Dr. Mike Booth

A composite image of me from the red carpet at the Hoppers premiere with the Hoppers logo and several hoppers characters.

After about 5 years (!) of keeping secrets, I am so excited that Disney Pixar's Hoppers is finally coming out on March 6th!

Back in 2021, Pixar emailed me asking if I could give a talk about my research to their employees. Then another talk. And another.

📸 Disney/Jesse Grant/Getty Images

Cool talk and visuals, and grateful that your post here let me know in time to attend (and incidentally solved the mystery of the garwin license plate)!

Illustration of a lake below the surface, including plants, fish, and invertebrates. In the distance, three people are depicted jumping into the lake off of a floating platform. Text reads, "Dive into lake learning. introduction to lakes. 6 week online course starts in January. canr.msu.edu/lakesonline", and includes the Michigan State University Extension logo.

The deadline is fast approaching to sign up for our online Introduction to Lakes course. January 27 at 5 pm is when the boat leaves the dock! We hope you can join us, and help us spread the word.

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periodic reminder of the existence of Atkinson Hyperlegible, a free font available from the Braille Institute designed to improve readability for people with low vision

I use it in talks because it's pretty and also because, as an audience member, I am perpetually squinting at people's slides

Not all who meander are lost: migrating sea lamprey follow river thalwegs to facilitate safe and efficient passage upstream Highlighted Article: Migrating sea lamprey appear to use a novel mechanism, hydrostatic pressure-guided rheotaxis, to follow river thalwegs and achieve safe and efficient upstream passage through shal...

We are currently accepting applications for a Ph.D. student to start in 2026. If you find this paper interesting (journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...), come help us take the next step! Application information can be found here: www.wagnerlabmsu.com/lab-info.html.

Prairie above, forest below: Tawas Lake is home to Michigan’s largest wild rice bed Tawas Lake is known for fishing, birdwatching, and its aquatic biodiversity.

Jeremy Hartsock and Erick Elgin from our team recently co-led an educational event on Tawas Lake, highlighting the extraordinary biological richness of this shallow lake. Along with rare birds and diverse wildlife, the lake is home to our largest bed of wild rice.

www.mlive.com/environment/...

Our #paddlefish and #native #nongame technician job is NOW OPEN! Please share widely.
Taking apps until 9/7
www.wildlifedepartment.com/about/career...

First one is definitely a freshwater drum. I'd guess smallmouth bass as the second, but not a lot of features to go on.

The Zotero browser plugins + its integration with RStudio & Quarto is game changing quarto.org/docs/get-sta...

Join the Michigan Chapter of the American Fisheries Society for $10 to save $25 on registration: michigan.fisheries.org/about/join-u...

Learn the basics of aquatic vegetation ecology and identification in this 1-day workshop held on the campus of Michigan State University, instructed by Jeremy Hartsock, Erick Elgin (Michigan State University Extension), and Billy Keiper (Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy). Participants will learn to identify submerged and floating vegetation common to lakes throughout Michigan. Special emphasis will be placed on vegetation types relevant to lake management, including invasive species. Hands-on identification practice will be made possible through the use of freshly collected specimens. Pizza lunch will be provided, and you will receive a copy of Aquatic Plants of the Upper Midwest by Paul Skawinski.

For more information visit https://shorturl.at/QXZ8k Registration for lodging can be made at https://shorturl.at/FzlyT Cost: $20 for students, $75 for MIAFS members, $100 for non members

There are still spaces available in this Aquatic Plant Identification workshop on August 13 at Michigan State University! Register at docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Learn aquatic plants of Michigan from some of our best!

Come join the MU Limnology Lab as the new field manager! To apply for this position, please visit the MU web site at hrs.missouri.edu/find-a-job/s... and look for job opening ID 56749.

Extensive multi-species hybridization between Leuciscidae minnow species Anthropogenic disturbances can disrupt ecosystems and alter species population dynamics. Interspecific hybridization is common between genetically related organisms, especially once reproductive barri...

I'm thrilled to share more cool fish genetics, led by former MSc student Amanda Meuser, and with former student Amy Pitura and collaborator @erynmcfarlane.bsky.social. This one is about minnow hybrids!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

A hand holds a spiral-bound booklet entitled, "Aquatic invasive plants: A field guide for Michigan lakes, streams, and ponds", published by Michigan State University Extension. An illustration of Eurasian watermilfoil decorates the cover.

