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Sea Grant Electronic Newletters: 2008 Updates |
Links in the archive are not updated - many may be broken over time. URLs which are not linked are no longer valid (retained as historical).
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2008
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Sea Grant Updates Archive
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July 17, 2008Contents
2) Events The Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE) Great Lakes is making this summer's Shipboard and Shoreline Science teachers’ workshop possible. The tour started in Buffalo, NY, traveled through the Welland Canal, and has already docked in Youngstown and Toronto. The schedule includes stops at Clayton on Wednesday for an EPA press event, Oswego on Thursday, Rochester on Friday, and Youngstown on Saturday. The Oswego stop includes a land tour with the Eastern Lake Ontario Dunes and Wetlands Program and a visit to the Salmon River Fish Hatchery.
OH Sea Grant - Ohio Sea Grant to host 17th Legislature Day on Lake Erie On Friday (7/18), Ohio Sea Grant will host its 17th State Legislature and Congressional Day on the shores of Lake Erie, giving state and local elected officials a chance to learn more about the issues facing the Great Lakes and what OSU has done over the years to solve those issues. Guest speakers at the Cedar Point luncheon will include Marcy Kaptur, U.S. House of Representatives; Chris Redfern, Ohio House of Representatives; Mark Wagoner, Ohio Senate; and Mary M. Glackin, Deputy Under Secretary of NOAA. Afternoon activities, including lure making, snake tracking, seining, and trawling, will be held on Gibraltar Island, Ohio State University’s Island Campus in Put-in-Bay, followed by a picnic dinner. "This event provides legislators a chance to see for themselves the importance Lake Erie holds to Ohio and the need for continuing research, protection, and sensible development," says Ohio Sea Grant Extension Agent Fred Snyder. "It puts them among the opportunities, the problems, and the needs of the Lake's resources and the people whose lives are tied to Lake Erie." Dinner speakers will include Sam Speck, U.S. Commissioner of the International Joint Commission for the U.S. State Department, and Charles E. Herdendorf, Director Emeritus of Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Lab. Ohio Sea Grant celebrates its 30-year anniversary as a NOAA program this summer. IL-IN Sea Grant - Indiana Promotes Aquaculture with Free Summer Workshops Program highlights include: updates on current Indiana aquaculture initiatives and opportunities; guidance on permits and regulations; instructions on preparing a business plan; tips on setting economic projections and managing cash flow; and a resource guide for area suppliers. Attendees will also have an opportunity to tour local aquaculture facilities, network with leading aquaculture experts in the state, and gather vital information needed to grow and prosper in the aquaculture industry. The workshops will be held in six different counties in Indiana. Here are the dates, locations, and topics: •July 8, “Cage Culture” in Miami County, at the Miami County Community Building •July 11, “Re-circulating Culture” in LaPorte County, at the Salem Chapel United Methodist Church •July 17, “Pond Culture” in Floyd County at the Indiana University Southeast •July 22, “Re-circulating Culture” in Frankin County, at the Franklin County Government Center •August 1, “Cage Culture” in Posey County, at the Poseyville Community Center •August 6, “Pond Culture” in Morgan County at the Morgan County Extension Offices Administrative Building. The workshops begin at 9:00 a.m. and conclude at 3:00 p.m. with an hour for lunch. Register online at www.indianafishfarming.com or call 800-735-0195. For more information, contact Kwamena Quagrainie, IISG aquaculture marketing specialist, at 765-494-4200 or kquagrai@purdue.edu. The Seaway Trail: Experience The Journey tour of the 518-mile America’s Byway that parallels the Saint Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes shoreline of New York and Pennsylvania is adding activities and participants to a week-long tour July 12-18. The Seaway Trail: Experience The Journey tour is collecting data and comments from residents and travelers on the byway and offering a prize wheel with various Seaway Trail branded products to those who participate in the survey. The survey data will be factored in to Seaway Trail, Inc.’s project to revitalize the 30-year-old byway’s brand. · July 12 Alexandria Bay and Clayton Ohio Sea Grant - Stone Lab Lecture Series Ohio Sea Grant will finish up its lecture series, held Thursdays at 7:45 p.m. in Stone Laboratory on Lake Erie’s Gibraltar Island and simulcast to 333D Kottman Hall on the main campus of The Ohio State University, with lectures from three distinguished speakers: July 24 Dr. Brent Sohngen, Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics at Ohio State , “Threats, Impacts, Adaptation, and Opportunities for the Great Lakes Related to Climate Change” July 31 Eric Fingerhut, Chancellor, Ohio Board of Regents, “The University System of Ohio” August 7 James H.I. Weakley, President, Lake Carriers’ Association, “Ships are Cool!” Upon request, lectures can be sent to other remote locations. Contact the Stone Laboratory office at 614-285-1800 for more information. Videos of the lectures will be available online at stonelab.osu.edu/lectures within one week after taking place. IL-IN Sea Grant - Seminar Series Presents Green Infrastructure VisionRegional biodiversity conservation will be the topic of the next Go with the Flow--Get to Know Our Indiana Coastal Resources seminar series on Wednesday, July 9 at 6:30 p.m. at Purdue University Calumet. In his seminar entitled “A Green Infrastructure Vision for Chicago Wilderness,” natural resource engineer Dennis Dreher will discuss the Chicago Wilderness Green Infrastructure Vision--a regional-scale map that identifies 1.8 million acres of resource protection areas recommended by Chicago Wilderness resource experts. Dreher is the second speaker in Go with the Flow series--a five-part seminar series intended raise awareness of land use practices on Lake Michigan’s coastal resources in Indiana. Upcoming seminars in the series are:
The series is being funded through a grant Purdue Calumet received from the Lake Michigan Coastal Program. Other sponsors are Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. The seminar series will take place at the Calumet Conference Center. For directions, go to www.calumet.purdue.edu/thecenter. For any additional information, contact Leslie Dorworth, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant aquatic ecology specialist, at 219-989-2726 or dorworth@calumet.purdue.edu.PA Sea Grant - Science on the Water You are invited to join Pennsylvania Sea Grant staff aboard the Presque Isle Aquabus on the third thursday evening of July, August and September as we kick off our Science on the Water series. Each hour and one half cruise of Presque Isle Bay includes a presentation on one of the following topics: the Presque Isle Bay fishery (July 17), the recently released DEP report on the health of the bay, (August 21), and a journey thru Erie's maritime history (Sept 18). See the attached flyer for more details. Feel free to share this info with friends. Please note that pre-registration is required.
COSEE - Lake Michigan Exploration Workshop Fifteen 4-10th grade teachers will join scientists, SEa Grant staff and specialists from around Lake Michigan on a week-long 'exploration' August 2-8. The Lake Michigan Exploration Workshop will be based at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. The workshop will also include travel to different coastal such as the Great Lakes Water Institute in Milwaukee, WI; Paul Douglas Center for Environmental Education, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore; and The John G. Shedd Aquarium. Each trip is designed to address specific topics and provide field experience. MN Sea Grant - Minnesota Invasive Species Conference 2008: Acting Locally to Protect Our Legendary Lands and Waters October 26-29, 2008 Duluth Entertainment Convention Center This first annual statewide conference on invasive species will be held to encourage exchange of information on topics relating to both aquatic and terrestrial invasive species. The conference is designed to strengthen awareness of invasive species issues at the local level, as well as promote local prevention and management activities. If you're a researcher, land manager, natural resource professional, educator, student, landscaper, nursery, agricultural or forestry professional, environmental specialist, lake association member, or agency and non-governmental organization employee, this conference is for you! Pre-conference workshops for the general public and professionals will be held Sunday, Oct. 26, for nominal fees. They include terrestrial topics such as earthworms and gypsy moths, and aquatic topics such as lake vegetation management. Conference co-chairs are the Minnesota Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society and Minnesota Sea Grant, and it is hosted by the Minnesota Invasive Species Council. To view the preliminary program or register, visit: www.minnesotaswcs.org/Invasives.htm. MI Sea Grant - Summer Discovery Cruises in the NewsExcerpt from: Students learn history and biology of Detroit River in Summer Discovery program BY TAMMY STABLES BATTAGLIA • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • June 29, 2008 http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080629/CFP11/806290411/1003/news01 3) NY Sea Grant - Testimony on Quagga impacts Pipe-clogging invasive mussels caused up to $1.5 billion in damage across 23 states between 1989 and 2007. Now, fingernail-sized quagga mussels, a close relative of zebra mussels, have spread to the West and threaten to do even more damage. The threat was outlined by Chuck O'Neill, a senior extension associate with Cornell and New York Sea Grant, in testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power, June 24. He discussed the economic and infrastructure impacts of both zebra (Dreissena polymopha) and quagga mussels (Dreissena bugensis). Quagga mussels showed up in the Great Lakes in the early 1990s. In the East, quagga mussels are colonizing deeper water and are out-competing zebra mussels, O'Neill told the House committee. Last year, quaggas were discovered for the first time in the West in Nevada's Lake Mead and have since been found down the Colorado River in Lake Mojave, Lake Havasu and in various locations in California. "[The spread west] is not a surprise," said O'Neill. "It's something that's been expected to happen." Zebra mussels filter food as small as 15 microns (the size of a mold spore); quagga mussels can feed on even smaller bacteria and out-compete their relatives. In both species, mature females produce up to one million eggs at a time that turn into free-swimming larvae called veligers. Two to five weeks after hatching, veligers become too heavy to float and search for hard surfaces to attach themselves. Water-intake pipes and similar structures offer ideal habitat for their colonization because the continuous flow of water provides steady food and oxygen and carries away waste; the structures protect the veligers against predation, silt and waves. As mussels line a pipe or tunnel, they disrupt water flow. A single layer of mussels, 0.1 inches thick throughout a pipeline, can decrease water-carrying efficiency by 5 to 10 percent, said O'Neill. In extreme cases, researchers have measured foot-thick colonies at the bottom of Lake Erie. Great Lakes intake canals have held 2- to 3-inch-thick colonies with three-quarters of a million mussels per square meter. Among O'Neill's recommendations to the House committee were immediate monitoring of critically important bodies of water and implementing short-term and long-term preventive measures by owners of pipelines. "Western infrastructure owners need to learn from the eastern experience," said O'Neill. "There is no need to reinvent the wheel." He said that the public needs to learn ways to prevent and manage mussel invasions with help from the federal government. Full story:http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/July08/Quagga.kr.html 4) MN Sea Grant - Scientists Find Bird and Human E. coli in Wild Fish Scientists at the University of Minnesota have found that some of the potentially harmful bacteria in the Duluth-Superior Harbor come from an unlikely source: the fishes. It's not the fishes' fault, though. They are just carrying around bacteria that are already in their environment. University of Minnesota researchers Dennis Hansen, John Clark, Satoshi Ishii, Michael Sadowsky, and Randall Hicks are the first to discover the sources of E. coli (Escherichia coli) in several species of wild fish. They collected carp, brown bullheads, Eurasian ruffe, round gobies, white perch, and rock bass from the Duluth-Superior Harbor as part of a Minnesota Sea Grant-funded study to determine the sources of bacteria that result in local beach closures. In a peer-reviewed paper recently published in the Journal of Great Lakes Research, the scientists describe that most of the E. coli were found in bottom-dwelling fishes (brown bullheads, ruffe, carp, and round gobies) and the genetic matches were most similar to E. coli found in bottom sediments, Canada geese, mallard ducks, and human wastewater. The researchers didn't test the bacteria for pathogencity. "We didn't find the bacteria in the fish meat -- it's carried in their intestine," said Randall Hicks, biology professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth. "Anglers shouldn't worry about using the fish as food. They should just be careful not to cut open a fish's intestine." If an angler happens to cut open fish intestines during cleaning, Jeff Gunderson, associate director with Minnesota Sea Grant, suggests they thoroughly wash the fish with clean water and cook it fully. E. coli is an indicator of potential pollution. Levels of it are used to determine whether local beaches should be posted with "no water contact" advisories. There are a variety of types of E. coli. The most worrisome for humans is usually the E. coli from other humans (often from sewage overflows). While many strains are harmless, some cause gastrointestinal illnesses. