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November
18, 2005
Contents:
1. Events
- OH Sea Grant - Conference Announcement: Future of Ohio's
Lake Erie Basin: Balancing Land Use and Water Quality
- OH Sea Grant - Clean Marinas Workshops Scheduled
- OH Sea Grant - Steelhead Seminar
2. IL-IN Sea Grant - New Test Makes Tracking Toxic Mercury in Polluted
Waters Easier
3. Tidbits
- GLOS
- OH Sea Grant - Coastal Research Advisory Group
- OH Sea Grant - Lake Erie Discussion Board
- MI Sea Grant -Greater Detroit American Heritage River Initiative
- MI Sea Grant - Lake Sturgeon Exhibit In the Works
- MI Sea Grant - Revised Web Site Released
- MI Sea Grant - Great Lakes Education Program (GLEP) and Summer
Discovery Cruises
- MI Sea Grant - Go with the FLOW: Great Lakes science curriculum
available online
4. Publications
- MI Sea Grant - Fisheries Reprint
- MN Sea Grant - From Shore to Shore - November-December 2005 -
www.shorelandmanagement.org/shore_shore/index.html
- WI Sea Grant - Earthwatch Radio - http://ewradio.org
5. Staff News
- PA Sea Grant - New Offices
- MI Sea Grant - Outreach Coordinator for Great Lakes & Human
Health Center
- PA Sea Grant - New Staff
- IL-IN Sea Grant - Aquaculture Marketing Specialist Joins Illinois-Indiana
Sea Grant
- MN Sea Grant - Liukkonen receives awards
- MI Sea Grant - Open Position: Extension Program Director &
Associate Professor
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
1. Events
OH Sea Grant - Conference Announcement: Future of Ohio's
Lake Erie Basin: Balancing Land Use and Water Quality
A conference to explore the effect of land use on Lake Erie -
past, present and future - is expected to attract more than
200 planners, public officials, resource managers, building industry
professionals (home builders), and scholars on Thursday, December
1, 2005."The Future of Ohio's Lake Erie Basin: Balancing
Land Use and Water Quality" conference will examine the land-water
connection for the Lake Erie basin as it stretches across northern
Ohio. It will be held at the John A. Spitzer Conference Center
on the campus of Lorain County Community College in Elyria.
Featured speakers will include:
· Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Toledo), Member of the Appropriations
Committee, Agriculture (Invited)
· Dr. Sam Speck, Director, Ohio Department of Natural Resources
· Dennis Eckart, former Member of Congress, Partner, Law
Firm of Baker & Hostetler, LLP
· Dr. Jeffery M. Reutter , Director, Ohio Sea Grant College
Program
· Dr. Elena Irwin, Associate Professor, Agricultural Environmental
and Developmental Economics, The Ohio State University.
Presentations will cover an historical retrospective on how agriculture
and land development in the basin have affected water quality in
Lake Erie; an analysis of federal policy as it has affected the
basin; and the Lake Erie Balanced Growth Initiative and other programs
that will determine the future of the Lake and its basin.
Conference planners include the Ohio Sea Grant College Program
in collaboration with the Ohio Coastal Training Program, Ohio Department
of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife, Ohio Lake Erie Commission,
Ohio State University Extension, Greater Ohio, and the Smart Growth
Education Foundation.
To register for the conference, go to www.northcoastbia.com. Cost
is $40.00, which includes breakfast, lunch, and conference materials.
Deadline to register is November 23, 2005. For More Information
Contact: Joe Lucente, 419.213.2028 or lucente.6@osu.edu
OH Sea Grant - Clean Marinas Workshops Scheduled
* December 15, 2005 - Ohio Clean Marinas Program Workshop will
be conducted on December 15, 2005 at the Lake Erie Nature and Science
Center, 28728 Wolf Rd. Bay Village, Ohio 44140. Registration will
begin at 9:00 a.m., with the workshop conducted from 9:30 until
noon.
* January 31, 2006 - Ohio Clean Marinas Program Workshop will be
conducted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006. Registration will begin
at 12:30 p.m., with the workshop conducted from 1:00 - 3:30
p.m. in the 3rd Floor Board Room of the Ohio Lake Erie Commission
Office located at One Maritime Plaza in downtown Toledo.
* February 8, 2006 - Ohio Clean Marinas Program Workshop will be
conducted on Wednesday, February, 8, 2006 in the Conference Room
of the ODNR Office of Coastal Management located at 105 West Shoreline
Drive in Sandusky.
Registration will begin 9:30 a.m., with the workshop conducted
from 10:00 - 12:30 p.m. Contact Gary
Comer or Dave Kelch
OH Sea Grant - Steelhead Seminar
Ohio Sea Grant and the Lake Erie Nature and Science Center in Bay
Village, Ohio, will be hosting a steelhead angling seminar.
Date: November 17, 2005
Time: 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Place: Lake Erie Nature and Science Center, 28728 Wolf Road, Bay
Village, Ohio 44140
Call Lake Erie Nature and Science Center (440) 871-2900 to register
for this seminar. For additional questions, call Kelly Riesen (440)
808-5627.
2. IL-IN Sea Grant - New Test Makes Tracking Toxic Mercury
in Polluted Waters Easier
Press Release
Two Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant researchers have applied for a process
patent on a mercury analysis technique that will make testing for
methylmercury, a highly toxic environmental contaminant, less expensive
and much faster. "The main environmental risk to people and
wildlife from mercury pollution comes via consuming methylmercury
that has accumulated in fish," said Robert Hudson, a University
of Illinois environmental chemist.
In fact, fish from 13 lakes in Illinois have tested high enough
in methylmercury to cause the Department of Public Health to issue
specific fish consumption advisories. All lakes and rivers, however,
are subject to a general advisory that pregnant women, nursing
mothers, and children younger than 15 years old should limit their
consumption of predator fish to one meal per week.
According to a 2003 study (Schober, S.E., et al. 2003. JAMA 289:1667-74),
8 percent of women of childbearing age in the United States had
mercury levels in their blood above the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency's reference level, which is set to protect developing fetuses
from neurological harm. To date, the number and scope of environmental
studies of mercury have been limited due to the extreme cost of
the testing. The new test promises to drastically reduce this cost
so that scientists can do much more monitoring and design better
remediation strategies for contaminated sites. Most mercury finds
its way into the atmosphere from human sources, such as coal-fired
power plants, metal smelters, and waste incinerators. It is then
deposited on land and surface waters in rain. However, not all
mercury is equally toxic. Pollution sources mostly emit inorganic
forms of mercury, but methylmercury accumulates in fish. Methylmercury
is produced from inorganic mercury by naturally occurring bacteria
in oxygen-depleted zones of wetlands and river and lake sediments.
"The rate of methylation varies from one sediment or wetland
to another, so if we can figure out where rates of methylation
are high, cleanup efforts can be directed to where they will have
the most impact," said Hudson. An example of such an effort
is his lab group's recent study of the highly polluted Grand
Calumet watershed at the southern tip of Lake Michigan. In conjunction
with this research, a former U of I doctoral student, Chris Shade,
and Hudson developed the new testing procedure.
"Although you still have to collect samples carefully and
extract minute amounts of mercury from them, our new procedure
is much less time consuming and can be automated to make the process
of mercury analysis a lot cheaper," said Shade, who is starting
Quicksilver Scientific, an analytical laboratory, to offer the
methylmercury analysis commercially. Shade says that systematic
surveys of methylmercury in lakes and rivers would be less expensive
than monitoring fish for the compound. "People would simply
avoid fish from high-risk lakes and rivers and consume fish from
certified, low methylmercury lakes and rivers instead," he
said.
This research was recently published in the October issue of Environmental
Science & Technology
http://pubs.acs.org/journals/esthag/.
In addition to Sea Grant, this research was funded by the Council
on Food and Agricultural Research (C-FAR) and the U of I College
of ACES.
3. Tidbits
GLOS
Michigan Sea Grant's Steve Stewart participated in the
September GLOS Steering Committee conference call as the sole Sea
Grant representative. Progress was made on bylaws and initial Board
of Director nominations. Complete minutes are on the GLOS website.
OH Sea Grant - Coastal Research Advisory Group
The Directors of the Ohio Sea Grant College Program, the Ohio Coastal
Management Program, Old Woman Creek, and the Ohio Lake Erie Office
have formed the Coastal Research Advisory Group to help coordinate
research on Lake Erie in Ohio.
OH Sea Grant - Lake Erie Discussion Board
The Lake Erie Discussion Board has been Ohio Sea Grant's most often-visited
Web site over the past two years and provides anglers, boaters
and other Lake Erie enthusiasts a forum for finding fast answers
to any question they may have about the lake its resources and
management. Because of a change in servers, the discussion board
has a new address:
http://ohioseagrant.osu.edu/discuss/
The board has a new format, offering new and archived topics, an
events calendar, and even a survey tool. Be sure to visit us!
MI Sea Grant -Greater Detroit American Heritage River Initiative
Michigan Sea Grant's Barry Murray participated in planning of Supplemental
Environmental Projects (SEP) session, November 2005. The Metropolitan
Affairs Coalition and USFWS will be leading this effort with
MSG as a partner. MDEQ Director Chester is a guest speaker.
MI Sea Grant - Lake Sturgeon Exhibit In the Works
Michigan Sea Grant's Jennifer Read is working with communications
staff at UM and MSU on a lake sturgeon educational exhibit, including
a video/kiosk about the artificial reef in the Detroit River,
wall panels and a full-scale model of a lake sturgeon. The exhibit
will be at the Detroit Science Center in 2006, and a news release
about the exhibit is forthcoming.
MI Sea Grant - Revised Web Site Released
See http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu
Key features include:
- Online library with journal articles, research briefs, fact sheets
and more, see http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/library
- More information for researchers, see http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/research
- Improved navigation
MI Sea Grant - Great Lakes Education Program (GLEP) and Summer
Discovery Cruises
Completed the fall 2005 GLEP season, the 15th year on Lake St.
Clair and 8th on the lower Detroit River. Twenty-seven classes
participated on the lower Detroit River, with four requiring spring
rescheduling due to significant seiche events. Twenty-nine classes
were involved on Lake St. Clair. A total of 1960 students, teachers
and adult chaperones participated. Program evaluations involving
teachers and adult chaperones were conducted and mail returns are
still being received.
Michigan Sea Grant's Steve Stewart met with Detroit area Huron-Clinton
Metropolitan Authority partners to review the 2005 Summer Discovery
Cruise season and plan for 2006. Evaluation results were outstanding
- a mean Overall Experience rating of 3.94 on a 1 (poor) to 4 (excellent)
scale (N=684). HCMA wants to increase the 2006 SDC season by one
week on Lake St. Clair, which will expand the total to five weeks.
MI Sea Grant - Go with the FLOW: Great Lakes science curriculum
available online
Teaching young people about the Great Lakes just a got a little
easier. Educators can now access a comprehensive online curriculum
covering everything from the Great Lakes aquatic food web to wetlands
and fisheries.
The dynamic lessons are part of Fisheries Learning On the Web,
Project FLOW, developed by the Michigan Sea Grant at the University
of Michigan. Project FLOW lessons are geared toward educators who
teach upper elementary and middle school students. Each lesson
features a hands-on classroom activity. "I've been using some
of the Project FLOW lessons on food chains, food webs and exotic
species this fall with my 7th graders," said David Huntington
of Mackinaw City Schools. "The students have a great time.
These lessons make teaching this material easy, fun, and engaging.
Students teach each other throughout the lessons..."
See the complete news release online at http://www.umich.edu/news/index.html?Releases/2005/Nov05/r111005
See Fisheries Learning on the Web: http://www.projectflow.us
4. Publications
MI Sea Grant - Fisheries Reprint
Kevin L. Pangle, Trent M. Sutton, Ronald E. Kinnunen, and Michael
H. Hoff. 2005. Effects of Body Size, Condition, and Lipid Content
on the Survival of Juvenile Lake Herring During Rapid Cooling Events.
J. Great Lakes Res. 31:360 - 366, Internat. Assoc. Great Lakes
Res.
MN Sea Grant - From Shore to Shore - November-December 2005
www.shorelandmanagement.org/shore_shore/index.html
. Master Gardener State Conference
. Rush Lake Erosion Research (part 1 of 2)
. Protect Your Septic System From Freezing
. The Creepy-Crawlies of Lakes and Rivers: The Importance of What
Lies Beneath the Water's Surface
WI Sea Grant - Earthwatch Radio - http://ewradio.org
podcast: http://ewradio.org/podcast/current/index.aspx
RSS feed: http://ewradio.org/rss/
- Toxic Gold Rush -- Mercury can be a convenient tool for people
who mine for gold but the toxic metal puts their lives at risk.
(11/14/2005)
- Handheld Hazards -- Cell phones might be safe for people to
use but when they become obsolete, they give rise to problems
with safe disposal. (11/15/2005)
- Gas Pressure -- Rising demand for natural gas is driving a
drilling boom in the American West. (11/16/2005)
- An Evolving Climate Picture -- A New York Times reporter has
covered climate change for 20 years, and he sees changes in our
understanding of the phenomenon. (11/17/2005)
- The Price of a Mercury Mine -- Problems with public health
are the heritage of a mercury mine in Eastern Europe. (11/18/2005)
Exotic Eating -- An ecologist offers a recipe for fighting invasive
species: serve them for dinner. (11/7/2005)
- Nuclear Future -- Renewed interest in nuclear power could affect
people who live near uranium mines. (11/8/2005)
- Fewer Frosty Mornings -- A warmer world in the future won't
have many nights with freezing temperatures. (11/9/2005)
- Curbing the Cat Population -- Millions of housecats are on
the loose outside, and their natural instinct to hunt puts a
lot of birds at risk. (11/10/2005)
- Refugee Crisis -- A new United Nations report warns that millions
of people will be forced into exile by a deteriorating environment.
(11/11/2005)
- Pay It Backward -- More than 30 countries now require manufacturers
to take responsibility for the packaging they use for their products.
(10/31/2005)
- Unprecedented Melting of Ice -- Ice has covered the Arctic
Ocean for millions of years, but it is disappearing now with
unprecedented speed. (11/1/2005)
- The Flu and You -- The influenza virus affects animals as well
as people, and the mobility of the virus is a constant threat
to public health. (11/2/2005)
- Act Under Attack -- A leading ecologist warns that changes
to the Endangered Species Act could leave some rare plants and
animals poorly protected. (11/3/2005)
- At the Mercy of the River -- A new book describes an excursion
into one of the world's wildest and most dangerous places. (11/4/2005)
- Basement Sealing -- Advice on how to protect your home from
a radioactive gas that poses a health threat. (10/24/2005)
- Taking the LEED -- A building industry group has developed
green standards for new construction, and they're catching on.
(10/25/2005)
- Sea Lamprey Resurgence -- A parasitic creature that has infested
the Great Lakes for generations seems to be on the rebound. (10/26/2005)
- Ban on Bottom Trawling -- A lot of the ocean floor of the U.S.
Pacific coast will be closed to some forms of trawling to protect
bottom dwelling organisms. (10/27/2005)
- The American Way? -- A new book contends that the U.S. economy
is easier on the environment than most others. (10/28/2005)
5. Staff News
PA Sea Grant - New Offices
The Erie offices of Pennsylvania Sea Grant have moved to their
new location at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center (TREC) at Presque
Isle in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Please address correspondence to:
Pennsylvania Sea Grant
301 Peninsula Drive, Suite 3
Erie, Pa 16505
New phone #'s are as follows:
Eric Obert, Extension Director (814) 217-9018
Anne Danielski, Coastal Education and Maritime Specialist (814)
217-9019
Sean Rafferty, Lake Erie Coastal Outreach Specialist (814) 217-9013
Dave Skellie, Coastal Land Use and Economic Specialist (814) 217-9014
Marti Martz, Coastal Outreach Specialist (814) 217-9015
Fax (814) 217-9021
E-mail addresses remain the same.
MI Sea Grant - Outreach Coordinator for Great Lakes &
Human Health Center
Sonia T. Joseph has been appointed Sea Grant Extension educator
and outreach coordinator for the NOAA Center of Excellence for
Great Lakes and Human Health in Ann Arbor. Her primary responsibilities
will be managing stakeholder involvement with the center's
activities and broadening existing relationships within and through
Great Lakes Sea Grant Network and the Great Lakes Human Health
Network. The NOAA Center of Excellence for Great Lakes and Human
Health (CEGLHH) is a multi-disciplinary research center which focuses
on understanding the inter-relationships between the Great Lakes
ecosystem, water quality and human health. The center uses ecosystem
forecasting to minimize risks to human health in coastal environments.
Joseph has served as environmental health assistant in the Ingham
County (Michigan) Health Department and has taught environmental
science at Lansing Community College. She holds a B.S. in Environmental
Science from Lake Superior State University and a M.S. in Human
Dimensions of Fisheries and Wildlife from Michigan State University.
Joseph started November 1 and is located at the Great Lakes Environmental
Research Laboratory (GLERL) in Ann Arbor. She can be reached at sonia.joseph@noaa.gov or
(734) 741-2283.
PA Sea Grant - New Staff
Marti Martz has joined the Erie office staff effective August 1,
2005 as a Coastal Outreach Specialist. Marti worked as a Sea Grant
student intern at the Erie office while getting her undergraduate
degree in Environmental Studies at Edinboro University. Marti is
a Master Gardener and worked as an intern for Presque Isle State
Park where she helped develop an invasive plant control program
for the Park.
As a coastal specialist Marti will take on a number of tasks that
include part time communicator, acting as a liaison between Sea
Grant and the Regional Science Consortium at the Tom Ridge Environmental
Center, assisting DCNR staff on projects such as aquaponics and
the natural history collections at the TREC, working with Mercyhurst
College staff on the publication of a 'suggested plant'
manual for bluff front property owners and assisting Sea Grant's
education specialist with coordination and facilitation of the
Great Lakes Center for Science Education Excellence (COSEE) project.
IL-IN Sea Grant - Aquaculture Marketing Specialist Joins
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant
Dr. Kwamena Quagrainie holds a joint appointment in Agricultural
Economics and Forestry and Natural Resources. He received his B.S.
from the University of Science and Technology, Ghana, and his M.S.
and Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Alberta,
Canada. He held an assistant professor of aquaculture marketing
position at the University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff from 2001 until
2005.
Dr. Quagrainie will be working with the aquaculture industries
in Illinois and Indiana, aquaculture producers, aquaculture associations,
distributors, restaurants, retail outlets, and consumers to develop
viable markets for Indiana and Illinois farm-raised aquaculture
products. His research interests lie in the areas of market analysis,
market definition, facilitating the development of distribution
and market structures, identification of value-added opportunities
for aquaculture products and feeds, and development of enterprise
budgets.
Dr. Quagrainie's primary Extension responsibilities will focus
on providing assistance to aquaculture producers in pursuing and
realizing economic and market development opportunities. He will
also provide training and educational materials for farmers and
Extension Educators in the farm business management area of enterprise
budgets.
Dr. Quagrainie is a member of USDA's National Organic Program
(NOP) Aquatic Species Task Force - Aquaculture Working Group and
also as a member of USAID's Aquaculture Collaborative Research
Support Program (ACRSP) Technical Committee (Social and Economic
Aspects).
Kwamena K. Quagrainie, Ph.D.,
Aquaculture Marketing Specialist,
Dept. of Agricultural Economics,
Purdue University,
403 W. State St., Krannert Building
W. Lafayette, IN 47907-2056
Tel: (765) 494 4200
Fax: (765) 494 9176
MN Sea Grant - Liukkonen receives awards
Barbara Liukkonen, water resources education coordinator for Minnesota
Sea Grant, was awarded the Distinguished Faculty Award from the
University of Minnesota Extension Service. The award was presented
at the annual extension service meeting held during October in
Brooklyn Center, Minn.
At the same meeting Liukkonen and Eleanor Burkett of the University
of Minnesota Extension Service, received the 2005 Excellence in
Educational Materials award from the Minnesota Community and Natural
Resources Association for materials they produced to educate Minnesota
water gardeners and nursery professionals about the risk of introducing
aquatic invasive species.
MI Sea Grant - Open Position: Extension Program Director
& Associate Professor
See position description (PDF) http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/downloads/misc/MSG-Extension-leader.pdf
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October
19, 2005
Contents
1. REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE - IISG AIS
2. IISG - Educational Web Site Tackles AIS Crime Wave
3. MN Sea Grant - Aquarium Outcast Found in Minnesota
4. PA Sea Grant - Sediment Sampling of Presque Isle Bay Area of
Concern
5. II Sea Grant - Fish School Reaches New Audiences about PCB,
Mercury Health Concerns
6. WI Sea Grant - Septic System Study Checks for Antibacterial
Resistance in Groundwater
7. OH Sea Grant - New Aquaculture Center Will Conduct Baitfish
Research
8. OH Sea Grant - Nine Lake Erie Marinas to Receive Ohio Clean
Marinas Certification
9. Seaway Trail Receives National Scenic Byways Designation
10. OH Sea Grant - Lake Erie Coastal Ohio Trail Becomes an America's
Byway
11. Events
- New York Sea Grant - Identifying Uncertainties in Great Lakes
Fisheries Management
- OH Sea Grant - Balancing Land Use and Water Quality
12. Publications
- NY Sea Grant - New Publications and Reprints
- NY Sea Grant - Aquatic Invaders!
- WI Sea Grant - Aquatic Sciences Chronicle - Fall 2005 - www.aqua.wisc.edu/chronicle
- MN Sea Grant - From Shore to Shore - September-October 2005 - www.shorelandmanagement.org/shore_shore/index.html
- MN Sea Grant - Seiche - October - http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/seiche/
- MI Sea Grant - Upwellings - September 2005 - http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/upwellings/index.html
- OH Sea Grant - Twine Line - Spring 2005 - http://www.sg.ohio-state.edu/PUBLICATIONS/TWINELINE/INDEX.HTM
- NY Sea Grant - Coastlines - Fall 2005 - http://www.seagrant.sunysb.edu/Pages/Coastlines/Fall05.pdf
- WI Sea Grant - Earthwatch Radio - http://ewradio.org
13. Staff News
- MN Sea Grant - Position Announcement: Director of the Minnesota
Sea Grant College Program
- MI Sea Grant - Position Announcement: Director, Michigan Sea
Grant Extension Program; Associate Professor/Professor
- MN Sea Grant - Position Announcement: Sea Grant Maritime Extension
Educator
- OH Sea Grant - New Ohio Clean Marinas Program Coordinator
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
1. REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE - IISG AIS
I want to encourage everyone at the lab who works on invasive
species projects - PI's, technical staff, and CILER to help out
with this web-based education initiative. To my knowledge, the
'Nab the Aquatic Invader' site is NOAA's only comprehensive on-line
educational resource portal for K-12 educators and students. Participation
at this level (Meet the Scientists) requires very little effort
on your part but can mean a lot in terms of letting kids see the
people behind the science.
Would you be interested in participating in our "Meet the
Scientists" page <http://www.sgnis.org/kids/meet_scientists.html>
on the Web site, Nab the Aquatic Invader! Be a Sea Grant Sleuth?
<http://www.sgnis.org/kids/>.
In that section, we ask invasive species experts to answer 3 short
questions. We will only post answers to your responses, not your
e-mail address. We hope you will participate, as your work is so
interesting, and will be informative for students. If so, please
e-mail your responses back to the following questions to Robin
Goettel.
1. How did you get interested in your field?
2. What do you do?
3. What do you like about your job?
We will then contact you to let you know when it is posted. Thank
you--I look forward to your response.
2. IISG - Educational Web Site Tackles AIS Crime Wave
Excerpt from Press Release
Nab the Aquatic Invader! Be a Sea Grant Super Sleuth is a new
educational Web site created by several Great Lakes Sea Grant programs
that provides the latest information about aquatic invasive species
(AIS) through colorful characters and a crime-solving theme. "In
addition to being clever and fun, the site is rich with curriculum
for teachers and creative educational activities for students and
other online audiences," said Robin Goettel, Illinois-Indiana
Sea Grant (IISG) education specialist. "In creating this site,
our goal was bridging the knowledge gap, connecting the abundant
information available on AIS with teachers and students, and presenting
it in an exciting and understandable way," said Helen Domske,
New York Sea Grant education specialist. The site is part of the
Sea Grant Nonindigenous Species Web site, which contains a wealth
of AIS information.
The Web site homepage (http://www.sgnis.org/kids)
introduces student investigators to five detectives, each focused
on specific aspects of AIS criminal cases. For example, Detective
Ecofriend is an expert on the environmental effects of AIS, while
Detective Dollars and Sense investigates the economic impacts of
these invaders. Each character is a fun and colorful cartoon.
The Meet the Suspects page illustrates the 10 Most Wanted, a variety
of cartoon-like criminals, including Zeke "the Prowler"
Zebra Mussel, Purple "Lucky" Loosestrife and Gabby "the
Lowlife" Round Goby. Each suspect has been interrogated, and
the transcripts provide student investigators with critical information
for solving these cases. Crime solving involves taking part in
quizzes, games, and other brain teasers that test the student investigator's
knowledge about invasive species and their impacts.
The site, which has been pilot-tested, contains a wealth of background
information on AIS for teachers and students in the form of Web
links. "Resources for teachers on this site are just about
countless," said Goettel. "They can find links to curriculum,
videos, CDs, fact sheets, books, maps, posters, and more. These
resources can complement a teacher's existing curriculum, for example,
the subject of aquatic invasions fits in nicely with studies on
habitats and ecosystems."
On the Kids' Secret Headquarters page, the site provides opportunities
for interacting with scientists, displaying student-created projects,
solving riddles and learning the latest invader news. "The
site is designed to be very interactive with opportunities to strengthen
and apply new knowledge, ask questions and share creativity,"
said Angela Archer, IISG Web specialist.
"We now have funding from the National Sea Grant College Program
to expand the site and provide a broader perspective by adding
invasive species from waters beyond the Great Lakes," said
Domske. "Sea Grant programs in Oregon, Connecticut, and Louisiana
will be adding marine invaders to the list of suspects. We will
also enhance the educational content and incorporate more teacher-tested
activities."
Teachers who would like to learn more about the Web site and the
issues of AIS can attend a free Sea Grant workshop on October 27
at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Chicago. The workshop,
which runs from 1:00-5:30 p.m., will cover the Web site basics,
as well as how teachers can apply the activities to their current
curriculum and help develop new activities for the site. For more
information, contact Terri Hallesy at (217)244-8809 or thallesy@uiuc.edu.
To see the workshop flyer, visit
http://www.sgnis.org/kids/NAIflyer0720-FINALpdf.pdf.
Until October 31, teachers are eligible to win prizes that include
classroom supplies, books and education kits donated by several
school supply companies and Sea Grant programs, by submitting their
comments about the Web site. Visit
http://www.sgnis.org/kids/contest.htm to
find an entry form.
3. MN Sea Grant - Aquarium Outcast Found in Minnesota
Excerpt from Press Release
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) personnel netted
a surprise during a routine fisheries census of Caribou Lake, near
Duluth. "We were completely startled," said John Meerbeek,
one of two DNR employees who netted a Lima Shovelnose Catfish in
July. "Even before we untangled it, we could tell it wasn't
native. We figured it was an aquarium fish from the Ictaluridae
(catfish) family." The fish, dubbed "Snidely" (after
Snidely Whiplash of Dudley Do-Right fame) by Doug Jensen, Minnesota
Sea Grant's aquatic invasive species program coordinator, is an
Amazon River native. After being held at the French River Hatchery,
Snidely died a few days later. The fish now rests preserved in
a jar on Jensen's desk, part of Jensen's educational arsenal of
preserved invaders.
