Lakeside Views

Photo of Asian Carp Monitoring Plan

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Miles) — Wed, 15 Jun 2016 14:38:00 +0000

Come visit the IISG newsroom!

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Miles) — Thu, 18 Feb 2016 14:31:00 +0000

To learn more about Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and our research, education, and outreach projects, visit our newsroom. There you can find out what's new, view timely photos and videos, and read the latest issue of the Helm, our newsletter. Please join us!

Walgreens to start nationwide medicine take-back kiosks

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Miles) — Wed, 17 Feb 2016 12:29:00 +0000

Medicine take-back programs just signed on a big-time player: Walgreens.

The retail giant is installing 500 medicine disposal kiosks in Washington, D.C.and 39 states—including Indiana and Illinois. This is the first major initiative by a large pharmacy chain to provide access to medicine take-back programs within the pharmacies on a national scale.

The IISG pollution prevention team has been working for the past nine years with communities and law enforcement to get unused, expired, and unwanted medication out of homes and the environment safely and responsibly by helping to develop collection programs.

So now that Walgreens is pitching in, IISG is all done, right? Not quite.

IISG pollution prevention team educates communities about the issues involved with pharmaceuticals in the environment and provides assistance on how to set up medicine take-back programs. The locations—more than 50 in 4 states—are listed at Unwantedmeds.org. But even with the addition of the Walgreens kiosks, there are still many areas that don't have access to disposal sites.

“Each community is different,” said Adrienne Gulley, IISG pollution prevention outreach specialist. “Having medicine take-back boxes available in pharmacies is convenient for customers, but the law enforcement-based programs are still critical where Walgreens is unavailable. The goal is to make it as easy as possible for the consumer to properly dispose of their expired or unwanted medication.”

For the past few years, the pollution prevention team has been working with pharmacists and the veterinary community to help them educate their customers and clients on proper disposal methods. Moving forward, IISG will be working with doctors and nurses to help make them more aware of the impacts of improper medicine disposal on human, animal, and environmental health.

The disposal kiosks at Walgreens will all be available by the end of this year primarily at 24-hour stores.

Friday Video: The Pollution Prevention Minute is BACK!

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Miles) — Fri, 12 Feb 2016 16:45:00 +0000

(Click picture to go directly to video)

After a much too-long hiatus, our "Pollution Prevention Minute" video series is BACK! We've moved our filming location from a conference room to a studio, but we've made sure to keep the fun in the process (expect a bloopers reel later this year)!

In Episode 4, Pollution Prevention Outreach Specialist Adrienne Gulley tackles the subject of microbeads (also sometimes referred to as microplastics or even microfibers, though the latter is actually not exactly the same). If you follow issues related to water quality, watch or read the news, or follow governmental happenings, you've been hearing a lot lately about these teeny, tiny little particles and the potential havoc they are causing in our environment. Adrienne takes a minute (or two) to explain why this is, and what they look like. She also talks a bit about research that is happening in this area (and that we are proud to fund and support).

So grab your coffee, kick back, relax, and take a few minutes out of your day to learn more about these pesky little bits. And remember, sharing is caring, so please pass this along to your friends and neighbors.

Hey teachers: Be the scientist! The classroom is your lab!

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Miles) — Thu, 11 Feb 2016 15:07:00 +0000

With over 200 sessions spanning three days and an Exhibit Hall featuring leaders in the STEM industry, the Hoosier Association of Science Teachers, Inc. Conference is the premier professional development and networking opportunity for science teachers in Indiana. This year, science teacher Jed Freels shared lessons learned over his 34-year teaching career.

Jed was one of 15 teachers who worked alongside scientists on the U.S. EPA R/V Lake Guardian on the Lake Michigan Shipboard Science cruise this past summer. His enthusiasm and captivating style clearly represent his teaching goal: You should feel good about yourself and the job you’re doing.