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, or other more serious conditions people would not want as a reminder of a fun day at the beach. "Fish probably acquire E. coli when they eat food contaminated with feces," said Hicks. Researchers don't expect E. coli to flourish in cold-blooded fish, since the bacterium is more common in warm-blooded animals. "However, it is possible that fish may reintroduce E. coli bacteria into waterways when they excrete their own waste," Hicks said. "Currently, it's probably more appropriate to consider fish as carriers of E. coli from other sources, rather than a new source of contamination in our waterways," Hicks added. Until 1966, E. coli was thought to survive only in warm-blooded animals such as birds and mammals but it has since been discovered in the intestines of wild fish. The source of the bacteria in these cold-blooded animals was thought to be from polluted water and food, but researchers did not attempt to trace it. Subsequently, E. coli was discovered in the intestines of farm-raised tilapia and rainbow trout. The fish were not the source for the E. coli, rather, the suspect was their food, which had been contaminated by pigeon droppings. For more information on this project, order the free journal article: Sources and Sinks of Escherichia coli in Benthic and Pelagic Fish, from Minnesota Sea Grant by visiting http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/publications/JR544 or calling (218) 726-6191. Ask for JR 544. 5) OH Sea Grant - Ashtabula River Dredging Project Nearly Completed The Ashtabula River dredging project is nearing completion, making the river one of the cleanest, deepest harbors in Lake Erie. The $75 million project, started in June 2006, moved 635,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment to a nearby landfill, which will be capped by the end of the year. “A lot of people worked very long and very hard to see the dredging completed,” said Ohio Sea Grant Extension’s Frank Lichtkoppler. “It was all the Ashtabula River Partnership members working together that made this happen. Ohio Sea Grant was one of the founding partners of the Ashtabula River Partnership.” “We are now working on restoring the environment and hope to have the Ashtabula River taken off the IJC list of contaminated Areas of Concern in the Great Lakes in the next few years,” he continued. Having the deep draft available will allow for increased shipping opportunities, and a cleaner river should help provide new opportunities for local marinas and businesses. Ohio Sea Grant is also developing an economic baseline to measure the economic activity that may result from the Ashtabula River dredging. Prior to the project, Ohio Sea Grant collected economic data on local boaters, marinas and small businesses in the harbor area. This will allow a comparison in a few years when the river is fully restored. 6) MI Sea Grant - Grand Traverse Bay Designated As State Underwater PreserveGrand Traverse Bay and surrounding areas off Lake Michigan have been identified by the State as the 12th Underwater Preserve in Michigan. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality recently announced the designation. The creation of the Grand Traverse Bay Underwater Preserve is expected to bring in millions of dollars in underwater tourism by attracting both recreational scuba divers and underwater researchers. "The designation opens up a wealth of historical and archeological research," says Jack Spencer, President of the Grand Traverse Bay Underwater Preserve Council. Spencer says the documentation of numerous shipwrecks and other underwater finds is sure to attract a large number of recreational scuba divers from around the country. Creation of the Underwater Preserve helps locate artifacts that are important parts of Michigan's maritime past. It also assures those discoveries are protected for future generations. Work on the Preserve has already led to the development of underwater classes being offered at Northwestern Michigan College. Organizers say they expect the underwater development will create a thirst for information that will be available to K-12 education. Backers of the Preserve have been working for the designation for three years. They add that creation of other Preserves in the State usually took much longer. It's a testimonial to the hard work of a lot of volunteers who made the case that an Underwater Preserve in Northwest Michigan was vital to the region, says Spencer. Spencer added that the Grand Traverse Bay Underwater Preserve Council is eager to work with others to better explore, research and understand the underwater world of the region. For more informaiton, contact GTBUP at info@gtbup.org or visit www.gtbup.org 7) OH Sea Grant - New project to enhance connections in Ohio tourism 8) PA Sea Grant - Video on pharmaceutical and electronic waste collection Check it out at http://www.seagrant.sunysb.edu/ 10) Publications NY Sea Grant - GLRRIN Lake Ontario Needs Assessment Results of the GLRRIN Needs Assessment(s) for Lake Ontario is available at http://www.seagrant.sunysb.edu/Images/Uploads/PDFs/GLRRIN_LO_ConfReport_June08.pdf WI Sea Grant - Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region: Starting a Public Discussion An 80-page summary report and a DVD of the entire "Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region" seminar series are now available from the UW Aquatic Science Center’s online Publications Store. An essay from the summary report that describes what climate change means for Wisconsin may be read on the “Why Care about Climate Change?” section of this Web site, and a list of 17 suggestions for what each of us can do to help is featured in the “What We Can Do” section. Both were prepared by UW Aquatic Sciences Center Communicator Stephen Wittman. Ohio Sea Grant has released a new full-color brochure, Lake Erie Shipwrecks and Maritime Tales, which details the location of 28 shipwrecks. The free brochure can be located at all Ohio Sea Grant Extension offices, coastal visitor's bureaus, maritime museums, coastal dive centers, or by calling the Lorain County Visitors Bureau at 1-800-334-1673. Lake Erie Shipwrecks and Maritime Tales coincides with the launch of the interactive Lake Erie shipwrecks website found at www.ohioshipwrecks.org, where the brochure can also be found for printing. Together, they seek to inform and educate the public of the presence of Lake Erie shipwrecks and the importance of preserving and protecting these historic time capsules. “The advantage of having the brochure is that people can carry it with them when they are visiting Ohio's Lake Erie coastal area,” states Dave Kelch, Ohio Sea Grant Extension Specialist. “We really want the public to discover the maritime history of Lake Erie.” The brochure boasts 28 wreck sites, providing details on latitude, longitude, vessel description and history as well as specific tips for divers. Also included are locations of 30 historic lighthouses and museums and maps for directions. An online version of the brochure can be found at http://www.ohioshipwrecks.org/images/siteimages/Eric013_Shipwreck_web.pdf. Despite being the shallowest of all the Great Lakes, averaging depths of 62 feet, Lake Erie is home to more than 1,700 shipwrecks, of which only 277 have been found. Increased water clarity over the years now gives the public new opportunities to see these sites for themselves. The grant for this publication was provided by the Ohio Lake Erie Commission, through its Lake Erie Protection Fund. Funding for the grant comes from Ohioans purchasing “Erie…Our Great Lake” License plates. Additional funding was provided by Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Ohio Coastal Management Program. For the shipwrecks website, visit www.ohioshipwrecks.org. OH Sea Grant - New brochure highlights Lake Erie beaches - Bow Watch: Stay Tuned for Climate Change -Lake Superior Feels the Heat: Climate Change Discussed at Conference - Summer temperatures like Kansas and winters like Wisconsin are just some changes possibly in store for Minnesota. Read what climate change experts discussed during a recent Lake Superior conference. -Steel Corrosion Found in More Northland Harbors - Deeply pitted steel has been found in several western Lake Superior ports, not only in the Duluth-Superior Harbor. -Readers Want to Know - Where did all the smelt go? -Knauss Fellow to Work on Ocean Policy - Julie Palakovich Carr has gone from studying lynx in the forests of Minnesota, to helping shape policy in the concrete jungles of our nation's capital. - Citizen Water Monitoring Project Leads to Improved Public Health ...plus information on other staff activities and new products/services. MN Sea Grant - NewReprints Bartley, D. and Kapuscinski, A. (2008) What Makes Fishery Enhancements Responsible? American Fisheries Society Symposium 49:945-965. (JR 519) Bortone, S. (2008) Coupling Fisheries with Ecology through Marine Artificial Reef Deployments. American Fisheries Society Symposium 49:917-924. (JR 541) Bortone, S., Holt, G., and Engle, D. (2008) Perspectives on Tarpon, Based on the Historical Recreational Fishery in the Gulf of Mexico. Proceedings of the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute 59:31-36. (JR 550) Carrofino, D., Miller, L., Kapuscinski, A., and Ostazeski, J. (2008) Stocking Success of Local-Origin Fry and Impact of Hatchery Ancestry: Monitoring a New Steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Stocking Program in a Minnesota Tributary to Lake Superior. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 65:309-318. (JR 515) Jordan, F., Jelks, H., Bortone, S., and Dorazio, R. (2008) Comparison of Visual Survey and Seining Methods for Estimating Abundance of an Endangered, Benthic Stream Fish. Environmental Biology of Fishes 81:313-319. (JR 549) Marko, M., Gross, E., Newman, R., and Gleason, F. (2008) Chemical Profile of the North American Native Myriophyllum sibiricum compared to the invasive M. spicatum. Aquatic Botany 88:57-65. (JR 536) 11) Staff NewsNY Sea Grant - New Director Dr. James W. Ammerman will become New York Sea Grant's new director in mid-October 2008. Dr. Ammerman is a graduate of Grinnell College (B.A., Biology) and Scripps Institution of Oceanography (Ph.D., Marine Biology). He is an aquatic microbial ecologist and biogeochemist, with particular interests in microbial cell-surface enzymes, phosphorus cycling, and automated instrumentation for aquatic microbiology. He has conducted extensive research in the Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone and at the Bermuda Atlantic Time Series station (BATS). Having previously served as an Associate Program Manager in the Biological Oceanography Program at the National Science Foundation, Jim also has been the Science Director of NOAA's Undersea Research Center at Rutgers University. He is currently a research faculty member in the Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences at Rutgers University, and was previously a member of the faculty at Texas A&M University and the research staff at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University. Dr. Ammerman is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a recipient of the Lindeman Award from the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography. OH Sea Grant - Position Announcement for an Extension Educator for the Sea Grant Clean Marinas Program Two-year grant-funded position LOCATION: Ohio State University Extension Sea Grant, Ohio Coastal Management Program DEADLINE DATE: July 13, 2008 Ohio Clean Marinas Program information may be found at the following web address: http://ohiocleanmarina.osu.edu/ The Ohio Sea Grant College Program has worked collaboratively with the Lake Erie Marine Trades Association, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Ohio EPA, the Ohio Department of Health, and the US Coast Guard, among others to develop a Clean Marina Program for Ohio. These groups have asked Ohio Sea Grant to lead the effort. The program was developed during 2003-2004 and began full operation in April 2005. Since then, 36 marinas have become certified as Ohio Clean Marinas. In addition, an incentive program has been developed for certified marinas, a boat shrink wrap recycling program has been successfully developed, and work has begun with Ohio EPA in educating marina owners and managers in both complying with new storm water regulations, and developing a marina storm water plan. The Ohio Coastal Management Program is supporting this project with funds from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This is at least a two year position with the possibility of longer employment contingent upon funding. The Extension Educator will be housed in the offices of the Ohio Coastal Management Program in Sandusky, Ohio, and will report to OSU Extension Community Development Assistant Director and be mentored by the Sea Grant Extension Specialist located in Lorain County and Sea Grant Director. A Clean Marina Advisory Committee is already in place. The Sea Grant Specialist will work cooperatively and directly with this individual in achieving the program goals stated below and will serve as part of a support team along with the Sea Grant Director and Assistant Director, Community Development. Summary of Duties: The goal for this project is to continue the ongoing efforts of the Clean Marina Program for the State of Ohio, including: maintaining the boat shrink wrap recycling effort, certified clean marinas incentives, storm water regulation compliance education and marina storm water plan development, work cooperatively with local and statewide marina and boating organizations, and continue to maximize voluntary participation by Ohio marinas along the Lake Erie shoreline. The educator will be expected to develop new programs applicable to the Ohio Clean Marinas Best Management Practices. ANTICIPATED INTERVIEW DATES: Selected candidates will be invited to interview at Ohio State University’s main campus on July 28, 2008 and in the county at a later date. TO APPLY: Complete application instructions at http://extensionhr.osu.edu/career/career_application.html OH Sea Grant, Stone Lab win two APEX Awards Steve Bortone, director of MN Sea Grant, was appointed to the International Editorial Board of Biologia Marina Mediterranea (Journal of the Italian Society of Marine Biology). Cindy Hagley, water quality extension educator; Jesse Schomberg, coastal communities educator; and Sue O'Halloran, University of Wisconsin-Superior, received a $26,700 grant from Minnesota's Lake Superior Coastal Program for "View >From the Lake: Expanded Outreach Through K12 Curricula, the Web, and Sustainability Programming." Doug Jensen, aquatic invasive species program coordinator, was elected as a member at-large of the Great Lakes Panel on Aquatic Nuisance Species. Barb Liukkonen, water resources education coordinator, was co-author of the poster, "Impact of a Conservation Field Day: Lake County Case Study," which received a first-place award from the Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals during their national conference held in Madison, Wisc., this May.