Citizens can help by taking these actions when they have an unwanted
aquarium animal or plant:
- Contact a retailer for proper handling advice or for possible
returns
- Give/trade with another aquarist, pond owner, or water gardener
- Donate to a local aquarium society, school, or aquatic business
- Seal aquatic plants in plastic bags and dispose in the trash
- Contact a veterinarian or pet retailer for humane disposal guidance
- Know state regulations regarding these alternatives
"If the hobbyist who released Snidely would have known about
these alternatives, the fish might still be alive for others to
enjoy," said Jensen. The actions were developed for HabitattitudeTM,
a national public awareness campaign aimed at preventing the release
of unwanted aquarium fish and plants into lakes and oceans by aquarists
and water gardeners. Jensen has been co-leading the campaign with
the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, and NOAA's Great Lake Sea Grant Network. Brian Mattson,
owner of Superior Aquarium in Superior, Wis., is a HabitattitudeTM
partner. He joined because, "It's something we do anyway.
It seemed like a good idea to reiterate to people not to release
fish into ponds and lakes," Mattson said. He said that customer
response has been positive. They often call his store before disposing
of a fish or plant to be sure it's done properly. "We actually
take a few fish back and try to find them other homes," Mattson
said.
For more information about aquatic invasive species, how your
organization can join HabitattitudeTM, or how you can get involved
with Invasive Species Month events, contact Doug
Jensen at (218) 726-8712.
4. PA Sea Grant - Sediment Sampling of Presque Isle Bay Area
of Concern
PA Sea Grant just completed an extensive sediment sampling program
on Presque Isle Bay, Area of Concern. PASG received a grant from
EPA to coordinate the study with the Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Protectiona and the Presque Isle Bay Advisory Committee.
Prior to the sampling PASG convened a panel of national sediment
experts and held two workshops to devise a sampling and monitoring
plan for Presque Isle Bay. Sampling of sediments was conducted
from September 12-16. Sediment cores were collected by the EPA
vessel the mudpuppy. Surficial samples were collected by Gannon
University's ship the Enviornaut. All the samples were processed
at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center and sent to several laboratories
for analysis. The results of the study will be used for possible
delisting of Presque Isle Bay as an Area of Concern.
5. II Sea Grant - Fish School Reaches New Audiences about PCB,
Mercury Health Concerns
Excerpt from NOAA Research Spotlight article by Irene Miles
http://www.oar.noaa.gov/spotlite/
Fish provide key nutrients for growing young minds and healthy
bodies of all ages, but some are contaminated with pollutants that
can have serious health effects, particularly on babies and children.
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) has made it a priority to inform
critical audiences about eating fish wisely.
A new education program in southern Lake Michigan communities,
Fish School: Taking Stock of Risks and Benefits, involves scientists,
nutritional experts, Extension educators, teachers, and students
in an effort to raise awareness in those who need it the most--women
in their child-bearing years and families who fish for their food.
In May, 13 middle and high school teachers in the Chicago region
learned about contaminants directly from scientists and worked
with University of Illinois and Purdue University Extension educators
to develop teaching programs and plan health expos. "Students
are our future consumers and decision-makers," said Robin
Goettel, IISG communications coordinator and education specialist. "They
also provide a unique way to connect with communities about the
benefits and risks of fish consumption."
Shara Fata, a teacher at Kilmer Elementary on the north side of
Chicago recruited several educators from her school to attend the
workshop. "Our school sits two blocks from Lake Michigan.
We see people fishing there all the time, so this information is
really relevant here. We are planning a team effort to teach the
students--through art, science, health classes and more."
As part of the Fish School program, students will design posters,
exhibits or other creative projects that will be on display at
school and community events. Fata is planning a school expo and
is talking with the Peggy Notebeart Nature Museum to hold a community
wide event that will display student projects on the risks and
benefits of fish consumption. "This program will touch the
lives of the 1,000 children in our school as well as the larger
community,"
said Fata.
Fish School is a partnership of IISG and the Illinois Science
Teachers Association, Building a Presence for Science Program,
with funding from U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office.
With support from the Illinois Department of Public Health and
the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, IISG and Extension
are also using more traditional means to reach out to underserved
populations, through workshops that explain the latest fish consumption
advisory information directly to local populations. The workshops
can be presented in English, Spanish, Polish, or Chinese, depending
on the audience.
As part of the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program in
Chicago (EFNEP), Extension staff members have thus far held about
10 sessions, providing information on mercury and PCB concerns.
EFNEP is designed for families of limited resources, annually reaching
out to more than 3,300 adults. Some participants in these workshops,
which have included immigrants from Mexico and Asia, are learning
for the first time about health problems related to mercury levels
in fish.
Flip charts created for these workshops, as well as several brochures,
including The ABCs of PCBs and Contaminants in Fish and Seafood:
A Guide to Safe Consumption (both provide text in several languages)
can be found at
www.iisgcp.org/products/free.htm.
6. WI Sea Grant - Septic System Study Checks for Antibacterial
Resistance in Groundwater
Excerpt from press release
A new housing development in Sun Prairie is giving UW-Madison
researchers an opportunity to see whether septic systems cause
bacteria in groundwater to become resistant to antibiotics, potentially
creating a source of antibiotic resistance that could ultimately
reduce the effectiveness of antibiotics for human use.
The researchers are using new DNA detection technology to test
groundwater before and after the houses are built. Any DNA associated
with antimicrobial resistance that the researchers detect before
the houses go in must come from other sources, such as naturally-occurring
bacteria or those in runoff from agricultural lands, according
to Trina McMahon, an environmental engineering professor and chief
scientist on the project.
However, if the researchers find more kinds or amounts of DNA
from antibiotic-resistant bacteria after the septic systems are
in use, that would indicate a contribution from the septic systems,
McMahon said. Septic systems are not generally considered to contribute
significantly to antibiotic-resistant bacteria in groundwater,
she added, but it is important to verify current understanding.
"Regulatory agencies may be going after all sorts of water
dischargers. If human use and wastewater are insignificant sources
of the problem, then we should know that," McMahon said.
The project is one of eight new projects related to drinking water,
groundwater and surface water recently funded by the University
of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute (WRI). Research supported
by WRI currently involves more than 60 faculty, staff and students
from University of Wisconsin campuses in Madison, Milwaukee, Kenosha,
and Stevens Point; the University of Wisconsin-Extension; researchers
from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the Wisconsin
State Laboratory of Hygiene, and the U.S. Geological Survey. The
institute also provides technology transfer through its Web site,
publications and conferences.
The eight new projects and three continuing projects are financed
with funds from WRI's Groundwater Research Program. The Program
is a UW-System program administered by WRI. It receives nearly
$300,000 from the System annually to support research and monitoring
projects throughout the state.
7. OH Sea Grant - New Aquaculture Center Will Conduct Baitfish
Research
The Ohio Center for Aquaculture Development in Piketon is expanding
into the northwest corner of Ohio. Responding to a need for enhanced
aquaculture research and support in the northern area of the state,
a new Bowling Green Aquaculture Satellite Center opened its doors
recently. The new Center will focus on research and extension initiatives
involving recirculation aquaculture and developing the baitfish
industry in Ohio. Aquaculture in Ohio Visitors will be able to
see a variety of commercial scale recirculation systems at the
Center, located in the Hirzel Agriculture Incubator in Bowling
Green. Initial work with a baitfish species not currently used
in aquaculture, the spotfin shiner, is planned for this winter.
8. OH Sea Grant - Nine Lake Erie Marinas to Receive Ohio Clean
Marinas Certification
Excerpt from Press Release
Nine Lake Erie marinas will officially become Ohio's first Clean
Marinas in a dedication ceremony at Spitzers Lakeside Marina, Lorain,
Ohio on Wednesday, October 19, 2005 at 1:30 p.m. Beaver Park North,
Beaver Park Marina, Cedar Point Marina, Edgewater Yacht Club, Marina
Del Isle, Middle Bass Island Yacht Club, Sandusky Yacht Club, Spitzer
HarborWalk & Rack Storage, and Spitzer Lakeside Marina have
voluntarily met pollution control standards set by program's main
administors, Ohio Sea Grant, Ohio Department of Natural Resources
(ODNR), and the Lake Erie Marine Trades Assocation. Spitzer Lakeside
Marina will also receive the honor of being the first marina to
be certified as an Ohio Clean Marina.
Launched in 2004 with grant funding provided by the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and administered through
Ohio Sea Grant and ODNR's Office of Coastal Management, Ohio Clean
Marinas Program is a proactive partnership designed to encourage
marinas and boaters to use simple, innovative solutions to keep
Ohio's coastal and inland waterways clean. The primary goal of
the program is to promote environmental stewardship by encouraging
marinas and boaters to adopt a series of best management practices
that protect the Lake Erie ecosystem.
Certified Clean Marinas will receive official signs and flags
bearing the Ohio Clean Marina logo to post at their marinas. "When
boaters see the Clean Marinas flag flying at their marina, they
can be assured that their marinas are doing their part to keep
Lake Erie clean," said Comer.
For more information on the Ohio Clean Marinas Program, visit
the Internet web site at www.ohiocleanmarina.osu.edu.
9. Seaway Trail Receives National Scenic Byways Designation
Representatives from the Seaway Trail Steering Committee traveled
to Washington DC on September 21-22 to take place in a Federal
Highway Administration (FHWA) ceremony announcing that the Seaway
Trail has been designated a National Scenic Byway. The Seaway Trail
PA is the only Pennsylvania Byway receiving the national designation
this year. In fact, Pennsylvania's Seaway Trail is only the
second Byway in the Commonwealth to have received national designation.
As part of the National Scenic Byway application process, the
Seaway Trail Steering Committee completed a County of Erie-sponsored
Corridor Management Plan (CMP) in March 2005. The Steering Committee
is comprised of 20 individuals. PA Sea Grant staff chaired this
planning effort and cooperated closely with the Erie Area Convention & Visitors
Bureau, the Erie County Department of Planning, PennDOT, and Seaway
Trail, Inc. (NY). The official byways status is determined by the
FHWA, who evaluated 57 applicants and approved 45 new byways. There
are now 125 byways having this national recognition.
The benefits of National Scenic Byways designation include:
- Increased funding opportunities & inclusion in FHWA marketing
programs
- National & international exposure as part of the great
America's Byways collection of"distinct and diverse
roads designated by the Secretary of Transportation"
- Increasing tourism traffic and economic development potential
for the region
- The ability to tie into more programs with Seaway Trail NY.
Pennsylvania's 64 miles of the Seaway Trail extends the already
existing 454 mile trail in New York State. In addition, another
byway, the Lake Erie Coastal Ohio Trail, was also approved, making
the length of the three trails a total of 811 miles. These trails
parallel the south shores of Lake Erie, the Niagara River, Lake
Ontario, and the St. Lawrence River from Toledo, OH to Rooseveltown,
NY.
Pennsylvania's Seaway Trail begins on Route 20 at the Ohio
line, and then follows Routes 5 and 5A including the Presque Isle
loop road and the Bayfront Parkway before connecting with New York's
Seaway Trail.
10. OH Sea Grant - Lake Erie Coastal Ohio Trail Becomes an
America's Byway
The Lake Erie Coastal Ohio Trail is now an America's Byway,
designated by the Federal Highway Administration. The announcement
was made in September by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman
Mineta in Washington, D.C. Attending the celebration were Melinda
Huntley, executive director of Lake Erie Coastal Ohio; Frank Lichtkoppler,
Lake Erie Coastal Ohio Byways Chairman and an Ohio Sea Grant Extension
Specialist; and Paul Staley, ODOT Scenic Byways Section Chief.
The America's Byways program, formerly known as the National
Scenic Byways Program, honors a unique collection of American roads,
their stories, and treasured places. The mission of the program
is to provide resources to the byway community in creating a unique
travel experience and enhanced local quality of life through efforts
to preserve, protect, interpret and promote their special features.
In order to achieve America's Byways designation, Lake Erie
Coastal Ohio had to complete a nomination form and develop a Corridor
Management Plan that demonstrates the importance and integrity
of our region's intrinsic qualities - natural, historical,
recreational, cultural, archaeological and scenic. Over the last
three years, Lake Erie Coastal Ohio has conducted a resource inventory,
developed a management plan with stakeholder input, and begun creation
of interpretive themes. With these tools at our disposal, the program
was able to clearly state the region's natural, historical
and recreational qualities in order to achieve this important designation.
11. Events
New York Sea Grant - Identifying Uncertainties in Great Lakes
Fisheries Management
Press Advisory
With funding from the New York Great Lakes Protection Fund, New
York Sea Grant has organized a technical workshop on the tools
for addressing uncertainty in fisheries management. NYSG welcomes
those with interest in Great Lakes fisheries research and management
to attend this unique and needed forum scheduled for October 24th,
2005 at the Carrier Circle Holiday Inn in Syracuse, NY. For details,
see the event's agenda found at <www.seagrant.sunysb.edu/Pages/GLFisheriesWkshp1005.pdf>.
"This workshop will provide a unique opportunity to discuss
with renowned academics and managers from New York State Department
of Environmental Conservation and the Ontario Ministry of Natural
Resources about the importance of quantifying the uncertainties
in the information used in the regular business of these stakeholders,"
says NYSG's Fisheries Specialist Dave Mac Neill. "We'll also
show attendees how to communicate these uncertainties as measures
of risk, internally and to the general public." New York Sea
Grant's Director, Dr. Jack Mattice, will give opening remarks.
This "toolbox approach" workshop includes an introductory"Uncertainty and Decision Making 101" session demonstrating
how to communicate risk using case studies of stocking rates with
respect to alewife risk, uncertainties associated with unbalanced
predator or prey communities, and a lake whitefish allocation issue
from Lake Ontario.
The workshop, Identifying Uncertainties in Great Lakes Fisheries
Management, is targeted to decision makers, communications specialists,
and others who provide information for Lake Ontario managers.
OH Sea Grant - Balancing Land Use and Water Quality
The Ohio Sea Grant College Program, in collaboration with the Ohio
Coastal Training Program, ODNR Division of Wildlife, Ohio Lake
Erie Commission, Ohio State University Extension, Greater Ohio,
and the Smart Growth Education Foundation is offering a one-day
conference on December 1, 2005 entitled"The Future of Ohio's
Lake Erie Basin: Balancing Land Use and Water Quality".
Land use and economic activity in northern Ohio have always been
inextricably linked to Lake Erie. In turn, the ecology of Lake
Erie is directly impacted by the many human uses of the lake,
including boating, fishing, drinking water and transportation.
Indirect impacts include a variety of land use activities that
range from farming to suburban sprawl to coastline development.
Explore central issues from plenary speakers and a wide variety
of breakout sessions that address problems and offer solutions
to balancing the land/water connection. To register and view
agenda, please go to: http://www.northcoastbia.com.
For more information, please contact Joe
Lucente.
12. Publications
NY Sea Grant - New Publications and Reprints
Please send requests for the following publications to:New York
Sea Grant Communications, 121 Discovery Hall, Stony Brook University,
Stony Brook, NY 11794-5001/631.632.9124
- Establishing Local Authority for Stormwater Management.New
York Sea Grant NEMO Program. 2005. Fact Sheet.
- Impacts of Development on Waterways: Linking Land Use to Water
Quality. New York Sea Grant NEMO Program. 2004. Fact Sheet.
- The Nissequogue River: A River of Special Significance. New
York Sea Grant NEMO Program. 2003. Fact Sheet.
- A Technical Review of the Lake Ontario Forage Base Assessment
Program. D. MacNeill. 2005. Available in PDF format at www.nyseagrant.org/fish/forageassess05.pdf
- Bioconcentration of inorganic and organic thallium by freshwater
phytoplankton. 2004. M.R. Twiss, B.S. Twining, and N.S. Fisher.
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 23(4): 968-973.
- Comparative toxicity of thallium(I), thallium(III), and cadmium(II)
to the unicellular alga Chlorella isolated from Lake Erie. 2002.
L. Ralph, and M.R. Twiss. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination
and Toxicology 68(2): 261-268.
- Linking phytoplankton community composition with juvenile-phase
growth in the northern quahog Mercenaria mercenaria (L). 2005.
D.I. Greenfield, D.J. Lonsdale, and R.M. Cerrato. Estuaries 28(2):
241-251.
- Oxidation of Thallium by Freshwater Plankton Communities. 2003.
B.S. Twining, M.R. Twiss, and N.S. Fisher. Environmental Science
& Technology 37(12): 2720-2726.
- Partitioning of dissolved thallium by seston in Lakes Erie
and Ontario. 2003. M.R. Twiss, B.S. Twining, and N.S. Fisher.
Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science 60(11): 1369-1375.
- Trophic transfer of trace metals from protozoa mesozooplankton.
2004. B.S. Twining, and N.S. Fisher. Limnology and Oceanography
49(1): 28-39.
NY Sea Grant - Aquatic Invaders!
The April-June issue of Aquatic Invaders (Volume 16 No 2) is available.
This issue's featured articles are:
- Reciprocal Caulerpa Invasion: Mediterranean native Caulerpa
ollivieri in the Bahamas supported by human nitrogen enrichment.
Lapointe BE, Barile PJ, Wynne MJ, Yentsch CS.
- Invasive Species in FishBase. Casal CMV.
- Ballast Water Exchange: Exploring the Feasibility of Alternate
Ballast Water Exchange Zones in the North Atlantic: Summary of
a workshop held, October 27 and 28, 2003. Pederson J.
The July-September issue of Aquatic Invaders (Volume 16 No 3)
is at the printers. This issue's featured articles include:
- Evaluation of Different Biocides for Potential Use in Treating
Overseas Unballasted Vessels Entering the Great Lakes, Sano LL,
Landrum PF
- Investigation of the Need and Options for an Exotic Species
Barrier on the Champlain Canal, Marsden JE, Malchoff M, Hauser
M
Features in every issue include:
- Web Watch - New links from the Clearinghouse Links page
- What's New - Newly acquired papers in the Clearinghouse
Collection
- Annotations of articles from the collection
- Announcements
The National Aquatic Nuisance Species Clearinghouse quarterly
digest,"Aquatic Invaders," publishes papers on research and
policy initiatives relating to all types of freshwater, estuarine,
and marine aquatic invasive and nuisance species issues. The digest
is published quarterly, and is aimed at a technically literate
audience, researchers, resource managers, utility managers, and
policy makers. We welcome submissions. Please contact Diane
Oleson for details
WI Sea Grant - Aquatic Sciences Chronicle - Fall 2005 - www.aqua.wisc.edu/chronicle
- Scientists Launch Mercury Mission. Objectve: Capture state
of the science at 2006 conference - More than 40 of the world's
leading mercury researchers recently gathered in Madison to provide
sound science to policymakers.
- The Ultimate Test Tube: Landmark mercury pollution study sited
at pristine lake - An international group of researchers is performing
a unique experiment on a remote lake in Ontario.
- Students to Compete in Lake Sturgeon Bowl: Contest of aquatic
knowledge to be held March 4, 2006, at UW-Milwaukee - Up to twenty
Wisconsin high school teams are eligible to compete for an all-expenses-paid
opportunity to represent the region at the national Ocean Sciences
Bowl finals.
- Generations Go Back to School: Grandparents, grandchildren
learn limnology - This summer, UW Sea Grant and the UW Center
for Limnology helped prove you're never too old-or too young-to
learn something new.
- Education News: Prahl Awarded Weston Fellowship -Lili K. Prahl
has been awarded the Carl J. Weston Memorial Fellowship.
- Know Your Water Lab: Great Lakes WATER Institute - Conducting
research, education, and outreach from its 10-acre dockside site
in the port of Milwaukee, the Great Lakes WATER Institute aims
to understand thoroughly the Great Lakes and other aquatic and
environmental resources of local to international importance.
- Wisconsin's Water Library: Frogs Hop into Latest Reading Hour
- Children at the Allied Drive Learning Center on Madison's south
side were recently treated to an afternoon of books, music, crafts,
and treats through a University of Wisconsin - Madison library
outreach program.
- Featured Web Site: CoastWatch - Wisconsin anglers, as well
as students in the classroom, now have access to the latest available
Great Lakes surface water temperature information via the Web.
- People News: Floating Kiosk, Sunken Ships Win Awards - Wisconsin
Sea Grant won two first-place awards in the communications contest
at Sea Grant Week, a meeting for the country's 30 Sea Grant programs,
June 3-8, in Camden-Rockport, Maine.
MN Sea Grant - From Shore to Shore - September-October 2005 - www.shorelandmanagement.org/shore_shore/index.html
This issue includes the following articles:
- Introduction of new staff
- Water Gardeners and Shoreland Owners Concerned About Aquatic
Invasive Species
- Controlling Reed Canary Grass in Wetland Restorations
- Toxic Algae: When in Doubt, Keep Out!
MN Sea Grant - Seiche - October - http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/seiche/
- Outcast! - How did an Amazon River fish end up in a Minnesota
lake? Read the saga and learn about what you can do during Minnesota's
Invasive Species month.
- Germ Hunters Go to Prison -Find out what researchers learned
about bacteria and virus survival in alternative wastewater treatment
systems.
- All Plankton Great and Small -Lake Superior's zooplankton community
has changed in the last 30 years and the lake's exceedingly small
plankton is unique among the Great Lakes.
MI Sea Grant - Upwellings - September 2005 - http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/upwellings/index.html
- Editorial: A Holistic Approach
- Improving Environmental Decision-Making through Integrated
Assessment
- Integrated Assessment Workshop
- Online Lessons Bring Great Lakes Education into the Classroom
- Up and Running: Northwest Michigan Buoy Data Now Available
- Voyage of Discovery
OH Sea Grant - Twine Line - Spring 2005 - http://www.sg.ohio-state.edu/PUBLICATIONS/TWINELINE/INDEX.HTM
- The Teacher of Teachers (Goodbye to Roseanne Fortner)
- The Relatives that Won't Leave (Phragmites)
- Stone Lab Supports Ohio Teachers
- Food: Knots in the Web, Kinks in the Chain
- Lake Erie Coastal Ohio, Inc
- A Warm Winter Reception
- FOSL
- REUs: A New Program at Stone Laboratory
NY Sea Grant - Coastlines - Fall 2005 - http://www.seagrant.sunysb.edu/Pages/Coastlines/Fall05.pdf
- Emerging Pathways (Thallium)
- On the Right Path (Reader Survey)
- Brown Tide: The Final Chapter
- CoastWatch: The Next Phase (NEMO)
- A is for Aquatic (Scholars, Fellows and Students)
- Taking Stock of Storm Barrier Research
- Packets Prompt Citizens to Save Dunes
- Annual Report
WI Sea Grant - Earthwatch Radio - http://ewradio.org
- Mostly Melting in Antarctica -- Glaciers across a big part
of Antarctic Peninsula appear to be melting away according to
a long-term collection of aerial photos and satellite images.
(9/19/2005)
- Pharmaceuticals in Fish -- A very small dose of common medications
can be hard on freshwater fish. (9/20/2005)
- Hesitant about Hydrogen -- An energy expert argues against
hydrogen as the transportation fuel of the future. He says there's
a better, cheaper alternative. (9/21/2005)
- Act Locally, Impact Globally -- Clearing a forest or building
a shopping mall might seem like local matters, but these actions
add up to affect the whole planet, according to a new study.
(9/22/2005)
- The Domino Effect -- Scientists analyze a chain of events in
the Caribbean that leaves coral reefs covered in brown seaweed.
(9/23/2005)
- Lingering Lyme -- You don't hear much about Lyme disease these
days, but it remains a troublesome health threat for those who
spend time outdoors. (9/26/2005)
- Power Plants on the Farm -- Ethanol is a promising renewable
fuel for automobiles. But large-scale production would place
huge demands on agriculture. (9/27/2005)
- Flying in the Fertilizer -- Huge colonies of seabirds deliver
dangerous chemicals and life-giving nutrients to remote environments
in the Arctic. (9/28/2005)
- Taking Stock of Parasites -- Scientists start to take inventory
of microscopic parasites and find all kinds of new ones. (9/29/2005)
- Making Strides -- A man who walks the planet to raise environmental
awareness finds it hard to keep up with the success of his mission.
(9/30/2005)
- A Helpful but Hazardous Harvest -- Pumpkins and zucchini do
a good job of pulling toxic chemicals out of the soil. They might
clean up some contaminated sites to make them safe again, although
they would turn into hazardous waste in the process. (10/3/2005)
- Vets in Demand -- A report from the National Academy of Sciences
says we need more veterinarians to protect public health. (10/4/2005)
- Dangerous Ground -- Radon gas can pose an invisible threat
inside your home. An expert advises everyone to test for it.
(10/5/2005)
- The Virtue of Waste -- Efforts to conserve energy only lead
to more consumption, according to a controversial new book. (10/6/2005)
- Simple Conquest -- The sea squirt is a simple marine creature
that is spreading far and wide. (10/7/2005)
- Paper or Plastic? -- A new book tackles a question heard every
day in the checkout line. (10/10/2005)
- Island Culture -- A small group of people with a unique history
struggles to protect their small island from development. (10/11/2005)
- Weedy Waters -- A common element of many farm fertilizers can
drastically alter freshwater lakes, possibly for centuries. (10/12/2005)
- Conserving Corals -- People in Alaska who fish for a living
work with government and conservation groups to protect the coral
that is home to their catch. (10/13/2005)
- Quiet Revolution -- A growing number of people in business
and government are taking steps to create a more sustainable
economy. (10/14/2005)
- Shock Therapy with Saltwater -- A serious dose of saltwater
can kill freshwater hitchhikers that ride in the ballast water
of ocean-going ships. (10/17/2005)
- Seeking Host, Will Travel -- Global warming could prompt the
widespread migration of microscopic parasites. (10/18/2005)
- Plenty of Energy -- Many people are worried about future energy
supplies. This author isn't one of them. (10/19/2005)
- Impersonal Packaging -- Packaging has taken the place of a
lot of personal interaction, according to this author. (10/20/2005)
- Space Invaders at Sea -- Sea squirts are squeezing into spaces
in environments where they don't belong, and the results could
be serious. (10/21/2005)
13. Staff News
MN Sea Grant - Position Announcement: Director of the Minnesota
Sea Grant College Program
Applications and nominations invited for the position of Director
of the Minnesota Sea Grant College Program. The administrative
office is at University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD). Position includes
annually renewable administrative appointment with system-wide
responsibility, reporting to UMD Vice Chancellor for Academic Administration.
Tenured faculty appointment in relevant UMD academic department
negotiable.
Position responsibilities found at http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/employment/openings/job133260.html.
The candidate must have doctoral or terminal professional degree
in a Sea Grant-relevant discipline. Preferred qualifications include:
commitment to Sea Grant concept; broad knowledge of marine and aquatic
science and resource issues; proven record of innovative leadership
and sound management; significant record of research, teaching,
and service; experience working with a wide range of external constituencies;
experience with grant proposals and federal funding process; and
strong communication skills, both written and verbal.