“You are the scientist and the classroom is your lab,” he stated. “What do your students see when they walk in your class? Is there something new, different, and engaging that wasn’t there before? Does your room convey a sense of passion and enthusiasm about science?

“It’s essential to keep students on their toes. The challenge for teachers is to constantly keep them guessing about what to anticipate next. Your role is to encourage kids to become scientists—to do science, not just talk about it.”

Jed came with great examples of going the extra mile—volunteering at organizations to make connections and obtain educational resources; or finding a research project that you can be a part of as a volunteer. Once you’ve established a partnership, he explained, reach out and ask if the organization or researcher would be willing to provide your students with materials or a field-based experience.

He prompted teachers to be the gateway to our park systems. “Take an active photo of yourself at a local park and share the picture with your students to provide an opportunity for them to see you as a scientist.

“Think locally about your field-based experiences. Sometimes it is the smallest thing that will spark your student’s interest in you as a scientist.”

While on the Lake Guardian this past summer, Jed took the opportunity to record a video series, Science Quest, for the classroom and beyond.

--By Terri Hallesy, IISG education coordinator, pictured above with Jed Freels (and a skeleton).

Apply now to work as a IISG social scientist

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Miles) — Wed, 10 Feb 2016 20:50:00 +0000

IISG has an opening for a social science outreach assistant under the direction of environmental social scientist, Caitie Nigrelli. The successful applicant will spend the summer and fall semester working on issues affecting the Great Lakes.
The position will include outreach, communication, and education components.

This is a great opportunity to gain professional experience among accomplished scientists and engineers. The position will provide excellent networking opportunities, as the assistant will interact with individuals from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Sea Grant programs, state natural resource agencies, private industries, and environmental NGOs.

The position is based at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus. Some work-related travel is expected and will be paid by IISG. The intern will periodically visit EPA at 77 W. Jackson Blvd. in Chicago to collaborate with employees at the EPA’s Great Lakes National Program Office. The position may also include overnight travel to restoration sites around the Great Lakes, such as Muskegon, Michigan.

Application packets are due on March 6, 2016. Find the full job description on greatlakesmud.org.

Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy team wins award for excellence

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Miles) — Tue, 09 Feb 2016 17:32:00 +0000

The Illinois Water Resources Center (IWRC) and Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) are pleased to be among the group of researchers and outreach professional to receive the 2016 Team Award for Excellencefrom the University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Science. The award recognizes the team’s ongoing collaboration on the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy.

“We are proud to have facilitated the development of the most comprehensive and collaborative approach to nutrient loss reduction in the state’s history,” said Brian Miller, IWRC and IISG director and one of six staff members named in the award. “We look forward to working with the University of Illinois team, state agencies and other stakeholders to ensure strategy goals are met in the coming years.

Award winners also include University of Illinois Extension Director George Czapar as well as researchers from the departments of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences and Agricultural and Consumer Economics who led a scientific assessment of current nutrient loads and cost-effective reduction strategies.

Released in 2015, Illinois' strategy is a blueprint for improving water quality at home and in the Gulf of Mexico by reducing nitrogen and phosphorus losses from farm fields, city streets, and wastewater treatment plants. It’s suite of voluntary and mandatory practices are expected to ultimately cut nutrient loading to rivers and streams by 45 percent.

The plan was developed by a working group facilitated by IWRC and IISG for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Illinois Department of Agriculture. Group members included representatives from state agencies, agriculture, non-profit organizations and sanitation districts.

To learn more about the strategy, visit the Illinois EPA website. Additional information on IWRC’s efforts to reduce nutrient losses and improve water quality can also be found at ilwaterresources.org/nutrientlossreduction.

2016 Knauss Fellow Lauren Fields gets started with NOAA

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Miles) — Mon, 08 Feb 2016 16:47:00 +0000

I have always been interested in fish biology, growing up and scuba diving in Massachusetts, but I became interested in fisheries policy through my graduate work at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

My doctoral research focused on Antarctic fish physiology, specifically the blood antifreeze proteins that these fishes have in order to survive in the extreme cold temperatures of the Southern Ocean.

