Earthworm events in MN    Lee E. Frelich
   May 10, 2006 08:03 PDT 

ENTS:

This is a big week as my graduate student Andy Holdsworth successfully
defended his Ph.D. Thesis: 'Earthworm Invasion: Patterns, Ecological
Effects, and Implications for Conservation in Northern Hardwood Forests',
complete with public seminar, private exam with the faculty committee, and
following party on Monday.

Several visitors have been here for the occasion including Andy's family,
who have been busy going to concerts and comparing the MN Orchestra to the
renowned orchestras of their home towns, Cleveland and Philadelphia, and
world renowned earthworm expert Paul Hendrix from the University of
Georgia. Dr. Hendrix is following European earthworm invasions, and now
Asian earthworm invasions on top of those in the GSMNP. Needless to say,
big changes are coming to the park as these worms eat their way through,
just like the changes we are now observing in the Porkies, Boundary Waters,
Berkshires, and other areas we thought were relatively safe.

...Pretty soon it will be time to select a new graduate student to carry on
the earthworm invasion research.

Lee