Our new field guide just arrived from the printer! So happy. Can't wait it to get it into people's hands!

(If you just can't wait to see what's inside, it's already available online: www.canr.msu.edu/resources/aq...)

#MacrophyteMonday

United States of Fish Impress your friends and family at your next cookout with facts about the officially-designated state/province fish of Canada and the U.S.

Be the coolest catfish at the cookout this weekend by sharing esoteric fish facts with your friends and family - a throwback to my Fisheries Blog post about official state (and provincial) fishes thefisheriesblog.com/2022/07/04/u...

Two smiling men on a boat holding a rake overflowing with invasive Eurasian watermilfoil.

You know that invasive plants are bad for our lakes. But do you know how to identify them? Do you know there's a Michigan program where you can learn to identify them, how to find them, and how to report them? It's the Exotic Aquatic Plant Watch! #MacrophyteMonday

www.micorps.net/wp-content/u...

a dragonfly perched on a hand wearing pink nailpolish

Do you fish in freshwater? Please share or/and complete our survey gathering data on observations of insects for our study on aquatic insect population declines! The link to our survey is here: www.surveymonkey.com/r/VXLMY89. Please share if you know anyone who might be interested in participating!

Hey Michiganders! Want to REALLY get to know your aquatic plants? Join two of my favorite macrophyte maniacs for this workshop, hosted by the Michigan Chapter of the American Fisheries Society! #MacrophyteMonday

Does anyone know if a DIDSON cable can work with an ARIS?

Wrapping up your PhD? I’m planning to hire a postdoc in the next few months (start date flexible). Will start formally advertising soon, but you heard it here first!! Possible research topics include - critical zone hydrology, agricultural water quality, SW-GW interactions. Reach out if interested!

A little tetra fish painting to brighten your Friday!

#teamfish #sciart

Check it - A Tomelleri & Troll Fish show is being held at Volland, A Place for Art & Community in the heart of the beautiful Flint Hills in Kansas. Show is part of an event called Fish Wizards: vollandfoundation.org/fish-wizards-2… There are still tickets for Sunday's fish expedition at the creek.

This is so awesome, I'm tempted to drive to KS for it!

Promotional graphic for the MiCorps AIS Detection Blitz. Text reads: Your Photos Can Help Track Michigan’s Aquatic Invaders! Heading out on the water during the July 4th holiday week? Keep your phone handy! From June 28 - July 6, the Michigan Clean Water Corps (MiCorps), a statewide community science network that tracks what's happening beneath the surface of Michigan’s lakes and rivers, is hosting an Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Detection Blitz. Ever heard of a detection blitz? Think of it as a community-wide treasure hunt, except you're spotting aquatic invasive species! It's easy to help - if you see an unfamiliar aquatic plant, a strange critter, or even something you have heard about (like zebra mussels or Eurasian watermilfoil), snap a quick photo using the free iNaturalist app. Your photos turn everyday nature observations into valuable scientific data, helping scientists and natural resource managers quickly identify and track potential threats in our waters. How to Participate: Download the free iNaturalist app and create an account. Join the "MiCorps AIS Detection Blitz" project in the app. Snap and upload your photos anytime during the event dates- no special ID skills needed! Let's see what we can discover together!

Sign up now to be part of our Michigan-wide Aquatic Invasive Species bioblitz! Help build the biggest-ever snapshot of invasions statewide to support research and management.
www.micorps.net/events/micor...

Such a cool and impactful program - our unit in Michigan was just opened at the request of the state in 2023 to help them address pressing state and regional fisheries and wildlife issues!

A drawing of a branching green plant-like macroalga (large algae).

Do you know this freshwater species?

#MacrophyteMonday

We just used a cheap usb-c powered monitor connected to the laptop. Price was right and pretty foolproof.

Three volunteers conduct macroinvertebrate stream sampling in 2023.

Want to learn more about a nearby stream or river? Do you care about how clean the waters around you are? Do you like bugs?

If you're in Michigan, check out these opportunities to join a volunteer stream monitoring event near you!

www.michigan.gov/egle/newsroo...

@tkingfisher.com seems up your alley!