My dissertation research showed a link between environmental temperature and antifreeze protein activity and concentration in different, commonly caught fish species in the Antarctic. One of the largest Antarctic fish species which possesses antifreeze proteins is the Antarctic toothfish (also known as the Chilean seabass).

We caught just seven of these fish during my first field season, and I learned about the toothfish fishing industry and the international politics regarding Antarctic resource management which falls under the jurisdiction of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). I wrote grants to study this little-understood fish while at the University of Illinois and tried to learn as much as I could about CCAMLR and the research that goes into making policy decisions.

I am very excited to be a 2016 Knauss Fellow in the National Marine Fisheries Service Office of International Affairs and Seafood Inspection. I was placed within this office after a grueling but rewarding week of presentations and interviews in Washington, DC. I traveled to DC with 53 other incredible finalists for placement with hosts in the federal government. We heard presentations from the 56 possible host offices on projects ranging from fisheries, satellites, climate change, habitat, and many more. Over the next two and a half days I interviewed with 15 different offices, the majority of which were within NOAA, and by Friday I selected placement in the Office of International Affairs and Seafood Inspection.

Though I do not know specifically what I will be working on, some of the projects could include the US-Mexico and US-Canada bilateral trade agreements, work with the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna, work with CCAMLR, and fishery bycatch policy. I will have a year of intensive international fisheries policy training where I am sure to learn a lot.

Lauren Fields, University of Illinois’ 2016 Knauss Marine Policy Fellow, received her PhD from the Department of Animal Biology at the University of Illinois in May. She started on February 1, 2016 with NOAA in Maryland.

The deadline for applications for the next session of Knauss Fellowships is February 12, 2016. Find out more about the program at http://bit.ly/IISG Fellowships.

Friday video: Lake Guardian teacher tour inspires science series

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Miles) — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 16:53:00 +0000

Indiana science teacher Jed Allen Freels was one of 15 teachers who worked along side scientists on the U.S. EPA R/V Lake Guardianon the Lake Michigan Shipboard Science cruise this past summer. The week-long workshop inspired him to create a series of engaging science videos, including this one about monitoring microplastics in the lake. The deadline for signing up for this summer's tour on Lake Superior is coming soon--March 2. And if you want to learn more about microplastics, IISG was a key player in a study that found high levels of microfibers in southern Lake Michigan.

What's in your water garden? Learn more about AIS!

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Miles) — Wed, 03 Feb 2016 15:20:00 +0000

Members of IISG’s aquatic invasive species team are introducing their newest risk assessment suite of products today at the Illinois and Wisconsin Landscape Show in Schaumburg, Illinois.

The brochure, wallet card, and poster distill all the complexities of the species assessments done by researchers at the University of Notre Dame, Loyola University Chicago, and the Nature Conservancy. IISG facilitated the meetings between the researchers and retailers to ensure that the tools developed for them to use to assess the risk for invasion met the states’ needs.

These assessments provide retailers and hobbyists with information about whether a plant or animal imported for the aquarium and water garden trades poses a threat to the states’ waterways.

Greg Hitzroth, IISG aquatic invasive species outreach specialist will be urging retailers at the conference to not sell or grow plant species that are known to be invasive.

“The retailers and wholesalers—the types of folks who are at this trade show—want to do the right thing,” Hitzroth said. “And we're here to help them.”

You can download the materials for free from these links! If you need a specific quantity, contact Danielle Hilbrich, aquatic invasive species outreach specialist, at hilbrich@illinois.edu.

What's in Your Water Garden - Wallet Card

What's in Your Water Garden - Brochure

What's in Your Water Garden - Poster

IISG is now a NOAA Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Miles) — Tue, 02 Feb 2016 16:38:00 +0000

Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant is now a NOAA Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador as part of a national effort to improve the readiness, responsiveness, and overall resilience regarding extreme weather, water, and climate events.