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June 16, 2008Contents
IL-IN Sea Grant - Seminar Series Returns With “Waters of the Calumet Area” Indiana University Northwest historian Kenneth J. Schoon will speak on the effects of water diversions as a part of Purdue University’s seminar series Go with the Flow--Get to Know Our Indiana Coastal Resources on Wednesday, May 28 at 6:30 p.m. at Purdue University Calumet. In his seminar entitled “Waters of the Calumet Area,” Schoon will be providing a historical perspective on the Grand Calumet and the Little Calumet River, outlining the pros and cons for constructing water diversions on the surrounding landscape. Schoon will cover the significant changes people have been making to the rivers dating back to the 18th Century and the effects they are having on the area today. Due to its previous success, the Go with the Flow seminar series is returning after its inception last fall. Schoon’s seminar is the first of the five-part series intended to raise awareness of land use practices on Lake Michigan’s coastal resources in Indiana. “All of the seminars intend to show how we as a community may impact the Lake Michigan watershed, including land use, and even our daily activities that may influence global climate change,” said Leslie Dorworth, aquatic ecology specialist for the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant College Program. Other seminars in the series are:
The series is being funded through a grant Purdue Calumet received from the Lake Michigan Coastal Program. Other sponsors are Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. The seminar series will take place at the Calumet Conference Center. For directions, go to www.calumet.purdue.edu/thecenter. For any additional information, contact Leslie Dorworth, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant aquatic ecology specialist, at 219-989-2726 or dorworth@calumet.purdue.edu.NY Sea Grant - Seaway Trail Anniversary Road Tour To celebrate 30 years of promoting travel along the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River freshwater shoreline of New York, Seaway Trail, Inc. is going on the road this summer. Several communities on the 518-mile byway will host Seaway Trail: Experience The Journey – an interactive booth that showcases the Trail in its 518-mile entirety with special maps and interpretive panels. Seaway Trail representatives will be available to answer questions, offer free prizes and collect valuable consumer data. The first stop for Seaway Trail: Experience The Journey will be at The Landing at Pultneyville – in Pultneyville, NY, on June 14, and at the Henderson Harbor pull-off overlooking Lake Ontario on the byway on June 15. Visitors to the interactive Seaway Trail: Experience The Journey booth at events and attractions across the byway this summer will have the opportunity to win prizes and collect a free Great Lakes Seaway Trail Journey magazine. Seaway Trail staff and branding consultant TippingSprung, which is helping with the evaluation and revitalization of the Seaway Trail brand, will be collecting consumer impressions about the essential qualities of the byway and the diversity of experiences on the Seaway Trail. The analysis of the Experience The Journey information coupled with online chat data that TippingSprung is collecting and the experiences of Seaway Trail staff since 1978 will help the Seaway Trail branding team assess the public expectations of the byway for the 21st century. The Seaway Trail in New York was among the first byways nationwide to receive National Scenic Byway status in 1996 from the Federal Highway Administration. The route was first signed as a driving destination in Cayuga, Oswego, Jefferson, and St. Lawrence counties in 1978. Today the byway stretches 454 miles across New York through St. Lawrence, Jefferson, Oswego, Cayuga, Wayne, Monroe, Orleans, Niagara, Erie, and Chautauqua counties, and includes 64 miles of Seaway Trail Pennsylvania along the Lake Erie shoreline. The National Parks Service designated the Seaway Trail a National Recreation Trail in the 1980s. It is also a New York State Scenic Byway and a New York State Bicycle Route. The nonprofit Seaway Trail, Inc. publicly launched the byway branding project in Oswego, NY, in February 29 at a Brand Story Workshop, a brainstorming and visioning session moderated by TippingSprung and attended by board and business members. TippingSprung, LLC is a New York-based brand consultancy that has worked with such travel-related industry leaders as AAA and Hyatt Hotels. Learn more at www.seawaytrail.com. 2) OH Sea Grant - Promising Technology Uses Algae and Sound Waves to Remove Mercury from Sediments Ohio Sea Grant Researchers Linda Weavers and Richard Sayre of Ohio State University have developed a process that utilizes an unlikely pair – algae and sound waves – to remove 30% of mercury from Lake Erie sediment. To read more about this Ohio Sea Grant-funded research, visit http://ohioseagrant.osu.edu/_documents/twineline/v30i1.pdf. 3) PublicationsOH Sea Grant - Lake Erie Shipwrecks Brochure Ohio Sea Grant has released a new full-color brochure, Lake Erie Shipwrecks and Maritime Tales, which details the location of 28 shipwrecks. The free brochure can be located at all Ohio Sea Grant Extension offices and by calling the Lorain County Visitors Bureau at 1-800-334-1673. Lake Erie Shipwrecks and Maritime Tales coincides with the launch of the interactive Lake Erie shipwrecks website found at www.ohioshipwrecks.org. Together, they seek to inform and educate the public of the presence of Lake Erie shipwrecks and offer details on exploring sites. The brochure boasts 28 wreck sites, providing details on latitude, longitude, vessel description and history as well as specific tips for divers. Also included are locations of 30 historic lighthouses and museums and maps for directions. An online version of the brochure can be found at http://www.ohioshipwrecks.org/images/siteimages/Eric013_Shipwreck_web.pdf. Despite being the shallowest of all the Great Lakes, averaging depths of 62 feet, Lake Erie is home to more than 1,700 shipwrecks, of which only 277 have been found. Increased water clarity over the years now gives the public new opportunities to see these sites for themselves. The grant for this publication was provided by The Ohio Lake Erie Commission, through its Lake Erie Protection Fund. Funding for the grant comes from Ohioans purchasing “Erie…Our Great Lake” License plates. Additional funding was provided by Ohio Department of Natural Resources and Ohio Coastal Management Program.PA Sea Grant - Ballast Proceedings Workshop proceedings for the Lower Great Lakes Ballast Water workshop held in Erie are available on the Pennsylvania Sea Grant Web site at: http://seagrant.psu.edu/publications/proceedings.htm MI Sea Grant - Bird Watching Last year Mary Bohling, a Sea Grant educator from Wayne County, led an effort to create an eco-tourism brochure for bird watchers in southeast Michigan and southwest Ontario. The result is fabulous piece that flaunts the many birding opportunities in the region. You can take a peek at it, and even download the brochure, here: http://www.mac-web.org/Projects/DiscoverOurWildSide/BywaysToFlyways.htm. Pulling it all together was no easy task—19 organizations from both countries took part in its creation. As project manager, Mary was charged with making sure all their voices were heard. Now, thanks to a nomination from the International Wildlife Refuge Alliance, the project is a finalist for the DTE Energy 2008 Achieving Excellence Awards, Michigan's largest corporate grant competition for nonprofits. The competition recognizes the state's exemplary nonprofit organizations with grants totaling up to $400,000 in five categories: Collaboration, Innovation, Leadership, Merger and Sustainability. Winners will be announced during a ceremony June 3 in Detroit. OH Sea Grant - Twine Line - www.ohioseagrant.osu.edu/_documents/twineline/v30i1.pdf· Ohio Sea Grant Technology Uses Algae, Sound Waves to Remove Mercury from Lake Erie Sediment · GLROC: New Sea Grant Consortium to Coordinate Regional Research and Outreach · Sea Grant Extension Broadens Outreach Via On Line Discussion Board · New Lake Erie Shipwrecks Web Site Promotes Education and Conservation · OSU Comes to Aid of Stone Lab’s Water Supply · Stone Lab’s New Summer 2008 Courses · Multi-Partner Workshop Benefits Young Professionals and Ohio’s Agencies · Student Spotlight: REU Student John Foltz WI Sea Grant - Aquatic Sciences Chronicle - www.aqua.wisc.edu/chronicle
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May 15, 2008Contents “The Use of Models in Great Lakes Decision Making, An Interdisciplinary Synthesis,” a publication by researchers at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) and the University of Michigan, examines how computer simulation models were used in four case studies in the Great Lakes. The four cases were chosen because they represent the increasing demands being placed on both environmental managers and computer modelers. They covered high interest topics as diverse as fish stocking and lake levels. “Computer models have been used for a long time, but no one asked how to do the modeling to best promote good decision making,” said Dr. Jack Manno of ESF. “The issue is whether the models really answer the right questions.” Manno said the researchers looked at how models were used and which ones worked well in addressing the issue at hand and communicating the model's meaning to stakeholders. He said the publication suggests a process that can be used when facing a policy issue that has environmental aspects. The research project, “The Development and Use of Predictive Models in Great Lakes Decision-Making: An Interdisciplinary Synthesis” was funded with a one-year, $65,330 grant from New York Sea Grant. Manno researched and wrote the publication with Dr. Richard Smardon, also an ESF faculty member, and graduate students Emily T. Cloyd and Susana Del Granado. They were joined by Dr. Joseph Pinto of the University of Michigan. Del Granado, a Sea Grant Scholar, will present the publication at the annual meeting of the International Association for Great Lakes Research in May at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario. Anyone wishing to obtain a copy of the 96-page publication should contact New York Sea Grant at 631.632.9124 or susan.hamill.1@stonybrook.edu. A PDF of the report can be downloaded at the Pack Institute site at: http://www.esf.edu/es/pack.htm. 3) NYSG A Partner in Great Lakes-based PRISMS Excerpt from Upwellings, May 2008 As a coastal business owner for more than 40 years, marina owner Dave Irish has seen the highs and lows of fluctuating Great Lakes water levels. With a marina in Harbor Springs and two in Charlevoix, he’s learned to adapt to variability. Irish and his staff monitor daily water level charts and make changes when necessary. Adaptations include installing floating docks to accommodate variability, and dredging to maintain a required water depth. While expensive and often time-consuming, he says, as business owners, “our job is to adapt.” Current water level charts show that while Lakes Michigan and Huron are above last year’s levels at this time, they are still well below the long-term average. Lake Superior, which hit an historic low in October 2007, is higher this year but still below the long-term average. See: Current Great Lakes Water Levels. Much of Michigan’s coastal infrastructure was built during a prolonged period of high water, making it difficult to adjust to the other extreme. See: Historic Water Levels The Great Lakes are part of a dynamic system with many influences. Some of the many factors affecting lake levels include both human impacts and natural processes. Among the human impacts include several structural diversions or compensating works. A five-year study funded by the International Joint Commission is examining whether the regulation of Lake Superior outflows can be improved to address the evolving needs of users on lakes Superior, Huron, Michigan and Erie. The study is also investigating physical changes in the St. Clair River potentially due to activities such as dredging that may be affecting water levels and flows. See: International Upper Great Lakes Study Among the natural processes that affect lake levels, the primary driving forces are precipitation and evaporation. The regional climate plays a role in influencing the amount of precipitation that falls into the lakes and their tributaries every year in the form of rain and snow. Hemispheric climate patterns such as La Nina can also bring moisture from outside the region. This happened during the winter of 2007-2008 in which parts of southern lower Michigan experienced record snowfall. See: National Weather Service (PDF) | La Niña and the Great Lakes Region Over the long term, however, some scientists predict the region may grow drier. They suggest that increases in rain or snow may be unable to compensate for the drying effects of increased evaporation and transpiration in a warmer climate. See: Climate Change Impacts on the Great Lakes region According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the average global land temperature for March 2008 was the warmest on record. Ocean surface temperatures were the 13th warmest. See: NOAA Similarly, higher evaporation draws water from the Great Lakes, which also causes levels to decline. In recent years, the rate of evaporation has increased as the duration of ice cover on the lakes has decreased. See: Climate Change Impacts on the Great Lakes region For coastal business owners like Dave Irish, adapting to short-term water level fluctuations is part of life. But, he adds, it’s the long-term future of the lakes that’s most important. “As homeowners and concerned citizens, there’s significant concern over the larger questions of climate change and permanent systemic changes,” he says. “We just don’t know how it will all play out.” Excerpt from Upwellings, May 2008 Low Great Lakes water levels are having a big impact on Michigan’s small harbors and the recreational boaters who use them. Some Michigan harbors have been all but closed by silted-in entry channels, and others are one storm event away from being rendered inaccessible. Some 60 people – including state and federal legislators, harbormasters, harbor commissioners, business development personnel, township and village supervisors, city managers and representatives of harbor user groups – met in Lansing, April 29, 2008 to discuss the challenge of maintaining safe access to harbors. A primary issue is obtaining funds for dredging. This was the third meeting of the Michigan Small Harbors Coalition. The group is comprised of communities (municipal units or combinations thereof) within whose jurisdiction is a federally authorized shallow draft harbor as identified by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It is also supported by organizations, businesses and individuals who use small harbors and therefore support their needs and interests. Michigan Sea Grant worked with the Great Lakes Commission and the Michigan Boating Industries Association to pull the coalition together and continues to provide technical and administrative support to the process. The coalition’s goals are: Perhaps the largest challenge to the people who represent Michigan’s small harbors – those harbors that are federally authorized for 14 feet of depth or less and have more recreational usage than commercial – is the federal appropriation process for securing funds to dredge critical access channels into these harbors. Currently federal funds appropriated for Great Lakes harbor maintenance are prioritized for the large, deep draft commercial ports, such as Duluth or Detroit. Small harbors must rely upon their congressional representatives to add specific earmarks for dredging. That process consumes considerable energy and political capital, as each port must be identified individually during appropriation committee meetings in either/or both the House and Senate appropriation process and then defended during subsequent conference committee meetings between House and Senate committees. While these small harbors may not be high priorities in the federal dredging equation, they are important local and regional economic engines. A 2007 study completed by the Great Lakes Commission reports direct and secondary impacts from boating to the Michigan economy to include $2.4 million in annual sales and over 34,000 jobs for a total value added of $975 million. Further, without adequate access to many of these small harbors, the loss of property values and subsequent loss in tax revenues would be devastating to the local economies and far surpass the spending needed to keep them viable. In recent years tragic events, such as the loss of three people boating out of Grand Marais in 2006 who could not be rescued because of a silted-in harbor, and the loss of a Chicago-to-Mackinac sailboat that grounded while attempting to seek refuge in Onekama Harbor in 2007, make the issue of safely dredged harbors even more urgent. As Michigan transitions from its past manufacturing economy to a more diverse economy, the need to maintain and to develop our water resources is essential to our future quality of life and to our future economic viability. These are the goals of the Michigan Small Harbors Coalition. See: http://miseagrant.umich.edu/harbors 6) IL-IN Sea Grant - Asian Carp Filets Featured at Bass Pro ShopOne way to do your part to help stop the spread of Asian carp into new lakes and streams is to catch and eat them. On Saturday, May 10, from 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. at Bass Pro Shop in Bolingbrook, you can learn how to filet bighead and silver carp as well as sample free cooked filets. “Bighead and silver carp have excellent quality flesh, similar to cod, but they have bones in their filets, which create problems when eating the fish,” said Duane