Blanchard's action not only gave the darter a chance, but also prevented construction of a proposed county jail near Turkey Creek in 1998, which endeared the professor to area residents. Dr. Paul Blanchard spies a vermilion darter on one of his trips to Turkey Creek. He continues to study Turkey Creek to identify as many vermilion darter habitats as possible for inclusion in a computer model. Students assist him at times as they become more familiar with the work. The completed model not only will show vermilion darter habitats, but will determine the Turkey Creek habitats of two other endangered species, the watercress darter and the flattened musk turtle.
Turkey Creek is a microcosm of the world.
He thinks his fieldwork makes him a better teacher. That is one thing I try to get across in all my biology classes. I've been trying to devote the rest of my life to improving the quality of life on earth. Blanchard doesn't keep statistics, but he's proud that many of his majors go on to graduate school. A good number also have projects selected for presentation at the National Collegiate Undergraduate Research program each spring.