The Weather-Ready Nation (WRN) initiative was formed in 2011 in response to deadly tornadoes that struck Joplin, Missouri and Birmingham, Alabama. At that point, the National Weather Service realized the need to better understand how to motivate people to respond to warnings.

The goal of WRN is to save lives and livelihoods by providing better information for better decisions. NOAA is directing research to focus on improving scientific understanding of severe weather, developing new technologies, improving models, as well as addressing sociological challenges that may improve the likelihood people will take prompt action to save lives when they receive a warning.

One groundbreaking WRN technological development is Wireless Emergency Alerts. Since 2012, these weather warnings go directly to WEA-capable cellphones—no sign up required. These alerts saved lives during the November 2013 tornado outbreak in Illinois.

The WRN plan involves the collective effort of the whole community, including other government agencies and emergency management, academia, the media, the insurance industry, non-profits, and the private sector. That’s where ambassadors come in.

Ambassadors are charged with being agents for change and leadership in a community—promoting WRN messages, engaging NOAA in potential collaborations, sharing success stories, and serving as an example by initiating workplace preparedness.

“Weather Ready Nation is a very important initiative for our country and I am happy that Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant is now a recognized ambassador,” said Molly Woloszyn, IISG Extension climate specialist. “A lot of the work that we do directly relates to the goals of the initiative, so this is a good opportunity to recognize that and to continue to explore how we can incorporate WRN and the National Weather Service into our efforts.”

Through Resilient Chicago, Woloszyn provides information for decision makers in the region to incorporate climate adaptation in local planning efforts. She is also leading a study to help critical facilities in Chicago, like hospitals, to assess their vulnerability to flooding and to adopt changes that reduce the risks.

Clinton County has two new medicine collection sites

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Miles) — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 16:18:00 +0000

IISG's Medicine Take-Back initiative is off to a strong start in 2016 with the addition of three new permanent collection sites. In Shelbyville, Indiana a collection box became available to residents as the new year began and two in Clinton County, Illinois starts today (Clinton County Sheriff's Office and the Trenton Police Department). All three are located in law enforcement buildings and are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

These sites are designed to accept prescription and over-the-counter medicines, including veterinary pharmaceuticals, but not illicit drugs, syringes, needles or thermometers. All collected drugs are incinerated—the environmentally preferred disposal method.

“It's so exciting that we’re in our ninth year we’re still adding more locations,” said Adrienne Gulley, pollution prevention outreach specialist. “The program started in 2007, and all the continuing interest shows that there’s a real need for this.”

Altogether in 2015, six new drop-off sites were initiated and almost 20,000 pounds of unwanted medications were collected from over 50 locations in the four states. IISG provides each location with the drug collection box and works with community partners to ensure the program's success. The take-back program is a partnership between IISG and University of Illinois Extension.

Storing unneeded medications in the home is the cause of thousands of accidental poisonings in children and pets each year. Flushing medications down the toilet or throwing them in the trash threatens the safety and health of humans, pets, and the environment. Recent studies have also found a wide-range of pharmaceutical chemicals in rivers, groundwater, and drinking water throughout the country.

“The problem is that wastewater treatment plants do not completely remove pharmaceutical chemicals,” said Laura Kammin, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant program outreach leader. “While the long-term impact on human health is unclear, there’s a long list of medicines that have been linked to impaired development, behavior, and reproduction in fish and other aquatic wildlife.”

If you're interested in starting a take-back program in your community or finding one near you, contact Adrienne Gulley.

Friday foto: The ice cometh

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Miles) — Fri, 29 Jan 2016 18:24:00 +0000

Along Lake Michigan on the south side of Chicago, a cold January brought ice to the nearshore. As waves froze and shattered on the beach, what was created was a beautiful delicate frozen design.

Friday foto: Pollution Prevention Minute--the series continues

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Miles) — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 15:58:00 +0000

Pollution Prevention Outreach Specialist Adrienne Gulley reads over a script yesterday before shooting a new Pollution Prevention Minute at the University of Illinois' Media Commons studio. That's right! The popular video series is back in production! To get caught up, check out the rest of the series.

