Teaching

Although I don’t have a teaching appointment at the University of Illinois, I do give the occasional lecture for Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences classes. I also give presentations on fishes and freshwater mussels and other aspects of stream ecology to the general public. Below are a few talks I have given.

•  Damn those dams – their negative effects on stream ecosystems
•  Chronicles of Mollusca: four short stories about mollusk related projects in Illinois
•  Fish porn – reproductive behavior of madtoms

One aspect that goes untaught in biology is choosing sampling music. I have spent some time compiling the ultimate music library when sampling in aquatic ecosystems. I call my creation “the River Continuum Concept” (named after a classic stream ecology paper). This 12-disc set contains music with an aquatic biology theme, and is great when cruisin’ on the river. Included in the list are title of song and artist (but because people shared songs with me, I don’t know the album name to every song… and I haven’t had time to look up the information). If you know of any other aquatic biology songs, feel free to contact me, for I am wanting to add new songs to my compilation.

1. Headwaters – Redhorse
2. Dry Creek – Owen Temple
3. Deep River, Mountain High – Tommy Tornado
4. Raincrow Bill Goes Up Cripple Creek – David Holt
5. Wolf Creek Pass – CW McCall
6. Kickapoo Creek – Jason Allen
7. Swanee River Boogie – Dr. John
8. Crawfish Boogie – Chris Gill and the Sole Shakers
9. Rising River Blues – Paul Geremia
10. The Five Pound Bass – Robert Earl Keen
11. Catfish Christmas – Steve Azar
12. Sandy River Belle – Craig Smith
13. Way Down the River Road – John Hartford
14. Take Me Back to My Mississippi River Home – John Hartford
15. Skippin’ in the Mississippi Dew – John Hartford
16. Slumberin’ on the Cumberland – John Hartford
17. Watching the River Go By – John Hartford
18. Gum Tree Canoe – John Hartford
19. Bear Creek Hop – John Hartford
20. Where Does an Old Time River Man Go – John Hartford
21. Minnow Branch Run – Kevin Harris
22. Foggy River – Del McCoury
23. Over the Waterfall – The Hackensaw Boys
24. Mama’s Got the Catfish Blues – Tom T. Hall
25. New River Train – The Monroe Brothers
26. River Man – Nick Drake
27. James River Blues – Old Crow Medicine Show
28. Beech Creek Dirge – Old Crow Medicine Show
29. When Dey Wud No Crawfish – Old Crow Medicine Show
30. Grey Ice Water – Modest Mouse
31. In the River – Diesel Dog
32. Take Me to the River – Talking Heads
33. Orangefooted Pimplebacked Pearly Mussel – Swamp Doc & the Crawfish Band
34. A Talking Frog is Cool – Yukon Rider
35. It’s a Cold Night for Alligators – Roky Erickson
36. Alligator Chomp – Shooter Jennings
37. Yertle the Turtle – Red Hot Chili Peppers
38. Snapping Turtle – SNFU
39. Turtle Blues – Big Brother and the Holding Company
40. Turtle Walk – Soul Donkey
41. Mock Turtle Song – Steely Dan
42. Turtle Beach – Blu Mar Ten
43. Snake Farm – Ray Wylie Hubbard
44. Green Snakes – Johnny Bush
45. Black Snake Moan – Samuel L. Jackson
46. Copperhead Road – Steve Earle
47. The Eel – Eddie Condon
48. Into the Stream – The Tallest Man on Earth
49. Salt Creek – Norman Blake and Tony Rice
50. Sugar Creek The Reverend Payton’s Big Damn Band
51. Big Head Blues – Redhorse
52. Little Rock Reel – Redhorse
53. Tennessee River – Alabama
54. Stone River – J.J. Cale
55. River – Yonder Mountain String Band
56. Shootin’ Creek – Pine Tree String Band
57. Elk River Blues – Pine Tree String Band
58. Cumberland River – Dailey and Vincent
59. Muddy Water Home – Leftover Salmon
60. Bend in the River – Leftover Salmon
61. River’s Rising – Leftover Salmon
62. Fishcat Catfish – Songs To Wear Pants To
63. Woman Across the River – Freddy King
64. In the Mississippi River – Mavis Staples
65. Mississippi River Blues – Big Bill Broonzy
66. Catfish – Big Jack Johnson
67. Catfish John – Old and In the Way
68. Catfish Eatin’ Woman – Kinchafoonee Cowboys
69. The Big Flood – Bob Dylan
70. High Water – Bob Dylan
71. Watching the River Flow – Bob Dylan
72. Down by the River – Neil Young
73. Cripple Creek Ferry – Neil Young
74. Welcome to Goose Creek – Goose Creek Symphony