Applicants should provide letter of application, curriculum vitae,
and names, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses and mailing addresses
of no fewer than three references to: Steve Colman, Chair of search
committee, University of Minnesota Duluth, 109 Research Lab Bldg.,
2205 E. 5th St., Duluth, MN 55812
Complete applications should be submitted as soon as possible.
While no closing date for the search has been established, the
Search Committee will meet to begin screening complete applications
on December 15, 2005.
MI Sea Grant - Position Announcement: Director, Michigan
Sea Grant Extension Program; Associate Professor/Professor
Michigan State University, East Lansing
Closing Date: December 12, 2005
The successful candidate will be a tenure stream Associate Professor/Professor
specializing in Aquatic Resource Policy and Management in the Department
of Fisheries and Wildlife at Michigan State University. The primary
responsibility is to serve as the Extension Program Coordinator
for the Michigan Sea Grant College Program. Secondary responsibilities
include developing and implementing an applied research program
in support of Michigan Sea Grant College program centering on Great
Lakes aquatic resource policy and management. View the full job
posting for complete details.
Interested individuals should prepare (1) letter of interest,
(2) resume, (3) description of relevant experience and expertise,
and of professional goals, (4) names and contact information for
three references. Please send application materials to William
W. Taylor. Candidates should include"Job Sea Grant Coordinator"
at the start of the subject line in all e-mail correspondence regarding
this position.
William W. Taylor, Chairperson
Michigan State University, Dept. of Fisheries and Wildlife
13 Natural Resources Building
East Lansing, MI 48824
Send an E-mail
MN Sea Grant - Position Announcement: Sea Grant Maritime
Extension Educator
Applications and nominations are invited for the position of Sea
Grant Maritime Extension Educator. The office is at Washburn Hall,
University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD). The position is in the University
of Minnesota's academic staff category with the title of Extension
Educator. The Maritime Extension Educator will work with the maritime
industry, policy makers, natural resource professionals, the Great
Lakes Sea Grant community, and Great Lakes researchers to increase
cooperation among organizations, improve environmental management,
and apply university research results to help solve problems and
improve efficiencies. Complete position responsibilities can be
found at http://www.d.umn.edu/umdhr/umdjobs.html
The candidate must have a Masters degree and three years experience.
Applicants should provide letter of application, vitae, and names,
telephone numbers, e-mail addresses and mailing addresses of three
references to: Marie Zhuikov,
Search Committee Chair, Minnesota Sea Grant, 2305 E 5th Street,
University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth, MN 55812
Phone: (218)726-7677, e-mail: mzhuikov@d.umn.edu
OH Sea Grant - New Ohio Clean Marinas Program Coordinator
Ohio Sea Grant welcomes Gary L Comer, Jr as its new Ohio Clean
Marinas Coordinator. For the past 10 years, Gary has been an
Ohio State University Extension Educator in Logan County, Ohio,
where he focused primarily on watershed management education.
He received his AAS at Hocking Technical College in Recreation
and Wildlife Management, his BS at Arkansas Tech University in
Fisheries and Wildlife Biology and his MS at Texas Tech University
in Wildlife Science. For information about his program, contact
Gary at comer.27@osu.edu.
|
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September
16, 2005
Contents
1. IL-IN Sea Grant - $450,000 to New Research
2. PA Sea Grant - EPA R/V Mudpuppy to sample sediment in Presque
Isle Bay
3. MI Sea Grant - High-Tech Buoy Monitors Weather in Mich.
4. OH Sea Grant - PAT
5. MI Sea Grant - Detroit River conservation initiatives to be
recognized at White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation
6. Events
- GLSGN - Great Lakes Sea Grant Network Regional Conference
- MI Sea Grant - Coastwatch Meeting at GLERL
- MI Sea Grant - Integrated Assessment
- OH Sea Grant - GLFLI
- WI Sea Grant: Workshop Announcement: Using the New Aquatic Invasive
Species Education Handbook
- OH Sea Grant - NAML
7. Publications
- IISG - The Helm - Summer 2005 - http://www.iisgcp.org/news/helm.htm
- WI Sea Grant -Earthwatch Radio - http://ewradio.org
- IISG - New Publications
- MI Sea Grant -- Project FLOW and Great Lakes Most Unwanted
- MI Sea Grant -- Shorelines
8. Staff News
- IISG Announces Interim Director
- MN Sea Grant - EPA Appoints Director of Duluth Laboratory
- IISG - New 'Sea Granters' On Board
- MN Sea Grant - Water on the Web Project Earns National Awards
- IISG - Award for AquaNIC Developer
- MI Sea Grant - Spotlight: A passion for the Great Lakes
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
1. IL-IN Sea Grant - $450,000 to New Research
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) has awarded a total of $450,000
to six research projects that address human and environmental
health issues in the southern Lake Michigan region. For the years
2006-2007, IISG will support studies on aquatic invasive species;
contaminants in drinking water, lakes and rivers; and the medicinal
potential of Lake Michigan bacteria. "These projects will
provide new information that will play a critical role in future
water resource policy making, planning, and management," said
Phil Mankin, IISG research coordinator.
Three researchers from the University of Illinois will assess
the impact of contaminants, but from a variety of perspectives.
John Braden, an economist, will measure the financial benefits
of cleaning up contaminated sites for communities near Great Lakes
Areas of Concern, which are waters that have an impaired ability
to support aquatic life. Braden hopes to speed up informed decision-making
about contaminated sediment remediation in the Great Lakes.
Robert Hudson, an environmental chemist, will study the distribution
and concentration of methylmercury--the form of mercury that poses
a threat to human health and the environment--in wetlands along
the southern shores of Lake Michigan. Wetlands can be a major source
of methylmercury in streams and lakes.
Contaminants in drinking water will be the subject of Michael
Plewa's research. Ironically, the process of disinfecting drinking
water can result in the development of by-products that, in some
cases, pose human health implications. Plewa, a geneticist, will
assess the toxicity of a number of disinfectant by-products, known
as DBPs, on mammal cells.
Two research projects will provide key information for managing
the problem of aquatic invasive species in local waters. Nadine
Folino-Rorem, a marine biologist at Wheaton College will study
Cordylophora caspia, a hydroid from the Caspian Sea that can be
found in southwestern Lake Michigan. Little is known about the
diet of these tiny, bottom-dwelling, invertebrate organisms in
Lake Michigan and their impact on the food chain.
The electric barrier in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal is
designed to prevent invasive species from moving between Lake Michigan
and the Mississippi River. However, despite the barrier, barges
and boats may provide these species transportation through the
canal. Dan Schneider, an aquatic ecologist at the Illinois Natural
History Survey and the U of I, will identify the risks that these
vessels pose for transferring organisms and which species should
be targeted for management efforts.
Finally, stepping into a new frontier, which may have implications
beyond the region, Jimmy Orjala, a medicinal chemist at the University
of Illinois at Chicago, will look to the waters of Lake Michigan
for cures for disease. Taking advantage of new technology, he will
culture Lake Michigan bacteria that previously could not be grown
in the lab, and test these microbes for their anti-cancer and anti-tuberculosis
properties.
"Through these six studies, we will shed new light on some
critical problems that affect environmental quality and human health.
The results of these efforts will be more finely-tuned resource
policies and, ultimately, healthier, more vibrant communities,"
said William Sullivan, IISG director.
2. PA Sea Grant - EPA R/V Mudpuppy to sample sediment in Presque
Isle Bay
Pennsylvania Sea Grant and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
Protection are continuing the study of Presque Isle Bay sediment.
This September the EPA Research Vessel, Mudpuppy, will spend a
week collecting sediment cores in Presque Isle Bay in Erie, Pennsylvania.
The Mudpuppy is a 32 foot, flat-bottom boat that is equipped to
core sediment in shallow rivers and harbors. It has performed sediment
sampling at 27 of the 43 Great Lakes Areas of Concern, (AOC). Presque
Isle Bay is an Area of Concern in Recovery, identified first as
the Great Lakes' 43rd Area of Concern in 1991 and then attaining
a recovery designation in 2002.
Of the 26 American AOC's, 15 have identified restrictions
on dredging as a beneficial use impairment. The Presque Isle Bay
Area of Concern is one of these. Pennsylvania Sea Grant's
goal is to generate model sediment impairment standards that can
be used in other Areas of Concern as they work towards delistment.
In order to attain this goal Sea Grant has formed a Sediment Advisory
Group; compiled and evaluated existing sediment data; is attempting
to evaluate current sediment quality conditions in the AOC; and
in due course, will establish delisting criteria for the Presque
Isle Bay AOC. Peter Landrum and Steve Ruber of GLERL have lent
their expertise to this project. Peter Landrum is a member of the
Sediment Advisory Group. This group reviewed Sea Grant's plan
for Presque Isle Bay sediment sampling. Steve Ruber has mapped
the bottom of Presque Isle Bay using side scan sonar.
While in Erie, the Mudpuppy will work in tandem with the Environaut,
Gannon University's research vessel, to collect sediment cores
and grab samples from fifteen locations in Presque Isle Bay. This
material will be taken to the newly opened labs at the Tom Ridge
Environmental Center at Presque Isle. Here they will be prepared,
packaged and shipped to either the U.S.G.S. office in Columbia,
Missouri for toxicity testing or the EPA Fort Meade Lab for grain
size and some metal testing. Collected core samples will be aged
to determine deposition rates, along with total organic carbon,
PAHs, other organics and pesticides. In addition to the Bay sediment,
samples will also be collected from the mouth of Cascade Creek,
Mill Creek and Scott Run, the three tributaries which feed directly
into the Bay.
Results of these analyses will be made available to regulators,
scientists, stakeholders and the informed public in order to support
a variety of environmental decisions. Representatives of other
AOC's will be invited to resulting workshops in order to solicit
their input on sediment monitoring programs and delisting criteria.
3. MI Sea Grant - High-Tech Buoy Monitors Weather in Mich.
Excerpt from Yahoo News article By John Flesher, Associated
Press Writer Thu Aug 25, 8:34 PM ET
A solar-powered buoy bobbing on the surface of Grand Traverse Bay
is providing boaters, forecasters and other interested people with
up-to-date information about the Lake Michigan waterway's sometimes
volatile weather. The University of Michigan's Marine Hydrodynamics
Lab is managing data transmitted from the buoy, which was launched
last month. The information, updated every 10 minutes, became available
over the Internet this week. The buoy will be removed during winter,
when the bay surface often freezes. The device has been added to
a computer-linked network of Great Lakes buoys. Together, they
are part of an observation system under development to support
research into climate change, low oxygen levels and other topics.
The buoy also will supply information to a data center operated
by the National Weather Service, which manages two other buoys
in Lake Michigan.
The National Weather Service monitors the same conditions from
the Cherry Capital Airport, only a few miles away. "But the
wind changes dramatically as it encounters the edge of the land,"
said Guy Meadows, director of the university lab. "It's very
important to get measurements in the water itself." The buoy
already is proving valuable to the weather service office in Gaylord,
which prepares marine forecasts for a wide area that includes Grand
Traverse Bay. "Even with all the satellites and radars and
other tools we have, there's a surprising lack of direct measurements
of the marine environment," forecaster Steve Rowley said. "For
the first time, we have an instrument that can help provide those
measurements of the winds and waves."
"This is going to have a lot of practical applications for
near-coast users as well as the research community," Mark
Breederland, the Michigan Sea Grant Extension educator for northwestern
Michigan, said Thursday. The buoy is about 10 feet high, but only
the top 4.5 feet reaches above the surface. It's fitted with sensors
that measure wind speed and direction, wave height, and temperatures
of the air and surface water. It is anchored about 1.5 miles north
of Traverse City on the western arm of the bay, where the water
is 150 feet deep. The data will be valuable for recreational boaters,
sport and commercial fishermen and others who need accurate information
about conditions on the roughly 30-mile-long bay, Meadows said.
It also will assist educational programs. Law enforcement agencies
could consult the database for updates on water currents when searching
for drowning victims, Meadows said.
The buoy, which cost about $60,000, previously was placed in Lake
St. Clair. It generated information for a computer model the University
of Michigan lab developed to track water flow and predict when
pollutants such as E coli might drift near shore. Great Lakes beaches
sometimes are closed when sewer overflows contaminate the waters
with E. coli, a bacterium that can cause diarrhea, dehydration
and other illnesses. Scientists want to produce a similar model
for Grand Traverse Bay, Meadows said.
Data from buoy accessible at: http://www.engin.umich.edu/dept/name/facilities/mhl/current_proj.html
4. OH Sea Grant - PAT
The Ohio Sea Grant College Program hosted its Performance Appraisal
Team (PAT) August 21-25 in Columbus and at Stone Lab. With extensive
input and support from advisory committees and clientele, the
team was very impressed with the expertise, involvement, understanding,
dedication, and commitment of everyone they met. Lots of hard
work paid off as our rating was very high. It will likely be
several weeks before we receive the formal letter from the review
team.
5. MI Sea Grant - Detroit River conservation initiatives to
be recognized at White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation
Excerpt from Press Release
Over the past several years, a unique coalition of community,
business, education and governmental groups have quietly endeavored
to revitalize the Detroit River and its surrounding areas. As a
result of this collaboration, the 32-mile waterway that connects
Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie, once neglected and polluted, has
become an inviting place for wildlife and a destination for the
public. The partnerships that have made this transformation possible
will receive national recognition at the White House Conference
on Cooperative Conservation in St. Louis Aug. 29-Aug. 31.
The Detroit River initiative is among 37 conservation projects
nationwide that will be highlighted at the conference. An overview
of the initiative will be presented by Mary Bohling, environmental
planner, DTE Energy; Barry Murray, Southeast Michigan extension
agent, Michigan Sea Grant; Anita Twardesky, co-chair, Downriver
Linked Greenways; and John Hartig, manager, Detroit River International
Wildlife Refuge. The four represent a cross-section of the many
organizations that have been deeply involved in the revitalization
of the Detroit River.
The conference, convened by the White House Council on Environmental
Quality, will focus on promoting cooperative conservation through
partnerships with state, tribal and local governments, communities,
private for-profit and non-profit organizations, and private citizens.
It will bring together interested participants and decision makers
who can advance cooperative conservation and identify ideas for
future conservation and environmental policies and initiatives.
"We are honored to be invited to the conference and delighted
to have the opportunity to share our achievements with our colleagues
from across the country. We're anxious to learn from them as well,"
said Bohling. "This conference is about collaboration, and
from our experiences with the Detroit River, that truly is the
way you make things happen."
Some of the numerous partnerships and projects that have helped
revitalize the Detroit River area include:
- The Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge. Located along
the lower Detroit River and western shoreline of Lake Erie, the
2,400-acre Refuge contains islands, coastal wetlands, marshes,
shoals and unique uplands, and includes four DTE Energy facilities
that are certified wildlife sites, due in large part to the conservation
efforts of DTE Energy volunteers. The company recently donated
$100,000 to help build a gateway at the refuge that will include
a visitor center, wildlife viewing stations,
hiking trails and more.
- The Downriver Linked Greenways. This organization has raised
more than $10 million for trail construction and has built nearly
15 miles of trails since 1999. It has completed a five-year master
plan, and worked with the National Park Service to create a signage
manual.
- The Greater Detroit American Heritage River Initiative of the
Metropolitan Affairs Coalition. The initiative raised $43 million
for projects involving environmental stewardship, economic development,
and celebrating history and culture.
- The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy. The group raised more than
$100 million that leveraged millions of dollars more to build
the
3.5-mile Detroit RiverWalk, one of the country's largest urban
waterfront redevelopment projects.
- The Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan GreenWays
Initiative. This effort provided $25 million and leveraged another
$65 million for communities to build greenways.
6. Events
GLSGN - Great Lakes Sea Grant Network Regional Conference
SAVE-the-Date ... June 11-14, 2006. Location: NOAA Thunder Bay
National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve in Alpena, MI.
MI Sea Grant - Coastwatch Meeting at GLERL
The Sea Grant Coastwatch project team will meet at GLERL on September
27th, 1-5pm. Conference call line will be available for other
programs to join in discussions of Coastwatch program evaluation,
cloud masking and image quality.
MI Sea Grant - Integrated Assessment
A workshop for Michigan's researchers about a formal approach to
synthesizing scientific input to decision making. October 12, 2005.
See http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/ia
OH Sea Grant - GLFLI
The second Great Lakes Fisheries Leadership Institute will be held
at October 7-9, 2005 at the F.T. Stone Laboratory, Put-in-Bay
Ohio. The agenda will focus on critical issues affecting the
Great Lakes and the audience focus will be on environmental and
outdoor writers.
WI Sea Grant: Workshop Announcement: Using the New Aquatic
Invasive Species Education Handbook
Is there interest in aquatic invasive species education in your
community? Are you providing support to local Aquatic Invasive
Species Grant recipients? Would you like to learn more about the
educational resources, programs, and funding that are available
to you? If so, plan to attend one of the upcoming workshops that
will premiere a brand new publication: "Aquatic Invasive Species:
A Handbook for Education Efforts".
Workshops: The purpose of these half-day workshops, provided by
Wisconsin Sea Grant, University of Wisconsin-Extension, and Wisconsin
DNR, is to launch our new invasive species education handbook.
All participants will receive a copy of the handbook and accompanying
resource CD. We will discuss aquatic invasive species in Wisconsin
and the statewide programs that allow volunteers to get involved
in the fight against these nuisance species. We will also review
the handbook contents and hopefully generate ideas for how you
can take this resource home and put it to good use!
Who should attend: The workshops are open to anyone, and we encourage
the following individuals to attend: UW-Extension Agents, LCD Employees,
DNR Lake Coordinators and Environmental Grant Specialists, lake
association representatives, representatives from interested municipalities,
and DNR Aquatic Invasive Species Grant recipients.
Where:
October 4th - Madison - Friedrick Center (UW-Madison Campus)
October 5th - Stevens Point - Student Union (UW-Stevens Point Campus)
October 6th - Minocqua - The Pointe Resort and Conference
When: 10 am - 3 pm
Cost: They're free! The workshops, including lunch, are being
provided by the National Sea Grant College Program and the Great
Lakes Commission, who is managing this grant in the Great Lakes
states.
Registration: Pre-registration is required. Contact Phil Moy at
(920) 683-4697, pmoy@uwc.edu or Diane Knier at (920) 683-4700 to
reserve your spot at one of the workshops.
Background: Aquatic invasive species are plants and animals that
have been introduced into Wisconsin waters and are having negative
economic, ecological, and recreational impacts. Awareness of aquatic
invasive species is growing in Wisconsin, and increasing numbers
of citizens are looking for ways to get involved in helping to
prevent their introduction and spread. Education is the basis for
more citizen involvement and effectiveness, and state agencies
are increasing their educational efforts. However, this battle
will not be won with a statewide education effort alone. Numerous
local groups - schools, counties, towns, lake associations, businesses
- have recognized this and are beginning to launch their own prevention
education efforts. Local programs are encouraged to collaborate
with and capitalize on statewide educational efforts to achieve
maximum effectiveness.
The new education handbook was developed jointly by UW - Extension,
Wisconsin Sea Grant, and the Department of Natural Resources. It
includes a compilation of information on statewide programs, resources,
contacts, case studies, and action strategies. It also provides
some suggested approaches for designing successful local education
efforts. We hope that this book will serve as a resource for those
who might be interested in taking on this issue but don't know
where to begin, or for individuals working in communities statewide
who might be called upon to provide support.
For more information about the workshops, contact: Phil Moy, Wisconsin
Sea Grant, pmoy@uwc.edu, 920-683-4697
OH Sea Grant - NAML
Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Laboratory will host the National Association
of Marine Laboratories (NAML) Annual Meeting at Stone Laboratory
on 21-23 September.
7. Publications
IISG - The Helm - Summer 2005 - http://www.iisgcp.org/news/helm.htm
- Plant Retailers Provide Potential Source of AIS
- A Fond Farewell to Dick Warner
- IISG Announces Interim Director
- Web Site Recruits AIS Detectives
- Fish School Is in Session
- AIS-HACCP Program Expands to Resource Managers
- Experts Focus on Southern Lake Michigan Region Water Supply
- Aquaculture Class Inspires High School Students
- Rip Current Awareness Can Save Lives
WI Sea Grant -Earthwatch Radio - http://ewradio.org
Podcast: http://ewradio.org/podcast/current/index.aspx
RSS: http://ewradio.org/rss/
- The Rewards of Doppler Radar -- The National Weather Service
made a big investment in Doppler radar during the 1990s, and
an
economist says it was a wise investment. (8/15/2005)
- Global Changes, Global Health -- Changes in the global climate
might give an advantage to small organisms that affect public
health. (8/16/2005)
- Lightning Rules -- A "bolt from the blue" can be
deadly if you don't respect the unpredictable nature of lightning.
(8/17/2005)
- Pack Mentality -- Pack rats collect a lot of stuff that helps
ecologists track nature's changes. (8/18/2005)
- The Call of the Reef -- The sounds of coral reefs might offer
a home-coming call for some kinds of marine fish. (8/19/2005)
- Back from the Abyss -- A Depression-era piece of oceanographic
history has been rescued from a scrap heap on Coney Island.
(8/22/2005)
- New Economic State -- New Mexico produces plenty of fossil
fuels, but it sees its future in solar energy and other renewable
resources. (8/23/2005)
- New Fish for Old Rigs -- A lot of offshore oil rigs go out
of business every year, but they might find new life as commercial
fish farms. (8/24/2005)
- Farming in Balance -- Researchers in Texas are looking for
ways to keep phosphorus from running off dairy farms and into
lakes and
streams. (8/25/2005)
- Healthy Environment -- The environment around you affects your
well-being. But your choices in health care can also affect the
environment. (8/26/2005)
- Toxic Snapshot -- A whale expert nips pieces of blubber off
the backs of whales to get a global picture of chemical pollution.
(8/29/2005)
- Uneasy Breathing -- A warmer world might be filled with more
air pollution, and people might have to change some daily routines
to
protect their health. (8/30/2005)
- Imposing Risk -- Some people live to seek thrills in the outdoors,
but others might not want to share the risk. (8/31/2005)
- Bad News in Bird Droppings -- Birds that eat contaminated fish
deliver a surprising amount of toxic chemicals to remote places
inside the Arctic Circle. (9/1/2005)
- Over a Barrel -- The rising price of oil might lead to new
energy policies, but an expert argues that there are better reasons
to
promote conservation and alternatives. (9/2/2005)
- No Sleep for Mother or Child -- A scientists who specializes
in the study of sleep finds that newborn dolphins and killer
whales
apparently don't need any sleep. (9/5/2005)
- At the Bottom of the Ballast Tank -- Ships can carry foreign
plants and animals across the oceans in their ballast tanks,
even
when the ballast tanks are virtually empty. (9/6/2005)
- Plowing Ahead -- Humans use nearly forty percent of the Earth's
landscapes, and we're putting the squeeze on nature, according
to
a new study. (9/7/2005)
- Rangers and Danger -- Attacks on park rangers hit an all-time
high last year -- not from animals, but from people. (9/8/2005)
- Sanctions on Shark Finning -- An organization that regulates
fishing in the Pacific Ocean takes action to end a wasteful
fishing practice called "shark finning." (9/9/2005)
- Trading Away Greenhouse Gases -- A market-based plan to cut
carbon pollution has failed to pass in Congress, but the idea
is drawing
support from both sides of the aisle. (9/12/2005)
- Walking the Planet -- A new book chronicles an African-American
man's attempt to walk around the world to call attention to the
environment. (9/13/2005)
- Leaking Lakes -- Some of the permafrost in Siberia is starting
to thaw out, and lakes are disappearing through these new openings
in
the frozen soil. (9/14/2005)
- Losing the Clean Sweep -- The weather systems that sweep away
hot weather and smog might be less frequent in a warmer world,
and
problems with smog might grow more intense. (9/15/2005)
- Doomed to Be Dammed -- A scenic canyon in the Sierras was slated
to become a reservoir, and the doomed nature of the area seemed
to
bring out the worst in visitors. (9/16/2005)
IISG - New Publications
To obtain a free copy, contact Susan White at 217-333-9441 or white2@uiuc.edu.
To obtain a free copy of Planning with POWER materials, contact
Cindy Salazar at 765-494-3573 or salazarc@purdue.edu.
- Contaminants in Fish and Seafood: A Guide to Safe Consumption
-This 12-page brochure, available in English and Spanish versions,
provides critical information about which fish are safer to eat
and which cooking methods result in safer fish, as well as recommendations
on how often to eat certain fish.
- What You Need to Know Before You Eat that Fish! and The Lowdown
on Mercury -Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant has created two one-page
fact
sheets that quickly summarize the issues and concerns of mercury
levels in fish as they relate to your diet and the health of
your family. Learn about mercury, how it can affect the health
of your children, and how to reduce your exposure to this pollutant
while retaining the benefits of a diet that includes fish. IISG-05-01
and IISG-05-02, respectively.
- Open Space Planning - The Planning with POWER program provides
readers a clear description of what qualifies as open space and
how it can benefit a community. This brochure includes steps,
tools, and examples to help local officials or organizations
initiate open space planning. IISG-04-18.
- Stormwater and Non-Point Source Pollution - This Planning with
POWER brochure explains the effects of stormwater run-off and
the pollution it creates. It provides both simple and extensive
steps you can take to prevent non-point source pollution and
reduce stormwater run-off. IISG-04-19.
- Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant Impacts - Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant
has played an important role in addressing a number of coastal
concerns in the region. These full-color reports describe the
critical issues facing the region and Sea Grant's response
through research, education, and outreach. Available as a set
or individually in four topic areas: aquaculture, IISG-04-04;
aquatic invasive species, IISG-04-05; coastal business and environment,
IISG-04-06; and water quality, IISG-04-07.
MI Sea Grant -- Project FLOW and Great Lakes Most Unwanted
- Fisheries Learning On the Web -- Project FLOW, a series of 15
GL ecosystem lessons (funded by the Great Lakes Fishery Trust),
will be completed by the first of October. Plans are underway
for adding to this online curriculum series in 2006 and beyond.
See http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/flow
- Great Lakes Most Unwanted -- Related to Project FLOW (see above),
Mich.SG developed and is distributing a new series of AIS posters
to educators in Michigan and partners throughout the GL basin.
The printing was funded in part by the Michigan Department of
Environmental Quality. See http://www.miseagrant.com
MI Sea Grant - Shorelines (Special) - HURRICANE AFTERMATH
UNIT
If you would like to engage students in studying aspects of Hurricane
Katrina, you might want to consider a newly available curriculum
unit on the aftermath of hurricanes. Developed for the Association
for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) using the Understanding
by Design framework. The unit is called "The Aftermath"
and focuses on hurricanes. ASCD has highlighted the unit on their
home page (http://www.ascd.org/) under the section News & Highlights:ASCD
Responds to Hurricane Katrina. Content includes the following topics:
Hurricanes, flooding, watersheds, wetlands, health issues/diseases,
and emergency management plans.
8. Staff News
IISG Announces Interim Director
Excerpt from the Helm
As Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant launches into new directions and
searches for a new director, Dr. William Sullivan, the director
of the Environmental Council at the University of Illinois, will
lead the program. In his role as interim director, Sullivan brings
to Sea Grant a background of research on the relationships between
people and their environments. He was the co-founder of the Human-
Environment Research Lab and is a U of I associate professor of
landscape architecture, natural resources and community development.