We have a new program leader!

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Miles) — Tue, 19 Jan 2016 16:37:00 +0000

Wait. Isn't that Pollution Prevention Outreach Specialist Laura Kammin? Nope. That's our new program leader!

In her new larger role with IISG, Kammin will oversee the development, expansion, and delivery of science-based programs that help communities make informed choices when it comes to managing their natural resources. She will help connect specialists and scientists, as well as enhance the partnerships among IISG, Prairie Research Institute, Illinois Extension, and Purdue Extension.

"For more than 30 years, IISG has been tackling some of the biggest ecological and economic challenges facing Indiana and Illinois,” Kammin said. “I'm excited to get started in my new role and to grow our capacity to help people become better stewards of Lake Michigan and empower communities in becoming more resilient."

Since joining IISG in 2010, Kammin has worked tirelessly to expand the unwanted medicine disposal program – 57 sites – and promoted education tools like Sensible Disposal of Unwanted Medicines and the Medicine Chest curriculum. Her impact has also been felt through innovative outreach approaches and dozens of new partnerships. For example, Kammin spearheaded a partnership with the American Veterinary Medicine Association to bring medicine disposal awareness to vets and ultimately, their customers.

Kammin has a Master's degree in wildlife ecology from the University of Illinois.

Friday video: Great Lakes Monitoring, the movie

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Miles) — Fri, 15 Jan 2016 19:40:00 +0000

Here is a new video about Great Lakes Monitoring, a cutting-edge "one-stop shop" for researchers and resource managers interested in Great Lakes data.

Great Lakes Monitoring was created by IISG and the National Center for Supercomputing Applications in collaboration University of Illinois Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Funding for the project comes from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

Chicago Boat Show launches today

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Miles) — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 16:10:00 +0000

You stopped by the Chicago Boat, RV & Strictly Sail Show in Chicago that started today and dropped a few thousand dollars on your dream boat—maybe.

Keep going, because aquatic invasive species outreach specialists Sarah Zack and Danielle Hilbrich, and Aquatic Ecology Specialist Jay Beugly are at a booth sharing information about what you need to know to continue enjoying Lake Michigan.

Zack and Hilbrich are distributing information about preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species, including a brochure highlighting Be A Hero—Transport Zero™. This comprehensive campaign outlines steps for boaters to do their part.

Buegly is talking about the importance of IISG's two Lake Michigan buoys. In fact, he's showing off the top half of the Michigan City buoy. He’ll be explaining all the real-time information this buoy— along with the Wilmette buoy—generates when it’s in the water.

They’re located at booth A313 and will be there until the show wraps up on January 18.

The Grand Cal just keeps getting better and better

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Miles) — Tue, 12 Jan 2016 15:31:00 +0000

The Grand Calumet River in northwest Indiana, abused from centuries of industrial contamination, celebrated a triumphant milestone in October.

Volunteers, environmental organizers, and local, state, and federal politicians gathered to admire the incredible transformation of a river that was once drained of its ecological significance.

IISG Environmental Social Scientist Caitie Nigrelli who led an outreach team to raise awareness about this enormous undertaking soaked it all in.

Caitie Nigrelli, left, and Diana Mally, an environmental
engineer with the U.S. EPA, walk by the river.

“I’m enjoying the beautiful river,” Nigrelli said. “It‘s amazing because just a few years ago I was standing in the same spot, and it was contaminated. Now I look out and it is clean and beautiful.”

Nigrelli serves as a liaison between the U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA) and community stakeholders to promote awareness of the Grand Cal remediation through public meetings, tours, and events with school children.

The Grand Calumet was at rock bottom when the International Joint Commission designated it as an Area of Concern in 1987. Since then $159 million in combined state and U.S. EPA funds through the Great Lakes Legacy Act have thus far provided the means to clean it up.

