Christian Lenhart

Chris Lenhart
Research Associate Professor
He/him
[email protected]
+1 612 269 8475
303 BioAgEng Building

1390 Eckles Ave
St. Paul, MN 55108
United States

Education
  • University of Minnesota, Ph.D., Water Resources Science, 2008
  • University of Wisconsin - Madison, M.S.L.A. and M.S. Water Resources Management, 2000
  • University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, B.S. Biology, aquatic ecology track
External Affiliations
  • Board Member, Society for Ecological Restoration, Great Lakes-Midwest Chapter
  • The Nature Conservancy - restoration ecologist contributing to science and restoration planning

Areas of Interest

I work on ecological restoration and management practices in relation to hydrologic and water quality benefits. 

Biography

Dr. Lenhart co-authored several widely-used management guides including the Aquatic Organism Passage Handbook for MnDOT (2019) and the Agricultural BMP Handbook for Minnesota (2017) for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. He has led assessment and design of stream and wetland restoration projects and contributes to hydrologic and water quality monitoring efforts for The Nature Conservancy MN, ND, SD chapter. Chris has coordinated the professional restoration certification program for the Society of Ecological Restoration International and serves as president of the SER-Midwest-Great Lakes Chapter. He currently lives with his family in Roseville, Minnesota near Lake McCarrons. Originally from Defiance, Ohio, he has been involved with restoration, management and research related to wetlands and water quality in that region.

Teaching

  • BBE 4523/5523 Ecological Engineering Design
  • SSM 3301 Global Water Resources & Sustainability
  • BBE 3023 Ecological Engineering Principles 
     

Ask me about the Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner-in-training program (CERPIT). Our Environmental and Ecological Engineering Specialization is aligned with CERPIT.

Research

1. investigation of peatland restoration for reducing carbon emissions to address climate change with LCCMR funding and other support with The Nature Conservancy, USFS, BWSR and other partners 

2. implementation and assessment of stream and wetland restoration projects and other water quality practices with TNC and other organizations

3.edge-of-field management practice assessment for agricultural BMPs such as saturated buffers, treatment wetlands and others

Select Publications

  • N Alsadi, C Lenhart. 2024. Treatment Wetland Plant Harvests as a Tool for Soil Phosphorus Reduction in North Central US Agricultural Watersheds. Water 16 (5), 642.
  • EA Wille, CF Lenhart, RK Kolka. 2023. Carbon dioxide emissions in relation to water table in a restored fen. Agricultural & Environmental Letters 8 (2), e20112.
  • ED Emmanuel, CF Lenhart, MN Weintraub, KO Doro. 2023. Estimating soil properties distribution at a restored wetland using electromagnetic imaging and limited soil core samples. Wetlands 43 (5), 39.
  • C Lenhart, K Blann, K Ehlert. 2023. Intermittent prairie streams in the Northern Great Plains: a case of an undervalued ecosystem. Case Studies in the Environment 7 (1).
  • Lenhart, C.F. and P. Smiley. 2018. Ecological Restoration in the Midwest: Past, present and future. University of Iowa Press: Iowa City, IA.
  • Gordon, B.A., Dorothy, O. and Lenhart, C.F., 2020. Nutrient Retention in Ecologically Functional Floodplains: A Review. Water, 12(10), p.2762.
  • Gordon, B.A., Lenhart, C. and LaPara, T.M., 2020. A comparison of nitrate removal and denitrifying bacteria populations among three wetland plant communities. Journal of Environmental Quality, 49(1), pp.210-219.
  • Lenhart, C.F., Smith, D.J., Lewandowski, A., Belmont, P., Gunderson, L. and Nieber, J.L., 2018. Assessment of Stream Restoration for Reduction of Sediment in a Large Agricultural Watershed. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, 144(7), p.04018032.
  • Lauer, J.W., Echterling, C., Lenhart, C., Belmont, P. and Rausch, R., 2017. Air-photo based change in channel width in the Minnesota River basin: Modes of adjustment and implications for sediment budget. Geomorphology, 297, pp.170-184.
  • Lenhart, C., B. Gordon, J. Gamble, D. Current, N. Ross, L. Herring, J. Nieber and H. Peterson, 2016. Design and hydrologic performance of a tile drainage treatment wetland in Minnesota, USA, Water, 8: 549 - 568, doi:10.3390/w8120549

Honors and Awards

  • 2021, Article, “Nutrient Retention in Ecologically Functional Floodplains: A Review”, selected as Editor’s Choice article in Water journal
  • 2020, Selected as a University of Minnesota, Institute on the Environment (IonE) Fellow
  • 2019. AOP guide for Minnesota nominated for MnDOT Research Awards
  • 2018, Fulbright Specialist grant for work in Ecuador with University of Cuenca
  • 2013. American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) Honor Award for the Agricultural BMP Handbook, (co-author) with EOR, Inc., for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.
  • 2012. Certificate of Excellence for publication with the Council on Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) from Ames, Iowa.

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