MN Sea Grant - EPA Appoints Director of Duluth Laboratory
Carl Richards, MN Sea Grant Director, has been appointed Director
of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Mid-Continent Ecology
Diviision (MED) in Duluth, Minn. The Division employs over 90
federal scientists and staff at state-of-the-art research facilities
on Lake Superior and a branch office in Grosse Ile, Mich. It
is part of EPA's National Health and Environmental Effects Research
Laboratory, headquartered in North Carolina.
"Carl has extensive knowledge and experience in conducting
and managing ecosystem research. We are pleased to have him as
part of the EPA team," said Hal Zenick, Ph.D., Acting Director
of the National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory.
Richards, an ecologist, has conducted a wide range of research
on freshwater ecosystems, investigating how the composition and
function of aquatic life in freshwater streams and rivers may be
impacted by the physical habitats and land uses that surround them.
This work involves examining the environment from the microscopic
scale of tiny algae and micro-invertebrates to assessing the environment
on a larger scale of forests and landscapes covering hundreds or
thousands of square miles. For more information on MED, please
visit: www.epa.gov/med/. For more information on EPA's Office of
Research and Development, visit
www.epa.gov/ord.
IISG - New 'Sea Granters' On Board
Excerpt from the Helm
Dr. Beth Hinchey Malloy is IISG's new Great Lakes ecosystem
specialist, based in the U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program
Office (GLNPO). She is helping to develop programs that deliver
research-based information to decision makers, natural resource
managers, and agency professionals on ecosystem monitoring, wetland
habitats, and mass balance issues. She is also helping to develop
and participate in educational events onboard EPA's research
vessel. Hinchey Malloy was formerly a research ecologist and post-doctoral
fellow at the EPA's Atlantic Ecology Division in Rhode Island.
She has a Ph.D. in marine science from the College of William & Mary,
Virginia Institute of Marine Science. Her research interests include
organism-sediment interactions, fish and shellfish-habitat relationships,
and sediment geochemistry.
Dr. Susan E. Boehme is the program's first coastal sediment
specialist with the Great Lakes Legacy Program at U.S. EPA-GLNPO.
She received her Ph.D. in chemical oceanography from North Carolina
State University. There, and in subsequent positions, she has studied
sediment chemistry, sea surface-atmospheric exchange of carbon
dioxide, and water column distributions of nutrients and chemical
constituents. Bringing her scientific perspective to public policy
at the New York Academy of Sciences, Boehme was the director of
the project"Pollution Prevention, Industrial Ecology and the New York/New
Jersey Harbor." Now, in her role with Sea Grant, she will
be assisting Great Lakes communities that are working with EPA
to remove contaminated sediments from local water bodies.
Terri Hallesy joined Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant as a communications
assistant. She supplies aquatic invasive species and fish contaminant
information to a variety of audiences and helps researchers relay
their findings to the public through Sea Grant's educational
Web site, teacher training workshops, traveling trunks, and other
communications and outreach activities. Hallesy coordinates the
Zebra Mussel Mania Traveling Trunk national lending center network.
She earned a B.S. in elementary education from Southern Illinois
University. Previously, Hallesy held management positions in industry
and served nine years as a licensed social worker and counselor
in the academic and social service field.
MN Sea Grant - Water on the Web Project Earns National Awards
George Host with UMD's Natural Resources Research Institute, accepted
a MERLOT Award of Exemplary Online Learning Resources on behalf
of the Water on the Web site team (wateronetheweb.org) during
the MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and
Online Teaching) International Conference held in Nashville,
Tennessee in July. It was one of 12 awards given nationally to
recognize outstanding online resources and the creators of these
resources for their contributions to the academic community.
Sharing the award are Cindy Hagley, Bruce Munson, and Carl Richards
with UMD Minnesota Sea Grant Program; Rich Axler, Elaine Ruzycki,
and Norm Will with the Natural Resources Research Institute;
and Glenn Merrick with Lake Superior College.
IISG - Award for AquaNIC Developer
Mark Einstein, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant's chief Web officer,
was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation from USDA for"ten
years of outstanding support and dedication to the Aquaculture
Network Information Center and its users." AquaNIC (www.AquaNIC.org)
was the nation's first network information center, and it
still stands as the primary gateway to the world's electronic
aquaculture resources. Annually, the site is accessed by two million
visitors from 167 countries.
MI Sea Grant - Spotlight: A passion for the Great Lakes
Interview with Joyce Daniels, MI Sea Grant editor/writer.
http://www.umich.edu/~urecord/0506/Sept12_05/13.shtml |
|
August
12, 2005
Contents
1. IISG - Workshop to Focus on Restoring Stream Fisheries
2. MI Sea Grant -Cruises for Everyone: Summer Discovery Cruises
3. IISG - Sound and Bubble Barrier Deters Asian Carp
4. MI Sea Grant - Needed: Hydrilla Hunters To Search for a Most
Unwanted Species
5. NY Sea Grant - Coastal Info Packets Help Eastern Lake Ontario
Property Owners
6. Publications
- MI Sea Grant - Great Lakes Most Unwanted Aquatic Invasive
Species Posters
- WI Sea Grant - Aquatic Sciences Chronicle - Summer 2005
- WI Sea Grant - Earthwatch Radio
__________________________________________________________________________
1. IISG - Workshop to Focus on Restoring Stream Fisheries
Excerpt from Press Release
Fish populations in many streams have suffered at the hands of
progress. For example, when a stream is diverted or channelized
to increase drainage, it may no longer provide habitat that supports
healthy fish communities. To address this, restoration experts
have developed a number of techniques that recreate more natural
streams. At the fifth River Restoration Practices and Concepts
Workshop on September 28 and 29 at the Illinois Institute of Technology
in Wheaton, Illinois, the focus will be on restoring fisheries
through the creation of meander pools, riffles, and fishways in
urban streams. "Deep pools and riffles, which are shallow
areas with greater water velocity, provide the variety of habitat
lost in floodway and drainage construction,"
said Don Roseboom, United States Geological Survey and Colorado
State University biologist who helped organize the workshop. Dams
will also be a focus of discussion. "In the Chicago area,
some streams contain low dams that limit fish movement," added
Roseboom.
"Our instructors will discuss how to create fishways, which
allow fish to bypass or swim over the dams."
"The workshop is designed for those who develop and implement
river restoration in the field, including resource managers, consultants,
designers, scientists and engineers," said Leslie Dorworth,
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant aquatic ecologist. Illinois-Indiana
Sea Grant and Chicago Wilderness are sponsoring the workshop.
The first day of the workshop will include presentations and discussion
about the process of designing and implementing pools, riffles
and fishways in degraded streams. In addition to the input of regional
experts, Marc Gaboury of British Columbia will share his expertise
from 29 years in the field of fish habitat restoration and research.
The following day will be in the field for participants to observe
streams where restoration techniques are in progress. As part of
this tour, Ted Gray, who has designed two Illinois Environmental
Protection Agency urban stream projects, will discuss the benefits
and possible limitations of creating deep pools and riffles, and
Steve Pescitelli, who has constructed two fishways for the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, will share his experiences at Big Rock
Creek in Kane County, Illinois.
Enrollment for this workshop is limited so register as soon as
possible. The cost is $175 if you register before September 1;
$200 after that date. Included with your registration are continental
breakfasts and lunch on both days as well as workshop notes. For
more information, contact Leslie Dorworth at 219-989-2726 or email dorworth@calumet.purdue.edu.
You can find the registration form on the Illinois-Indiana Sea
Grant Web site at www.iisgcp.org; click on Calendar.
2. MI Sea Grant -Cruises for Everyone: Summer Discovery Cruises
Still opportunity to take a fun cruise!
Last cruises on the Detroit River are this weekend (thru 8/14):
* Eagle's Eye Nature Cruises
* River of Time Island Cruises
* Flowing Ideas Art Cruises
Lake St. Clair Cruises August 19-24:
* River of Time History Cruises
* St. Clair Flats Nature Cruises
* Steamboat Stories
* Flowing Ideas Art Cruises
* Lake St. Clair Fisheries Cruises
See: http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/discovery for
schedules.
3. IISG - Sound and Bubble Barrier Deters Asian Carp
Excerpt from Press Release
Preventing Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes may include
an idea as simple as using tiny bubbles and chirping-like noises.
Mark Pegg and John Chick of the Illinois Natural History Survey
found that an underwater acoustic barrier is effective in deterring
these invasive species. "The acoustic barrier works with the
use of sound projectors and an air line that generates bubbles,"
said Pegg. "Typically, sound is muffled underwater, but bubbles
provide a way to amplify the repellant sound and direct it to a
specific area. And, the effervescence is an additional disturbance
to the fish." With funding from Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant,
the researchers tested sound-bubble technology in fish raceways
where it proved 95 percent effective in causing bighead and silver
carp to turn around. "Since then we have learned more about
what Asian carp actually hear, and we believe we can get the success
rate closer to 100 percent," said Pegg. Previously, as part
of the same project, Chick and Pegg established that the electric
barrier can be successful in stopping Asian carp. Since then, they
found that the acoustic barrier can work effectively on its own
and along with an electric barrier. "Because the acoustic
barrier design is so simple, installation, operation and maintenance
of this system is an affordable option," said Pegg. "And
since it doesn't require much electricity, during a power outage
an acoustic barrier can easily run off a generator."
Sound-bubble technology was developed by Fish Guidance Systems,
Ltd. It has been used widely to divert fish where their presence
is unwanted, such as hydroelectric plant intake sites. Pegg and
Chick's experiments are the first attempt to use this system in
a cross-channel environment, in other words, where the goal is
to cause the fish to turn around.
"The next step," said Phil Moy, Wisconsin Sea Grant
aquatic invasive species specialist and chair of the Dispersal
Barrier Advisory Panel, "is to test the acoustic technology
on a larger scale in field trials. If funding becomes available
and the technology continues to prove effective, an acoustic barrier
may augment the electric barrier at its site, or downstream where
it can protect the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal as well as the
Des Plaines River."
At the Aquatic Invasive Species Summit in 2003, experts from around
the country gathered in Chicago to discuss possible solutions to
the movement of species between the Mississippi and Great Lakes
basins. "The summit participants recommended that we focus
on long-term solutions, but they also felt that we should pursue
experimental technologies, such as acoustic systems, that might
help in the interim," said Pat Charlebois, Illinois-Indiana
Sea Grant aquatic invasives specialist. "This technology presents
a promising way to boost the efficacy of the electric barrier."
"Keep in mind, barriers will not prevent people from unintentionally
moving species from one water body to another," added Charleois.
"For example, young Asian carp closely resemble some common
wild caught baitfish, so someone might spread these species without
realizing it," explained Charlebois. "Outreach efforts
need to continue so that people are made aware of the role they
can play in preventing the spread of invasive species."
For more information on preventing the spread of aquatic invasive
species visit the Aquatic Nuisance Species Program Web site at www.iisgcp.org/il-ans/index2.html.
4. MI Sea Grant - Needed: Hydrilla Hunters To Search for a
Most Unwanted Species
Excerpt from Press Release
It's summertime, and Michigan Sea Grant is looking for volunteers
to check the state's Great Lakes bays, inland lakes and other
waterways for the invasive plant Hydrilla verticillata.
In 2004, dozens of hydrilla hunters reported searching 72 lakes
in 43 counties, according to a Sea Grant survey. No one found the
invasive aquatic plant, and that's good news to resource managers.
It has been reported in Pennsylvania and is very close to New York,
however, so Michigan Sea Grant continues to lead the state's
hydrilla hunt to help prevent the species from gaining a foothold
in this state's waterways.
This aquatic plant forms large, dense mats on the water's
surface and creates ecological and recreational havoc, says Howard
Wandell, Michigan State University Extension's inland lake
specialist. It has clogged waterways in many southern states and
has been found as far north as Maine, Massachusetts and Washington
state. Wandell says it's very difficult and expensive to eradicate."We have very limited effective options for controlling this
invader, so it's important to keep it out of the state if
we possibly can and to control it quickly -- before it spreads
-- if it does appear."
Michigan Sea Grant spokesperson Carol Swinehart says one key reason
to take a preventive approach lies in the plant's name."In
Greek mythology, Hercules fought a losing battle with a nine-headed
serpent named Hydra. When he cut off one head, two more would emerge.
Michigan wants to avoid such a losing battle with this plant, which
can reproduce rapidly in at least four ways -- from stem fragments,
from its flowers, by a bud-shaped growth called a turion and through
underground tubers that can overwinter."If someone thinks
they've found it, we ask that they compare the plant with the image
on our Web site or the hydrilla hunt card. The card provides instructions
on how to collect a plant sample, how to distinguish it from the
native aquatic plant elodea and where to send it for identification.
If it has all the characteristics described there, send us a sample
so that we can make sure," Swinehart says. Hydrilla hunt cards
and other information about the species are available online at
www.miseagrant.umich.edu/ans/hydrilla.htm.
The cards also request basic contact and location information. Swinehart
requests people to report where they're searching by sending an
e-mail to cys@msu.edu. Put"hydrilla
hunt" in the subject line and the name of the lake, pond or river
and the county in the text of the message. Suggested searching strategies
include the following:
* Conduct the search early in the morning on a calm, sunny day.
* Start with the public boating access, if available.
* Go slowly around the shoreline, wearing polarized sunglasses
to reduce glare.
* Look in water up to 20 feet deep.
* Pay special attention to any unusual plant growth.
* Check the lake's outlet and any flow-restricting structures
such as dams and spillways.
* Check for plants near stream inlets and in shallow bays.
It is illegal to take hydrilla across state lines, so Michigan
residents and visitors can help prevent its spread by following
good prevention practices when moving watercraft or other water
recreation gear from one body of water to another. More information
on prevention practices is available at www.protectyourwaters.net.
5. NY Sea Grant - Coastal Info Packets Help Eastern Lake Ontario
Property Owners
Excerpt from Press Release
Cottage and home owners occupy 50 percent of the 17-mile-long
coastal barrier environment that stretches along Eastern Lake Ontario
and includes the largest and most extensive freshwater sand dune
formations in New York State. To help shoreline property owners
learn about the valuable and fragile ecosystem of dunes and wetlands,
New York Sea Grant and The Ontario Dune Coalition have distributed
information and resource packets to landowners. "These information
packets encourage wise use and conservation. This barrier system,
its wetlands and near-shore waters are vital to maintaining the
natural habitats and productivity of the coastal environment and
provide recreational opportunities that support our local economy," explains
David G. White of New York Sea Grant's Great Lakes Program.
The packets include:
- fliers describing dunes and wetlands and the processes affecting
the shoreline, e.g., waves, wind, lake level fluctuation and
erosion;
- "Living with the Lakes: Understanding and Adapting to
Great Lakes Water Level Changes," a publication of the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers and the Great Lakes Commission;
- suggestions and illustrations of measures to protect the environment,
for example, dune stabilization through restoration plantings,
fencing and walkovers;
- fliers on invasive plant species: Purple Loosestrife, Eurasion
Water Milfoil, Water Chestnut, and Hydrilla;
- a Lake Ontario Stewardship Guide, produced by New York Sea
Grant, with tips for creating a wildlife friendly shoreline and
a regionally-specific recommended plants list on CD;
- a packet of wildflower seeds; and
- information on activities that are prohibited or require a
permit.
"Most of the people here are interested in maintaining both
the environmental quality of the land and the property value and
packets such as this from New York Sea Grant are a wonderful help
to us," says Nan Winters, Chairperson of the Private Landowners
Committee of The Ontario Dunes Coalition.
Cottage owner John Petreszyn is known as the "Dune Saver."
He belongs to the Friends of Sandy Pond that is celebrating its
10th anniversary and the planting of more than 88,000 stems of
native beach grass raised by the group to protect Lake Ontario's
fragile sand dunes. "The Natural Area here looks gorgeous
now,"
says Petreszyn, who adds that partnerships between New York Sea
Grant, the Friends group, The Ontario Dune Coalition and others
are a key part of the dune restoration effort. "We cannot
be selfish. Any knowledge one acquires is quickly shared and supports
the group effort to educate the public, school groups and beach
users," he says. "One family came to plant grass on the
dunes a couple of years ago as a learning experience for their
children. This year they came back to buy grass for their grandmother's
lakefront property."
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in cooperation
with the New York State Coastal Management Program and the US Environmental
Protection Agency grant provided funding for the project. The Oswego
County Soil and Water Conservation District helped with preparation
of the information sheets.
For information on Eastern Lake Ontario, check the online resources
at www.nysgdunes.org or
call New York Sea Grant at 315-312-3042
6. Publications
MI Sea Grant - Great Lakes Most Unwanted Aquatic Invasive Species
Publication number: MICHU-05-407
Order - web: www.miseagrant.umich.edu,
email: msgpubs@umich.edu
Specially designed for young audiences, this new poster series
presents key facts about 7 of the most harmful aquatic invasive
species in the Great Lakes. Colorful illustrations, photos and
lively text help kids understand why each species is a problem
and what can be done. Species include: round goby, Eurasian ruffe,
spiny and fish-hook waterfleas, sea lamprey, purple loosestrife,
Eurasian watermilfoil, and zebra mussels. An eighth poster contains
all 7 species illustrations and general information about aquatic
invasive species.
Special Note: The poster series can be used in conjunction with
Project FLOW (Unit 1, Lesson 3), which meets Michigan curriculum
standards for science and social studies. See: http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/flow/U1-L3.html
Large group poster - 24.5" x 31.5".
Small posters - 12.25" x 18.75".
Special introductory price: $8.50 (set of 8) plus shipping.
Publication costs supported in part by the Aquatic Invasive Species
Information and Education Grants Program of the Michigan Department
of Environmental Quality - Office of the Great Lakes. Additional
support received from the following Sea Grant programs: Minnesota,
Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
WI Sea Grant - Aquatic Sciences Chronicle - Summer 2005
- www.aqua.wisc.edu/chronicle
To subscribe to the print version of the Aquatic Sciences Chronicle,
or to sign up for email news updates, please visit
http://www.aqua.wisc.edu/chronicle
- All Arsenic is Local: Study highlights importance of testing
well water
- Sign of the Times: Tracing causes of beach closings means busy
summer for one researcher
- Spreading Knowledge, Stopping Exotics: Students work at Great
Lakes boat ramps to spread the word about exotic species
- Get Smart with New Podcast Features: Earthwatch Radio introduces
SmartCast and SmartFeed [WEB EXCLUSIVE]
- Education News: Lake Sturgeon Victory Sends Students to the
Bayou
- Know Your Water Lab: Center for Watershed Science & Education
at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
- Wisconsin's Water Library: Learn more about the history of
the American lawn and environmentally friendly alternatives
- Featured Web Site: Meet the Online Chronicle
- People News: Andren voted president-elect of NIWR; Wisconsin
Sea Grant at IAGLR 2005
WI Sea Grant - Earthwatch Radio - http://ewradio.org
podcast: http://ewradio.org/podcast/current/index.aspx RSS: http://ewradio.org/rss/
- Greener Buildings -- Environmental architecture saves money
and makes people more comfortable and productive. (7/25/2005)
- Winning at Oil -- With oil prices going up, not using oil makes
more and more sense. (7/26/2005)
- Saltwater Intrusion at the Shore -- Rising sea levels might
put a lot of pressure on freshwater aquifers close to the ocean
shore. (7/27/2005)
- Plankton in Peril -- Global warming might disrupt ocean currents
and the tiny marine plants that form the foundation of the marine
food web. (7/28/2005)
- Fruitful Investigation -- A small insect yields huge discoveries
for scientists who study evolution. (7/29/2005)
- The Origin of the Seafood -- New regulations require seafood
labels to list the way the fish was raised and where it comes
from. (7/18/2005)
- Birdwatching -- The fishing operations in Alaska tries to keep
their bait safe from seabirds and to protect the seabirds from
their fishing hooks. (7/19/2005)
- Second Chance -- The discovery of a bird thought extinct gives
us another chance to protect its habitat. (7/20/2005)
- Well-Worn Genes -- The same set of genes does a wide variety
of tasks across the animal kingdom. (7/21/2005)
- Farm Fed Cities -- A lot of Canada's cities grew up in the
midst of prime farmland, and now that farmland is being buried
under buildings and parking lots. (7/22/2005)
- Stories of Vikings and Clams -- A scientific study of climate
across the North Atlantic Ocean will include stories from the
Vikings as footnotes. (8/1/2005)
- The High Cost of 'Safe' Hurricanes -- Improvements in weather
forecasting have made hurricanes less dangerous to people in
the United States. That might be part of the reason the storms
now cause so much property damage. (8/2/2005)
- Struck by Tragedy -- An incident in Yosemite National Park
combined the dangers of thunderstorms and the recklessness of
youth . . . with fatal results. (8/3/2005)
- Depths of the Depression -- While the world was deep in the
Great Depression, two scientists dove to record depths in the
Atlantic Ocean. (8/4/2005)
- Offshore Home Sweet Home -- Offshore oil platforms in the Gulf
of Mexico have turned into homes for all kinds of rare plants
and animals. People wonder if the old platforms should be left
in place to keep the coral colonies intact. (8/5/2005)
- Concentrating on Solar -- New Mexico is thinking big when it
comes to solar power. (8/8/2005)
- Fashionably Green -- Clothes made from environmentally friendly
fibers are catching on in the fashion world. (8/9/2005)
- The End of the World -- A layer of soot spread across much
of Canada is evidence of the end of the world as described in
an ancient legend of the Vikings. (8/10/2005)
- Mixed Feelings about Wind Power -- People who understand the
environmental benefits of wind power don't necessarily want to
see wind turbines anywhere close to them. (8/11/2005)
- Disaster Relief -- The "earthquake bird" thrived
on natural chaos, but human development might have doomed the
rare warbler. (8/12/2005)
|
|
July
18, 2005
Contents:
1. Ohio Sea Grant - Strategic Plan for 2005-10 and Implementation
Plans for 2004-06 and 2005-07
2. WI Sea Grant - Biennial Report 2002-2004
3. NY Sea Grant - Results of First Independent Review of Forage
Assessment Programs on the Great Lakes
4. WI Sea Grant - Enjoy Great Lakes Beaches - But Beware of Rip
Currents
5. Minnesota Sea Grant - 30 Years of Superior Science
6. Events
- MN Sea Grant - Lake Superior Basin Wetlands Management and Research
Conference Held in Duluth
- OH Sea Grant - Lake Erie Sport Fishing Course - July 10-16, 2005
- OH Sea Grant -Stone Lab Guest Lecture Series
7. Publications
- WI Sea Grant - Earthwatch Radio - http://ewradio.org
- MN Sea Grant - Seiche - June 2005 - http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/seiche/
1. Ohio Sea Grant - Strategic Plan for 2005-10 and Implementation
Plans for 2004-06 and 2005-07
The Strategic Plan for the Ohio Sea Grant College Program, including
Stone Laboratory, the Center for Lake Erie Area Research (CLEAR),
and the Great Lakes Aquatic Ecosystem Research Consortium (GLAERC),
for the period 2005-10, is available at www.sg.ohio-state.edu.
This plan contains 11 thematic areas and is modeled after the 2003-08
Strategic Plan of the National Sea Grant College Program. It also
incorporates the nine priorities of the Council of Great Lakes
Governors and the Academic Plan and Leadership Agenda of The Ohio
State University. Initial work on the plan began in late 2003 and
included public hearings with the Great Lakes Commission, five
focus group meetings of our private sector advisory committees,
a web survey with 187 respondents, and a great deal of input on
numerous drafts from extension agents, communications staff, Sea
Grant investigators, the Friends of Stone Laboratory, and advisory
committee members.
Also on the web, copies of the Implementation Plans for 2004-06
and 2005-07. Both of these plans were developed using the same
input described above for the Strategic Plan. The 2004-06 Plan
is in the format of the old Strategic Plan covering the period
2000-05. All of these projects can be reviewed at: http://www.sg.ohio-state.edu.
The 2005-07 Implementation Plan continues to use our format of
Goals, Objectives, and Actions. This is a living document that
will be revised frequently and reprinted every two years. While
it is very likely that we will have projects during the next 5
years that address all 11 thematic areas, we have also prioritized
the 11 areas for Ohio.
We hope you find these documents to be informative and enjoyable
to read and peruse. Please don't hesitate to call or write
if you have comments on our work and priorities or suggestions
for new projects and programs.
2. WI Sea Grant - Biennial Report 2002-2004
Copy available in GLERL Lunchroom or from WI Sea Grant
An overview of research, education and outreach programs for the
last 2 years. Projects/programs highlighted in longer articles
include:
* Bringing Charges Against Invasive Species - AIS Barrier in
the Chicago Ship & Sanitary Canal
* Zeroing in on Zebra Mussels - research & outreach
* Dioxin Toxicity as seen through a Fish - risk prediction research
by Heideman and Peterson
* Smart Maps - Shoreline GIS
* Nurturing Wisconsin's Aquaculture Industry - advisory services
3. NY Sea Grant - Results of First Independent Review of Forage
Assessment Programs on the Great Lakes
Excerpt from Press Release
NY Sea Grant has issued the first independent review of an agency-driven
assessment program on the Great Lakes - a technical review of the
Lake Ontario forage base assessment programs. In response to the
concerns of recreational and commercial fisheries stakeholders,
NYS Senator George Maziarz requested New York Sea Grant to organize
the objective review of the US Geological Survey and New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation programs that measure
the fish populations and state of the freshwater ecosystem in Lake
Ontario.
"This review verified the credibility of the assessment program
and made valuable recommendations that have improved the programs,"
says author and fisheries specialist David B. MacNeill of New York
Sea Grant's Great Lakes Program. MacNeill says the panel's recommendations
suggest sampling techniques, statistical and simulation models,
software and gear that can be used to improve the precision of
forage counts and the accuracy of forecasting of future fish population
trends. Among the recommendations already undertaken is hydroacoustic
sampling, made possible by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources,
of the alewife population. A similar examination of the rainbow
smelt population is expected to take place this year. Hydroacoustic
sampling uses sound waves to measure fish populations without disturbing
the fish.
New York Sea Grant coordinated a meeting of fisheries representatives
from the US Geological Survey (USGS), the New York State Department
of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), Cornell University and
the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. That group invited three
independent experts: Dr. Jerry Ault of the Rosenstiel School of
Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Miami, Dr.
Steve Murawski of the National Marine Fisheries Service at the
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, and Steven Smith of Canada's
Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Halifax, Nova Scotia, to assess
the sampling programs administered by USGS and NYSDEC. Dr. Lisa
Kline of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission in Washington,
DC, facilitated a workshop with fisheries managers and researchers
to review the panel's findings.
"A Technical Review of the Lake Ontario Forage Base Assessment
Program can be read online at
http://www.nyseagrant.org/glfish/forageassess05/pdf.
Quick Facts:
* ... The Lake Ontario forage base assessment program is primarily
a bottom-trawling effort conducted jointly by the US Geological
Survey and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
* The proliferation of zebra mussel beds on the bottom of Lake
Ontario in the mid-1990s hindered assessment efforts by clogging
trawls.
* The Lake Ontario ecosystem has undergone dramatic changes -ascribed
to the influence of nuisance species introduction and nutrient
abatement. Changes include alteration of fish distribution in the
lake.