Chapman, a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) fish biologist. Chapman will be one of several biologists demonstrating how to debone the carp filets. “We will demonstrate how to leave only a few large bones in each piece of fish so that they can be easily eaten,” said Chapman. Bass Pro Shop will provide free samples of cooked filets. Bighead and silver carp are non-native fishes that have invaded the Mississippi River and its tributaries, including the Illinois River. An electric barrier stands between them and the Great Lakes. “Asian carp have the potential to have dramatic impact on the Great Lakes fish populations because they are filter feeders. They eat plankton, which are the base of the food chain, and they can grow very large,” said Pat Charlebois, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) aquatic invasives specialist. Chapman is researching food market possibilities as a way to reduce Asian carp populations in these rivers where the fish are taking their toll on the food chain. “Worldwide, silver carp is the most consumed freshwater fish--it is considered the hamburger of Asia,” said Chapman. “The meat is rich in omega-3 fatty acids.” On Saturday, in addition to demonstrating how to filet an Asian carp, experts from USGS, IISG, the Illinois Natural History Survey and the Army Corp of Engineers will be on hand to provide information about the impact these species are having on Midwest rivers, the latest on the electric barrier, how to prevent injury from jumping silver carp, and how to help prevent the spread of Asian carp. “Despite the fact that Asian carp may be a good fish to add to your diet, it is critical that they not be introduced to new waters,” said Charlebois. Early detection of Asian carp can help control their spread. “You can help with the monitoring of these fish by learning how to recognize them and reporting any sightings,” added Charlebois. Bass Pro Shop is located at 709 Janes Avenue in Bolingbrook, Illinois. For more information or directions, visit www.basspro.com. To view or download an Asian carp watch card, visit the IISG web site at www.iisgcp.org/products/free.htm.NY Sea Grant - Eastern Lake Ontario Dune & Salmon River Steward Program Series Set for June – October Spend some time with the Eastern Lake Ontario Dune and Salmon River Stewards during their 2008 Stewardship Program Series. Take a guided walk at one of the Wildlife Management Areas along the Eastern Lake Ontario Dunes and Wetlands Area (ELODWA) or Salmon River Falls Unique Area. Topics of past programs include Wintering Bald Eagles in the Salmon River corridor, Adaptations of Migratory Birds, Knowing and Going with the Flows of the Salmon River, Invasive Species: Water Chestnut, and Cool Critters of the Salmon River corridor. All programs are free and approximately 1 hour long. Watch local newspapers for dates and times or contact Steward Program Coordinator Mary Penney at New York Sea Grant at 315-312-3012. The Steward Program is a cooperative effort of New York Sea Grant, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, New York State Parks and The Nature Conservancy. More info: http://www.nysgdunes.org 7) PA Sea Grant- Keep Unwanted Medicine out of Lake Erie: Pennsylvania Sea Grant hosted an unwanted medicines collection event in Erie, Pennsylvania. On April 26, 2008, Pennsylvania Sea Grant and its partners the City of Erie, Lake Erie-Allegheny Earth Force, LECOM School of Pharmacy, and Erie Times-News in Education held a first of its kind, unwanted medicine collection event in Erie Pennsylvania. The City of Erie and the surrounding area are home to over 250,000 people and encompass 63 miles of Lake Erie shoreline. The goals of this project were to reduce the number of chemicals being disposed of down the drain, ending up in the Great Lakes, and also to raise awareness and increase knowledge of Erie citizens about the impact improper disposal of pharmaceuticals may have on Lake Erie water quality. A total of 87 residents participated in the collection event, 89% of which were over the age of 46. A total of 120 gallons of material was collected 5 gallons of which were controlled substances. Approximately 70,000 non-controlled pills, 4,000 controlled pills, and 400 personal care products were collected during the event. For more information please contact Sara Grisé via e-mail (sng121@psu.edu) or by phone (814) 217-9011. MI Sea Grant - Protecting Water Quality: Michigan Sea Grant Helps Promote New Consumer Guidelines For Safe Disposal of Unwanted Medicine Natural resource managers and others are concerned about the disposal of unwanted prescription drugs, over the counter medications, vitamins, supplements and personal care products (lotions, sprays, etc.). Previously, consumers were encouraged to dispose of these products by “flushing” them down the sink or toilet. However, a study conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey determined that 80 percent of the watersheds sampled in the U.S. contained low levels of at least one type of pharmaceutical chemical. There are two simple steps consumers can take to protect water quality: wrap and trash unused medications and personal care products per local solid waste guidelines. Do not flush! Michigan Sea Grant is working with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and other organizations to communicate to the public the importance of safely disposing of medications and personal care products to protect water quality. See: http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/meds/ 8) Web News Created in 1841 by Congress, the U.S. Lake Survey was charged with conducting a hydrographical survey of the Northern and Northwestern Lakes and preparing and publishing nautical charts and other navigation aids. The Survey published 76 maps of the Great Lakes from 1852 to 1882. These rare historical documents are held at several institutions, so accessing them online is a chance to view the entire collection together. OH Sea Grant - New Shipwreck Website Now Available Online “Whether you are a seasoned scuba diver or a maritime history aficionado, we believe you will not only learn more about Lake Erie's maritime heritage but will also gain an increased respect for the need to preserve and protect Ohio's historic shipwrecks,” states Dave Kelch, Ohio Sea Grant Extension Specialist. The project is linked to the Lake Erie Coastal Ohio Trail, one of 126 national scenic byways designated by the Federal Highway Administration. This signed route travels from Conneaut to Toledo and celebrates the natural resources and historic treasures along Lake Erie. Lake Erie claims more shipwrecks than any other Great Lake with over 1,700. To date only 277 have been found, salvaged or located by divers. The remains of these wrecks lay scattered across the Lake’s floor and provide an exciting opportunity for outdoors people, tourists and scholars alike. This project was jointly funded by the Ohio Lake Erie Commission and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Office of Coastal Management. NY Sea Grant - Aquatic Invasive Species Info Online NY Sea Grant - 2008 Cross-Border Travel Tips Now Online 9) Publications This study reports the results of a baseline study for COSEE (Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence) Great Lakes’ attempts to facilitate collaboration between scientists and educators. To characterize Great Lakes scientists’ involvement in K-12 education and identify factors related to scientists’ potential for the role of education partner, marine and aquatic scientists were recruited to complete a survey at a conference on the Great Lakes in 2006. Three research questions guided the study: 1) how are Great Lakes scientists involved in K-12 education, 2) what barriers may deter their participation in educational outreach, and 3) which factors are related to scientists’ potential for the role of education partner. Through 94 survey responses, scientists reported their familiarity with terms in education, attitudes toward involvement, experiences, barriers and motivating factors in educational outreach. Regression analysis shows that four predictor variables account for a majority of the variance in explaining scientists’ experience in collaboration with teachers (a combined predictive ability of 42%): familiarity with terms in education, professional training (educational competencies and collaborative cultures), and age. Results imply that professional training programs for research scientists may be needed to improve scientists’ educational outreach capacity. Such information will be of particular value to programs such as COSEE Great Lakes whose focus is on facilitating scientist-educator interactions and improving scientists’ educational outreach capacity for ocean and Great Lakes science literacy. NY Sea Grant - Understanding Uncertainties: New Fact Sheet
WI Sea Grant - Protecting Wisconsin's Buried Treasure NY Sea Grant - Eastern Lake Ontario Dunes and Wetlands DVD Available This Summer MI Sea Grant - Steer Clear of Trap Nets The revised trap net brochure features a diagram of a trap net, explains how the nets work, and describes what boaters should do if tangled in a trap net. The brochure is sponsored by the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, Ludington Area Charterboat Association, Michigan Boating Industries Association, Michigan Charter Boat Association, Michigan Fish Producers Association, and the Michigan Steelhead and Salmon Fishermen’s Association. To request copies of Don’t Get Trapped, visit the Michigan Sea Grant bookstore at www.miseagrant.umich.edu. WI Sea Grant - Aquatic Sciences Chronicle - Spring 2008
MI Sea Grant - Upwellings - May 2008 - http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/upwellings/index.html
MI Sea Grant - New and Featured Publications Available from the Michigan Sea Grant Bookstore New Publications:
Featured Products: Summer 2008
10) Staff News Contact information: OH Sea Grant - Stacy Brannan is New Associate Editor As the newest member of Ohio Sea Grant Communications, Stacy will assist in the development of the Stone Laboratory marketing campaign, write and oversee the production of the program’s newsletter, Twine Line, and create new Sea Grant outreach and education publications and displays. OH Sea Grant - Matt Thomas is Named Co-Manager of Stone Lab WI Sea Grant - New Science Writer OH Sea Grant - Ohio Clean Marinas Program Wins NAEP Award |
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April 15, 2008Contents
At the Nab the Aquatic Invaders! Community Stewardship Fair on April 23 at the University of Illinois Environmental Horizons, educational projects created by local school children will be on display as part of an innovative U of I course. This new service-learning course was designed to encourage learning through teaching and to empower university students, youth, and the community to take action. “Service learning is a form of experiential education in which learning occurs through a cycle of action and reflection,” said Valeri Werpetinski, education specialist at the U of I Center for Teaching Excellence. “In this process, students work with others to apply what they are learning to address community problems and, at the same time, reflect on their experiences.” The course (NRES 285: Community Stewardship through Environmental Education) is centered on the concern of aquatic invasive species, such as Asian carp and zebra mussels, which wreak havoc with lake and river ecosystems. Using a science-based web site Nab the Aquatic Invaders! (www.sgnis.org.kids), university students brought this issue to local 4th, 5th, and 7th grade students at Stratton Elementary School, Thomas Paine Elementary School, Edison Middle School and Campus Middle School for Girls. “The web site provides a creative way to learn about invasive species,” said Robin Goettel, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant associate director for education. “It has colorful cartoon characters and a crime-fighting theme, but the site is rich with information on how invasive species are transported to local waters, their impacts, and how they can be controlled.” The U of I students then directed this knowledge towards making a concrete difference. “They met with representatives from libraries, park districts, outdoor clubs, a museum, and a forest preserve district as well as from a local business to learn about their programs to inform the public about invasive species and to talk about potential educational opportunities,” explained Goettel. Students guided youth in the development of community stewardship projects that address educational needs of these organizations by informing visitors what they can do to help prevent the spread of invasive aquatic species. “The school children used creative approaches to inform the community about the issues and to inspire responsible environmental decision-making--they incorporated science content into display boards, activity books, a calendar, and they even wrote and performed skits about invasive species,” said Werpetinski. “Service-learning helps students gain a deeper understanding of academic content, but it also challenges them to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. It’s a powerful teaching strategy that can foster personal growth and a sense of civic responsibility in students,” said Werpetinski. “That’s good for the students, and in this case, it’s good for the environment, too.” The fair features student-created projects that will be used in education programs offered by community organizations in Champaign and Urbana. It takes place Wednesday, April 23, 5:00-6:45 p.m. in the South Lounge of the Illini Union, 1401 W. Green St., Urbana. This event is open to the public and is part of the annual Environmental Horizons, which is a showcase of environmental activities on campus sponsored by the Environmental Council. In keeping with the concept of creating partnerships, the course was a collaboration of Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, U of I Extension, the Center for Teaching Excellence, and the U of I Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences. This project was supported by the Provost’s Initiative on Teaching Advancement and the COSEE Great Lakes Project. Lake Erie GLRRIN (LEMN) - Biennial Conference The conference will summarize knowledge of recent changes occurring in Lake Erie and its tributaries. Presentations will review progress towards formulating research needs and plans, emphasizing the link between the lake and its inputs and outputs, and factors contributing to increasingly rapid rates of change. Platform sessions will highlight recent biological and environmental trends relating to trophic status, indicator development and reporting, ecological forecasting, integrated habitat characteristics, restoration strategies, and new pressures on the ecosystem. Preliminary steps for planning research and monitoring for the 2009 Lake Erie Intensive Monitoring Year will be discussed. These topics will form the focus for open discussion of ways to integrate binational research with management and public needs on the major issues affecting Lake Erie. Lake Michigan GLRRIN - Workshop At this workshop scientists and funding agencies will engage in a facilitated dialog that is designed to identify specific research questions, data gaps, and time and space considerations needed to conduct research investigating the invasive species impacts on food webs in Lake Michigan beginning in the 2010 field season. MI Sea Grant - Legal Tools to Protect Coastal Environments WorkshopJune 18-20, 2008 in Traverse City, MI The Legal Tools workshop is designed to provide government officials, nonprofit environmental groups, shoreline property owners and concerned citizens with the tools they need to better understand and protect Michigan¹s coastal environments. See: http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/news/2008/08-legal-tools-environment.html IL-IN Sea Grant - Explore Lake Michigan at Educator Workshop Excerpt from the Helm The Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE) Great Lakes, in partnership with the Great Lakes Sea Grant Network, invites 4-10th grade teachers and non-formal educators to participate in the Lake Michigan Exploration Workshop, August 2-8 in Chicago. This workshop is designed to promote Great Lakes and ocean sciences in education and to build lasting relationships between scientists and educators. This seven-day summer workshop will offer educators an excursion into Great Lakes and marine science education through classroom and field experiences. Educators will enhance inquiry, questioning, and experimentation skills, build on their experiences with students, and connect their work to specific standards for student performance. To learn more, visit coseegreatlakes.net/events/lakemichigan. 3) NY Sea Grant - GLRRIN - Lake Ontario: Stakeholders Prioritizing the Future How do the people who work, live and play along Lake Ontario see the future of this great resource? Can American and Canadian recreational anglers, government agencies, charterboat captains, planners, aquaculturists, environmental groups, researchers and academics come together to discuss how they’d like to see the future of Lake Ontario? To open up such a discussion, the bi-national Lake Ontario team of the Great Lakes Regional Research Information Network (GLRRIN), co-coordinated by Dale Baker (Associate director of New York Sea Grant) and Dave MacNeill (New York Sea Grant fisheries specialist), held two separate conferences at opposite ends of Lake Ontario. Facilitated by Dr. Bruce Lauber of Cornell University’s Human Dimensions Research Unit, two similar Lake Ontario “Search Conferences” were held in Grand Island, New York near Niagara Falls (March 31-April 1, 2008) and Gananoque, Ontario in the St. Lawrence valley (April 3-4). After an overview of Lake Ontario presented by MacNeill, facilitator and meeting format developer Lauber led each group of approximately 40 participants into a “shared history” discussion of Lake Ontario. Participants wrote on a wall-sized timeline to show decade by decade the natural and socioeconomic history of Lake Ontario and the forces affecting it. By alternating small and large work groups, each consisting of a balance of stakeholders, the group listed a shared vision of the “ideal future” followed by the “likely future” of Lake Ontario. Although lists from breakout groups varied, a future of better water quality, sustainable fisheries, habitat restoration, reduction of invasive species and alternative energy policy seemed to resonate throughout the conversations. During the two-day conferences, participants were aided by other members of the planning committee: Dr. Tim Johnson (Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources), Tom Brown (director of Cornell University’s Human Dimensions Research Unit), Dr. Gary Sprules (University of Toronto), and Dr. Jim Johnson (USGS Fisheries Lab). Although not present for the conferences, much of the initial planning had been done by Dr. Jack Mattice, former New York Sea Grant Director who spearheaded the conference prior to his retirement last year. As part of the future search process, the facilitator led participants into an exercise to identify information needs that would be of practical value to Lake Ontario stakeholders. Each group reported its findings and all participants had an opportunity to indicate which information needs had priority. Lists of prioritized research needs as well as pre- and post-workshop evaluations that were filled out by all participants will be reviewed and synthesized by the team in the coming weeks. A full report will soon be available on www.glrrin.info. For more information, contact Barbara Branca, New York Sea Grant Communications Manager at 631.32.6956 or barbara.branca@stonybrook.edu. 4) IL-IN Sea Grant - New Research Projects 2008-9
