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Docherty Lab
microbial ecology

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Latest news is posted via the lab Instagram account:

@docherty_microecolab

Read this article. New funding freezes are leaving farmers with EQIP and other USDA funding holding the bag for practices they already started implementing. How is that making America great? (It's not.)

https://sustainableagriculture.net/blog/release-unlawful-federal-funding-freeze-causing-confusion-and-harm-on-farms-and-in-communities-nationwide/?fbclid=IwY2xjawIXI31leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHUAQeTnMt5hPZjnLrqkzhbsADQ38HjzBlR5CNWj1Uh0vw31svBX4bPgjyg_aem_t8p42IWb45xXDvbG9JpEBQ

Read this article. New funding freezes are leaving farmers with EQIP and other USDA funding holding the bag for practices they already started implementing. How is that making America great? (It's not.)

https://sustainableagriculture.net/blog/release-unlawful-federal-funding-freeze-causing-confusion-and-harm-on-farms-and-in-communities-nationwide/?fbclid=IwY2xjawIXI31leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHUAQeTnMt5hPZjnLrqkzhbsADQ38HjzBlR5CNWj1Uh0vw31svBX4bPgjyg_aem_t8p42IWb45xXDvbG9JpEBQ

Learned so much at the @ottawacountymi Conservation District Cultivating Resilience event today. Big thanks to Kyle Mitchell, Mike Zenk and Mike Bronkema for being on our farmer panel to talk about their experiences with prairie strips! #kbslter #mistrips #cultivatingresilience #usdasare

Learned so much at the @ottawacountymi Conservation District Cultivating Resilience event today. Big thanks to Kyle Mitchell, Mike Zenk and Mike Bronkema for being on our farmer panel to talk about their experiences with prairie strips! #kbslter #mistrips #cultivatingresilience #usdasare

US veterans are a big part of DEI initiatives and training. I support US military personnel being treated with fairness and respect and having opportunities to pursue higher education after they serve. If you voted for him then you stand against those who served in our military.

US veterans are a big part of DEI initiatives and training. I support US military personnel being treated with fairness and respect and having opportunities to pursue higher education after they serve. If you voted for him then you stand against those who served in our military.

Looking forward to both of these conservation district events on Feb 6! Kathryn and @dizylizie33 are excited to be facilitating a farmer panel conversation about prairie strips and #mistrips at the Ottawa Conservation District Cultivating Resilience event.

Looking forward to both of these conservation district events on Feb 6! Kathryn and @dizylizie33 are excited to be facilitating a farmer panel conversation about prairie strips and #mistrips at the Ottawa Conservation District Cultivating Resilience event.

Here's advice from the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) Union for what to do if ICE or police officers come into your college/university classroom or research area. #aaup

Good rule: - if a door is locked then it is a private space. Keep the lab door locked and don't let officers in without talking to the relevant campus administration first. For my lab, if an officer comes to our lab or Haenicke Hall, contact me by cell phone immediately.

Here's advice from the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) Union for what to do if ICE or police officers come into your college/university classroom or research area. #aaup

Good rule: - if a door is locked then it is a private space. Keep the lab door locked and don't let officers in without talking to the relevant campus administration first. For my lab, if an officer comes to our lab or Haenicke Hall, contact me by cell phone immediately.

Rep Bill Huizenga-Phone: (202) 225-4401
Senator Gary Peters-(202) 224-6221
Senator Elisa Slotkin-(202) 224-4822

Stop Freeze of Federal Funds
On January 27, the Trump administration released a memorandum directing all federal departments and agencies, including HUD, to temporarily freeze all federal financial assistance programs and supporting activities. The order applies to all congressionally approved federal grants and loans, and excludes all assistance received directly by individuals. The freeze goes into effect January 28, 2025 at 5:00pm. While the memorandum suggests that the freeze is temporary, it is unclear when and whether the Trump administration will release these funds.
This wide-ranging order could be used to deny states and communities key federal resources used to ensure our communities thrive, including:
Rental assistance
Building and preserving affordable rental homes
Public housing and homes for older adults and people with disabilities
Addressing and preventing homelessness
Revitalizing neighborhoods, promoting economic development, and improving community facilities
Investigating and enforcing fair housing and civil rights laws
Rebuilding after major disasters and mitigating future harm
Access to heat in winter
Downpayment assistance to new homebuyers
The longer the freeze continues, the greater the risk that low-income households receiving federal rental assistance could face eviction, and in worst cases, homelessness, homeless shelters may be forced to close their doors, and nonprofit organizations may have to lay off staff.