* There is no trawl survey for the Canadian side of the lake.
* Lake Ontario salmonine stocking policy is developed from information
on hatchery-return rates, angler-catch data, forage base abundance
and biomass trends.
* July 2002 USGS data showed that Lake Ontario's rainbow smelt
population is at or near collapse, leaving the forage base for
salmonines largely alewives. In 2005, the assessment program is
expected to use hydroacousting sampling to assess the rainbow smelt
population. The use of hydroacoustic sampling was a recommendation
of the expert reviewers brought together for the independent review
of the Lake Ontario forage base assessment program.
* Lake Ontario is the world's 14th largest lake (193' long x 53'
wide, maximum depth 802', water surface area: 7,340 square miles)
4. WI Sea Grant - Enjoy Great Lakes Beaches - But Beware of
Rip Currents
Excerpt from Press Release
Swimmers at Lake Michigan and Lake Superior beaches should know
about possible rip currents and how to survive them, according
to Wisconsin Sea Grant Water Safety specialist James Lubner. "Rip
currents are a significant concern for swimmers at Great Lakes
beaches,"
Lubner said. "They can occur in many places, when waves push
water up on beaches. That water then flows back toward the lake,
sometimes forming a strong current." According to the United
States Lifesaving Association, rip currents in the Great Lakes
and oceans kill more than 100 people every year - more than tornadoes
or lightning. And they account for more than 80 percent of lifeguard
rescues. Escaping from the strong currents is possible if one knows
how, Lubner said. "The key is to swim parallel to shore until
you are out of the current, then swim at an angle towards shore"
he said. "The currents are relatively narrow streams of water
moving straight away from shore. So swimming parallel to shore
will get you out of the current quickly. Then you can swim towards
shore."
Not even the strongest swimmers can successfully swim directly
against the current, Lubner said. "The important thing is
not to panic,"
he added. "Rip currents are definitely survivable if you swim
parallel to shore. And there are no so-called undertows associated
with rip currents." Identifying rip currents from shore can
be difficult because the signs are subtle, Lubner said. They include
areas of churning, choppy, or differently colored water. Other
signals can be foam, seaweed, and debris moving away from shore.
Sometimes, rip currents can produce deceptively calm channels of
water between breaking waves, Lubner noted. Lubner also cautioned
swimmers and boaters to remember that the cold waters of the Great
Lakes can sap a person's energy quickly. The National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) offers these safety tips at
http://www.ripcurrents.noaa.gov:
- Learn how to swim!
- When at the beach:
- Whenever possible, swim at a lifeguard-protected beach.
- Never swim alone.
- Learn how to swim in the surf. It's not the same as swimming
in a pool or lake.
- Be cautious at all times, especially when swimming at unguarded
beaches. If in doubt, don't go out.
- Obey all instructions and orders from lifeguards. Lifeguards
are trained to identify potential hazards. Ask a lifeguard
about the conditions before entering the water. This is part
of their job.
- Stay at least 100 feet away from piers and jetties. Permanent
rip currents often exist along side these structures.
- Consider using polarized sunglasses when at the beach.
They will help you to spot signatures of rip currents by
cutting down glare and reflected sunlight off the ocean's
surface.
- Pay especially close attention to children and elderly
when at the beach. Even in shallow water, wave action can
cause loss of footing.
- If caught in a rip current:
- Remain calm to conserve energy and think clearly.
- Never fight against the current.
- Think of it like a treadmill that cannot be turned off,
which you need to step to the side of.
- Swim out of the current in a direction following the shoreline.
- When out of the current, swim at an angle--away from the
current--towards shore.
- If you are unable to swim out of the rip current, float
or calmly tread water. When out of the current, swim towards
shore.
- If you are still unable to reach shore, draw attention
to yourself by waving your arm and yelling for help.
- If you see someone in trouble, don't become a victim too:
- Get help from a lifeguard.
- If a lifeguard is not available, have someone call 9-1-1.
- Throw the rip current victim something that floats--a lifejacket,
a cooler, an inflatable ball.
- Yell instructions on how to escape.
- Remember, many people drown while trying to save someone
else from a rip current.
5. Minnesota Sea Grant - 30 Years of Superior Science
Excerpt from Press Release
Hypothermia research that leads to new products for a flotation
device manufacturer, discovering the diving reflex, which changes
the way people submerged in cold water are revived, and new environmentally
friendly control measures for use against invasive fish such as
the Eurasian ruffe and sea lamprey - these are only a few of many
ways that Minnesota Sea Grant has added to knowledge about Lake
Superior and Minnesota's inland waters. Over the past 30 years,
Sea Grant has distributed millions of publications in print and
on the Web that are used in places ranging from schools to bed
and breakfast inns. The program has gained a reputation as a leader
in outreach, helping fishery industry leaders, the academic community,
environmental groups, and natural resource agencies with their
outreach needs. Its researchers have conducted nearly 150 projects,
awarded 188 graduate student research assistantships, and published
over 200 outreach publications.
According to UMD Chancellor Kathryn A. Martin, "The University
of Minnesota Duluth, given its unique location on Lake Superior,
seemed an appropriate headquarters for the Minnesota Sea Grant
Program. This program has been instrumental in developing a teaching
agenda, both for students and faculty in the Duluth community,
but also for the greater Minnesota community, and with national
impact. The UMD Sea Grant agenda focuses on the exploration of
the largest freshwater lake in the world and the life that inhabits
it. Minnesota Sea Grant consistently focuses on maintaining the
wonders of our magnificent and important freshwater resources!"
Programs have included week-long Sea Camps that exposed hundreds
of area children to the wonders of Lake Superior; American Indians
in Marine Sciences, which trained local tribal college students
for careers in aquatic science; establishment of the Aquatic Invasive
Species Information Center, which is a respected source of information
about exotic species and issued the first alerts when Eurasian
ruffe and round gobies were found in the Duluth-Superior Harbor.
Currently, Minnesota Sea Grant is training shoreland property owners
in stewardship techniques, linking the UMD Education Department
with the Great Lakes Aquarium, offering fellowships to graduate
students working on aquatic research projects, and funding cutting-edge
fish genetics research that could apply to human health conditions.
6. Events
MN Sea Grant - Lake Superior Basin Wetlands Management and
Research Conference Held in Duluth
On July 14-15, 2005, people can learn more about wetlands and
wetland management at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Through
presentations and field trips attendees will find out about the
latest scientific findings, emerging issues, and wetland policies
at local and national levels. The $70 cost ($50 for student presenters)
covers the two-day conference, meals, field trips, and a Lake Superior
dinner cruise. Field trip topics are wild rice restoration, red
soils and constructed wetlands, bog restoration, Lake Superior
coastal wetlands, and wetland banking. Minnesota government employees,
Realtors, land developers, researchers, students, and other citizens
are encouraged to attend. Registration is open and space is still
available.
For details, see http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/wetlandsconference or
call Minnesota Sea Grant at (218) 726-8106. The conference is sponsored
by the Arrowhead Water Quality Team with funding from the Minnesota
Board of Water and Soil Resources Local Water Management Challenge
Grant Program, Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources Environmental
Trust Fund, and the Great Lakes Protection Fund.
OH Sea Grant - Lake Erie Sport Fishing Course - July 10-16,
2005
Universities traditionally have offered physical education in
their course offerings and have seen outdoor pursuits grow in popularity
in recent years. The Ohio State University's College of Education
has added a new outdoor pursuit to its course listings this year
- Lake Erie sport fishing.
The initial offering of this three credit hour course will be
taught at the Stone Laboratory by Ohio Sea Grant Specialist Fred
Snyder. Students will gain skills in walleye, smallmouth and perch
fishing, learn to make fishing lures, operate technical gear and
become acquainted with Great Lakes issues affecting the sport fishery.
For more information, contact Fred Snyder at snyder.8@osu.edu.
OH Sea Grant -Stone Lab Guest Lecture Series
Ohio State's Stone Laboratory hosts its annual eight-week Guest
Lecture Series again Thursday (7/28) when Marc Gaden, Great Lakes
Fishery Commission, presents "An Action Plan to Address Aquatic
Invasive Species in the Great Lakes." On Thursday (8/4), Dr.
Ellen Mosley-Thompson from the OSU's Byrd Polar Research Center,
will present "Evidence for Climate Change: Unique Insights
to the Earth's Climate History from Glaciers." All lectures
are free and open to the public. A brief tour of Gibraltar Island
is provided prior to each lecture. For more information, go to http://www.stonelab.ohio-state.edu.
7. Publications
WI Sea Grant - Earthwatch Radio - http://ewradio.org
podcast: http://ewradio.org/podcast/current/index.aspx
RSS feed: http://ewradio.org/rss/
* Seeing the Seafloor -- New forms of sonar give rise to new
images of the seafloor and more precise maps. These new maps might
make some countries bigger. (6/27/2005)
* Into the Volcano -- A risk-taking volcano expert tells her story
in a new book meant to inspire girls to pursue the sciences. (6/28/2005)
* Bold Plan for Energy -- Environmentalists, steelworkers, and
other groups want a major public investment in a massive renewable
energy program. (6/29/2005)
* Chills from Climate Change -- Global warming could cause changes
that will leave some people colder. (6/30/2005)
* Inch by Inch -- States near the Gulf of Mexico appear to be sinking
toward sea level more rapidly than anyone thought. (7/1/05)
* A Fishy Sequence -- Scientists analyze some seafood sold in grocery
stores and find discrepancies between the name on the label and
the filet DNA. (7/4/2005)
* Aquarius Aquanauts -- A submersible laboratory lets fishery experts
spend days in deep water with their subjects just outside the window.
(7/5/2005)
* Thrill Seeker -- One of the people who recently spotted a woodpecker
that was thought to be extinct describes the experience and the
aftermath. (7/6/2005)
* Forward Into the Past -- Scientists looking at the genes of different
animals say they all had a common ancestor hundreds of millions
of years ago. (7/7/2005)
* Bug Off! -- Some people seem to avoid mosquitoes even while their
neighbors get bitten all over. A British scientist is checking
the chemical composition of the body odors to figure out why that
happens. (7/8/2005)
* Drivers Should Lighten Up -- Lighter cars and trucks could cut
our dependence on oil and save billions of dollars, according to
an energy expert. (7/11/2005)
* Fresh Ideas -- An innovative program gets fresh produce from
local farms into school lunches and school classrooms. (7/12/2005)
* Hazy Health Hazards -- An expert in environmental health says
global warming might create a world with more smog and more respiratory
problems. (7/13/2005)
* Farming the Ocean -- People are looking into new ways to raise
fish in captivity and miles off shore. (7/14/2005)
* Back to Basics -- Energy conservation and efficiency efforts
take on new urgency as prices continue to rise. (7/15/2005)
MN Sea Grant - Seiche - June 2005 - http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/seiche/
* MN Sea Grant Celebrates 30-Year Anniversary -There ought to
be a movie! Remarkable strides in research, outreach, and education
give the University of Minnesota Sea Grant Program quite a history.
* Rapala Lure Entrepreneur Donates Money for Watershed Project
-Find out who gave UMD $100,000 to study the Lester/Amity Watershed
and why.
* Readers Want to Know?What happened to the taconite tailings?
-The taconite tailings deposited into Lake Superior prior to 1980
are still there. Learn how contentious litigation changed tailings
disposal practices.
* Listening to the Lake Airs on KUMD Radio - Tune into Lake Superior
science stories on summer mornings or access them anytime on the
Web.
* Web Page Explores Grip of the Rip - Rip currents can have a deadly
grip but escaping them isn't hard if you know how. We've developed
a Web page that explores Lake Superior rip currents. |
|
June
2005
Contents:
1. Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant Announces Interim Director
2. National rip current awareness week
3. Wisconsin Sea Grant - 2005-06 Research Projects
4. WI Sea Grant -Sea Grant's CoastWatch adds WI Ports
5. Events and Programs
- MN Sea Grant - Lake Superior Basin Wetlands Management and
Research Conference
- MI Sea Grant - Summer Discovery Cruises
- MN Sea Grant - Listening to the Lake
- OH Sea Grant - Sea Camp
- OH Sea Grant - Stone Laboratory Guest Lectures - 2005
6. Publications
- OH Sea Grant - Charter Markets
- WI Sea Grant - University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute Biennial
Report 2002-2004
- OH Sea Grant - Recycling Reprint
- WI Sea Grant - Posters, Handouts Steer Boaters Clear of Nets
- MI Sea Grant - Upwellings - June 2005
- WI Sea Grant - Earthwatch Radio
7. Staff News
- Sea Grant Week Awards
- MN Sea Grant - Superior Science Award
- MN Sea Grant - Zhuikov earns masters in public health journalism
________________________________________________________________
1. Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant Announces Interim Director
As Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) launches into new directions
and searches for a new director, William Sullivan, the director
of the Environmental Council at the University of Illinois, will
lead the program.
In his role as interim director, Sullivan brings to Sea Grant
a background of research on the relationships between people and
their environments. He was the co-founder of the Human-Environment
Research Lab and is a U of I associate professor of landscape architecture,
natural resources and community development. Sullivan succeeds
Dick Warner, who led the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant College Program
since 2001.
"This is a great and finely-tuned program," said Sullivan,"My
task is to keep it running, but I also hope to open doors to new
partners and expanded visibility, especially in Chicago. The southern
Lake Michigan region faces significant concerns related to aging
infrastructure, urban growth and sustainability of natural resources.
Through Sea Grant science, we can help foster healthy communities."
2. National rip current awareness week
State, regional and national organizations are calling attention
to deadly rip currents that can form in the Great Lakes and oceans.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's)
Weather Service, Ocean Service, and National Sea Grant College
have designated the week of June 5 as national Rip Current Awareness
Week.
Michigan Sea Grant, which recently sponsored the second regional
rip currents conference, is distributing rip currents brochures,
and maintains a Web page devoted to information about rip currents
(see
 http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu).
The Web site focuses on what you can do to swim safely this summer.
The Minnesota Sea Grant program at the University of Minnesota
Duluth has developed a Web page devoted to information about Lake
Superior rip currents. The site, http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/rip,
focuses on Duluth's Park Point beach.
See the complete news release at  http://www.umich.edu/news/index.html?Releases/2005/Jun05/r060605a
NY Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/07/science/07rip.html?ex=1118808000&en=1d395f656422a213&ei=5070&emc=eta1
3. Wisconsin Sea Grant - 2005-06 Research Projects
More information about these UW Sea Grant projects can be found
at http://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/projects
UW-GREEN BAY
- Predicting the Impact of Zebra Mussels on Trophic Transfers
in Green Bay: Ecosystem Modeling and Lower Food Web Interactions
with Fish (R/LR-93) Bart DeStasio, Lawrence University and Tara
Reed, UW-Green Bay
UW-LA CROSSE
- Methylmercury Production and Transfer to Benthic Food Webs
in Nearshore and Wetland Environments of Southern Lake Superior
(R/EC-8) James Wiener, Kristofer Rolfhus and Roger Haro
UW-MADISON
- A Retrospective Analysis of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior
Food Webs (R/LR-92) M. Jake Vander Zanden
- AhR Signaling in Rainbow Trout and Zebrafish (R/BT-17) Warren
Heideman and Richard Peterson
- Applications of "Dynamic and Distributed" GIS and
Visualization for Great Lakes Coastal Management (R/NI-33) Stephen
Ventura
- Coastal Sediment Resuspension, Transport and Deposition in
Great Lakes (R/EC-9) Chin Wu and John Hoopes
- Compensatory and Spatial Dynamics in Great Lakes Food Webs
(R/LR-94) James Kitchell
- Dioxin Developmental Toxicity in Zebrafish (R/BT-16) Richard
Peterson and Warren Heideman
- Earthwatch Public Service Radio Program (C/C-2) Richard Hoops
- Effects of Polyhalogenated Aromatic Hydrocarbons on Estrogen
Metabolism in Lake Trout (R/BT-19) Terence Barry and Richard
Peterson
- Endocrine and Environmental Regulation of Growth in Yellow
Perch (R/AQ-38) Jeffrey Malison and Terence Barry
- Expanding Cattails and Shrinking Sedge Meadows: Reversible?
(R/LR-96) Joy Zedler
- Exploring Wisconsin's Great Lakes Schooners: Integrating Underwater
Archaeology, Shipwreck Preservation and Public Education (C/C-7)
John Broihahn, Wisconsin Historical Society and John Karl
- Factors Regulating the Interactions of Trace Metals and Aquatic
Organisms in Watersheds of the Great Lakes (R/MW-86) David Armstrong
and Martin Shafer
- Improving Safety and Cost Effectiveness in Scuba Diving (R/NI-32)
R.Tass Dueland and Charles Lehner
- Knauss Fellowship (E/E-50) Mary Lou Reeb
- LakeSat: Near Real-Time Monitoring of Water Quality in Green
Bay and Wisconsin's Lake Michigan Coastal Waters via Satellite
Remote Sensing (R/MW-88) Jonathan Chipman and Thomas Lillesand
- Measuring Interrelated Demands for Commercially Caught Fish
(R/PS-57) Richard Bishop
- Quagga Mussel Invasions: Functional Morphology, Biomechanics,
Zebra Mussel Displacement and Future Spread (R/LR-91) Carol Lee
- Use of Fish Oil for Enzyme-Mediated Production of Value-Added
Food Products Containing Omega-3 Fatty Acids (R/AQ-39) Charles
Hill
UW-Manitowoc
- Sea Grant Non-Indigenous Species (SGNIS) Web Site: Development
and Support (A/AS-53) Philip Moy
UW-MILWAUKEE
- Impact of a Shifting Wind Field over the Laurentian Great
Lakes on Accumulation and Resuspension of Sediments in Green
Bay, Lake Michigan (R/EC-10) James Waples and J Val Klump
- Lake Sturgeon Bowl: Wisconsin's Regional Academic Competition
for the National Ocean Sciences Bowl, 2004-06 (E/E-47) Barbara
Duffy and J. Val Klump
- Recent Advances in Limnology and Oceanography Seminar Series,
2004-06 (E/E-48) John Berges and Arthur Brooks
- WATERS 2004-06: Wisconsin's Aquaculture Technology, Education
and Research Services (A/AS-54) Fred Binkowski
UW-STEVENS POINT
- Sustainability of Lake Trout Fisheries in Lake Superior (R/LR-95)
Michael Hansen
4. WI Sea Grant -Sea Grant's CoastWatch adds WI Ports
Wisconsin anglers heading out on the water this weekend, as well
as students heading back to the classroom this fall, now have
access to the latest available Great Lakes surface water temperature
information via the Web at
http://www.coastwatch.msu.edu.
The CoastWatch site captures daily National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) satellite transmissions and presents the
most current information as contour lines called isotherms. The
maps are available for all five Great Lakes - now featuring
zoom-in images of Lakes Michigan and Superior. Besides lakewide
regional temperature maps, the zoom-in feature provides coverage
of seven Wisconsin Great Lakes ports: Racine, Milwaukee, Sheboygan,
Kewaunee, Sturgeon Bay, Washburn and Superior. Coverage for each
port spans a 25 to 30 mile radius so that detailed information
for surrounding ports is available as well.
"We're pleased to contribute to this regional project
because of the importance of surface water temperatures to anglers
and commercial fishing operations," said UW Sea Grant Director
Anders Andren."Because these maps are updated frequently
and are available year-round, the site can also be used as a real-time
teaching tool for science classes." "Surface temperatures
can change quickly with weather, winds and lake currents. CoastWatch
can help anglers save time and fuel searching for temperature breaks,"
said Phil Moy, Wisconsin Sea Grant fisheries specialist."This
zoom feature for ports gives anglers detailed coverage of the entire
Wisconsin shoreline for both Lakes Michigan and Superior."
CoastWatch also has a help page that includes frequently asked
questions, fishery information and map terminology, plus links
to several other Great Lakes Web sites.
Michigan Sea Grant developed and hosts the CoastWatch site in
cooperation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's
Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory and Michigan State
University. In addition to Wisconsin, Sea Grant programs in Minnesota,
Illinois-Indiana, Ohio and New York help support the Sea Grant
CoastWatch as well.
5. Events and Programs
MN Sea Grant - Lake Superior Basin Wetlands Management and
Research Conference
July 14-15, 2005 - University of Minnesota Duluth
This conference will focus on new research, emerging issues and
policies at the national and local level, management, and mitigation.
Cost is $70 for the conference, meals, field trip, and Lake Superior
dinner cruise (student presenters $50). Full conference details
and registration available at:
http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/wetlandsconference/
MI Sea Grant - Summer Discovery Cruises
Learn About the Great Lakes on the Lower Detroit River or Lake
St. Clair. Art, science, and history come to life on the lower
Detroit River and Lake St. Clair as part of this year's Summer
Discover Cruises offered by Michigan Sea Grant, Michigan State
University Extension and Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority.
Open to the public, the two-hour cruises give participants a
unique perspective of two of the most ecologically important
water bodies in Southeast Michigan. Choose among the following
cruises: Nature, History, Art, Wetlands and more. Suported in
part by NOAA. See http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/discovery
MN Sea Grant - Listening to the Lake
Minnesota Sea Grant's new radio show, "Listening to the Lake,"
will have its first airing tomorrow (Wed, May 18) on KUMD Radio
(103.3 FM out of Duluth or http://www.kumd.org).
Shows will run every two weeks throughout the summer and online
as audio files. Listen for it during the morning show between 8:15-8:45
am.
Topics covered so far are the Lake Superior Beach Monitoring Program
and rip currents. This Wednesday's topic will be sea lamprey control
efforts. Future shows will air on June 29, July 13, August 10,
August 24, and September 7. Topics will focus on metal corrosion
in the harbor, coaster brook trout rehabilitation, stormwater runoff,
and an educational Lake Superior boat trip.
OH Sea Grant - Sea Camp
The Ohio 4-H Sea Camp will be held June 26-July 2 at the Kelleys
Island 4-H Camp on Lake Erie. Attending youth ages 13-17 will
learn lure making and fishing techniques, aquatic science, snorkeling,
boat operation and many other skills. For more information contact
Kelly Riesen at riesen.4@osu.edu or
Dave Kelch at kelch.3@osu.edu.
OH Sea Grant - Stone Laboratory Guest Lectures - 2005
All lectures begin at 7:45 PM and conclude at approximately 9:00
PM. Each lecture is preceded by a short lecture on current research
at 7:00 PM and both lectures are broadcast live into 244 Kottman
Hall on the OSU main campus. An OSU boat leaves the dock in front
of the OSU Research Building (near State Fish Hatchery) at 7:15
PM before each lecture. Transportation on this boat to and from
Gibraltar Island is free. We can also transmit the lectures to
remote locations - contact the Stone Laboratory Office for information
or for a listing of the research presentations (614-247-6500).
- 6/16 Dr. Rosanne W. Fortner, Natural Resources, Ohio State
University,"Ohio Sea Grant Education: Progress and Promise"
- 6/23 Dr. Richard T. Sayre, Plant Cellular and Molecular Biology,
Ohio State Univ.,"Biotechnological Applications of Freshwater
Microalgae in Environmental Remediation, Medicine and Industry"
- 6/30 Dr. Charles E. Herdendorf, Professor Emeritus, Ohio State
University,"Volcanoes to Glaciers: 2 Billion Years of Great
Lakes Geology in the Making"
- 7/7 Dr. Roderick G. W. Chu, Chancellor, Ohio Board of Regents,
"The Knowledge Economy and a Flattened World: The Case for
Community-Led Change in Ohio"
- 7/14 Dr. Jan Ciborowski, Biological Sciences and GLIER, University
of Windsor,"Developing, Evaluating, and Integrating Biological
Indicators of Environmental Conditions at Great Lakes Coastal
Margins"
- 7/28 Marc Gaden, Great Lakes Fishery Commission, "An Action
Plan to Address Aquatic Invasive Species in the Great Lakes"
- 8/4 Dr. Ellen Mosley-Thompson, Byrd Polar Research Center,
Ohio State Univ., "Evidence for Climate Change: Unique Insights
to the Earth's Climate History from Glaciers"
- 8/11 Dr. David Culver, EEOB, Ohio State University,"Lake
Erie Biocomplexity: Fluid Dynamics, Trophic Dynamics, People
and Fish"
- 9/10 Open House - 11:30-4:00 Saturday - Open to Public
Sponsors: Friends of Stone Laboratory, the Ohio Sea Grant College
Program, the Office of Student Affairs, the Environmental Sciences
Graduate Program, and the Environmental Policy Initiative at Ohio
State University.
6. Publications
OH Sea Grant - Charter Markets
Presentation available: Riesen, K. 2005. Women: Sport Fishing's
Untapped Market. Power Point Presentation. Ohio Sea Grant College
Program, The Ohio State University. This presentation gives marketing
tips for developing a larger clientele base among female anglers
and is being used by several Ohio charter services. For copies,
contact Kelly Riesen at riesen.4@osu.edu.
WI Sea Grant - University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute
Biennial Report 2002-2004
Now Available at the ASC Publications Store: http://aqua.wisc.edu/publications/
Visualizing healthy coastal development. Illuminating the molecular
mechanisms of dioxin's toxicity. Preventing an invasion of
Asian carp. Advancing technology and training for an emerging Wisconsin
aquaculture industry. These are some of the highlights from the
past biennium for the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute.
OH Sea Grant - Recycling Reprint
Blaine, T. W., Lichtkoppler, F. R., Jones, K.R. and Zondag, R.H.
2005. An Assessment of Household Willingness to Pay for Curbside
Recycling: A Comparison of Payment Card and Referendum Approaches.
Journal of Environmental Management 76 (2005) 15-22.
WI Sea Grant - Posters, Handouts Steer Boaters Clear of
Nets
UW Sea Grant is helping to disentangle misunderstandings about
commercial trap nets in the Wisconsin waters of Lakes Superior
and Michigan. This summer posters and handouts are available to
help recreational boaters and anglers steer clear of the stationary
nets. Commercial fishermen catch live whitefish in the traps. They
are weighed down to sit on the lake bottom, but the buoy lines
reach the surface, and the nets pose a hazard to sport trollers
who are unaware of the net configuration.
The posters and handouts are being distributed to area landings,
DNR offices, fishing clubs, bait shops and sporting goods stores.
In addition to an illustrated diagram of the traps and how they
are marked in the water, the publications feature maps of trap
net locations between Houghton Point and Bayfield on Lake Superior,
and near Two Rivers/Manitowoc and Sheboygan on Lake Michigan.
For more information, contact Philip Moy, UW Sea Grant fisheries
specialist at pmoy@aqua.wisc.edu.
MI Sea Grant - Upwellings - June 2005 - http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/pubs/up/
- The Land-Water Connection
- Rip Current Forecasts Begin
- Draft Restoration Plan Expected in July
- Protecting Water Quality through Proactive Environmental Stewardship
- Ballast Water Report Sheds Light on Nonindigenous Species Introductions
- Workshops Address Status of Lake Huron Fishery
WI Sea Grant - Earthwatch Radio - http://ewradio.org
- The Sound of Biodiversity -- The loss of endangered songbirds
could silence some of nature's most unique voices. (5/23/2005)
- Rural Reality -- People say they want family farms to provide
their food. But industrial agriculture dominates the market and
the landscape. (5/24/2005)
- A Big Waste of Water -- A study of water consumption finds
that
"cheap water" is often wasted, and it's critical of
water subsidies for agriculture. (5/25/2005)
- Lively Whale Graveyards -- Dead whales that fall to the ocean
floor become new homes for all kinds of unique creatures. (5/26/2005)
- Global Disagreement -- Does the world need a global parliament
to enforce environmental rules? A legal expert floats a controversial
idea. (5/27/2005)
- The Information Seaway -- The Census of Marine Life creates
a massive online database about plants and animals in the ocean.