75. Broken Creek Goose Down – Goose Creek Symphony
76. Black Creek – Brent Cobb
77. Brushy Creek – Josh Abbott Band
78. Howlin’ Down the Cumberland – John Hiatt
79. Cold River – John Hiatt
80. Fish Ain’t Bitin’ – Corey Harris
81. Catfish Blues – Corey Harris
82. Blue River Rising – Duster Bennett
83. Moon River – Louis Armstrong
84. Old Man River – Louis Armstrong
85. Gone Fishin’ – Louis Armstrong
86. Down in the Swamp – Debbie Davies, Kenny Neal, and Tab Benoit
87. Swamp Witch – Jim Stafford
88. Catfish, Make Me Love You – Tony Spinner
89. Catfish Fishin’ – Guthrie Kennard
90. Mississippi Blues – Roy Book Binder
91. Chattachoochee – Alan Jackson
92. Dog River Blues – Alan Jackson
93. Down by the River by the Sugar Plant – Mike Doughty
94. Come to the River – The Jayhawks
95. Down Where the River Bends – Dwight Yoakam
96. Black River – Green on Red
97. Big River – Johnny Cash
98. The Winding Stream – Johnny Cash
99. Five Feet High and Rising – Johnny Cash
100. Sligo Creek – Al Petteway
101. Mill Creek Road – Palmer and Riner
102. Whiskey River – Willie Nelson
103. Dream River – The Mavericks
104. The Banks of the Ohio – The Carter Family With Johnny Cash
105. Drifting Too Far from the Shore – Stone Creek
106. Fish Oudda Water – Dave Fogarty
107. Potomac River Blues – Johnny Maddox
108. Native Trout – Frog Holler
109. Where the Old Red River Flows – Joe Val & The New England Bluegrass Boys
110. Cripple Creek – John Jaeger
111. Meet Me at the Creek – Billy Strings
112. Red River Blues – Jorma Kaukonen
113. Big River Blues – Jorma Kaukonen
114. Deep River Rag – John Campbell
115. Deep River Blues – Salty Dog
116. Flows Like a River – Dog Town
117. Big Fish Little Fish – Karl Williams
118. The Lonesome River – Ralph Stanley
119. Fishing Blues – Shari Richards and Ernie Hawkins
120. Brazos River Song – Skip Gorman
121. Dunk You in the River – Slobberbone
122. Up on Cripple Creek – The Band
123. The River Runs Deep – Black River Band
124. Midnight at Woody Creek – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
125. Travelin’ Riverside Blues – Hindu Love Gods
126. Muddy Water – Mr Black and Blues
127. Black Muddy River – Norma Waterson
128. Waist Deep in the Big Muddy – Richard Shindell
129. Creek Mud – Johnnie Johnson
130. Mississippi Mud – Hank Williams III
131. Wild River – The Samples
132. New River – The Familiars
133. The River Bend – Ray Wylie Hubbard
134. This River Runs Red – Ray Wylie Hubbard
135. Missouri River – Storyhill
136. Big Boat Up the River – Harry Belafonte
137. Blue River – Bix Beiderbecke and Frankie Trombauer
138. Wabash Blues – Chris Barber
139. Blood Red River – Josh White
140. Down by the Riverside – Sister Rosetta Tharpe
141. Red River – Sonny Terry
142. Crawdad Song – Woody Guthrie
143. Crawdad Hole – Doc Watson
144. Craw-dad – Bo Diddley
145. Craawfish Lady – Bryan Lee
146. Crawfish, Crawdad, Mudbugs, Etc. – Cajun Man Ron
147. Crawfish Bay – Grant Sabin
148. The Crawfish Crawl – The Swamp Kings
149. Grand Coulee Dam – Woody Guthrie
150. Talkn’ Fishing Blues – Woody Guthrie
151. Talkin’ Columbia – Woody Guthrie
152. Misty River – Misty River
153. I Walked Out In the River – Otis Gibbs
154. Down to the River to Pray – Alison Krauss
155. Chena Hot Springs – Yukon Rider
156. Across the River – Alejandro Escovedo
157. Red River Rising – Big Jeezus Truck
158. Headed for the Ditch – The Bottle Rockets
159. Get Down River – The Bottle Rockets
160. The River’s Own – Chris Knight
161. River Road – Chris Knight
162. Down the River – Chris Knight
163. Dry River – James McMurtry
164. River Ran Dry – Reverend Horton Heat
165. Green River – Creedence Clearwater Revival
166. Harlem River Blues – Justin Townes Earle
167. Downstream – New Monsoon
168. Black Water – The Doobie Brothers
169. Fish and Whistle – John Prine
170. Bear Creek Blues – John Prine
171. Banks of the Arkansas – Lucero
172. Texas Flood – Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble
173. The River’s Rising – Bernard Allison
174. Draggin the River – Buddy Miller
175. Fishin’ in the Dark – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
176. Fishin’ Hole – Stephen Lynch
177. Smoke on the Water – Red Foley
178. Bridge over Troubled Water – Johnny Cash