When faced with a voicemail opportunity, use Heidi’s talking points
1) Publicly call out the illegal actions Trump is taking through the executive orders, firings and other steps.
2) Call out the OMB memo pausing all federal funding explicitly and take whatever moves are possible against it. (adding — should have asked the senators to freeze the nominations until Trump rescinds the OMB freeze order)
3) Consider articles of impeachment based on these illegal actions (for the representative, as the House is where impeachment starts).

Rep Bill Huizenga-Phone: (202) 225-4401
Senator Gary Peters-(202) 224-6221
Senator Elisa Slotkin-(202) 224-4822

Stop Freeze of Federal Funds
On January 27, the Trump administration released a memorandum directing all federal departments and agencies, including HUD, to temporarily freeze all federal financial assistance programs and supporting activities. The order applies to all congressionally approved federal grants and loans, and excludes all assistance received directly by individuals. The freeze goes into effect January 28, 2025 at 5:00pm. While the memorandum suggests that the freeze is temporary, it is unclear when and whether the Trump administration will release these funds.
This wide-ranging order could be used to deny states and communities key federal resources used to ensure our communities thrive, including:
Rental assistance
Building and preserving affordable rental homes
Public housing and homes for older adults and people with disabilities
Addressing and preventing homelessness
Revitalizing neighborhoods, promoting economic development, and improving community facilities
Investigating and enforcing fair housing and civil rights laws
Rebuilding after major disasters and mitigating future harm
Access to heat in winter
Downpayment assistance to new homebuyers
The longer the freeze continues, the greater the risk that low-income households receiving federal rental assistance could face eviction, and in worst cases, homelessness, homeless shelters may be forced to close their doors, and nonprofit organizations may have to lay off staff.

When faced with a voicemail opportunity, use Heidi’s talking points
1) Publicly call out the illegal actions Trump is taking through the executive orders, firings and other steps.
2) Call out the OMB memo pausing all federal funding explicitly and take whatever moves are possible against it. (adding — should have asked the senators to freeze the nominations until Trump rescinds the OMB freeze order)
3) Consider articles of impeachment based on these illegal actions (for the representative, as the House is where impeachment starts).

1) It is extremely difficult for scientists to get federal funding to support research. It is a huge time and energy commitment to write a grant proposal. It involves building a network of collaborations, developing a detailed budget and obtaining price quotes and planning out the intricacies of a project that will last anywhere from 1-5 years. The proposed project must be scientifically sound, while also cutting-edge, often being justified by advancing our scientific knowledge in areas that will be used to write a new chapter in your field. The lead scientists on the projects often only have the ability to put in a few weeks of salary for themselves, despite putting in 1-5 years of work, and specifically 3-4 months of unpaid work in the summer to see the project through. A majority of the funding from a federal grant goes to the scientist’s institution, to help pay for the infrastructure that allows us to do our research (lab space, building maintenance, etc.). These are called “indirect costs”. Of the money that goes to support the actual research (i.e. the “direct costs”) the majority of that typically goes to pay personnel and students a livable wage, while also providing them training for their future careers. Typically young people depend on these types of federal funds at some point in their early careers, regardless of whether they go on to become a medical doctor, pharmaceutical developer, professor, environmental lawyer, non-profit conservation employee or state or federal government natural resources employee.

1) It is extremely difficult for scientists to get federal funding to support research. It is a huge time and energy commitment to write a grant proposal. It involves building a network of collaborations, developing a detailed budget and obtaining price quotes and planning out the intricacies of a project that will last anywhere from 1-5 years. The proposed project must be scientifically sound, while also cutting-edge, often being justified by advancing our scientific knowledge in areas that will be used to write a new chapter in your field. The lead scientists on the projects often only have the ability to put in a few weeks of salary for themselves, despite putting in 1-5 years of work, and specifically 3-4 months of unpaid work in the summer to see the project through. A majority of the funding from a federal grant goes to the scientist’s institution, to help pay for the infrastructure that allows us to do our research (lab space, building maintenance, etc.). These are called “indirect costs”. Of the money that goes to support the actual research (i.e. the “direct costs”) the majority of that typically goes to pay personnel and students a livable wage, while also providing them training for their future careers. Typically young people depend on these types of federal funds at some point in their early careers, regardless of whether they go on to become a medical doctor, pharmaceutical developer, professor, environmental lawyer, non-profit conservation employee or state or federal government natural resources employee.