Scholarly research that once took years can now be done on the
Internet with a click of a mouse. (5/30/2005)
- The Burden of History -- Chemical pollution adds to a long
and difficult history in part of Louisiana. (5/31/2005)
- Acoustic Smog -- The oceans are filled with the songs of whales
and the noise of people. (6/1/2005)
- Insurance in a Warmer World -- Global warming is likely to
have a big impact on the insurance industry, and it might make
some types of insurance harder to find and to finance. (6/2/2005)
- Living on the Edge -- Scientists who study active volcanoes
sometimes do so at personal risk. (6/3/2005)
- Earthly Outlook -- A massive study of the Earth's ecosystems
finds most of them seriously degraded by human activities. (6/6/2005)
- People Parks -- A former Brazilian environmental official describes
her country's efforts to save the rainforest and the livelihoods
that depend on it. (6/7/2005)
- Fat Enough to Fly -- Some populations of monarch butterflies
migrate in the fall from Canada to Mexico. A load of fat helps
them make the trip. (6/8/2005)
- Importing Pathogens -- Some of the most devastating diseases
to hit trees in North America arrived as hitchhikers on imported
plants. (6/9/2005)
- Live from New York -- A new children's book shows that even
New York City teems with wildlife and depends on nature for its
goods and services. (6/10/2005)
7. Staff News
Sea Grant Week Awards
Rip Current Campaign
First Place: Judges Award for Outstanding Impacts in Collaborative
Communications Projects and First Place: People's Choice Award
for Outstanding Impacts in Collaborative Communications Projects
to
"Partnership Project: Rip Current Awareness Campaign Partnership"
a Joint Program Entry by Michigan Sea Grant College Program and
North Carolina Sea Grant.
Michigan Sea Grant and North Carolina Sea Grant played key lead
roles - working with NOAA and the USLA - in the development and
implementation of a national campaign to promote rip current awareness
and water safety. Partnership objectives include the creation and
delivery of a cohesive and consistent message to swimmers and the
general public about the dangers of rip currents in the oceans
and Great Lakes - and how to escape them.
New brochure and beach signs were unveiled at the Break the Grip
of the Rip national media event. Michigan Sea Grant created the
artwork and designed the brochure in consultation with NWS and
other partners. Michigan Sea Grant also designed English and Spanish
(with Puerto Rico Sea Grant) templates for 12"x18" beach
signs. To date, Michigan Sea Grant coordinated the printing of
more than 150,000 rips brochures nationwide and assisted in distributing
more than 16,000 brochures in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
North Carolina Sea Grant has distributed more than 40,000 brochures.
Many Sea Grant programs have partnered with local water safety
efforts to purchase and post signs in coastal areas throughout
the U.S. In the Great Lakes, beach signs are posted on Lake Michigan
and Lake Superior beaches (in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota).
In North Carolina, more than 200 of the new signs have been ordered,
and 15,700 refrigerator magnets have been printed for beachfront
hotels, rental agencies and residences.
The media is a critical partner in public education efforts such
as the Break the Grip of the Rip campaign. The May 24, 2004 news
conference in Wrightsville Beach, NC, was featured on more than
123 television news outlets, accounting for a total of more than
2 hours of airtime, reaching more than 15.3 million households.
Additional stories appeared in newspapers including The Washington
Post and The (Raleigh) News & Observer; on wire services including
Associated Press; on radio including CBS Radio News Network; and
online, including WebMD.com. CNN provided significant coverage
of the event, including live shots to national and affiliate broadcasts
throughout the day, and personalized packages for 24 more affiliates.
Time Warner Cable developed a public service program that aired
across the nation throughout the summer. North Carolina Sea Grant
hosted the national news conference, handling local arrangements
including live coverage by UNC-TV that was fed via satellite to
newsrooms and classrooms nation-wide. The NOAA-USLA task force
developed the national event agenda. The event also highlighted
local rip current safety efforts that had been nurtured by North
Carolina Sea Grant and the NWS Wilmington Forecast Office.
Although the campaign was launched in 2004, Sea Grant efforts continue,
including participation in NOAA's first national Rip Current Awareness
Week, June 5-11, 2005; and presentations at the 2005 Solutions
to Coastal Disasters conference. Also, the Rip Current Awareness
Strategies Team (RCAST), a coalition of New Hanover County community
leaders, grew out of the May 2004 media event. North Carolina Sea
Grant provided RCAST 30,000 brochures for students from kindergarten
through university freshmen, 3,000 magnets, and large posters for
display at movie theaters. Brochures continue to be printed by
Sea Grant, the National Logistics Supply Center, and others.
Michigan Sea Grant drafted material to be used throughout the
Great Lakes region, continues to produce articles in print and
online, www.miseagrant.umich.edu/rip, and is sponsoring the second
annual regional rips conference, June 2, 2005. Sea Grant hopes
to repeat similar outreach efforts in other communities.
The National Weather Service coordinated the national campaign.
Additional NOAA participants included National Sea Grant Office,
National Ocean Service, Public Affairs, Oceanic & Atmospheric
Research, and the National Sea Grant Network. Other partners included
state and local governments, beach rescue agencies, chambers of
commerce and the media.
WI Sea Grant - Great Lakes Alien Invasion
First Place: Judges Award for Outstanding Impacts in Individual
Communications Projects for the interactive computer kiosk"Great
Lakes Alien Invasion". The kiosk was collaboration between
Communications Coordinator Stephen Wittman, Art Director Tina
Yao, Information Systems Engineer James Grandt and Fisheries
Specialist Philip Moy.
WI Sea Grant - Wisconsin's Great Lakes Shipwrecks
First Place: Best Web-Based Outreach Effort for the Web site "Wisconsin's
Great Lakes Shipwrecks". Principal project personnel included
Art Director Tina Yao, Science Writer John Karl and Web Developer
Rich Dellinger. The project was a partnership with underwater archaeologists
Jeff Gray, Cathy Green and Russ Green, of the Wisconsin Historical
Society.
IL-IN Sea Grant - Nab the Aquatic Invader!
Second place: Best Web-Based Outreach Effort for "Nab the
Aquatic Invader! Be a Sea Grant Super Sleuth" to Illinois-Indiana
Sea Grant.
IL-IN Sea Grant - Safe Fish Consumption Outreach and Education
Project
Second place: Collaborative Communications for "The Sea Grant
Week People's Choice Award for "Safe Fish Consumption Outreach
and Education Project" to Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant.
MI Sea Grant - Project FLOW
Honorable mention: Best Web-Based Outreach Effort to "Project
FLOW - Fisheries Learning on the Web" by Michigan Sea Grant.
See http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/flow
MN Sea Grant - WOW
Honorable mention: for Water on the Web Internet site (waterontheweb.org)
to Cindy Hagley, environmental quality educator, Bruce Munson,
environmental educator, Carl Richards, director, and Natural
Resources Research Institute and Lake Superior College staff
members.
MN Sea Grant - Habitattitude
Doug Jensen, MN Sea Grant aquatic invasive species program coordinator,
earned an award for his leadership and dedication on the national
Habitattitude campaign from the National Sea Grant College Program.
MN Sea Grant - Superior Science Award
Sharon Moen, editor, and Marie Zhuikov, communications coordinator,
were honored for their work writing "Superior Science, Stories
of Lake Superior Research," at The Seventeenth Annual Northeastern
Minnesota Book Awards held in May at the University of Minnesota
Duluth.
MN Sea Grant - Zhuikov earns masters in public health journalism
Marie Zhuikov earned a master's degree in public health journalism
from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Campus. |
|
May
2005
Contents
1. Upcoming Events
- International Association for Great Lakes Research
- MI Sea Grant - Great Lakes Rip Current Conference
- PA Sea Grant - Presque Isle Bay AOC
- MI Sea Grant - 4-H Great Lakes & Natural Resources Camp
- MI Sea Grant - Summer Discovery Cruises
- MN Sea Grant - Educational Cruises Offered on Lake Superior
2. Ohio Sea Grant - Preproposals are due 17 May
3. Ohio Sea Grant - Strategic Plan: 2005-10
4. IL-IN Sea Grant - Strategic/Implementation Plan: 2006-2010
5. OH Sea Grant - 2005"Life on Lake Erie" Photo Contest
6. WI Sea Grant - Kiosk Launched on S.S. Badger
7. NY Sea Grant - 2005 Border Crossing Tips Available
8. OH Sea Grant - Lake ErieCoastal Trail
9. OH Sea Grant - Ashtabula River Progress
10. MI Sea Grant - Conservancy nears goal for finishing RiverWalk
11. MI Sea Grant - U-M and MSU partner to improve Traverse City's
downtown
12. OH Sea Grant - Ohio's Clean Marinas Program
13. PA Sea Grant - 5th Botulism Workshop
14. PA Sea Grant - AIS HACCP Workshop
15. Publications
- IL-IN Sea Grant - AIS & National Geographic
- MI Sea Grant - Great Lakes Most Unwanted Poster Series
- MN Sea Grant - Watch for Nets!
- WI Sea Grant - New Publications
- NY Sea Grant - New Reprints
- NY Sea Grant - New Publications
- WI Sea Grant - Aquatic Sciences Chronicle - Spring 2005
- NY Sea Grant - Coastlines - Spring 2005
- WI Sea Grant - Earthwatch Radio
16. Staff News
- WI Sea Grant - Lubner to Serve as National Chair
- OH Sea Grant - Stone Laboratory Fellowships and Scholarships
___________________________________________________
1. Upcoming Events
International Association for Great Lakes Research
May 23-27, 2005- Ann Arbor, Michigan
http://www.iaglr.org/conference/2005/
MI Sea Grant - Great Lakes Rip Current Conference
Thursday, June 2, 2005
Great Lakes Visitor Center
Ludington State Park
Speakers include: Guy Meadows (University of Michigan, College
of Engineering) - Mechanics of Rip Currents, Dave Guenther (National
Weather Service) - Rip Currents Forecasting, Vince Duer (Vince
Deur
Productions), Ron Kinnunen (Michigan Sea Grant) - Mackinac County
Water Safety Review Team, and the Great Lakes Beach & Pier
Safety Task Force. Contact Mark Breederland <breederl@msu.edu> for
more information. http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu
PA Sea Grant - Presque Isle Bay AOC
PA Sea grant hosted the first of two workshops on developing a
sediment monitoring plan for Presque Isle Bay Area of Concern
in conjunction with PA Department of Environmental Protection
and USEPA GLINPO. A second workshop will be held June 21-23 in
Erie, PA. Other AOC advisory groups are invited to attend.
MI Sea Grant - 4-H Great Lakes & Natural Resources Camp
July, 2005 Camp Chickagami, Presque Isle, Michigan
A natural resources camp for 13-15 year olds. Participation is not
limited to 4-H members. Sea Grant staff are involved in camp planning
and teaching a number of the sessions. http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/greatlakescamp
MI Sea Grant - Summer Discovery Cruises
Learn about the Great Lakes on the Great Lakes Detroit River and
Lake St. Clair. Discovery cruises for families, educators, individuals,
everyone! Discovery cruise options include science cruises, naturalist
tours, historic tours, and art cruises. All Discovery Cruises
are 2 hours in length in take place in July and August. All Discovery
Cruises leave from the Lake Erie Metropark marina. http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/discovery
MN Sea Grant - Educational Cruises Offered on Lake Superior
Registrations are being taken for this summer's "A View From
the Lake" cruises. The crew of the L.L. Smith, Jr. and water
quality specialists from the University of Minnesota Sea Grant
Program and the University of Wisconsin Extension are again opening
the decks of the research vessel to the public. For $15, the 3-hour
tours will allow people to examine how land use influences Lake
Superior. The trips provide a context for discussing development,
natural resources and water quality. Participants can collect water
quality and biological data, learn about local geography, hear
about the latest Lake Superior research, and see the view from
the lake. This year, the trips focus on fisheries and coastal wetlands
and their role in the Lake Superior ecosystem. Last year, these
educational cruises sold out quickly. Participants must pre-register
on the Web at http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/vfl or
by calling Minnesota Sea Grant at (218)726-8106. "A View From
the Lake" trips are scheduled for the following ports (call
or visit the Web site for trip times):
Ashland, WI: June 15
Washburn, WI: June 16 - 18
Bayfield, WI: June 20 - 21
Grand Marais, MN: June 24 - 26
Silver Bay, MN: June 28 - 29
Two Harbors, MN: July 7 - 9
Duluth/Superior: July 12 - 13 and 16 - 17
"A View from the Lake" is funded by a grant from the
Great Lakes Regional Water Quality Program and grants from the
Wisconsin and Minnesota Coastal Programs through the Coastal Zone
Management Act, which is administered through the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource
Management.
2. Ohio Sea Grant - Preproposals are due 17 May
Ohio Sea Grant is currently soliciting preproposals for projects
beginning 1 March 2006 or 1 March 2007. Guidelines for preproposals
can be found on our web site (http://www.sg.ohio-state.edu).
3. Ohio Sea Grant - Strategic Plan: 2005-10
Ohio Sea Grant's new Strategic Plan for the period 2005-10 is now
available on the program web site
(http://www.sg.ohio-state.edu).
This plan follows the format of the National Sea Grant College
Programs 11 thematic areas and addresses all of the 9 priorities
of the Great Lakes Governors. The plan to implement this strategy
during 2005-07 is completed and will be available on the web site
very soon. These plans overlap slightly with the final implementation
plan (2004-06) from our old strategic plan (2000-05). The old plan
will also be available on the web site very soon and is of particular
interest as it lists all of the research projects initiated between
2000 and 2005 to implement the strategic plan.
4. IL-IN Sea Grant - Strategic/Implementation Plan: 2006-2010
A draft of the new IL-IN Sea Grant Strategic Plan is available on
the web at: http://www.iisgcp.org/news/2006plan.htm
5. OH Sea Grant - 2005"Life on Lake Erie" Photo
Contest
Amateur"shutterbugs" and professional photographers
alike are encouraged to enter this year's"Life On Lake
Erie"
Photo Contest, sponsored by the Ohio Lake Erie Commission (LEC).
Amateur and professional photographs will be judged separately.
Under contest rules, professional photographers are people who
earn more than 51 percent of their income from photography. The
2005 contest has no specific subject categories and may depict
any person, plant, wildlife, activity or scene that captures the
unique character of the lake's watershed. Last year's
contest drew 266 entries that illustrated six different aspects
of Coastal Ohio life. First place winners were from Lorain, Blacklick,
Ashtabula, Port Clinton, Marblehead and Copley.
All photo entries must have been taken between August 7, 2004
and August 1, 2005. Deadline for submitting photos is August 5.
To enter, send a 5x7" print or digital picture via U.S. Mail
(along with a completed entry form) to the commission's headquarters
at One Maritime Plaza, Fourth Floor, Toledo, Ohio 43604. Digital
entries must be in jpg, gif or tif format and be in a minimum resolution
of 1600x1200. Black and white, as well as color photographs, are
encouraged. Additional information and rules about the 2005"Life
On Lake Erie" Photo Contest is available at the commission's
Toledo office at 419-245-2514 or at the commission's website
at http://www.epa.state.oh.us/oleo.
6. WI Sea Grant - Kiosk Launched on S.S. Badger
This month the"Great Lakes Alien Invasion" kiosk begins
its second season onboard the S.S. Badger car ferry. The interactive
kiosk allows passengers to navigate through stories, photos, and
video clips of zebra mussels, sea lampreys, and other aquatic nuisance
species that have invaded the Great Lakes. About 100,000 passengers
travel each season onboard the 410-foot ferry between Manitowoc,
Wis., and Ludington, Mich. The kiosk spent the winter on display
at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc.
7. NY Sea Grant - 2005 Border Crossing Tips Available
Excerpt from Press Release
New York Sea Grant and Seaway Trail, Inc. have posted the 2005
edition of their Border Crossing Tips for Recreational Boaters,
RV Owners and Motorists Traveling Between Canada and New Yorks
Seaway Trail at http://www.seawaytrail.com.
The new brochure identifies the seven international bridges and
two ferries between Ontario and New York and lists the 18 Seaway
Trail ports available to recreational boaters. A list of 15 contact
points includes websites or phone numbers for Customs agencies,
for NEXUS highway and marine program and other recreational boating
border crossing programs. Contacts are also provided for the two
ferries serving the Seaway Trail Hornes Ferry operating between
Wolfe Island, Ontario, and Cape Vincent, NY; and the Rochester
Fast Ferry connecting to Toronto.
New York Sea Grants Great Lakes Program and the nonprofit tourism
organization Seaway Trail, Inc. work with U.S. and Canadian border
officials annually to update the information for travelers convenience.
The tips and contact points in the brochure provide low-risk travelers
with the basic information needed to smooth their cross-border
travel. As always, we suggest remaining flexible to changes that
may be made if the security alert status changes,says David G.
White, New York Sea Grant marine facilities specialist, Oswego,
NY. Our goal is encourage our Canadian neighbors to continue to
visit the Seaway Trail region of New York State by car and by boat
by offering these annual travel tips and contacts,says Seaway Trail,
Inc. Executive Director Teresa Mitchell, who is also vice-chair
of the National Scenic Byways Foundation.
The Seaway Trail is a 454-mile-long scenic driving and boating
route along the St. Lawrence River, Lake Ontario, Niagara River,
and Lake Erie. The route is designated as one of Americas Byways,
noted for great American road trips, and as a National Recreation
Trail. The 2005 Border Crossing Tips are posted at http://www.seawaytrail.com.
8. OH Sea Grant - Lake ErieCoastal Trail
Ohio Governor Robert Taft officially dedicated the Lake Erie Coastal
Trail as Ohio's 21st Scenic Byway on April 22, 2005. The
designation is expected to provide additional opportunities to
market Lake Erie coastal tourism according to Melinda Huntley,
Executive Director, Lake Erie Coastal Ohio, Inc. Frank Lichtkoppler
shared the podium with the Governor at the dedication and stressed
the LECO, Inc. goals of increasing nature based tourism and preservation
of the natural coastline of Lake Erie.
9. OH Sea Grant - Ashtabula River Progress
The Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, J.P Woodley,
Jr. toured the Ashtabula Riveron April 21, 2005 and listened
to the local Ashtabula River Partners (ARP) members explain their
support of the proposed cleanup of the Ashtabula River. Frank
Lichtkoppler explained the recreational and tourism implications
of the proposed cleanup. The Ashtabula River cleanup would continue
the restoration and protection of Lake Erie and its multimillion
dollar fishing and tourism industries.
10. MI Sea Grant - Conservancy nears goal for finishing RiverWalk
By Robert Ankeny & Sherri Begin May 02, 2005
Detroit Riverfront Conservancy is finalizing negotiations with
the last of eight business owners to gain rights to construct the
east portion of its RiverWalk. The nonprofit hopes to begin construction
of the walk by late summer or early fall, with a target completion
date of late 2006.
General Motors Corp. completed construction of a half-mile stretch
of riverfront walkway fronting its Detroit headquarters before
turning that over to the conservancy at the end of last year. An
existing walkway in front of the UAW-GM Training Center also is
being incorporated into the full RiverWalk plan. In mid-April,
the Detroit City Council approved a 90-year lease between the city
and the conservancy for all of the public parcels of land east
of the Renaissance Center to Gabriel Richard Park, after inking
a $23 million deal to buy the last of three cement plants operating
on Detroit's east riverfront from Cemex. The conservancy previously
completed perpetual lease agreements with six other property owners
for use of the riverfront edge of their property: Omni Detroit
Hotel, UAW-GM Center for Human Resources, Stroh Riverplace, General
Motors Corp., the Wayne County/Detroit Port Authority and Harbortown
residential community.
The conservancy hasn't yet finalized agreements with Cullan Meathe
and Frank Torre, partners in 100 Riverplace Associates L.L.C. which
owns the Talon Centre at the foot of Joseph Campau and the Detroit
River. "But we're certainly all on the same page in regards
to getting an easement agreement completed to the satisfaction
of the property owners and the conservancy," conservancy President
and CEO Faye Alexander Nelson said. "We hope to wrap that
up in the next couple of weeks."
Construction can now move forward, but there still are outstanding
issues. These issues are in the process of being finalized, but
will not hold up construction on other areas of the riverfront,
Nelson said. Still being worked on is some space that the U.S.
Coast Guard controls, just east of the Renaissance Center near
the foot of Rivard Street, said Matthew Cullen, general manager,
economic development and enterprise services for GM, and co-chairman
of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy. The city is negotiating
a swap of some property with the Coast Guard to gain access to
that area, he said. Near the Talon building, the RiverWalk will
need to extend out over the water, Cullen said, requiring approval
from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. That permit process is nearing
completion, Nelson said.
When completed, the 3.5 mile-long RiverWalk will be an average
of 62 feet in width, providing space for both a pedestrian path
and a bike path, as well as park pavilions, picnic and play areas,
concessions stands and historical markers, Nelson said. The east
phase of the walk will extend from the Civic Center promenade near
Hart Plaza to east of the MacArthur Bridge at Belle Isle. The conservancy
has chosen White Olsen L.L.C. in Detroit as construction manager
and is in the final stage of construction drawings, Nelson said.
To date, the conservancy has raised more than $80 million of its
$110 million goal to cover the costs to build the east RiverWalk,
as well as operating costs and a $30 million endowment to fund
upkeep and programming, Nelson said.
11. MI Sea Grant - U-M and MSU partner to improve Traverse
City's downtown
Excerpt from Press Release
For years, Grandview Parkway has been a physical barrier between
downtown Traverse City and Grand Traverse Bay, but the recent decommissioning
and demolition of the Traverse City Light & Power Board's bayside
power plant has created new opportunities for the waterfront area
of the city's West Bay.
U-M's Center for Economic Diversification and the U-M School of
Natural Resources and Environment's Landscape Architecture program
and MSU's Small Town/Community Design Initiative and Landscape
Architecture program are bringing in students and faculty to help
with the effort over the next year.
"Downtown Traverse City is a very dynamic, walkable space
that has lots of active, independent businesses," said Larissa
Larsen, a U-M natural resources assistant professor and urban ecology
expert helping lead the project. She visited the city last week
as part of the Michigan Road Scholars program and will lead a large
group of graduate students conducting research on the area. Warren
Rauhe, an MSU landscape architecture associate professor and director
of MSU's Small Town Design Initiative and Community Design Initiative,
said that MSU's undergraduate landscape architecture program and
U-M's graduate landscape architecture programs are the only two
such programs accredited in the state. "It's just a tremendous
opportunity for the two schools and the two sets of faculty and
students to look at this together," Rauhe said. "What
we do in a nutshell is translate the thoughts and ideas members
of the community express verbally into graphic images of what the
waterfront could look like in the future."
The Small Town Design Initiative is a go-to resource for Michigan's
small communities for physical environmental design assistance
in community development and land use. For Traverse City, the MSU
team will produce a series of seven to eight master plan ideas
for the waterfront with before and after images of what the waterfront
could look like in the future.
The U-M Center for Economic Diversification, directed by Lawrence
Molnar, has long and extensive experience working with organizations
throughout the state on economic and community development programs.
The center works with community members through interviews and
focus groups to gather information, ideas and other data that can
be used to help the Graduate Student Project Design Team.
The teams will put together an Urban Character Study that will
inform a second deliverable: Design Guidelines and Standards for
Reconnecting Traverse City to its Bay. The result will be a manual
of design guidelines and standards to bridge the gap between downtown
and the bay that will provide valuable tools and techniques that
can be used to develop and design the city in a culturally, ecologically
and economically sustainable manner into the future.
12. OH Sea Grant - Ohio's Clean Marinas Program
Ohio's Clean Marinas Program (OCMP), administered by the Ohio Sea
Grant College Program, is progressing rapidly -- three clean
marinas workshops have been conducted with over 30 marinas attending
and 15 marinas currently pledged. A new OCMP coordinator, Mr.
Gary Comer Jr., was hired April 1. Comer, a 10 year OSU Extension
Water Quality agent, holds degrees in fisheries and wildlife
management from Ohio's Hocking Tech (A.A.), Arkansas Tech (B.S.),
and Texas Tech. (M.S.). Mr. Comer is housed at the ODNR Office
of Coastal Management in Sandusky, Ohio, and can be reached at:
419-609-4120, or comer.29@osu.edu .
He will work with OCMP program administrator/leader, Dave Kelch,
Extension Specialist, Ohio Sea Grant, in the continuation of the
OCMP. Comer and Kelch recently attended a Clean Marinas Program
Site Visit Workshop conducted by Michigan Sea Grant. Mr. Pete Hall,
program coordinator for the Virginia Clean Marinas Program, administered
by Virginia Sea Grant, lead program participants through site visits
at three Michigan marinas while teaching recommended procedures
for conducting clean marina site visits. Ohio Sea Grant currently
has two more OCMP workshops scheduled for May; Painesville, Ohio
on May 17th, and Toledo, Ohio on May 19th. For more information
regarding both workshops, please visit the OCMP website located
within the Ohio Sea Grant College Program website at: http://www.sg.ohio-state.edu
13. PA Sea Grant - 5th Botulism Workshop
Pennsylvania, NY and Ohio Sea Grant combined efforts to sponsor
the 5th Botulism Workshop in Buffalo , NY.
14. PA Sea Grant - AIS HACCP Workshop
PA Sea Grant hosted a AIS HACCP workshop at the USFWS Northeast
Fishery Center, Lamar, PA, Helen Domske of NY Sea Grant helped
PA Sea Grant conduct the workshop.
15. Publications
IL-IN Sea Grant - AIS & National Geographic
ESCAPE, Exotic Aquatics on the Move, Zebra Mussel Mania Traveling
Trunk, Exotic Aquatics Traveling Trunk, The Bridge, and the Habitattitutude
campaign are featured on the National Geographic Society's Web
site as useful education resources to supplement their 2-part series
on PBS, Strange Days on Planet Earth. These resources were provided
to educators as a supplement to activities related to the broadcast
of their "Invaders" segment.You can see the listings
at:
http://www.pbs.org/strangedays/educators/ag_inv_decisions.html and
http://www.pbs.org/strangedays/educators/ag_resources.html
MI Sea Grant - Great Lakes Most Unwanted Poster Series
MI Sea Grant is currently seeking partners interested in buying
into a print run of the new AIS poster series 'Great Lakes Most
Unwanted' (contact Elizabeth LaPorte <elzblap@umich.edu> by
May 18 if interested). This poster series is specially designed
for young audiences and incorporates key facts about the top 10
Great Lakes aquatic invasive species, colorful illustrations, photos
and graphics. At the request of educators, this series is designed
to focus specifically on the Great Lakes' most harmful freshwater
aquatic invasive species. Sample files are online at http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/ais/poster.html.
MN Sea Grant - Watch for Nets!