5) MN Sea Grant - Duluth Residential Stormwater Reduction Demonstration Project for Lake Superior Tributaries Valerie Brady, research coordinator, is facilitating coordination of the project, "Duluth Residential Stormwater Reduction Demonstration Project for Lake Superior Tributaries," a $167,400 grant from Minnesota Pollution Control Agency/US Environmental Protection Agency to the City of Duluth, Natural Resources Research Institute, Minnesota Sea Grant, South St. Louis Soil and Water Conservation District, and the Minnesota Conservation Corps. The project is designed to demonstrate the effectiveness of technologies such as rain gardens, rain barrels, and cisterns to reduce stormwater runoff in residential areas. 6) MN Sea Grant - View from the Lake K-12 Cindy Hagley, environmental quality educator; Jesse Schomberg, coastal communities educator; and Sue O'Halloran, University of Wisconsin-Superior, received a $26,700 grant from Minnesota's Lake Superior Coastal Program for "View From the Lake: Expanded Outreach Through K12 Curricula, the Web, and Sustainability Programming." 7) IL-IN Sea Grant - Disinfecting Drinking Water Can Create Toxic By-Products Safe drinking water is something we've all come to take for granted in this country and in much of the developed world. By eliminating infectious diseases from drinking water, we have made much of the world a dramatically safer place. However, the process of disinfecting drinking water has led to its own set of concerns. Some disinfectant by-products, or DBPs, which result from the reaction of organic matter with disinfectants, can have long-term health impacts, including several types of cancer. Some DBPs have been linked to fetal development problems. "Approximately 600 DBPs have been identified, which represents only a fraction of the total number," said Michael Plewa, a University of Illinois genetic toxicologist. The U.S. EPA regulates a small number of known DBPs and the agency is in a multi-year period of evaluation of the new Stage 2 Drinking Water Disinfection Rule. In a project partially funded by Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, Plewa has developed a comprehensive in vitro database of toxicity levels of DBPs considered a priority by the U.S. EPA. Plewa’s team, which included scientists at EPA, tested DBPs to assess their impacts on mammal cells and their genetic material. “Michael Plewa’s database will provide important data to aid in the EPA’s assessment of present regulations,” said Susan Richardson, U.S. EPA scientist. “The database can also serve as a much-needed practical resource for the water treatment community as they make decisions regarding local disinfection practices.” For example, to reduce the occurrence of regulated by-products, some communities have switched from chlorine to chloramine in their disinfection process. In water that is high in organic matter, typically surface water, this can lead to an increase in emerging classes of nitrogen-containing DBPs, some of which Plewa has found to be considerably more toxic than those that are regulated. In water that contains iodine, such as water that has been infiltrated with sea water or sea water that has been locked away underground, the use of chloramine can produce highly toxic iodinated DBPs. “Some iodinated DBPs are the most genotoxic to mammalian cells of any known DBPs,” said Plewa. "Water managers should know that the spectrum of DBPs shifts when chlorine is replaced with chloramine." Plewa doesn’t recommend that people steer clear of tap water--it’s been serving us well for 100 years. In fact, he describes the disinfection of drinking water as the most important public health event of the 20th Century. “And tap water, unlike bottled water, is regulated,” said Plewa. “But, for those concerned about DBPs, it’s a good idea to use a point-of-use filter in their home.” He hopes that one day, through genetic testing, we will be able to pinpoint people who are most vulnerable to health problems related to DBPs and make appropriate recommendations. New York Sea Grant (NYSG) and Cornell Cooperative Extension launched a new Internet-based training course on the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) regulation for the processing, packing or holding of human food. The course is designed for supervisors, middle level managers, quality control staff and anyone else responsible for ensuring that a food processing, wholesale or warehouse operations meet current GMP requirements,� says Ken Gall, NYSG's Seafood Specialist. This GMP regulation, which applies to all FDA-regulated food products, addresses the basic sanitary controls required for all processing plants, wholesale or distribution firms and warehouses or storage facilities to ensure that the food they process, handle or store is safe and wholesome. The regulation also provides a framework for the state regulations that may apply to these firms, and other regulations for specific types of foods. The new online training course consists of 12 modules covering each section of the FDA regulation along with an explanation of its intent, examples and strategies for compliance with these requirements and resources for additional information. The course, for which a Spanish language version will be available by this Fall, is designed to accommodate a variety of different learning styles. Students can view the course materials live� on the Internet, download files to their computer or use the audio� feature to hear the course content read to them by a professional narrator. An innovative interactive feature, called GMP TV, is used throughout the course to demonstrate important concepts and conditions that must be maintained in a food processing, handling or storage operation. Students can register and pay the $50 course fee online or by mail. A discount is available for groups who plan to train 20 or more people from the same company or organization at the same time. To register and learn more about this new Internet training course go to: http://gmptraining.aem.cornell.edu. Upon completion of the course, students will receive a certificate via e-mail. This certificate will be issued to the individual person who registered for the course, and will contain the name of the company or organization they are affiliated with and the date of completion. New York Sea Grant Specialist Ken Gall led the national team that developed this course in collaboration with: Steve Kern, Web designer for the Department of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University; Debra DeVlieger, national food specialist with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration in Seattle, WA; Doris Hicks of the University of Delaware; Dr. Lori Pivarnik of the University of Rhode Island; Dr. Mike Jahncke and Abigail Villalba of Virginia Tech; Barry Nash and Dr. Dave Green of North Carolina State University; and Victor Garrido and Dr. Steve Otwell of the University of Florida. This project was partially funded by a grant awarded to Cornell University in 2005 from the National Integrated Food Safety Initiative of the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (Grant No. 2005-51110-03291). 9) Publications IL-IN Sea Grant - the Helm - Spring 2008 http://www.iisgcp.org/news/helm/HELMSpring08final.pdf
http://www.coseegreatlakes.net/newsletter/nl6.html
Order at http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/publications/
Michigan Sea Grant¹s curriculum lesson, "Fins, Tails and Scales," is one of several classroom activities featured in the Spring 2008 edition of the MSTA Journal, published by the Michigan Science Teachers Association. The popular lesson on fish identification is one of 15 lessons available online as part of Fisheries Learning On the Web (FLOW). See: http://www.msta-mich.org/index.php/publications 10) Web News OH Sea Grant - Lake Erie Shipwreck Trail Website Ohio Sea Grant has created a new website, Shipwrecks and Maritime Tales of the Lake Erie Coastal Ohio Trail, available at www.ohioshipwrecks.org. The website was created to help promote the protection of shipwrecks and increase awareness of the rich maritime history which lies beneath the surface of Ohio's Lake Erie. Lake Erie has over 1700 shipwrecks, of which only 277 have been found and salvaged, or located by divers and remain on the bottom of Lake Erie. Each shipwreck appearing on the site is accompanied by GPS coordinates, location information and a history of the ship. For more information, contact Dave Kelch, kelch.3@osu.edu, or Joe Lucente, lucente.6@osu.edu, and visit www.ohioshipwrecks.org. IL-IN Sea Grant - ecyclingtools A compilation of tools and information for making your electronic purchases, use and disposal more green. http://www.ecyclingtools.com/ 11) Staff News OH Sea Grant - New Fisheries Agent Tory Gabriel will become Ohio Sea Grant’s fisheries program coordinator for Fisheries Extension Enhancement (FEE) on April 28, 2008. Based at the Lake Erie Nature and Science Center in Bay Village, he will conduct fisheries education programs all along the Ohio shoreline. Tory holds a bachelors degree in fish and wildlife biology and a masters degree in education from Ohio University. During 2007 he worked as a research and teaching assistant at the F.T. Stone Laboratory. We welcome Tory to our staff; he can be emailed at gabriel.78@osu.edu. IL-IN Sea Grant - New Staff Jackie Adams is the program’s new water quality extension associate, located in the U.S. EPA’s Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO). She collects monitoring data through sampling aboard the R/V Peter Wise Lake Guardian, provides information to Great Lakes managers, and assists with all areas of the biennual State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference. Before joining Sea Grant, Adams was employed by U.S. EPA GLNPO since 2004. IL-IN Sea Grant - Position Announcement Visiting Extension Outreach Associate Water Resource Economist University of Illinois Extension Search # 0804 The Visiting Extension Outreach Associate will support the work of the University of Illinois Extension, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant College Program and The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning as they serve the greater northeastern Illinois region as it implements a proactive regional water supply / demand management plan. The person in this position will work in the following functions: applied research, education/outreach, web design (content), project management, and/or media contacts and marketing/public relations. This is a visiting 12 month academic professional position. Master’s degree in natural resource economics, regional economic geography, ecological economics or closely related field from an accredited institution of higher education and two years of experience in water resources, or related discipline. Salary commensurate with qualifications. To ensure full consideration, applications must be received by April 25, 2008. Full position description at: http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/careers/current.cfm For further information contact: Brian Miller (217) 333-6444. On April 13 at the Albany Institute of History and Art, the Upstate History Alliance will award Seaway Trail, Inc., Sackets Harbor, NY, a Certificate of Commendation for its 2007 Great Lakes Seaway Trail Shipwrecks Exhibit and Speakers Series. The award recognizes exceptional exhibits, innovative educational programs and publications, and outstanding volunteers or employees in the history and museum communities of New York State. The 2007 Great Lakes Seaway Trail Shipwrecks Exhibit and Speakers Series was the premiere effort by the nonprofit Seaway Trail, Inc. to feature a single theme across the multiple disciplines of its mission to promote travel, tourism and related economic development along New York’s freshwater shoreline. The series received widespread media attention. The 2007 Great Lakes Seaway Trail Shipwrecks Exhibit and Speakers Series featured National Geographic photographer David Doubilet, Great Lakes historian Frederick Stonehouse, Phil Church of the Oswego Maritime Foundation, anchor collector and diver Wilburt C. Wahl, Jr., Mark Peckham of the New York State Historic Preservation Office, underwater explorers Jim Kennard and Dan Scoville, who have discovered hundreds of wrecks using high tech sonar and deep water diving techniques; and Captain Ken Kozin of Thousand Islands Dive Excursions. The New York State Divers Association, Oswego Maritime Foundation, Sea Grant Pennsylvania, and French Creek Marina provided items for the themed exhibit at the Seaway Trail Discovery Center in Sackets Harbor, NY. The Clayton Opera House and the Hospitality & Tourism Student Organization and Social Cultural Committee of Jefferson Community College hosted shipwreck speaker programs on behalf of Seaway Trail. A National Scenic Byway grant from the Federal Highway Administration to Seaway Trail, Inc. through the New York State Department of Transportation Scenic Byways Program provided funding support for the series. Other sponsors included National Grid, Key Bank, Day’s Inn-Denny’s, and TGI Friday’s. In partnership with New York Sea Grant, Seaway Trail, Inc. continues to develop the Dive the Seaway Trail series of dive sites that are marked, buoyed and maintained by community-based stewards along the byway. A 1999 New York Sea Grant survey showed divers living within the Great Lakes region spent $61 million a year on boat and auto fuel, lodging and food, etc. and $47 million on diving-related expenditures. Seaway Trail, Inc. Board Member and Dive the Seaway Trail Project Coordinator David G. White of New York Sea Grant, Oswego, NY, said, “Our economic survey clearly showed the opportunity to interpret and market the region to divers and we found that non-diving history enthusiasts also welcomed the program series that has now set a standard for interpreting the other unique themes of New York’s freshwater, Seaway Trail shoreline region.” Five outdoor Seaway Trail storyteller interpretive panels telling the facts, lore and legends of historic shipwrecks and the fascinating underwater geography of the region were installed in 2007 at Alexandria Bay, Clayton, Oswego, Pultneyville and Dunkirk. The maritime theme was featured in the Great Lakes Seaway Trail Journey magazine and on the Seaway Trail website at www.seawaytrail.com. Upstate History Alliance Award of Merit Program Coordinator Jenny Rosenzweig said, “The Certificate of Commendation is given for excellence within the context of available means and regional standards. We are pleased to highlight the 2007 Great Lakes Seaway Trail Shipwrecks Exhibit and Speakers Series at our April 13th award ceremony.” The Great Lakes Seaway Trail is one of America’s Byways and a National Recreation Trail. Learn more at www.seawaytrail.com. OH Sea Grant - Journalism Awards Ohio Sea Grant Extension's efforts to bring useful information to Lake Erie clientele were recognized by the Outdoor Writers of Ohio, Inc. (OWO) on April 12. During the awards ceremony at the organization's 69th annual convention, Ohio Sea Grant received awards in three categories:
Outdoor Writers of Ohio, Inc. is a professional organization of outdoor communicators founded in 1939. Its members are staff writers for some of Ohio's largest daily newspapers, freelance magazine writers, columnists for community weekly newspapers, authors, photographers, broadcasters, artists and public information specialists. OWO sponsors an annual awards contest to honor the best work of its members, and presentations are made at a spring conference attended by members and supporting members. 12) For Students:OH Sea Grant - Job Opportunity OH Sea Grant is looking for a part time student to work in the Columbus Office and assist their database manager and web designer. Students should have some programming experience and preferably some knowledge of PHP. Stone Lab also still has some jobs on the island for students taking courses. OH Sea Grant - Stone Lab There is still room in most courses at Stone Lab for this summer.