179. Tears in the Holston River – Johnny Cash
180. Holston River Hill – Don Cassell
181. Travelin’ River Blues – Current Swell
182. Ride the River – J.J. Cale and Eric Clapton
183. Acadian Driftwood – Robbie Robertson
184. Muddy the Waters – Black Ribbon
185. Up a Lazy River – Bobby Darin
186. River Euphrates – Pixies
187. Everglades – Swamp
188. The Legend of Wooley Swamp – The Charlie Daniels Band
189. Black River Killer – Blitzen Trapper
190. Swamp – Talking Heads
191. Swamp River Days – John Fogerty
192. Swamp Music – Lynyrd Skynyrd
193. Bogged Down in the Bayou – Crawfish
194. The Dam on Otter Creek – Live
195. Dam that River – Alice in Chains
196. Down by the Water – PJ Harvey
197. Lake of Fire – Meat Puppets
198. Where the River Goes – Stone Temple Pilots
199. Fox Confessor Brings the Flood – Neko Case
200. When the Levee Breaks – Led Zeppelin
201. The Ocean – Led Zeppelin
202. Undertow – Green River Ordinance
203. River in Reverse – Allen Toussaint and Elvis Costello
204. John the Fisherman – Primus
205. Fish On (Fisherman Chronicles, Chapter II) – Primus
206. Ol’ Diamondback Sturgeon (Fisherman Chronicles, Chapter III) – Primus
207. Yellow-backed Fly – Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers
208. I Love Fish but Fish Hate Me – Electric Eel Shock
209. Keep Fishin’ – Weezer
210. Weather Woman – The Gourds
211. Don’t Trust the Weatherman – Jenna Fejervary
212. Long Hot Summer Days – John Hartford
213. Not a Drop of Rain – Robert Earl Keen
214. I’m Only Happy When it Rains – Garbage
215. Blue Sky – The Bottle Rockets
216. Where the West Wind Blows – Green River Ordinance
217. It’s a Dark Day – The Reverend Horton Heat
218. Thunder on the Mountain – Bob Dylan
219. Blowin’ in the Wind – Bob Dylan
220. Wild Wind – Robert Earl Keen
221. Crazy Wind – James McMurtry
222. Four Strong Winds – Johnny Cash
223. When It’s Springtime in Alaska (It’s 40 Below) – Johnny Cash
224. Prairie Wind – Neil Young
225. More Bad Weather on the Way – Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers
226. A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall – Bob Dylan
227. Let it Rain – Eric Clapton
228. Have You Ever Seen the Rain? – Creedence Clearwater Revival
229. Who’ll Stop the Rain? – Creedence Clearwater Revival
230. Save it for a Rainy Day – The Jayhawks
231. I Feel the Rain Fall – Red House Painters
232. Hurricane – BR549
233. Great Rain – John Prine
234. Wicked Rain – Los Lobos
235. Rains on Me – Tom Waits
236. Fist Full of Rain – Warren Zevon
237. Saddle in the Rain – John Prine
238. Spent on Rainy Days – Bright Eyes
239. Rain Please Go Away – Alison Krauss and Union Station
240. It’s Always Raining Somewhere – Robbie Fulks
241. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 – Bob Dylan
242. Cold Hard Rain – The Meat Purveyors
243. Tornadoes – Drive-by Truckers
244. Out of the Storm – Green River Ordinance
245. Black Rainbow – Paul Thorn
246. In the Cold Cold Night – White Stripes
247. Dark was the Night, Cold was the Ground – Catfish Keith
248. Respect for the Cold – Yukon Rider
249. Snowin’ on Raton – Robert Earl Keen
250. Footprints in the Snow – Ry Cooder
251. Hello Mrs. Darkness – The Reverend Horton Heat
252. Stumbling in the Dark – The Jayhawks
253. Waiting for the Sun – The Jayhawks
254. Stars – Hum
255. Rare Bird Alert – Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers
256. Bird on a Wire – Johnny Cash
257. A Bird Without Feathers – Samuel L. Jackson
258. Where do the Wild Geese Go – Greg Brown
259. The Night Owl – Little River Band
260. Pill Bug Blues – Heavy Ornamentals
261. The Bug That Bit Me – The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
262. Box of Spiders – Drive-by Truckers
263. Spider, Spider – Mississippi John Hurt
264. Spiders and Snakes – Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn
265. Wild Packs of Family Dogs – Modest Mouse
266. Bobcat Tracks – Old Crow Medicine Show
267. Red Eyes on a Mad Dog – The Del McCoury Band
268. Another Late Night – Catfish Heaven
269. Tired and Fried – Drag the River
270. Beer:30 – The Reverend Horton Heat
271. Beer Run – Todd Snider
272. 15 Empty Beer Cans – Two Bits ‘a Gander

Thanks to Pops, I.B. Jellen, Biddy, Paul T., and T. Haas for sharing songs.