Because of the extent of the work, the Grand Cal’s 13-mile system was divided into eight separate projects, with more milestones to come. This most recent event marked the completion of a 2-mile section from Kennedy Avenue to Cline Avenue at a cost of $82 million. The money went toward remediating 1.1 million cubic yards of contaminated sediment, restoring 58 acres of marsh habitat, and installing more than 170,000 plants.

This effort not only remediated sediment, but also removed invasive species like Phragmites that had overrun dune and swale habitat, crowding out native plants.

The federal funding, while generous, comes with a significant stipulation: Local partners must match at least 35 percent of the cost of remediation. The Indiana Departments of Natural Resources and Environmental Management footed the bill with money from a Natural Resource Damage Assessment involving eight industries.

Lee Botts

But a remediation project requires more than money. It takes supportive partnerships and community trust. The Kennedy to Cline section was made possible with the knowledge and expertise provided by The Nature Conservancy, Shirley Heinze Land Trust, Save the Dunes, U.S. Fish and WildlifeService, and IISG, as well as the local municipalities.

Kris Krouse, Shirley Heinze Land Trust executive director, said, “From our perspective as an organization, it is probably one of the most spectacular and monumental achievements when it comes to land conservation.”

Octogenarian Lee Botts, a prominent Great Lakes environmental activist since the 1960s, is making a film about the changes the south end of Lake Michigan is experiencing. She remembers questioning that any kind of restoration was ever going to happen.

“Amazing progress is being made by partnerships among all kinds of interests—some of whom in the past were enemies and opposed the conservation,” Botts said. “Now it’s a shared goal of all these interests. We’re making progress.”

Remediation on the next section starts next week—going west, it includes the city of Hammond and will go up to the Illinois border.

For more information on the ongoing cleanup of the Grand Calumet River, visit www.greatlakesmud.org.

This story appears in the latest edition of The Helm.

Friday foto: Water resolutions unfiltered

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Miles) — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 15:20:00 +0000

We can do better! At least that's what we tell ourselves every year when it's time to set forth another New Year's resolution. So this year, the Illinois Water Resources Center and IISG put these environmentally friendly declarations down on paper.

Medicines in Lake Michigan impact minnow embryos

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Miles) — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 17:04:00 +0000

An IISG-funded researcher found that the mixture of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) present in Lake Michigan can have significant negative effects on fathead minnow embryos.

Maria Sepúlveda, a Purdue University ecotoxicologist, is telling the next chapter on research of PPCPs in Lake Michigan. In 2011, Ball State researchers, also funded by IISG, examined the concentration and detection of pharmaceuticals in the nearshore waters in Lake Michigan.

Sepúlveda chose to study two of the chemicals found in that study: triclocarban, a compound found in antibacterial soaps, lotions, and toothpaste, and cotinine, a metabolite of nicotine. Both of these chemicals find their way into Lake Michigan through sewage wastewater treatment effluent.

The researchers created realistic field concentrations in the laboratory, examining effects of the chemicals both individually and in a mixture. They also examined acute and chronic toxicity of field-observed levels of chemicals on four organisms from different parts of the food chain: green algae, diatoms, zooplankton (water flea, Daphnia magna), and fathead minnow embryos.

Medicines in Lake Michigan impact minnow embryos Sepúlveda found that when she tested the four organisms with individual compounds at levels similar to those found in Lake Michigan, they remained largely resistant with the exception of the fathead minnow embryo, which was slightly affected by the triclocarban. When she exposed the organisms at the bottom of the food chain— diatoms, zooplankton, and Daphnia magna—to the mixtures, they were not affected even at high levels. Yet the hours-old fathead minnow embryo proved to be significantly susceptible to the contaminants.

“This is not surprising since embryos are known to be more sensitive to most contaminants compared to adults,” said Sepulvida. “The fish embryos were more sensitive than anything else we tested. “We chose this species because there was no data in the literature and therefore our values are novel,” she added.