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March 18, 2008Contents COSEE Great Lakes - Lake Michigan Exploration Workshop An outstanding learning opportunity awaits! Become immersed in the science of the Great Lakes through the Lake Michigan Exploration Workshop, to be held August 2–8 in Chicago, Illinois. Here are the benefits of joining us:
We encourage applications from educators who are Native American or members of groups underrepresented in science and/or who teach significant numbers of students who are members of such groups. Selection criteria include: geographic distribution, ethnic diversity, level of professional involvement; potential to use the workshop materials and concepts in the classroom; and potential to share the workshop material with other educational professionals. This workshop is sponsored by the Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE) Great Lakes and the Great Lakes Sea Grant Network through an NSF grant and NOAA funding. To learn more about this exciting opportunity and acquire the application, See: COSEE Great Lakes website New ID Requirements for Crossing Border by Water - US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is implementing very stringent requirements for anyone entering the U.S. by water on the Great Lakes, and this also affects research and field trip boats. Patrolling and enforcement will greatly increase on Lake Erie this year (35 new agents) and varying numbers of agents will be assigned to the other Great Lakes. This will affect anyone at the on-water borderline, even those who have not landed nor anchored in Canada. This even means an inadvertent straying of a boat slightly across the boundary line. A pdf called USCBP Travel Requirement Changes outlines the new requirements for re-entry, and can be viewed at: http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/travel/vacation/ready_set_go/land_travel/whti_notification_tearsheet.ctt/whti_notification_tearsheet.pdf . However a CBP presentation at the Ohio Charter Captains Conference set out requirements more stringent than those appearing in the document. The doc requires a passport or a passport card for re-entry, but the presenting agent insisted that a drivers license or state or federal ID must be presented also. This needs clarification. Enhanced drivers licenses (these have radio ID chips imbedded in the card) can substitute for a passport but they are not yet available in many states – Michigan is the only Great Lakes state currently moving toward this type of license. Without a passport, you will need to provide both a drivers license and an original birth certificate. TWIC Card Required - Questions have been coming about the role of the new TWIC card being required in Great Lakes security measures. TWIC stands for Transportation Workers Identification Credential and is jointly issued by the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) and U.S. Coast Guard. A TWIC card is required of anyone requiring unescorted entry to secure port facilities and also will be required for anyone holding Coast Guard-issued credentials. From a Sea Grant standpoint, this will include captains of research boats, passenger vessels and ferries, and of course, charter boat captains. But TWIC goes much further - a card would be required even for a soft drink delivery person needing to enter a secure part of a port or vessel without an escort.A TWIC card will NOT serve as satisfactory identification for persons on vessels crossing the U.S.-Canadian boundary as required by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The fee for TWIC will be $132.50 and it is valid for five years. Workers with current, comparable background checks will pay a reduced fee of $105.25. TWIC is being phase in across the country, but all U.S. port regions will require TWIC cards by mid-2008. For more information, a TWIC fact sheet provided by TSA can be downloaded at: http://www.tsa.gov/what_we_do/layers/twic/twic_faqs.shtm 3)GLRRIN - New Researcher Featured on Web Site Dr. Karen Smokorowski of the Great Lakes Laboratory for Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences is the newest researcher featured on the Great Lakes Regional Research Information Network (GLRRIN) web site. Focusing her research in Lake Superior, Dr. Smokorowski studies the effects of habitat alteration on the productivity of lakes and rivers in the Great Lakes region. For more about her research and specific projects she oversees, go to http://www.glrrin.info/lakesuperior/people/?person=smokorowski. For more about the regional program, GLRRIN, go to www.glrrin.info. 4) MI Sea Grant - RFP Michigan Sea Grant is soliciting pre-proposals for Integrated Assessment projects. The program will consider proposals of up to three years’ duration (February 2009 through January 2012) for grant requests up to $140,000. Pre-proposals are due Friday, April 4, 2008 at 5 p.m. Please note: There will be an optional PI conference call with the Program Director and Assistant Director/Research Coordinator on Tuesday, March 11 @ 3:30 pm. Call details are on the RFP website along with full solicitation information, including eligibility and budget requirements: http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/research/rfp/index.html 5) MN Sea Grant - RFP The Minnesota Sea Grant College Program is soliciting preliminary proposals for projects to begin on February 1, 2009. For this special solicitation, projects will only be funded for one-year, with amounts typically ranging from $30,000 to $50,000 in direct costs, excluding costs of graduate students and ship time. Proposals requesting larger or smaller amounts will be considered. This special one-year funding cycle allows us to align our RFP timeline with other regional efforts, thereby increasing the potential for collaborations with researchers in neighboring states. Future RFPs will return to the standard two-year funding cycle. Except for federal agencies, all U.S. residents and entities are eligible to apply. Preproposals due February 4, 2008. http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/projects/rfp 6) II Sea Grant - New Research Funding Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant announces funding awards for four research projects for 2008-2010. "These projects address some long-term concerns facing the Great Lakes, including human health, wetland management and restoration, and sustainable coastal development," said Brian Miller, IISG director. "Outcomes from these studies will inform in policy and management decisions related to economic and environmental sustainability in the region." The first project addresses concerns about the rising number of beach closings along southern Lake Michigan due to contaminated waters. With Sea Grant funding, Kizhanipuram Vinodgopal and Julie Peller from Indiana University Northwest will develop a fast, innovative way of detecting sewage in swimming waters. They will establish a system to rapidly alert managers when a problem is detected, which can result in more timely decisions on beach closures. Nancy Tuchman of Loyola University Chicago will study the impact of invasive plants on the ability of wetlands to filter nitrogen. Wetlands play an important role filtering excess nutrients and other contaminants from a watershed. The concern is that a significant change in wetland plant species may alter that process. Tuchman will provide science-based recommendations to managers charged with maintaining the integrity of coastal wetlands and help them prioritize efforts to manage invaded ones. In the Lake Calumet area, wetland restoration is the order of the day. This region on the southeast side of Chicago and northwest Indiana has endured decades of industry and now is in need of rehabilitation. Yanqing Lian and George Roadcap of the Illinois State Water Survey and Ximing Cai of the University of Illinois are developing modeling tools to assess ecosystem restoration plans and develop restoration benchmarks for the region. Finally, IISG is funding a cutting edge project to create computer-simulated versions of coastal cities in northern Indiana. Jie Shan of Purdue Universities School of Civil Engineering will develop 3-D data collection technology for urban planning. "This technology will provide users with the capabilities to interact, modify, manipulate and demonstrate different design scenarios," said Shan. "The use of virtual cities will ultimately benefit long term sustainable economic and environmental development in the coastal areas in northern Indiana." 7) Publications PA Sea Grant - Lower Great Lakes Ballast Water Workshop Proceedings Anyone interested in receiving a copy of the proceedings for the Lower Great Lakes Ballast Water workshop recently held in Erie, PA on March 13 and 14, please send contact information to Marti Martz via e-mail: mam60@psu.edu. MI Sea Grant - Botulism a piece in ES&T on "Great Lakes bird die-offs signal ecological changes... Widespread ecological change is occurring in the Great Lakes, driven by the synergistic impacts of introduced species" - several MI and NY Sea Grant quotes in this national publication. posted online at: http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2008/feb/science/np_birddieoff.html MI Sea Grant - Upwellings - February 2008 - http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/upwellings/index.html
MN Sea Grant - Promotions and Awards Debbie Bowen was promoted to information technology and business manager from information specialist. She will offer information technology support, manage databases and business processes, provide administrative support to the director, and coordinate planning for events and conferences. Sharon Moen was promoted to science writer from editor. She will continue to prepare news releases, fact sheets, and articles for external audiences, including stories in the Seiche, and on Minnesota Sea Grant's Web site. She will also assist in marketing Sea Grant products. Anne Kapuscinski, fisheries and biotechnology extension educator, was one of five recipients of the international Society for Conservation Biology's Distinguished Service Award for 2008. Kapuscinksi will be honored in July for her "extraordinary contributions to conservation research, teaching, and conservation policy, particularly related to the effects of biotechnology policy on aquatic species." MI Sea Grant - Bailey honored during ANR Week Pam Bailey received the Outstanding Support Staff Award from MSU Ag and Natural Resources. Pam is Michigan Sea Grant Extension's secretary extraordinaire—not an official title, but certainly the one that Chuck Pistis, Sea Grant coordinator, has given her. Chuck says that Pam was always very responsive during his 30 years in the field, but he never dreamed how much he would come to rely on her when he took the coordinator position. Pam is not only competent and resourceful, she handles every task with a grace, humor and a can-do attitude that enhances the team spirit in the office. |
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February 15, 2008 Contents 1. Events - NY Sea Grant - New "Discover Clean and Safe Boat" Debuts at CNY Boat Show Feb. 13-17, 2008 - NY Sea Grant - Boating Seminars Return to Boat Show Feb. 13-17 - OH Sea Grant -10th Annual Winter Program and Silent Auction - MI Sea Grant - Grand Haven Regional Fishery Workshop - OH Sea Grant - 27th Ohio Charter Captains Conference - MI Sea Grant - The Great Lakes: An Ecosystem in Transition - MN Sea Grant - Ask A Scientist: Did a Comet Crack the Earth? - MN Sea Grant - Harmful Algal Bloom Workshops - PA Sea Grant - Lower Great Lakes Ballast Water workshop - NY Sea Grant - Great Lakes Underwater - MI Sea Grant - Migratory Birds: Giving Them a Lift - MI Sea Grant - Lake Huron Fisheries Workshops - NY Sea Grant - Great Lakes Student Summit May 14-15 - OH Sea Grant - 17th State Legislature/Congressional Day on Lake Erie 2. NY Sea Grant - An Illuminating Great Lakes Tale: The Alewife and the Opossum Shrimp 3. OH Sea Grant - Community Needs Assessment 4. NY Sea Grant - VHS Research 5. NY Sea Grant - New State Invasive Species Effort 6. IL-IN Sea Grant -Sea Grant Brings Together College and Grade School Students to Foster Community Stewardship 7. Web News - MI Sea Grant - New Links on the MSG Web - www.miseagrant.umich.edu - NY Sea Grant - Botulism Outbreaks Continue to Impact Ecosystem: Find FAQ Online 8. Publications - NY Sea Grant - Dune Brochure Now Available - NY Sea Grant - Great Lakes Splash - MI Sea Grant - Upwellings - February 2008 - www.miseagrant.umich.edu/up 9. Student Opportunities - NY Sea Grant - Recruiting 2008 Dune/River Steward Crew - MI Sea Grant -2008 Great Lakes Commission-Sea Grant Fellowship 10. Staff News - OH Sea Grant - Staff Change ________________________________________________________ 1. Events NY Sea Grant - New "Discover Clean and Safe Boat" Debuts at CNY Boat Show Feb. 13-17, 2008 Fire extinguishers, flags, flares, first aid kit, floatation devices… Visit the Feb. 13-17 Central New York Boat Show to see the new Discover Clean and Safe Boat at the NYS Fairgrounds in Syracuse, NY. “This exciting new 20-foot-long, actual boat exhibit will be dressed with all the gear required to meet boating law and regulations to visually help boaters learn exactly how to properly and legally equip their boats,” says Dave White, a recreation and tourism specialist with New York Sea Grant, Oswego, NY. New York Sea Grant; the Boating Industry Association of Central New York, Cicero, NY; Forest Fisheries, Homer, NY; and Morgan Recreational Supply, Farmington, NY, are sponsoring the new boat exhibit. More info: http://www.nysgmarina.org NY Sea Grant - Boating Seminars Return to Boat Show Feb. 13-17 Where are the best waters to scuba dive, sail, and fish? What are the latest boating rules, regulations, equipment and safety tips? How do I use my new GPS unit? What do I really need to boat to and from Canada and on New York’s canals? The experts answer your questions during the 2008 Central New York Boat Show Seminar Series. A series of 10 seminars assembled by the Boating Industry Association of Central New York and New York Sea Grant, and sponsored by Taylor Made Products of Gloversville, NY, will run February 13-17 at the Syracuse Fairgrounds. Seminar topics include walleye fishing on Oneida Lake, bass fishing, diving in Central NY, sailing and chartering a boat, using GPS and marine radio, navigating by the latest rules and regulations, cross-border boating, canalling in NYS, and Safe Boating 101. More info: http://www.nysgmarina.org OH Sea Grant -10th Annual Winter Program and Silent Auction Wednesday, 20 February 2008, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Fawcett Center, Ohio State University Columbus Campus 2400 Olentangy River Road (free parking available) Featured Presentation: Chris Korleski, Director Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. “Why Our Collective Work is So Important” Have fun and put our island back in your life in the middle of the winter. Learn about course offerings, workshops, and special programs planned for 2008 and how you can get involved. Pick