Eli surfing

Eli Bieri is a biology/ecology major from Grand Rapids, Michigan who will be graduating in August 2021. 

I chose to come to Northern because of the abundance of public land around campus and all of the opportunities to explore the U.P. 

As a kid, I spent summers wading through swamps and lakes in search of frogs, snakes, and turtles. When I realized how many species of amphibians are threatened with extinction, I decided to begin a career in amphibian conservation. The biology program at NMU has given me a great foundation to achieve that goal. 

In the spring of 2019, Dr. Jill Leonard and I lead a study to quantify roadkill during the breeding migration of blue spotted salamanders at Presque Isle Park. We discovered that well over 400 salamanders were hit by cars, representing 10-20% of the migrating population. I teamed up with the Superior Watershed Partnership and petitioned the City of Marquette to close the stretch of Peter White Drive where the salamanders were crossing. The past two years, the road has been closed, and seeing salamanders safely cross the road has been so rewarding.

Surfing on Lake Superior has been the most meaningful experience during my time at Northern. Immersing yourself in Lake Superior through every season feels like an intimate way to connect with the Lake. It gives me a chance to clear my mind while having fun with my buddies. 

 

“be Northern means never passing up an opportunity to get outside and play with your friends. 

I plan to start a Master’s program with a focus on amphibian conservation research. I hope to study frogs in Australia and the neotropics throughout my career.

In the spring of 2019, Dr. Jill Leonard and I lead a study to quantify roadkill during the breeding migration of blue-spotted salamanders at Presque Isle Park. We discovered that well over 400 salamanders were hit by cars, representing 10-20% of the migrating population. I teamed up with the Superior Watershed Partnership and petitioned the City of Marquette to close the stretch of Peter White Drive where the salamanders were crossing. In April of the last two years, the road has been closed, and seeing salamanders safely cross the road has been rewarding (despite the fact that we can’t always drive to the local surf spot at Presque). I hope future students continue to study this incredible system, especially because we know this population of salamanders has unique genetic variants that deserve our attention.