

Episode 15: Wild rice faces challenges like introduced species, pollution, habitat destruction and climate change. We learn how the Sokaogon Chippewa Community cares for this wonderfully resilient being. Opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Sokaogon Chippewa Community Mole Lake Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.

Episode 14: Sydney debriefs Bonnie on what it was like to filet her very first fish, which happened to be a silver carp.

Episode 13: Canines Betty White and Ernie are training to detect the scent of New Zealand Mudsnail, and Sydney goes bow hunting for flying carp. Also, we talk to a group that is trying to make carp burgers the next popular tailgating food.

Episode 12: Pacific salmon were introduced into the Great Lakes to control nuisance alewives. Now, alewives and salmon are both being challenged by a new wave of introduced species.

Episode 11: Even the smallest snails can mean big changes for the region’s lakes and streams. We visit the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, where mystery snails encroach on wild rice, and track the spread of New Zealand mudsnail across Wisconsin trout streams.

Episode 10: Smelting became a beloved tradition after rainbow smelt were introduced into the Great Lakes. How did smelt get introduced, how do they fit into the food web and what happens when humans fall in love with a non-native species?

Episode 9: Who gets to decide where a species belongs? What does it mean for something to be “invasive?” The term “invasive species” is commonly used by researchers and academics. But as the authors of the Dibaginjigaadeg Anishinaabe Ezhitwaad – A Tribal Climate Adaptation Menu developed the indigenous resilience guide, they spent long hours reckoning…

Episode 8: On August 25, 2009, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources gets a call about small lobsters crawling around a neighborhood pond in Germantown. The extent of the problem is more than anyone bargained for. Here’s the story of the first red swamp crayfish introduced into Wisconsin. Thanks to our guests Tim Campbell, Pete…

Episode 7: After a dive into the world of fish collectors and a conversation with a DNR detective, Bonnie and Sydney want to know just how easy it is to buy aquatic invasive species online. Special thanks to our guests Ted Judy, Robert Stroess, Tim Cambell and Erika Jensen.

Episode 6: Bold plans to remove invasive species from Lake Wingra and Crystal Lake lead to some unintended consequences down the line.

Episode 5: How does a group of fish valued in their home range come to be some of America’s most reviled villains? Sydney and Bonnie explore a surprising collaboration between American and Chinese researchers, and see how Ontario is bracing for an Asian Carp introduction.

Episode 4: Wisconsin Sea Grant takes a trip to the world’s largest electric fish dispersal barriers, just south of Chicago. These barriers are sending electricity into the canal for one purpose- to keep Asian Carp from swimming into the Great Lakes.

Episode 3: When a showy, fuchsia plant runs amok in Wisconsin wetlands, researchers send a tiny beetle to the rescue. But the beetle isn’t native here, either. Resources: Identifying Purple Loosestrife Beetle Smorgasbord and other resources for teachers Raising your own beetles

Episode 2: While on a field trip, a UW-Madison class discovers a feral goldfish in a local stream. Their find is only the beginning of Wisconsin’s pet problems.

Episode 1: Bonnie takes a time travel tour of the Great Lakes while Sydney follows scientists on a decades-long quest to decipher a Wisconsin legend.