Research on PPCPs in Lake Michigan and the Great Lakes overall is limited, so she cautions that these results are very preliminary. “It would be ideal if we had more data from not just Lake Michigan, but from the Great Lakes in general. But there’s just not a lot of data on pharmaceuticals from the Great Lakes right now,” Sepúlveda said.

“There are over 200 pharmaceuticals that people look for all the time in surface water. It’s overwhelming when you start thinking about it. It’s very complicated to study in a lab or in the field.”

This story appears in the latest edition of The Helm.

IISG is looking for a new pollution prevention extension specialist

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Miles) — Tue, 05 Jan 2016 16:34:00 +0000

Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant program is looking for a resourceful and detail-oriented individual for the Pollution Prevention Extension Specialist position.

This position integrates program leadership, partnership, scholarship, and public engagement into its everyday practice. This position will conduct and develop extension and outreach activities for Illinois Indiana Sea Grant’s pollution prevention programs, especially related to management of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in the environment, microplastics pollution in the Great Lakes, and other emerging contaminants of concern.

This position will be housed in IISG’s office in Urbana, Illinois. For more information and to apply, visit the University of Illinois jobs board.

Friday foto: New hope for the Little Cal

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Miles) — Fri, 18 Dec 2015 14:01:00 +0000

Here by the west branch of the Little Calumet River, Joe Exl, senior water resources planner at the Northwest Indiana Regional Planning Commission, explains an initiative that will facilitate pollution reduction and habitat restoration of the nearby Deep River-Portage Burns Waterway. This waterway drains about 180 square miles in Lake and Porter counties and is the largest of six watersheds located within the Little Calumet-Galien sub-basin. Leslie Dorworth, IISG aquatic ecologist specialist, is helping with community outreach on the project.

Looking back, it's been a very good IISG year

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Miles) — Thu, 17 Dec 2015 16:36:00 +0000

This has been a good year for Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant. Working with our many partners, big projects reached their culmination, in some cases providing researchers and decision makers new ways to access data. And the spotlight was turned on Lake Michigan for research and education. Here are10 important stories from 2015.

The year started with big research news that southern Lake Michigan has high concentrations of plastic microfibers, which are likely from clothing that sheds in the wash. This news was picked up by media outlets around the world, including the Associated Press, The New York Times, The Guardian, and the Chicago Tribune.

2015 saw the release of the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy, which laid out a plan to reduce the flow of nutrients down the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico. This strategy was developed with input from a range of stakeholders, including government agencies and agricultural producers.

Be a Hero is now the primary invasive species awareness campaign in Illinois. Recreational water users have heard this message, but now the campaign provides easy tips to help water gardeners, teachers, and aquarium hobbyists curb the spread of aquatic invaders. Plus, Be a Hero provides guidance to hunters, campers, and hikers to prevent the spread of species that threaten habitat on land.

The Grand Calumet River in Indiana just keeps getting better. Another section of this long polluted waterway has been cleaned up through Great Lakes Legacy Act funding and that of many local and state partners. Remediation of the Kennedy to Cline Avenues section led to the removal of 1.1 million cubic yards of contaminated sediment.

Twice this year, it was Lake Michigan’s turn for ongoing projects that rotate yearly around the Great Lakes. First, the Lake Michigan Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative (CSMI) brought together agencies and scientists to study the nearshore environment, which ultimately will help inform management decisions. CSMI is part of a larger binational effort to advance Great Lakes monitoring and research.

Second, this was the year for the Shipboard Science Workshop on Lake Michigan, in which 15 teachers spent a week aboard the U.S. EPA R/V Lake Guardian working with researchers and learning about Great Lakes science.

IISG has developed new tools to help scientists enhance their research and help decision makers, and others make informed choices. Great Lakes Monitoring is a web application that provides the means for environmental data from across the Great Lakes region to be just a click away.

