University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (UWEC) became involved in the study when Dr. Harry M. Jol, Assistant Professor Geography and Anthropology, was contacted by Arlen Albrecht, University of Wisconsin Extension-Taylor County, in 2003.  The Community Development Foundation was looking for more methods and studies to determine the quantity and location of logs below the sediment in Rib Lake.  Jol has been involved with ground penetrating radar (GPR) for over 10 years.  (how GPR works)  In the summer of 2003 Jol and a student spent time at Rib Lake conducting research with the GPR unit.

The methodology used to collect the data was unique and the equipment had to be modified to survey over open water.  The GPR antennae were effectively strapped to a small inflatable raft and slowly towed behind a pontoon.  This method allowed for efficient and effective data collection.

In January of 2004 Dr. Jol gave a presentation to the community of Rib Lake on the results of the research done the previous summer.  The community was excited to hear the possibilty of more logs being located by the GPR survey.  In response to the findings of Dr. Jol, he was asked to return to Rib Lake to conduct further investigations.

As part of a class project, Jol and students from his Environmental Hazards and Geomorphology classes, went to Rib Lake in February 2004 to conduct further investigations.  Research and data collection was made increasingly difficult due to the large amount of snowfall and cold temperatures.  The method of data collection had, once again, to be modified for the local environmental conditions.  For this survey, two different GPR frequencies were tested, and for one unit the GPR anntennae were secured to a plastic sled and pulled by hand across the snow and ice covering Rib Lake. 

The GPR survey covered a loop on the north, and northwest sections of Rib Lake, correlating with the area near the lumber mill which held the most logs.  In addition to surveying that area with two different GPR frequencies, a high-resolution survey was conducted on a small plot near the north shore of the lake, directly in front of Camp 28.  A plot 50 meters (east-west) by 10 meters (north-south) was measured and staked out. In this plot a reading was taken for the full 50 meters stretching east to west at an interval of 1 meter along the north to south 10 meter line.  By conducting this survey, the data can be processed and later viewed in three-dimensional space for further interpretation and investigation.

Along with the GPR survey, a differential global positioning system (dGPS) survey was conducted (how GPS works), and sediment cores were taken.  Students used two Trimble ProXR dGPS units to conduct a highly accurate (sub-meter) survey in order to create a base map for the project, map the locations of the GPR surveys, map the location of sediment cores, and to also map the location of anomalies found during the GPR survey which could correlate to the location of buried logs.  Mapping all of this data with the GPS is essential for returning to a specific location for further study, and hopefully in the future to pinpoint locations to remove logs.

Sediment cores were taken to extract the sediment for further study and to also estimate the depth of sediment covering the bottom of Rib Lake.  To extract sediment for sampling, a simple device was constructed from a long PVC tube and a rubber stopper.  The rubber stopper was fitted into the plastic tube with, a rope tied to one side, and the tube was then lowered down into the water through a hole in the ice.  Once the PVC tube could not be pushed any further into the sediment, the rope hooked to the rubber stopper was pulled through the tube, while simultaneously lifting the tube.  When the rubber stopper was drawn through the PVC tube, it created suction which in turn sucked sediment into the PVC tube.  Once recovered, the sediment was emptied out of the tube, sealed in plastic bags, and identified with its proper location and depth.

The sediment is of particular interest because it may hold a particular economic value as a fertilizer or soil conditioner.  Since the sediment is of high organic content, it is possible that it could be safely removed from the bottom of the lake and sold commercial as a type of soil enhancer.  Part of the study by the UWEC students was to examine the sediment samples that were collected from Rib Lake to try and identify the relative composition and determine if the sediment holds any significant value as a soil enhancer.