If you ply the waters of Lake Superior, the University of Minnesota
Sea Grant Program has a handy brochure. Watch for Nets! lets
anglers and boaters know how to avoid getting tangled in commercial
fishing nets. It describes how nets in Minnesota waters of Lake
Superior are marked and offers information about the latest commercial
fishing regulations along with tips and diagrams that will help
boaters avoid nets. Print your own copy of Watch for Nets! from
Minnesota Sea Grant's Web site at http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/fish or
order a free copy by calling Sea Grant at (218) 726-6191.
WI Sea Grant - New Publications
Now Available at the ASC Publications Store: http://aqua.wisc.edu/publications/
* Aquaculture Effluents and Waste By-Products: Characteristics,
Potential Recovery, and Beneficial Reuse by Steven E. Yeo, Frederick
P. Binkowski and Joseph E. Morris 47 pages, paperback $15
* Wisconsin's Great Lakes Shipwrecks: Dive Into Wisconsin's
Past Wisconsin Historical Society DVD, $20
*"2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin Activation of the Aryl
Hydrocarbon Receptor/Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Nuclear Translocator
Pathway Causes Developmental Toxicity Through a CYP1A-Independent
Mechanism in Zebrafish," Sara A. Carney, Richard E. Peterson
and Warren Heideman, Molecular Pharmacology, 66(3), 2004 (WISCU-R-04-010)
FREE
NY Sea Grant - New Reprints
* Changes in fractal dimension during aggregation. R.K. Chakraborti,
K.H. Gardner, J.F. Atkinson and J.E. Van Benschoten. 2003. Water
Research 37: 873-883. Free
* Concentration-dependent effects of toxic and non-toxic isolates
of the brown tide alga Aureococcus anophagefferens on growth of
juvenile bivalves. V.M. Bricelj, S.P. MacQuarrie and R. Smolowitz.
2004. Marine Ecology Progress Series 282: 101-114. Free
* Effect of the northern quahog Mercenaria mercenaria on the development
of blooms of the brown tide alga Aureococcus anophagefferens. R.M.
Cerrato, D.A Caron, D.J. Lonsdale, J.M. Rose and R.A. Schaffner.
2004. Marine Ecology Progress Series 281: 93-108. Free
* Mysis relicta in Lake Ontario: Population dynamics, trophic linkages
and further questions. O.E. Johannsson, L.G. Rudstam, G. Gal and
E.L. Mills. 2003. Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management Society
257-287. Free
* Pico- and nanoplankton dynamics during bloom initiation of Aureococcus
in a Long Island, NY bay. M.E. Sieracki, C.J. Gobler, T.C. Cucci,
E.C. Thier, I.C. Gilg and M.D. Keller. 2004. Harmful Algae 3: 459-470.
Free
* Remediation of PCB-contaminated sediments: Volatility and solubility
considerations. R.J. Scrudato, J.R. Chiarenzelli, J.J. Pagano and
M. Wunderlich. 1999. Remediation 7-21. Free
* Volatile loss of PCB aroclors from subaqueous sand. J.R. Chiarenzelli,
R.J. Scrudato and M. L. Wunderlich. 1997. Environmental Science
& Technology 31(2): 597-602. Free
* Volatilization of polychlorinated biphenyls from sediment during
drying at ambient conditions. J. Chiarenzelli, R. Scrudato, G.
Arnold, M. Wunderlich and D. Rafferty. 1996. Chemosphere 33(5):
899-911. Free
NY Sea Grant - New Publications
* Sea Grant PublicationsGuidelines for Reducing the Spread of"Fishhook waterfleas" (Cercopagis pengoi). D. MacNeill,
M. Snyder, K. Schulz, J. Makarewicz and D.R. Baker. 2004. Fact
Sheet. Free
* Hudson River Marina Dredging: A Guide for Marina Operators. New
York Sea Grant. 2005. Contact Nordica Holochuck, nch8@cornell.edu
Free
* Ice Your Fish: Prevent Scombrotoxin Poisoning. Fisheries Extension
Enhancement Initiative Program. Available in pdf format http://www.iceyourfish.seagrant.org Free
* New York Aquaculture Industry: Status, Constraints and Opportunities.
M. Timmons, G. Rivara, D. Baker, J.M. Regenstein, M.P. Schreibman,
P. Warner, D.A. Barnes and K. Rivara. 2004. White Paper. 72 pp.
Available in pdf format: http://www.bee.cornell.edu/extension/aquaculture/PWT_Reference_Material.htm
WI Sea Grant - Aquatic Sciences Chronicle - Spring 2005 - http://www.aqua.wisc.edu/chronicle/
Announcing a new newsletter from Wisconsin Sea Grant. Aquatic Sciences
Chronicle is the newsletter of the Aquatic Sciences Center at the
University of Wisconsin Madison which is the administrative home
of the UW Sea Grant Insitute and the Water Resources Institute.
The Chronicle will include information about both WI Sea Grant
and Water Resources work as well as notices of funding opportunities,
conferences and more.
In the spring issue:
* Trouble Under the Boardwalk: Mysterious Corrosion Draws Experts
to Duluth-Superior Harbor
* Earthwatch Radio Launches Podcast
* A Measure of Our Thirst: Great Lakes Region Pilots National Water
Use Study
* A Stinkin' Mess: Heaps of Algae, Loads of Questions
* Wisconsin's Water Library
* Floating Classroom
* From Earthwatch Radio to Habitat Protection (Knauss Fellow profile)
* Know Your Water Lab: River Studies Center
* People News
* Calendar of Events
NY Sea Grant - Coastlines - Spring 2005 - http://www.seagrant.sunysb.edu/Pages/Coastlines/Spr05.pdf
* Closing the Doors on Storm Surges
* The ABCs of PCBs
* CoastWatch: Diving the Inland Seas
* Knauss Fellows Go to Washington
* Sea Grant Initiative Helps Ensure the Safety of Fishermen's Catch
* Seeding Lake Ontario's Shoreline Stewardship
* A Stay for Mitten Crab in NY's Waterways?
* Results of Long Island Sound Lobster Research are Presented
WI Sea Grant - Earthwatch Radio - http://ewradio.org
* An Exponential Function with Fish Eggs -- Large female fish
are critical to long term survival for many species. Scientists
say they lay more eggs than younger, smaller fish and that their
eggs and their offspring are stronger. (4/18/2005)
* Census of the Sea Mounts -- An international research project
is taking a closer look at the marine life that covers the peaks
of underwater mountains. (4/19/2005)
* Organic Growth -- Consumers concerned about food safety are increasingly
turning toward organic products. (4/20/2005)
* Rabbit Feat -- Rabbits have prospered from the changes people
have made in the landscape. (4/21/2005)
* Climate Alteration for Antarctica -- Antarctica is expected to
grow warmer over the next 50 years as conditions in the atmosphere
change. (4/22/2005)
* Pros and Icons -- To some people, wolves represent an idealized
image of wildlife. To others, the predators represent nothing more
than a threat to livestock. (4/25/2005)
* A Bird in the Hand -- Hundreds of America's bird species ended
up on John Audubon's canvas. Some also went in his stew pot. (4/26/2005)
* California's Hydrogen Highway -- The state of California starts
building stations where drivers will be able to fill up on hydrogen
instead of gasoline. (4/27/2005)
* Big Toxic Picture -- The ocean waters off the coast of southwest
Africa have been severely overfished and now they suffer eruptions
of toxic gas. They might be an example of what could happen in
other waters that have been seriously disturbed. (4/28/2005)
* River Scout -- Zebulon Pike is best known for the Colorado peak
that bears his name, but his most important trip took him to the
headwaters of the Mississippi River. (4/29/2005)
* Headlines and Bottom Lines -- An expert in risk analysis says
global warming will give the insurance industry a lot of headaches
that will add up to huge financial claims. (5/2/2005)
* Before Tiny Technology Gets Too Big -- Nanotechnology can produce
devices that are so small you need a microscope to see them. Some
scientists say we need to be sure nanotech does not turn into nano-pollution.
(5/3/2005)
* Singing Competition -- Male songbirds are under constant pressure
-- from females -- to stay musically sharp. (5/4/2005)
* Shock and Oil -- Spiking oil prices might provide the boost renewable
energy advocates say they need. (5/5/2005)
* Migratory Immunity -- Long migrations of monarch butterflies
might help them shake off parasites, but it's a survival-of-the-fittest
marathon. (5/6/2005)
* A Whiff of Trouble -- "Factory farms" often produce
some powerful odors.
* Critics say the foul-smelling air can harm people's health. (5/9/2005)
* Learning to Sing -- Songbirds learn their more complex compositions
from other birds. Experts can even hear regional dialects. (5/10/2005)
* Erasing the Lines in the Sky -- High flying aircraft leave vapor
trails that can affect the atmosphere. Cutting contrails might
involve re-routing the planes. (5/11/2005)
* Greenhouse Goals -- An expert says attempts to cut greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere need to come soon, and procrastination
could add to the problem. (5/12/2005)
* Science in Action -- A scientist becomes involved in a small
Louisiana town to help local people deal with pollution from chemical
plants. (5/13/2005)
* Looking at Bag Limits -- Some species of saltwater fish have
been over exploited, and a biologist says recreational fishing
is sometimes part of the problem. (5/16/2005)
* Stratospheric Surprise -- A huge solar storm hammered the Earth
with so much energy that it altered the composition of the upper
atmosphere. (5/17/2005)
* Fighting Fire with Fire -- A historian says the past offers a
number of lessons about when to fight -- or not fight -- wildfires.
(5/18/2005)
* Science Literacy -- Public understanding of science is declining
in America, possibly hampering efforts to resolve a number of complicated
issues. (5/19/2005)
* A Sardine's Worth -- Sardines in the waters off Southwest Africa
played an important role in the marine ecosystem. The sardines
are fished out, and those Atlantic waters are now filled with algae
and toxic gas. (5/20/2005)
16. Staff News
WI Sea Grant - Lubner to Serve as National Chair
Education coordinator Jim Lubner is the new chair-elect for the
nationwide Sea Grant Education Steering Committee. The committee
allows education specialists throughout the Sea Grant network to
speak with one voice at the national level. Lubner will represent
his colleagues at the Sea Grant Association and at Sea Grant Extension
assemblies.
Lubner has been with the UW Sea Grant program since 1978. He helps
integrate Great Lakes issues into K-12 education by using the lakes
as a ready laboratory for cross-curricular studies in science,
math, literature and history. He also provides instruction on boating
rules and regulations and safety practices on the water, especially
the cold waters of the Great Lakes.
OH Sea Grant - Stone Laboratory Fellowships and Scholarships
15 students were selected as Ohio Sea Grant's and Stone Laboratory's
first REU Fellowship Winners. Each student will spend 5 weeks at
Stone Laboratory this summer. They will participate in a Stone
Laboratory course 3 days/week and work on a special research project
3 days/week in herpetology, fisheries, or limnology. They will
receive 8 credits and their tuition and room and board will be
provided by the fellowship which comes from 3 endowments created
by the Friends of Stone Laboratory and Ohio Sea Grant. The 15 students
come from 9 colleges and universities from as far away as Arizona.
For the 10th consecutive year, the Friends of Stone Laboratory
and Ohio Sea Grant awarded 6 scholarships to outstanding high school
students at the Ohio Academy of Science's State Science Day at
The Ohio State University on 7 May. Each scholarship covers room
and board for the winner in one of Stone Laboratory's 1-week, introductory
courses. The students have until 2007 to use the scholarship. The
Friends of Stone Laboratory initiated this special scholarship
program at State Science Day during the Laboratory's centennial
celebration in 1996 and have awarded 62 scholarships since then. |
|
April
15, 2005
Contents:
1) OH Sea Grant - New Strategic Plan
2) OH Sea Grant - RFP
3) IL-IN Sea Grant - Researcher cited in National Geographic
4) MI Sea Grant - Workshops, Meetings Scheduled to Discuss Status
of Lake Huron Fishery
5) OH Sea Grant - Eco-History Island Passport Tours Continue This
Summer at Put-in-Bay, Ohio
6) OH Sea Grant - Women: Sport Fishing's Untapped Market
7) OH Sea Grant - Balanced Growth on Lake Erie
8) Publications
- IL-IN Sea Grant - New Journal Articles
- OH Sea Grant - New Reports and Journal Articles
- MN Sea Grant - Seiche - April 2005
- MN Sea Grant - From Shore to Shore - April 2005
- OH Sea Grant - Twine Line - Winter 2005
- WI Sea Grant - Earthwatch Radio
9) Awards
- Network - Web Award for "Nab the Aquatic Invader!"
- IL-IN Sea Grant - Web Award for AquaNIC
- OH Sea Grant - Gold and Bronze Communications Awards
- MI Sea Grant - Life of the Lakes Exhibit Wins Silver Award
- OH Sea Grant - 37 Receive Stone Lab Scholarships
- OH Sea Grant - Stone Lab Endowments Top $1 Million
1) OH Sea Grant - New Strategic Plan
Ohio Sea Grant's new Strategic Plan for 2005-10 is now available
at:
http://www.sg.ohio-state.edu/OSGRANT/FUNDING/strategic.htm.
2) OH Sea Grant - RFP
Ohio Sea Grant recently sent out a 'Request for Proposals' for
one- to three-year research projects on Great Lakes and marine
problems with particular significance to Ohio, the Great Lakes
region, and the nation. Preproposals are due May 17, 2005. To
receive a hard copy of the RFP, contact Nancy
Cruickshank
3) IL-IN Sea Grant - Researcher cited in National Geographic
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant-funded researcher David Lodge is quoted
in the March issue of National Geographic Magazine. "Attack
of the alien invaders" is a 26-page spread dealing with
invasive species throughout the U.S.
4) MI Sea Grant - Workshops, Meetings Scheduled to Discuss
Status of Lake Huron Fishery
The status and future of Lake Huron's fishery are the topics of
a series of workshops being conducted in April by Michigan Sea
Grant, in cooperation with the Michigan State University Extension
Service and the Department of Natural Resources. Two, day-long
workshops will provide in-depth analysis of some of the major fisheries
and food web concerns in Lake Huron, while a series of evening
meetings will serve as a shorter version of the daytime workshops.
The day-long workshops will feature the latest research and information
related to the changing Lake Huron fishery. The three evening meetings
will be shorter versions of the workshops.
- 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, April 16, at the Franklin
Inn Motor Lodge located at 1060 E. Huron Avenue in Bad Axe.
- 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, April 30, at the Oscoda Yacht
Club located at 430 S. State Street in Oscoda.
- 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 13 at McMorran Place (next
to the ice arena) located at 701 McMorran Boulevard in Port Huron.
This meeting will be hosted as part of the Blue Water Sportfishing
Association's regular meeting;
- 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, April 20 at Alpena Community College
in Alpena;
- 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, April 21 at the Cheboygan Sportsmen's
Club located at 13516 Seffern Road in Cheboygan.
Workshops and meetings are open to the public, and Borgeson especially
encourages charter captains, anglers and resource professionals
interested in the future of the fishery on Lake Huron to attend
one of the workshops. Registration for the day-long workshops is
$12 in advance or $15 at the door, and includes lunch. Evening
meetings are free.
For more details on the workshops and meetings, contact Michigan
Sea Grant at 989-984-1060, or visit their Web site at http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/workshops/huron-fisheries_wrksp.html.
5) OH Sea Grant - Eco-History Island Passport Tours Continue
This Summer at Put-in-Bay, Ohio
Stone Laboratory, National Park Service, Lake Erie Islands Historical
Society, and ODNR Division of Wildlife will continue their P-I-B
Eco-History Passport program again this summer - a simple way for
families to visit five of Put-in-Bay's popular tourist destinations
with the purchase of one ticket. Destinations include Lake Erie
Islands Historical Society, South Bass Lighthouse, Perry's Monument,
ODNR Division of Wildlife's Aquatic Visitors Center, and Gibraltar
Island. Tickets cost $25 for adults and $10 for children (ages 12
and under) for a five-site passport package and $10 and $5 respectively
for a four-site package (four-site package excludes Gibraltar Island
tour). Tours will be every Wednesday from June 22 to August 17 from
10:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. For more information, go to http://www.stonelab.ohio-state.edu.
6) OH Sea Grant - Women: Sport Fishing's Untapped Market
Declining sport fishing participation is an economic concern all
over the Great Lakes. When Ohio Sea Grant's Kelly Riesen saw that
females hold fewer than 19 percent of the state's fishing
licenses, she launched an initiative called Women: Sport Fishing's
Untapped Market aimed at reversing the trend. To date, Riesen has
conducted women's steelhead fishing seminars, developed materials
to help charter businesses market to female clientele, and is launching
Lake Erie fishing opportunities to introduce women to the sport.
She was recently named to the Women in the Outdoors planning committee.
For more information on this initiative, contact Kelly
Riesen (440) 808-5627.
7) OH Sea Grant - Balanced Growth on Lake Erie
Sea Grant Extension Agent Joe Lucente served on the Ohio Balanced
Growth Roundtable Steering Committee for the Lake Erie Balanced
Growth Initiative in partnership with the Ohio Lake Erie Commission,
Great Lakes Commission and Cleveland State University. The Steering
Committee was responsible for developing programmatic, land use
and water quality indicators for measuring the success of the Lake
Erie Balanced Growth Initiative. Sea Grant Specialist Fred Snyder
also serves on the Commission's Technical Advisory Committee
for Balanced Growth. Snyder and Lucente are leading the development
of a similar balanced growth program at the Lima Regional Center
of OSU Extension. For more information on the initiative contact Joe
Lucente (419) 213-2028.
8) Publications
IL-IN Sea Grant - New Journal Articles
- Hinchey, E.K. and L.C. Schaffner. 2005. An evaluation of electrode
insertion techniques for measurement of redox potential in estuarine
sediments. Chemosphere 59(5): 703-710.
- S. M. Shim, J. A. Lasrado,1 L. E. Dorworth,2 AND C. R. Santerre.
2005. Mercury and Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Retail Fish Sandwiches.
Journal of Food Protection, 68(3): 633 - 635
OH Sea Grant - New Reports and Journal Articles
- Lichtkoppler, F., Blaine, T. and Zondag, R.- The future of
Curbside Recycling in Lake County: A report on Residents'
Views. January 31, 2005. Ohio State University Extension, Lake
County. 55 pp mimeo.
- Kuehn, D., Lichtkoppler, F. and Pistis, C. 2005. The Great
Lakes Charter Fishing Industry: 1973 to 2002. Fisheries 30 (3)
10-17.
- Blaine, T. W., Lichtkoppler, F. R., Jones, K.R. and Zondag,
R.H. (In Press) An Assessment of Household Willingness to Pay
for Curbside Recycling: A Comparison of Payment Card and Referendum
Approaches. Journal of Environmental Management Accepted for
publication February 2005.
MN Sea Grant - Seiche - April 2005 - http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/seiche/2005_04.html
- How Sea Grant Works by Carl Richards
- Minnesota Sea Grant Awards $566,650 for Aquatic Research
- In a Pickle: The Mystery of the North Shore's Salty Well Water
- Seiche Reader Survey Results
- Readers Want to Know...Do most schools get the Seiche Newsletter?
- Staff Update
MN Sea Grant - From Shore to Shore - April 2005
http://www.shorelandmanagement.org/downloads/april05.pdf
- Shoreland Erosion Control Workshop
- Identification of Curly Leaf Pondweed
- Weeds Are Winter-Worthy Study
- Lake Phalen Shoreland Restoration Walking Tour and Plant Guide
OH Sea Grant - Twine Line - Winter 2005 -
http://www.sg.ohio-state.edu/PDFS/PUBLICATIONS/TWINELINE/2005/TL_05winter.pdf
- If You Can't Take the Heat: Research Examines Heat Tolerance
in Zebra Mussels
- New Lake Erie Education Poster Series (copies in Rochelle's
office if you want to see)
- Some Ask Why, Others Why Not - Watermilfoil
- 2004 Program Summary
- Teaching the Nature of Science (LENSC)
- Habitattitude: New National Program to Prevent Spread of Aquatic
Invasive Species
- Lake Erie Watersnakes Just Love Gobies
- Research at Stone Lab
- FOSL: New Stone Lab Website
- FOSL: Dunlap Challenge
- FOSL: Workshop Report
- FOSL: It Really Happened by Carlos Fetterolf
WI Sea Grant - Earthwatch Radio - http://ewradio.org
- Rapid Responses -- Temperatures are rising around Antarctica,
and the impact of that change might affect the frozen continent
with surprising speed. (3/28/2005)
- Social Disorder -- The HIV-AIDS epidemic threatens the development
progress of a number of African countries, according to a new
report. (3/29/2005)
- Riches and Responsibility -- Wealthier countries generally
treat the environment with more care -- but not always, according
to a new environmental scorecard. (3/30/2005)
- Corals Hurting from Halimeda -- A marine plant triggers a disease
that ravages coral reefs in the Caribbean Sea, and scientists
want to know how that happens. (3/31/2005)
- Animal Oceanographers -- Scientists recruit whales, squid and
seals to help them study the oceans. (4/1/2005)
- China Syndrome -- The world's most populous countries -- China
and India -- are consuming more oil each year, and that's having
an impact on the price at the pump. (3/21/2005)
- Neat Feet -- Small lizards called geckos can walk on ceilings
and cling to glass, thanks to tiny hairs on their feet. The discovery
could lead to new adhesive products. (3/22/2005)
- Soft Touch in the Deep Sea -- Researchers who study colonies
of jellyfish in the deep ocean need to use soft lighting and
subtle maneuvers to get close to their subjects. (3/23/2005)
- Windmills in Deep Water -- The wind energy business hopes to
generate electricity from windmills located off the ocean coasts
and in the waters of the Great Lakes. (3/24/2005)
- Colorful Diets -- What a bird eats sometimes determines the
color of its feathers. (3/25/2005)
- Pay to Prey -- Compensating farmers for livestock killed by
wolves doesn't make the predators more popular, but it does make
them more politically acceptable. (4/11/2005)
- Lucky Bird -- A tiny bird with a big appetite for grains has
become a major crop pest in Africa. (4/12/2005)
- Big Fish are a Big Deal -- A biologist says we're taking all
of the big fish out of the ocean, and we need to protect some
of them instead of eating them. (4/13/2005)
- Heat Waves on the Horizon -- As the Earth's atmosphere grows
warmer, heat waves are likely to strike more often and last longer.
(4/14/2005)
- Mississippi Highway -- North America's greatest river has always
been one of its most important means of transportation. (4/15/2005)
9) Awards
Network - Web Award for "Nab the Aquatic Invader!"
The "Nab the Aquatic Invader!" Web site earned two awards
from the Association for Communication Excellence--a Gold Award
and an Outstanding Professional Skill Award in the Web site category.
Members of the Web development team who were recognized include
Robin Goettel, Helen Domske, Angie Archer, Jennifer Fackler, Irene
Miles, Susan White, Terri Hallesy, and Marisa Meador.
IL-IN Sea Grant - Web Award for AquaNIC
Mark Einstein, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant's Chief Web Officer,
was recently awarded a Certificate of Appreciation from USDA
for"ten years of outstanding support and dedication to
the Aquaculture Network Information Center and its users." AquaNIC
was the nation's first network information center, which
still stands as the primary gateway to the world's electronic
aquaculture resources. AquaNic now serves nearly 2 million visitors
a year from 181 countries providing research and outreach products
to scientists, extension professionals and producers around the
world.
OH Sea Grant - Gold and Bronze Communications Awards
Ohio Sea Grant Communications recently earned first and third place
awards from the Association for Communication Excellence (ACE),
an international association for agricultural communications.
Stone Laboratory's promotional flyer and postcard series
received an ACE Gold Award and perfect score in the Publishing
Direct Mail category, while the new Stone Laboratory web site
received an ACE Bronze Award in the web site category. Congratulations
go out to the project developers: Graphics Designer Greg Aylsworth,
Webmaster George Oommen, and Communications Manager Jill Jentes
Banicki.
MI Sea Grant - Life of the Lakes Exhibit Wins Silver Award
On display for more than six months in 2004, the Life of the Lakes
Exhibit was one of nearly 400 entries in the annual Association
for Communication Excellence (ACE) publication awards category.
Judges gave the exhibit high marks for design, concept and originality.
The design of the museum exhibit was based on content from the
popular Life of the Lakes booklet and poster, produced by Michigan
Sea Grant.
The exhibit was co-sponsored by Michigan Sea Grant and the University
of Michigan Exhibit Museum of Natural History and featured the
science of the Great Lakes. Exhibit developers include museum outreach
coordinator Kira Berman and exhibit specialist John Klausmeyer,
NOAA graphic designer Dave Brenner, and Michigan Sea Grant's communications
director Elizabeth LaPorte. To view Sea Grant's winning entries,
go to
http://www.sg.ohio-state.edu/slab/awards/
OH Sea Grant - 37 Receive Stone Lab Scholarships
The Stone Laboratory Scholarship Committee met on 28 March to
review applications for the summer of 2005. To date, scholarships
totaling $19,204 have been awarded to 27 college students and 10
high school students. The college students come from 4 colleges
and universities and the high school students come from 10 different
high schools.
OH Sea Grant - Stone Lab Endowments Top $1 Million
Congratulations to the Friends of Stone Laboratory! In March, with
Shirley Bowser's second contribution of $50K from the Columbus
Foundation and the Kellogg Foundation to complete the challenge
she issued to the Friends of Stone Laboratory and Ohio Sea Grant,
the principal in our Stone Laboratory endowments surpassed $1
million dollars in a total of 12 endowments. These endowments
support research, education, outreach, development, scholarships,
and much more. Seven new endowments have been formed in the past
5 years and the principal has grown by over $700K during that
time. The Friends of Stone Laboratory and our Sea Grant Advisory
Committees (Ohio Sea Grant has almost $100k in three other endowments
for education and outreach) have a goal to triple this total
in the next 5 years by adding $1 million to research endowments
and $1 million to education (scholarships and fellowships) endowments
in addition to seeking $2.8 million to renovate Cooke Castle,
$1 million to renovate the Stone Lab Research Building, $500K
for a new research/education vessel, $300K for faculty/research
housing, $250K for new docks, $1 million to endow research and
teaching positions at the Laboratory, and much more. For More
information contact Jeff Reutter. |
|
March
2005
Contents:
1) Minnesota Sea Grant - $566,650 for Aquatic Research
2) OH Sea Grant - Endangered Water Snakes Eat Goby
3) MI Sea Grant - Windmills in Lake Michigan
4) MI/MN Sea Grant -Warnings to help swimmers assess risk of rip
currents
5) OH Sea Grant - Pledge to Become a Clean Boater On Line
6) Events
- OH Sea Grant - The 24th Annual Ohio Charter Captains Conference
- Ohio Sea Grant - Cleveland Sport, Travel and Outdoor Show
- OH Sea Grant - Local Government Leadership Academy
7) Publications
- OH Sea Grant - Lake Erie Education Poster Series
- NY Sea Grant - Aquatic Invaders, National ANS Clearinghouse Digest
- MI Sea Grant - Upwellings - March 2005
- MI Sea Grant - New Publication Online - Trout Aquaculture
- MI Sea Grant - Technical Reports - AIS
- MI Sea Grant - Technical Reports - Fish Waste Composting
- WI Sea Grant - New "PODCASTING" Audio Service From
Earthwatch Radio
- WI Sea Grant - Earthwatch Radio
8) Staff News
- OH Sea Grant - John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship
- NY Sea Grant - Students Wanted for Paid Internships on Lake Ontario,
Salmon River
1) Minnesota Sea Grant - $566,650 for Aquatic Research
Excerpt from Press Release
The University of Minnesota Sea Grant Program recently chose eight
research projects involving Lake Superior and the Great Lakes for
funding. The award money, which is provided by the National Sea
Grant College Program and matched by the University of Minnesota,
collectively totals $566,650. The following projects that focus
on coastal communities and economies, ecosystems and habitats,
fisheries and biotechnology will be funded through University of
Minnesota departments for 2005-2007:
Pinpointing Sources of Bacteria that Contribute to Beach Closures
Personnel: Randall Hicks and Michael Sadowsky, University of Minnesota
Duluth (UMD) Department of Biology
Lake Superior beach closures have been causing concern since the
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's Lake Superior Beach Monitoring
program began in 2003. This project builds on previous Sea Grant
research by increasing the size and scope of a DNA fingerprint
database for E. (Escherichia) coli, which may be causing the water
quality problems. Researchers plan to collect E. coli from the
Duluth-Superior Harbor during spring, summer, and fall. By conducting
genetic fingerprinting analyses on the E. coli samples, they hope
to gain a better understanding of beach contamination sources and
seasonal variations. They will compare contamination sources between
open water, nearshore sediments, and effluent from the Western
Lake Superior Sanitary District to identify similarities in contamination
patterns. Results will contribute to public policy decisions.