Water ceremonies, bald eagles and lots of great talks and interactions around land stewardship. Thanks to The Stewardship Network for a great 2025 conference! #thestewardshipnetwork #tsn #restorationecology

Water ceremonies, bald eagles and lots of great talks and interactions around land stewardship. Thanks to The Stewardship Network for a great 2025 conference! #thestewardshipnetwork #tsn #restorationecology

“Some years ago a famous novelist died. Among his papers was found a list of suggested plots for future stories, the most prominently underscored being this one: “A widely separated family inherits a house in which they have to live together.” This is the great new problem of mankind. We have inherited a large house, a great “world house” in which we have to live together— Black and white, Easterner and Westerner, Gentile and Jew, Catholic and Protestant, Muslim and Hindu— a family unduly separated in ideas, culture and interest, who, because we can never again live apart, must learn somehow to live with each other in peace.” - Martin Luther King Jr.

Even more true today than it was in 1964. We’re all here together, on this pale blue dot of ours. (Image: Earth from NASA Voyager I mission.)

“Some years ago a famous novelist died. Among his papers was found a list of suggested plots for future stories, the most prominently underscored being this one: “A widely separated family inherits a house in which they have to live together.” This is the great new problem of mankind. We have inherited a large house, a great “world house” in which we have to live together— Black and white, Easterner and Westerner, Gentile and Jew, Catholic and Protestant, Muslim and Hindu— a family unduly separated in ideas, culture and interest, who, because we can never again live apart, must learn somehow to live with each other in peace.” - Martin Luther King Jr.

Even more true today than it was in 1964. We’re all here together, on this pale blue dot of ours. (Image: Earth from NASA Voyager I mission.)

Big thank you to Ottawa Co. Conservation District and @tanglewoodwinery for inviting @dizylizie33 and I to participate in Conservation on Tap yesterday. We had a great time talking about prairies and soil health and sampling some excellent blueberry wines! #kbslter #mistrips #prairiestrips #prairierestoration #prairie #sustainableagriculture #usdasare

Big thank you to Ottawa Co. Conservation District and @tanglewoodwinery for inviting @dizylizie33 and I to participate in Conservation on Tap yesterday. We had a great time talking about prairies and soil health and sampling some excellent blueberry wines! #kbslter #mistrips #prairiestrips #prairierestoration #prairie #sustainableagriculture #usdasare

Congrats to Maggie Bryant, @leehonorscollege Research & Creative Support award recipient! Maggie's project "Investigating soil organic matter fractions and carbon pools associated with different land management practices" untangles how differences in restoration seed mix diversity influence the amount of carbon in POM and MAOM. So far, the answer is not what you'd expect. 😜

Congrats to Maggie Bryant, @leehonorscollege Research & Creative Support award recipient! Maggie's project "Investigating soil organic matter fractions and carbon pools associated with different land management practices" untangles how differences in restoration seed mix diversity influence the amount of carbon in POM and MAOM. So far, the answer is not what you'd expect. 😜

@angela.sarat presented her poster like a boss at the #agu24 meeting today. Poster TLDR: Restoration choices can affect enzymes involved in C cycling. B-glucosidase activity is higher in prairies planted with high richness seed mixes than in lower richness prairies and old fields, but not other enzymes. Not an easy meeting for your first conference, but Angela made it look easy. My favorite part is all the love from our lab group back home. #womeninstem #nsfrepspostbac

@angela.sarat presented her poster like a boss at the #agu24 meeting today. Poster TLDR: Restoration choices can affect enzymes involved in C cycling. B-glucosidase activity is higher in prairies planted with high richness seed mixes than in lower richness prairies and old fields, but not other enzymes. Not an easy meeting for your first conference, but Angela made it look easy. My favorite part is all the love from our lab group back home. #womeninstem #nsfrepspostbac

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