up course and workshop application materials for spring, summer, and fall 2008. Meet Stone Laboratory faculty and Ohio Sea Grant research scientists and staff. Get your Lake Erie questions answered. Bring your old photos and Stone Laboratory stories and memorabilia to share and reminisce. Renew old friendships with former students, faculty and research scientists. A silent auction will be held beginning at 7 p.m. to benefit Stone Lab programs and scholarships. Auction items include tickets to various cultural activities, travel opportunities, signed limited edition prints, items for the home and office, meals at local restaurants and variety of items for OSU fans. (Payment by cash or check; no credit cards.) MI Sea Grant - Grand Haven Regional Fishery Workshop Michigan Sea Grant Extension will host a regional fishery workshop in Grand Haven, Michigan on Saturday, March 1, 2008. The workshop will be held in the Mackinaw Room of the Grand Haven Community Center located at 421 Columbus. District Extension Sea Grant Educator Daniel O’Keefe will facilitate the workshop, which will also feature presentations by fisheries and Great Lakes water experts from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the University of Michigan, Grand Valley State University’s Annis Water Research Institute, the U. S. Geological Survey, and the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. The focus of the workshop will be on Lake Michigan fisheries. Topics will include the current status of Chinook salmon and forage fish, an update on angler catch rates and effort, lake water levels and currents, the impacts of invasive species on the food web and fisheries, and new developments in management activities for the coming year. Late in the afternoon, the U. S. Coast Guard will present information on the new Transportation Worker Identification Card and other requirements for charter boat operators. OH Sea Grant - 27th Ohio Charter Captains Conference March 4, 2008 - Kellogg Center, Michigan State University This conference will present current information on climate change, changing water levels, and introduced species, as well as actions being taken to protect and enhance the Great Lakes ecosystem. Among the speakers will be Michigan Sea Grant Director Don Scavia, who will present “Hypoxia: Policy Parallels between the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes,” and Sea Grant Extension Educator Mark Breederland, who will present “Working Waterfronts -- Lessons Learned in Preserving Fishtown’s Heritage Fishery.” Michigan Sea Grant is one of several co-sponsors of this annual conference. To register, see: http://www.iwr.msu.edu/events/ANRWeek/ MN Sea Grant - Ask A Scientist: Did a Comet Crack the Earth? March 4th & 5th, 2008 Among all the space rocks that have slammed into our planet, Dr. Vicki Hansen of the University of Minnesota Duluth and McKnight Presidential Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences recently suggested that one asteroid (or several) might have set Earth's crust in motion. Join Dr. Hansen to discuss her controversial theory and why plate tectonics makes life on Earth possible.
March 4th, 5th & 6th, 2008 - All workshops from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Learn the latest research-based information about harmful algae and how to respond if a bloom happens in your lake. $15 covers registration, breakfast rolls, and lunch. Hosted by Minnesota Sea Grant, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, and the Center of Excellence for Great Lakes and Human Health. For more information, contact: Barb Liukkonen, (612) 625-9256, liukk001@umn.edu. PA Sea Grant - Lower Great Lakes Ballast Water workshopMarch 13 and 14, 2008 - Tom Ridge Environmental Center, Erie, PA This one and ½ day workshop will provide an update and overview of current ballast water policy, legislation and research as it applies to the Great Lakes. Scientists, legal experts, legislators, industry personnel and agency staff will discuss the current state of ballast water policy, pending legislation, proposed ballast water treatment methods and evaluating the current risk of introduction and spread of AIS to Great Lakes ports by foreign and domestic ships. For more information on the workshop contact Marti Martz, Pennsylvania Sea Grant, 814.217.9015. March 15, 2008 - Full slate of shipwrecks and diving programs, SUNY Oswego, Oswego, NY, hosted by New York Sea Grant and the Oswego Maritime Foundation. Pre-registration: $25 ($20 student), includes buffet lunch, is required. Make checks payable to Cornell University and mail to New York Sea Grant, SUNY Oswego, Oswego, NY 13126. MasterCard and VISA now accepted. More info: 315-312-3042, http://www.nysgunderwater.org/ MI Sea Grant - Migratory Birds: Giving Them a Lift Michigan Sea Grant, in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy, and DTE Energy Foundation, is co-hosting a one-day workshop, Migratory Birds: Giving Them a Lift, on March 20, 2008. The workshop will provide practical advice on how public and private land managers can manage habitat for migratory birds in the western Lake Erie basin. The workshop will be held at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Campus in Monroe, Michigan. Following morning presentations, participants will visit properties that have been converted to migratory songbird habitat. Who should attend: Public and private land managers and cooperators, and anyone interested in managing lands in the western Lake Erie basin. For more information, contact Mary Bohling, bohling@msu.edu MI Sea Grant - Lake Huron Fisheries Workshops NY Sea Grant - Great Lakes Student Summit May 14-15 More info: http://www.greatlakesed.org/ OH Sea Grant - 17th State Legislature/Congressional Day on Lake Erie Ohio Sea Grant's 17th State Legislature/Congressional Day on Lake Erie will be on Friday, 18 July 2008. The program will begin with registration and lunch at the Bay Harbor Restaurant at Cedar Point Amusement Park. It will end after dinner at approximately 7:30 PM at Ohio State University's Stone Laboratory on Gibraltar Island, Put-in-Bay, Ohio. This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the Ohio Sea Grant Program and the 26th anniversary of our first Congressional Day in 1982. More details to follow in the coming months. 2. NY Sea Grant - An Illuminating Great Lakes Tale: The Alewife and the Opossum Shrimp Excerpt from Press Release In recent decades, Lake Ontario has become increasingly clear. The grazing of invasive zebra mussels and the reduction of inputs of compounds such as phosphorus have combined to improve its water clarity. Does an increase in light penetration affect how predators in lake food chains find their prey? Yes, says Dr. Lars Rudstam, Associate Professor in the Department of Natural Resources at Cornell University. Increased predation is one consequence of the “illumination of the food web” associated with the increasing water clarity in the Great Lakes. In several New York Sea Grant funded projects, Rudstam, along with his colleagues and students at Cornell, the USGS Great Lakes Science Center, and the Canadian Centre for Inland Waters, has been examining the interaction of forage fish and invertebrates in Lake Ontario and predicting trends in their populations. The main forage fish of economically-important sportfish species such as Chinook salmon and other salmonids in Lake Ontario is the alewife. The relatively high abundance of alewife is the reason for the faster growth of Lake Ontario salmon compared to those in other Great Lakes. Alewife may be switching from a diet consisting primarily of zooplankton to one that also includes the opossum shrimp, Mysis relicta, a small shrimp that feeds on zooplankton. The alewife benefits from this addition to its diet; the opossum shrimp’s high content of unsaturated fatty acids is necessary for the alewife’s successful overwinter survival. At night, mysids migrate from the bottom of the lake towards the surface to feed, making them vulnerable to alewife predation. Says Dr. Rudstam, “We have shown that light levels associated with the peak of the mysid layer are usually too low for alewife to use vision to feed on mysids. We therefore hypothesize that much of the predation we see in the field is occurring at the upper edge of the mysid distribution, where it is still light enough for alewife to utilize vision to feed.” The team further hypothesizes that increased light penetration due to increasing water clarity will cause increased light levels at the mysid layer and therefore higher feeding rates of alewife on mysids. Rudstam’s team has also shown that alewife can feed on mysids in total darkness, although capture success declines in such conditions. In addition to potential increases in alewife feeding, increased water clarity will limit mysids’ access to their own food—the zooplankton in the warmer, upper layer of water. Mysids may therefore grow more slowly, decreasing birth rates. The combination of decreased birth rates and increased mortality rates should lead to declines in the mysid population. Early indications show this may be occurring. In 2006, the population had decreased to half of the density in 2005 Future work will determine if this is a continuing trend. However, the effect of decreased mysids on the complex alewife-mysis-zooplankton food web--and therefore on alewife production itself-- is difficult to predict. Much of this work has been recently published in the journal Limnology and Oceanography 52(4) under the title "The effects of temperature and predator-prey interactions on the migration behavior and vertical distribution of Mysis relicta.” Contact: Dr. Lars Rudstam <lgr1@cornell.edu> 315-633-9243 or Barbara.Branca@stonybrook.edu, New York Sea Grant, 631-632-6956 3. OH Sea Grant - Community Needs Assessment Ohio Sea Grant Extension completed a Local Community Needs Assessment for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Lake Erie Shore Erosion Management Plan task group. The assessment consisted of three focus groups and two mail surveys and the data will be used in the development of a Lake Erie Shore Erosion Management Plan by the ODNR. For more information contact Frank Lichtkoppler, Frank.Lichtkoppler@lakecountyohio.gov. 4. NY Sea Grant - VHS Research VHS – viral hemorrhagic septicemia - has caused fish mortalities in fresh, brackish and salt waters worldwide. VHS has been identified in the Great Lakes with serious impacts to Great Lakes fishes. Recent identification of VHS in fish collected along the North American Atlantic coast creates implications for serious impacts to marine fisheries. To learn more read VHS: The Anatomy of an Emerging Virus including an interview with Cornell University researcher Dr. Paul Bowser in the Fall 2007 issue of New York Sea Grant’s Coastlines. NY Sea Grant has funded a research project to help Dr. Bowser develop an improved diagnostic tool for detecting VHS. More info: http://www.seagrant.sunysb.edu/pages/coastlinespublications.htm 5. NY Sea Grant - New State Invasive Species Effort New York Sea Grant (NYSG) has been tapped to work in cooperation with the newly-established New York State Invasive Species Council, the New York State Invasive Species Advisory Committee, and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation’s new Office of Invasive Species to make a clearinghouse of invasive species scientific and educational information readily accessible to all interested stakeholders. The new New York Invasive Species Clearinghouse will closely integrate with the National Aquatic Nuisance Species Clearinghouse (currently operated by NYSG) and the State’s new Invasive Species Database to aid state and federal agencies and stakeholders re: what has been called one of the state’s fastest growing environmental threats. The new Clearinghouse will include a website of useful invasive species information pertinent to NYS, a searchable electronic bibliography of scientific papers on invasive species of particular interest to NYS, downloadable electronic copies of invasive species educational materials, and a NYS invasive species newsletter. The new Clearinghouse will be co-located with the National Clearinghouse under the direction of New York Sea Grant (NYSG) invasive species expert Chuck O'Neill on the campus of the State University of New York College at Brockport. More info: http://www.nysgextension.org/ans/anspages/nysgais.htm 6. IL-IN Sea Grant -Sea Grant Brings Together College and Grade School Students to Foster Community Stewardship The new semester at the University of Illinois kicks off a new course, planned in part by Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG). This unique service-learning course titled Community Stewardship through Environmental Education, offers university students the opportunity to teach 4-7th grade school children about the impact of aquatic invasive species using the science-based web site Nab the Aquatic Invader! (www.sgnis.org/kids). They then will collaborate with the students on community stewardship projects focused on the protection of aquatic ecosystems. “With increasing public concern about the environment, there is heightened interest in developing new ways for students to engage in learning, research and community engagement initiatives that foster responsible environmental decision-making and action,” said Robin Goettel, IISG associate director for education. “Service-learning is a form of experiential education in which learning occurs through a cycle of action and reflection,” said Goettel. “Students will work with others to apply what they are learning to local problems created by the invasion of unwelcome aquatic species and, at the same time, reflect upon their experiences as they seek to meet community needs. We are excited to draw upon the expertise of the Center for Teaching Excellence, which supports the University’s public engagement initiative, especially with regard to helping undergraduates develop an ethic of social responsibility and leadership through service learning projects.” Students will present their community stewardship projects in the “Nab the Aquatic Invaders Community Stewardship Fair “at the annual U of I Environmental Horizons Showcase in April. In addition to teaching youth in the schools and working with community businesses and organizations, students will meet for class, which will include guest lectures, reflective discussions and supervised work in section groups. This new course represents a collaborative effort between the U of I’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, the Center for Teaching Excellence, four local schools and community partners. 7. Web NewsMI Sea Grant - New Links on the MSG Web - www.miseagrant.umich.edu We have added new links from the MSG web to streaming audio and video about a variety of topics, including dead zones, phragmites and septic system maintenance. Two of the videos were produced by Barbara Lucas, a graduate of SNRE. Barbara is working with Washtenaw County and others (Beaver Island) on environmental education and specifically educational video production.