For communities looking to set water prices smartly, the Northeast Illinois Water and Wastewater Rates Dashboard allows them to compare rates with communities in the region that have similar characteristics. Setting the right price for water is the first step in managing water supplies sustainably.

In our latest issue of The Helm, we report on a tool under development for critical facilities in Cook County to reduce flooding impacts. Through answering a series of questions, facilities managers can assess how the building might be vulnerable to flood damage, and how this risk can be addressed.

Finally, IISG installed a second buoy in the waters of Lake Michigan. This one is off the shores of Wilmette, Illinois, joining the first one in the Indiana waters near Michigan City. These buoys provide key information to the National Weather Service, researchers, boaters, anglers, and beach goers alike.

As we look forward to 2016, we thank partners, stakeholders, and many others that we worked with and supported to achieve noteworthy goals.

New tool will help Cook County critical facilities reduce flooding impacts

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Miles) — Tue, 15 Dec 2015 16:13:00 +0000

Flooding is always hard on a community, but when hospitals, mass transit, utilities, and others that impact the health and safety of residents are under water, these facilities may not be able to provide critical services or may even be forced to shut down. This leaves residents and businesses vulnerable to other threats and makes flood recovery ever more challenging.

To combat these hazards, IISG and the Midwestern RegionalClimate Center (MRCC) have joined forces with the Cook County Department ofHomeland Security and Emergency Management to assess the vulnerability of critical facilities throughout Cook County and to work directly with building managers on adaptation steps that could reduce their risks in the face of future flooding events.

The heart of the project is the Flood Vulnerability Assessment for Critical Facilities, which is an assessment tool. This set of questions will help Cook County managers determine a facility’s risk based on factors like its proximity to a flood plain, past flooding issues, stormwater drainage systems, and the location of key systems like back-up generators and computer servers. Facilities may also be able to use the tool to evaluate current emergency communication plans for heavy rainfall and determine whether improvements are necessary. After a pilot phase, the final assessment tool will be made available online for facilities beyond Cook County.

What’s more, to help managers plan with an eye on the future, the project team will use historic rainfall data and climate forecasts to pinpoint the frequency of heavy storms now and predict how that rate may change as the climate does. The Reducing Flooding Vulnerability of Chicago Critical Facilities project is led by Molly Woloszyn, IISG and MRCC extension climate specialist, and Beth Hall, MRCC director, with additional support from the Coordinated Hazard Assessment and Mapping Program at the Illinois StateWater Survey. Funding is provided through the National Sea Grant Office as part of the Community Climate Adaptation Initiative, which is focused on helping communities prepare for climate change.

This story appears in the latest edition of The Helm.

UpClose: An insider’s view of plastic pollution research

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Miles) — Mon, 14 Dec 2015 19:15:00 +0000

The latest edition of the UpClose interview series takes readers behind-the-scenes of Great Lakes plastic research.

In 2012, chemist Lorena Rios-Mendoza took part in the first-ever sampling of microplastics in the lakes, a project that revealed that Lake Erie has a higher concentration of minute particles than the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Since then, she has led a number of studies to improve understanding of the chemicals that build up on the surface of microplastics and how photodegradation affects those chemicals and the plastics themselves.

UpClose with Lorena Rios-Mendoza is the tenth issue of the award-winning Q&A series that gives readers an insider’s view of research on emerging contaminants. The series kicked off in 2012 with Timothy Strathmann, an environmental engineer at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Later editions featured the work of John Kelly, a microbiologist at Loyola University Chicago, Rebecca Klaper, an ecologist at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and the U.S. Geological Survey’s Dana Kolpin and Barbara Mahler.

Each interview highlights a unique component of emerging contaminant research—everything from tracing their source to understanding how they impact aquatic life. Readers also learn about the complex, and sometimes tricky, process of conducting field studies and the potential implications of research on industries and regulations.

UpClose is produced by Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and the Illinois Water Resources Center. Editions are available in print and online. For print copies, contact Laura Kammin at lkammin@illinois.edu.