Die-offs of fish and waterfowl caused by Type E botulism continued in fall of 2007. Areas around Lake Michigan are now experiencing the mortalities that have impacted Lake Erie and Lake Ontario for several years. New York Sea Grant continues to provide information to stakeholders and the media regarding Type E botulism and outbreaks in New York waters. A new botulism “Frequently Asked Questions” resource is available from the New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio Sea Grants – see more info below. More info: http://www.seagrant.sunysb.edu/botulism/botulism-qanda07.htm 8. Publications NY Sea Grant - Dune Brochure Now Available Eastern Lake Ontario Dunes & Wetlands is now available. This 4-fold interpretive brochure provides insight on the area, dune plants and wildlife found along the nearly 17-mile stretch of Eastern Lake Ontario barrier beach system with dunes and wetlands. See how sand dunes were created and learn about the importance of the dune system, threats to the system, and much more! Funds from the New York State Department of State Division of Coastal Resources supported the project. To receive a copy of Our Eastern Lake Ontario Dunes & Wetlands, call New York Sea Grant at 315-312-3042. The brochure will also soon be available for download. More info: http://www.nysgdunes.org/ NY Sea Grant - Great Lakes Splash NY Sea Grant launched a new E-Newsletter. Contact Barb Branca bbranca@notes.cc.sunysb.edu if you would like to be added to the mailing list. MI Sea Grant - Upwellings - February 2008 - www.miseagrant.umich.edu/up
NY Sea Grant - Recruiting 2008 Dune/River Steward Crew New York Sea Grant Steward Coordinator Mary Penney is currently recruiting college and graduate students for the 2008 Eastern Lake Ontario Dune and Salmon River steward season, set to start May 21, 2008. The stewards monitor properties owned by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and The Nature Conservancy in Oswego and Jefferson Counties. The stewards serve as goodwill ambassadors and promote environmentally sound recreational use and stewardship of New York’s natural resources through public education. These are seasonal positions. If interested, send a cover letter, resume, and list of five references to mp357@cornell.edu or fax 315-312-2954. More info: http://www.nysgdunes.org/ MI Sea Grant -2008 Great Lakes Commission-Sea Grant Fellowship Deadline: Feb. 29, 2008 The Great Lakes Commission-Sea Grant Fellow will work with members of the Great Lakes' science, policy and information/education communities to advance the environmental quality and sustainable economic development goals of the Great Lakes states. The length of assignment is for one year and is nonrenewable. For more information, see: www.glc.org/about/scholarships/fellow 10. Staff News
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January 15 , 2008Contents
1) Events PA Sea Grant - Lower Great Lakes Ballast Water workshop The Lower Great Lakes Ballast Water workshop will be held at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center in Erie, PA on March 13 and 14. This gathering of agency staff, researchers, policymakers and industry stakeholders aims to craft a strategy for moving ahead with the ballast water issue. Speakers include staff from the Great Ships Initiative, Minnesota and New York Sea Grant, University of Windsor, National Sea Grant Law Center, Great Lakes United, EPA GLNPO, Pennsylvania DEP, and the USCG. For more information contact Marti Martz at 814.217.9015 or via email mam60@psu.edu.
2) NY Sea Grant - Call for PreproposalsMN Sea Grant - Harmful Algal Bloom Training Workshops The NOAA Center of Excellence for Great Lakes and Human Health, Minnesota Sea Grant, and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency will be co-hosting Harmful Algal Bloom Training Workshops to assist Minnesota state and local decision makers with algae identification and public communication. This one-day workshop will be held in three different locations within Minnesota. Registration is required. Please visit: www.seagrant.umn.edu/news for more details or contact sonia.joseph@noaa.gov. WI Sea Grant -Nuisance Algae in the Great Lakes: State of the Research Nuisance algae on Great Lakes beaches will be the focus of a public forum 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Thursday, January 17, 2008, at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Reeve Union, Room 227C. Speakers will include researchers, state and local officials, University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Advisory Services staff, and interested citizen groups. Speakers will address the origin of the algae, known as Cladophora, its impacts on beach closings and human health, and algae management strategies. Discussion among all attendees will be encouraged. Cladophora has been fouling beaches on Lake Michigan and other Great Lakes for about eight years. When piles of the algae rot in the sun, they can smell like sewage, spoiling enjoyment of Great Lakes beaches, parks, and other public and private places. Mats of the algae may also harbor large amounts of the bacteria E. coli, which may indicate the presence of harmful microorganisms that can make swimming unsafe. The forum is open to researchers, beach managers, state regulatory agencies, county officials, public health staff, lake associations, and all other interested parties.People interested in attending the forum are requested to RSVP by Tuesday, Jan. 15, to Reynee Kachur, Department of Biology and Microbiology, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, (920) 424-3148, kachurr@uwosh.edu. The meeting is free and open to the public. MI Sea Grant - MRPA Trails Forum Traverse City, Michigan January 22, 2008 See details: http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu (link from News and Events listing) MI Sea Grant - The Science, Practice & Art of Restoring Native Ecosystems Kellogg Center, East Lansing, Michigan January 25-26, 2008 See details: http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu (link from News and Events listing) MI Sea Grant - Type E Botulism Coordination in Michigan Michigan DNR RAM Center Roscommon, Michigan 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM, February 6, 2008 Contact: Mark Breederland, Michigan Sea Grant, breederl@msu.edu See Michigan Sea Grant’s Botulism web site at http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/habitat/avian.html MI Sea Grant - Unwanted Medicine Disposal: Doing it the Right Way Cleary University, Johnson Center, Howell, Michigan 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM, Wednesday, April 2, 2008 This workshop will provide information and tools for community pharmaceutical collection programs, as well as pharmacies and medical facilities to safely divert unwanted medicines from ending up in Michigan's or the nation's water supply. Presenters will focus on alternatives to "flushing," including best practices from solid waste facilities in Michigan, and surrounding states/provinces. Additional details about the workshop to come soon. For more information, contact: Elizabeth LaPorte, Michigan Sea Grant, elzblap@umich.edu or Lucy Doroshko, MDEQ Environmental Science and Services Division, doroshkl@michigan.gov. OH Sea Grant - Leadership Academy The Toledo Local Government Leadership Academy is kicking off its 8th annual ten-week offering of training for elected and appointed officials in Toledo, Ohio. Topics include: sustainable development, intergovernmental relations, technology in local government and more. For more information, contact Joe Lucente, lucente.6@osu.edu. IL-IN Sea Grant -Brings Together College and Grade School Students to Foster Community Stewardship The new semester at the University of Illinois kicks off a new course, planned in part by Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG). This unique service-learning course titled Community Stewardship through Environmental Education, offers university students the opportunity to teach 4-7th grade school children about the impact of aquatic invasive species using the science-based web site Nab the Aquatic Invader! (www.sgnis.org/kids). They then will collaborate with the students on community stewardship projects focused on the protection of aquatic ecosystems. “With increasing public concern about the environment, there is heightened interest in developing new ways for students to engage in learning, research and community engagement initiatives that foster responsible environmental decision-making and action,” said Robin Goettel, IISG associate director for education. “Service-learning is a form of experiential education in which learning occurs through a cycle of action and reflection,” said Goettel. “Students will work with others to apply what they are learning to local problems created by the invasion of unwelcome aquatic species and, at the same time, reflect upon their experiences as they seek to meet community needs. We are excited to draw upon the expertise of the Center for Teaching Excellence, which supports the University’s public engagement initiative, especially with regard to helping undergraduates develop an ethic of social responsibility and leadership through service learning projects.” Students will present their community stewardship projects in the “Nab the Aquatic Invaders Community Stewardship Fair “at the annual U of I Environmental Horizons Showcase in April. In addition to teaching youth in the schools and working with community businesses and organizations, students will meet for class, which will include guest lectures, reflective discussions and supervised work in section groups. OH Sea Grant - Cleveland Boat Show New York Sea Grant is pleased to announce its Biennial Call for 2009-2010, Inviting Preproposals for Research related to Marine and Great Lakes Issues. Research in many disciplines (e.g., biology, chemistry, geology, physical oceanography, medicine, engineering, and the social sciences) may be appropriate to address the Goals and Objectives specified in the Call. Academic institutions or faculty not previously supported by NYSG are especially encouraged to apply. Funding will be for projects up to two years in duration beginning February 1, 2009. The deadline for Preproposals is 5:00 pm EST Monday February 25, 2008. Please navigate to "NYSG's Biennial Call for 2009-2010" on New York Sea Grant's website at: http://www.seagrant.sunysb.edu/Funding/rfps/default.htm We encourage you to circulate this message to your colleagues. 3) MN Sea Grant - Call for Preproposals The Minnesota Sea Grant College Program is soliciting preliminary proposals for projects to begin on February 1, 2009. For this special solicitation, projects will only be funded for one-year, with amounts typically ranging from $30,000 to $50,000 in direct costs, excluding costs of graduate students and ship time. Proposals requesting larger or smaller amounts will be considered. This special one-year funding cycle allows us to align our RFP timeline with other regional efforts, thereby increasing the potential for collaborations with researchers in neighboring states. Future RFPs will return to the standard two-year funding cycle. Except for federal agencies, all U.S. residents and entities are eligible to apply. http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/projects/rfp 4) GLOS - Proposal News The Great Lakes Commission used ideas, information and data from the Great Lakes Sea Grant Network GLOS Education and Outreach Committee to help develop a three year $10.5 million GLOS research proposal for the GLOS Regional Association that included $280,000 per year (total of $840,000 for three years) for Great Lakes Sea Grant Network education and outreach components. For more information, contact Frank Lichtkoppler, lichtkoppler.1@osu.edu. 5) OH Sea Grant - VHS Viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) was first confirmed on the Great Lakes in 2003. In 2006 it was responsible for sizeable multi-species fish kills, mostly in Lake Erie, the St. Clair River, the Detroit River, and the St. Lawrence River. To monitor the progression (if any) of the disease inland off Lake Erie, Ohio Sea Grant has received a grant from the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) to sample fish from 22 high-traffic water bodies spread across Ohio's seven non-Lake Erie US Geological Survey Hydrologic Unit Codes. Six sites were completed in November and December 2007, the rest to be sampled in the coming spring 2008. Samples are collected in collaboration with the US Fish & Wildlife Service Ecological Field Office in Reynoldsburg, OH. Testing for the presence of VHS virus is conducted by the ODA laboratory, also in Reynoldsburg, OH. For details, contact Eugene Braig, Ohio Sea Grant: 614-292-8949, <braig.1@osu.edu>. 6) OH Sea Grant - Tourism Survey MSG Extension Educator Mary Bohling (Co-chair Downriver Greenway Initiative) is featured in the video Pathways for People Greenways Initiative. See details: http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu (link from News and Events listing) 8) Publications MN Sea Grant - Journal Reprint Ishii, S., Meyer, K., and Sadowsky, M. (2007) Relationship Between Phylogenetic Groups, Genotypic Clusters, and Virulence Gene Profiles of Escherichia coli Strains from Diverse Human and Animal Sources. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 73(18):5703-5710. (JR 540) COSEE Great Lakes - Sweetwater Seascape http://www.coseegreatlakes.net/newsletter/nl5.html MN Sea Grant - Seiche - December 2007 http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/newsletter/
GLSGN Elizabeth LaPorte, Communications Director and Education Co-leader for Michigan Sea Grant, will serve as Chair of the NOAA-National Sea Grant Communications Network in 2008. |
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