Understanding the Links Between Lake Superior's Animal Life,
Upwellings, and Temperature
Personnel: Donn Branstrator, Thomas Hrabik, and Brian May, UMD
Department of Biology
This project seeks to increase our understanding of how Lake Superior's
physical and biological processes interact. Researchers hope to
determine what mechanisms control biological productivity in the
lake, and answer basic questions that have confounded scientists
and resource managers for years. They will examine how the lake's
physical properties such as temperature and currents, impact animal
life (zooplankton and fish) and establish whether productivity
is higher in cold eddies or warm eddies. Ocean research suggests
that nutrients delivered by offshore upwellings drive productivity;
whether upwelling rates in Lake Superior are enough to enhance
biological productivity will be addressed.
A Step Towards Defining the Carbon Cycle in Lake Superior
Personnel: Erik Brown and Brian May, UMD Large Lakes Observatory
Does Lake Superior absorb carbon dioxide or emit it into the atmosphere
(is it a sink or a source)? We don't know. To find out, researchers
plan to moor instruments in Western Lake Superior to measure seasonal
variability in thermal structure and the distribution of oxygen
and carbon dioxide. The results will help them develop and test
a mathematical model for predicting annual temperature and gas
cycles. Researchers will also evaluate what kind of carbon cycling
happens in the lake through their observations and the model's
predictions. Understanding the carbon cycle will help us better
determine the lake's response to climate change and external factors.
Developing More Efficient Monitoring Methods for Rocky Coasts
Personnel: Valerie Brady and Lucinda Johnson, UMD Natural Resources
Research Institute
Researchers will develop a more cost-effective method for monitoring
the macroinvertebrate communities (spineless insects, worms, etc.)
living on rocky surfaces in Lake Superior by using artificial substrates
(baskets of cobble). The researchers will compare this sampling
method to more traditional methods, and will refine their method
to assess aquatic invertebrate community responses to shoreland
development at seven sites along Minnesota shoreline. Traditional
monitoring methods involve taking grab samples of sediment, which
does not work on the hard surfaces that make up more than half
of Lake Superior's nearshore areas. Researchers will use the data
to establish benchmarks of environmental conditions for Minnesota's
Lake Superior rocky shores.
Investigating the Relationship Between Dissolved Phosphorus
and Oxygen Released by Sunlight in Lake Superior
Personnel: James Cotner and Kristopher McNeill, University of Minnesota
(UM) Twin Cities, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior
When sunlight hits surface water, particular forms of oxygen are
released from chemical bondage. A microbial ecologist and a chemist
will explore the relationship between these oxygen forms and the
availability of phosphorus to organisms living in Lake Superior.
Their research will generate the first Great Lakes measurements
of "reactive oxygen species" (such as singlet oxygen
and hydrogen peroxide) that are produced when ultraviolet wavelengths
interact with organic matter in the water. The researchers will
determine the ability of these oxygen species to fragment organisms'
RNA and DNA, which can be abundant sources of phosphorus in aquatic
systems. The specific effect of reactive oxygens on the breakdown
and availability of dissolved organic phosphorous is unknown. However,
these reactions could be influenced by global change, affect carbon
balances, and contribute to lake eutrophication.
Defining Potential Effects of Endocrine Disrupters in Wastewater
on Female Fish and Fish Populations
Personnel: Peter Sorensen, UM Department of Fisheries, Wildlife,
and Conservation Biology
Building on their work concerning the effects of endocrine disrupting
chemicals (EDCs) on fish, researchers will tackle three questions.
First, they will determine if female fathead minnows suffer reproductive
abnormalities when exposed to wastewater effluent containing EDCs.
Second, they will attempt to link female-specific reactions to
particular estrogens or androgens in the wastewater. Third, they
will determine if EDCs might reduce the viability of populations
by disrupting gene flow. The effluent from many Great Lakes sewage
treatment plants and paper mills contains EDCs. Such wastewater
lowers the reproductive potential of male fish in the laboratory.
This project will be one of the first to address how EDCs in effluent
might affect fish at the population level.
Calculating Biomass and Energy Flow from Plankton to Lake Superior's
Top Predators
Personnel: Thomas Hrabik, UMD Department of Biology
Researchers plan to estimate phytoplankton, zooplankton, and fish
biomass as a function of the organism's body size in three regions
of Lake Superior. They will compare predator demand and prey supply
among these areas by calculating the relative rates of energy transfer
up the food chains. Of the three locations, researchers speculate
that biological production will be greatest near the Duluth-Superior
Harbor but that the rate of energy flow will be most efficient
northeast of the Apostle Islands where there are fewer nutrients,
but also fewer invasive species and anglers. A portion of Minnesota's
North Shore will also be investigated through a combination of
fieldwork and remote sensing. Results will aid efforts to manage
Lake Superior fisheries.
A New Approach for Identifying Environmental Estrogens in Great
Lakes Estuaries
Personnel: Deborah Swackhamer, UM Division of Environmental Health
Sciences
Estrogens and estrogen-mimics accumulate in aquatic environments
though wastewater effluents, pesticides, detergents and other common
trappings of human activity. Researchers plan to create a new way
to capture estrogen-like compounds from water samples using resin
composed of tiny glass beads coated with cloned estrogen receptors.
This resin will bind with a broader variety of estrogen mimics
and will be more economical to use than current methods for quantifying
environmental estrogens. After perfecting the estrogen extraction
process, the researchers will analyze water from five estuaries
around the Great Lakes, including the Duluth-Superior Harbor. Hormone
imbalances created by environmental estrogens can harm reproductive
and immune systems and lead to deformities and sterilization in
animals.
2) OH Sea Grant - Endangered Water Snakes Eat Goby
It may not be news that the round goby is an abundant and destructive
invasive species that has spread through the western basin of
Lake Erie. However, the federally threatened and state endangered
Lake Erie water snakes (Nerodia sipedon insularum) have taken
advantage of the prevalence of these troublesome little fish
and are consuming them at surprisingly high levels. In fact,
the snakes are eating so many goby that they now constitute the
majority of their diet.
Water snakes didn't always gorge on goby. Historically, water
snakes have fed on native fishes (e.g., catfishes, logperch, spottail
shiner and amphibians like mudpuppies). Round goby first appeared
in diet samples of the snakes soon after their invasion in 1995
and constituted about 24 percent of the samples recovered between
1996 and 1998 by Dr. Richard King of Northern Illinois University
and his graduate students. More recently, a new examination of
Lake Erie water snake diet in 2003 and 2004 showed that round goby
now constitute 92 percent of their diet. Additionally, native fish
consumption by water snakes was reduced to less than 2 percent
of the prey samples recovered. Interestingly, this diet shift has
occurred in less than two water snake generations (less than 6
years) and is seen in all size classes of snakes, from juveniles
to adults. Surprisingly, the recent shift in diet from native fishes
to round goby by the water snakes seems to be having beneficial
effects for the snake population. Since the shift, water snakes
have been able to grow faster and attain larger body sizes. By
growing faster, water snakes can outgrow potential predators (e.g.,
shorebirds) more rapidly, reach sexual maturity faster and produce
larger litters of offspring. Since these factors can also positively
effect important population regulating mechanisms (e.g., survival
and reproduction), the invasive round goby may be indirectly contributing
to the recovery of this federally listed species. For more information,
contact Kristen Stanford at the F.T. Stone Laboratory or theislandsnakelady@yahoo.com
3) MI Sea Grant - Windmills in Lake Michigan
Excerpt from EarthWatch Radio
Wind farms have sprouted up across the United States on open farm
fields and on windy hilltops. Now energy developers are looking
at windswept coastlines, including some in the Great Lakes.
Mike Klepinger is an extension specialist with the Michigan Sea
Grant program and he works with coastal communities on development
issues. Klepinger says the National Renewable Energy Laboratory
recently produced a new map of Michigan's wind resources. The map
shows a lot of good locations for wind power development, and most
are along the Lake Michigan shoreline. "In fact, the shore
areas are the most likely to be developed in wind energy -- and
the offshore areas -- simply because there's no tree cover; there's
no terrain to get in the way of the wind, and the long open areas
provide a nice long fetch for sustained wind power generation."
Klepinger says if the wind business picks up, coastal communities
might find some economic benefit to developing their energy resources.
He says there's also a high likelihood that people will disagree
about if and how to do that. "It's going to be of interest
to local people when wind energy developers come along and want
to develop the wind resource, so we're going to try to help communities
have civil discussions and really understand all of the issues
that go along with energy development projects." The first
offshore wind farms in the U.S. have been proposed along the East
Coast off Cape Cod and Long Island. Klepinger says coastal landowners
are divided over the proposals. Some welcome the idea of clean
energy from the wind turbines. Others are concerned about the impact
on wildlife and scenery.
4) MI/MN Sea Grant -Warnings to help swimmers assess risk of
rip currents
Excerpt from Tribune article by John Myers
The National Weather Service, in coming months, will, for the first
time, issue advisories for Great Lakes rip currents. While the
advisories have long been issued in the Gulf of Mexico and other
coastal waters, it will be the first formal advance notice of
possible rip currents to Great Lakes swimmers. Probably starting
July 1, the National Weather Service in Duluth will issue a rip
current advisory when elevated risk exists -- when an east wind
about 25 miles per hour is forecast. In the Twin Ports, it will
be gusty easterly wind that will trigger the advisory. In other
sandy areas of the Great Lakes, it will depend on which winds
have the longest fetch over open water.
It's those east winds that pile up waves against the relatively
shallow beach on western Lake Superior's shore, especially along
Park Point, which runs approximately north to south and catches
the brunt of the wave action. As waves slam the beach and reach
their highest point on shore, the water then pulls back toward
the lake. In some areas, the outcurrent cuts a channel or "rip"
in the sand that can cause the water to pull out dramatically faster
than in other areas. And that strong outward flow can have a deadly
pull on people unexpectedly caught in the rush.
"It's a river of water going back out to sea," said
Ron Kinnunen of Michigan Sea Grant Extension. Between 2000 and
2003, at least 30 people drowned on Lake Michigan because of rip
currents, Kinnunen said. In 2003, "we lost six people on the
Fourth of July in a two-hour period in about a two-mile stretch
of beach,"
he said.
Fatalities are less common on Lake Superior, probably because
days with high wind off the lake usually are cool -- discouraging
swimming.
"Lake Superior is so cold most of the time -- we don't have
a lot of people in the water all summer long like the other lakes,"
said Jeff Gunderson, Minnesota Sea Grant researcher in Duluth. "But
there have probably been other drownings here in the past where
rip currents were the cause, but by the time the situation was
over, the weather changed and no one made the connection."
Kinnunen said the study and understanding of Great Lakes rip currents
are in their infancy. But more people are taking the problem seriously
after the rash of drownings in recent years. The first Great Lakes
rip current convention was held last year. Another is planned during
June in Ludington, Mich. The conference will bring weather forecasters,
rescue experts, Great Lakes scientists and hydrological engineers
together to learn more about the phenomenon.
"When we first started looking at this and making the connection
between rip currents and wave height and wind, a lot of people
didn't believe us," Kinnunen said, noting the key was convincing
the Weather Service that there was a link. "People for years
talked about undertows. But that's the wrong term. This doesn't
pull anything under. It's out to sea."
Kinnunen said the rip current advisories could save lives this
summer -- if people hear them and pay attention. "We need
the AM and FM radio stations and the TV stations to pick them up,
not just the Weather Service broadcasts on marine radios," he
said.
"But even if people are warned, that doesn't stop them from
hitting the lake. The DNR had warning flags flying the day we lost
the six people, and they still went in the water. They think if
they only wade up to their waist they'll be OK. But the rip currents
cut them off at the knees and took them out."
5) OH Sea Grant - Pledge to Become a Clean Boater On Line
Boaters who want to become an Ohio Clean Boater can now"sign"
their pledge on line at www.ohiocleanboater.osu.edu. With the new
feature on the site, boaters can fill out the pledge information
on line and receive an Ohio Clean Boater decal for their boat in
the mail. Since the program's start in September, over 300
boaters have pledged to become Clean Boaters. For more information
about the Ohio Clean Boater Program, contact Leroy Hushak at Hushak.1@osu.edu or
614.292.3548.
6) Events
OH Sea Grant - The 24th Annual Ohio Charter Captains Conference
The conference drew 201 attendees on March 5 in Sandusky Ohio.
The captains received updates on Lake Erie fish stocks and environmental
conditions, international fisheries management, insurance and marketing,
marine electronics and new fishing methods. Among captains attending
over the last five years, 66 percent report increased profits by
using conference information. Operating practices were modified
by 84 percent of attendees and 95 percent said they use conference
information in some aspect of their businesses.
Ohio Sea Grant - Cleveland Sport, Travel and Outdoor Show
The Sea Grant booth at the 68th annual show will feature a large
freshwater aquarium with Lake Erie natives and exotics, AIS displays
and information on the Clean Boaters Program and Stone Laboratory.
Nearly a quarter million people attend this ten-day show, providing
an unmatched opportunity for public education about Sea Grant's
role in Great Lakes issues and initiatives.
OH Sea Grant - Local Government Leadership Academy
Ohio Sea Grant recently partnered with the Toledo Area Chamber
of Commerce to offer the 4th Annual Toledo Local Government Leadership
Academy. The program encompasses a ten module curriculum consisting
of: public service/Conducting Effective Public Meetings, Leadership
Skills, Styles and Effective Decision Making, Building Sustainable
Communities, Team Building, Communicating and Working With the
Media, Communicating and Working With Citizens, Intergovernmental
Relations, Conflict Management and Dispute Resolution, Technology
in Local Government and Ethics in Local Government. Since its
inception in 2002, surveys indicate that public officials, representatives
and governmental liaisons have increased their overall knowledge
in local government decision making by 86%.
7) Publications
OH Sea Grant - Lake Erie Education Poster Series
Ohio Sea Grant College Program has produced a new series of two-sided,
full-color educational Lake Erie posters for Great Lakes teachers.
The Circle of Lake Life poster outlines the basic concept of the
lake food web and the organisms involved. The Lake Erie Dead Zone
poster defines lake eutrophication and its causes. Lake Erie Fish
explains the three classes of fish and bony fish characteristics,
along with illustrations of the interior and exterior anatomy of
the bony fish. Lake Erie's Sport Fish Community can be used as a
supplement to Lake Erie Fish to show students all sport fish of
Lake Erie. Teachers can download pdf handouts of the fish anatomy
diagrams at http://www.sg.ohio-state.edu/osgrant/education/.
The Circle of Lake Life, Lake Erie Fish and Lake Erie's Sport
Fish Community posters are used for Grades K-12. The Lake Erie
Dead Zone poster is for Grades 9-12. All posters address specific
grade-level indicators of the Ohio Academic Content Standards for
Life Sciences. Double-sided for easy transporting, these posters
are free to all with a $5.00 shipping cost (per set of four posters).
To request a set, see publication insert or contact Nancy Cruickshank
at Cruickshank.3@osu.edu or
614.292.8949. Check or money order please. Supplies are limited.
NY Sea Grant - Aquatic Invaders, National ANS Clearinghouse
Digest
"Tools for the prevention of invasive species introduction
and establishment include risk assessment, early detection and
rapid response, and public education. Invasive species management,
however, is usually reactive, which poses a substantial challenge
towards the successful implementation of preventive measures. Invasive
species are typically discovered after they have become established
in an area, having reached a population size that makes eradication
difficult, if not impossible. Ideally, invasive species prevention
efforts should be anticipatory, informed by recognition of potential
invaders and the habitats and/or regions where these species could
become established. Predictive modeling efforts provide a means
by which environmental decision makers and managers can identify
potential geographic distributions of invasive species, allowing
for focused, proactive prevention strategies."
Daniel Kluza and Kristina McNyset describe a powerful tool for
invasive species niche modeling in the January-March issue of Aquatic
Invaders .
The January-March issue of Aquatic Invaders (Volume 16 No 1) is
at the printers, and will be available in March.
Contents
- Ecological Niche Modeling of Aquatic Invasive Species. Kluza
DA, McNyset KM
- Protecting US Waters from Aquatic Invaders through Ballast
Water Management Regulations. Patnaik BR
- Managing the Global Invasive Alien Species Problem: Lessons
Learnt from Experience with National, Regional and Global Programmes.
Sherley G.
Features
- Web Watch
- What's New - Newly acquired papers in the Clearinghouse
Collection
- Annotations of articles from the collection
- Announcements
The National Aquatic Nuisance Species Clearinghouse quarterly
digest,"Aquatic Invaders,"publishes papers on research and policy
initiatives relating to all types of freshwater, estuarine, and
marine aquatic invasive and nuisance species issues. The digest
is published quarterly, and is aimed at a technically literate
audience, researchers, resource managers, utility managers, and
policy makers. We welcome submissions. Please contact Diane Oleson
(djo5@cornell.edu) for details.
MI Sea Grant - Upwellings - March 2005 - http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/pubs/up/
- Editorial: Passion and Pride Serve Sea Grant Partners -- Joe
Friday, National Sea Grant Review Panel
- High Marks for Michigan Sea Grant
- Great Lakes Education
- Summer Discovery Cruises
- Project FLOW
- GLEP: A Teacher's Perspective
- Announcing 'Shorelines' - Education Newsletter
- Sustainable Coastal Communities
- Detroit River Renewal
- Black Lagoon
- Detroit River Sturgeon Habitat
- International Wildlife Refuge
- Coastal Land Use in Michigan's 'Thumb'
- Rip Currents
- Michigan Clean Marina Program
- Great Lakes Fisheries
- Select Michigan Whitefish
- Seafood HACCP
- Great Lakes Camp
- Fisheries Management
- Aquatic Invasive Species
- Zebra Mussels Found in 12 Additional Lakes
- Zebra Mussels and Blue-Green Algae
- Exotic Species Teacher Day Camp
- MSU Great Lakes Conference 2005
- Controlling AIS from a Policy Perspective
- Getting the Word Out
- Rapid Response Plan for Hydrilla
- Great Lakes Wetlands
- How Much is a Wetland Worth?
- Coastal Plants Identification Guide
- Purple Loosestrife Project
- IAGLR 2005
- Take Our Bookstore Survey
MI Sea Grant - New Publication Online - Trout Aquaculture
Michigan Sea Grant's Ron Kinnunen, Jeff Hinshaw of North
Carolina State University, and Gary Fornshell of the University
of Idaho, recently completed the following report, A Profile of
the Aquaculture of Trout in the United States, available online.
See: http://www.agecon.msstate.edu/Aquaculture/pubs/Trout_Profile.pdf
MI Sea Grant - Technical Reports - AIS
Horan, RD and F Lupi. Economic incentives for controlling trade-related
biological invasions in the Great Lakes. Agriculture and Resource
Economics Review (in press - May 2005)
Horan, RD and F Lupi. Tradeable risk permits to prevent future
introductions of invasive alien species in the Great Lakes. Ecological
Economics (in press - 2005).
MI Sea Grant - Technical Reports - Fish Waste Composting
The following report, authored by Ron Kinnunen, M. Charles Gould
of MSU Extension, and Peter Cambier of Northern Initiatives,
is now available online: Composting Commercial Fish Processing
Waste from Fish Caught in the Michigan Waters of the Great Lakes.
See: http://web2.msue.msu.edu/compost/17.pdf
WI Sea Grant - New "PODCASTING" Audio Service
From Earthwatch Radio
Audio files of Earthwatch Radio programs in mp3 format can now
be downloaded using the "podcasting" application of RSS
technology. For background on this application, see:
http://ewradio.org/description_podcast.aspx
To receive the Earthwatch Radio podcast, enter the following URL
into your podcast software:
http://ewradio.org/podcast/current/index.aspx
WI Sea Grant - Earthwatch Radio - http://ewradio.org
* Resentful Dependents -- Life in the suburbs can frustrate kids
just when they need to expand their horizons. (2/21/2005)
* Bird's Eye View -- Some birds can see light that's invisible
to humans, and they use it to recognize their own kind. (2/22/2005)
* Feminine Wheels -- Bicycling helped women get out of the home
and out of those Victorian dresses, too. (2/23/2005)
* Krill Conservation -- A marine biologist says we need to take
measures now to protect the shrimp-like creatures that live in
the waters around Antarctica. (2/24/2005)
* Chemical History and Herring Gull Eggs -- Canadian scientists
collect bird eggs from the wild every year as part of an ongoing
study of chemicals in the Great Lakes. (2/25/2005)
* Help for the Homeless -- At least a billion people live in shabby
housing or none at all. A non-profit group is restoring traditional
building techniques as a way to help. (2/28/2005)
* Runaway Glacier -- Warmer weather and melting ice can make glaciers
move more quickly to the sea, and a glacier in Greenland provides
a good example. (3/03/2005)
* Drama of the Deep -- Some of the biggest predators in the deep
ocean are large colonies of jellyfish. They sweep the water with
"a curtain of death" and disintegrate when anyone tries
to take their picture. (3/02/2005)
* Securing the Future -- Global security encompasses a growing
number of non-military issues, including the environment, according
to the Worldwatch Institute. (3/03/2005)
* Oil in the Rough -- Sand beneath western Canada holds about a
third of the world's oil reserves. (3/04/2005)
* Measuring Up -- A new worldwide index ranks countries by how
well they do on environmental matters, and it finds a correlation
with democratic forms of government. (3/07/2005)
* Snowball Earth -- The world was completely covered in ice and
snow 600 million years ago. Life exploded after the thaw. (3/08/2005)
* Windmills in Lake Michigan -- A study of renewable energy in
the United States finds a hot spot for wind power along the eastern
side of Lake Michigan. (3/09/2005)
* Sensitive Songs -- Tropical birds might get their heads messed
up by global warming, and that could interfere with their ability
to find mating partners. (3/10/2005)
* The Cost of Gold -- Tons of rock go into the making of a single
gold ring, and that can be hard on the environment. (3/11/2005)
* Digging up a Safer Route -- An international group tries to raise
money to clear a path for African elephants across an old war zone
where land mines remain a hazard. (3/14/2005)
* An Accelerating Problem -- A glacier in Greenland speeds up on
its journey to the sea, and it might be a sign of what could happen
to glaciers around the world as the Earth grows warmer. (3/15/2005)
* Sustainable Kitchen -- A new cookbook shows people how to give
their environmental concerns a place at the table. (3/16/2005)
* Hidden in Plain Sight -- An energy expert says we've grown accustomed
to the good life when it comes to oil, but the future might not
be so easy. (3/17/2005)
* Green Carrier of White Plague -- Researchers study a coral disease
called "the white plague" and find that a marine plant
is somehow involved. (3/18/2005)
8) Staff News
OH Sea Grant - John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship
Ohio State University's Gene Kim has been selected
as a John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellow for 2005. A Ph.D candidate
in Aquatic Ecotoxicology, Kim will work for the U.S. House of Representatives
Committee on Resources, Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation,
Wildlife, and Oceans starting February 1, 2005.
The fellowship, sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration's (NOAA) National Sea Grant College Program, matches
highly qualified graduate students with"hosts" in the
legislative branch, executive branch, or appropriate associations/
institutions in the Washington, D.C. area for a one-year paid fellowship.
Kim is the 17th fellowship winner from the Ohio Sea Grant College
Program.
NY Sea Grant - Students Wanted for Paid Internships on Lake
Ontario, Salmon River
Contact: Molly Thompson, NY Sea Grant, 315-312-3042, mat36@cornell.edu
New York Sea Grant is looking for college students to fill nine
paid environmental steward internship positions with its Eastern
Lake Ontario Dune Steward Program and the Salmon River Steward
Program. New York Sea Grant manages the programs in cooperation
with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. Stewards
will act as goodwill ambassadors promoting environmentally-sound
recreational use of New York's natural resources through public
education rather than enforcement, says program coordinator Molly
Thompson, dune and habitat education specialist with New York Sea
Grant, Oswego.
Five dune stewards will work from May 25 through approximately
August 24, covering sections of the 17-mile dune system along Eastern
Lake Ontario in Oswego and Jefferson counties. Four river stewards
will work three to six months beginning June 1 and will cover the
Salmon River from the upper reservoir near Redfield to Port Ontario.
Steward duties include interaction with site users, monitoring
of visitor usage or habitat, and site maintenance signage installation,
fencing, walkway repairs, and beach/shoreline cleanup as needed.
River stewards may assist state Fish, Wildlife and Forestry staff
and help at the Salmon River Hatchery Visitor Center in Altmar.
Desired skills include excellent interpersonal skills and the
ability to present information to diverse audiences, deal with
confrontational situations, and accurately collect and summarize
data. A minimum of two years of combined education and experience
in environmental education, natural resources management, biology,
environmental studies, or a related field is preferred. Familiarity
with the Lake Ontario and Salmon River/Tug Hill habitats and wildlife
is a plus. Must have a valid drivers license and be willing to
be on one's feet all day. Dune stewards will walk up to eight
miles per day in soft sand. River stewards may operate a small
motorboat, canoe and pickup truck. Uniforms will be provided. Stewards
are required to work weekends and holidays, and will submit daily
reports of area activity. Dune stewards will supervise volunteer
assistants; river stewards will not. Dune stewards will be paid
$7/hour for 30 hours a week. River stewards will earn $8-
9/hour depending on education level. Graduate students are encouraged
to apply and to use the river steward internship as a research
opportunity. Positions will remain open until filled.
Those interested in applying for the steward positions should
send a cover letter and resume to Molly Thompson, New York Sea
Grant, 62B Mackin Hall, SUNY Oswego, Oswego, NY 13126, email: mat36@cornell.edu or
fax 315-312-2954.
|
|
February
2005
Contents
1) PA Sea Grant - PA Moves Forward on Sea Grant Status
2) Events
- OH Sea Grant - 24th Annual Ohio Charter Captains Conference
- OH Sea Grant - 7th Annual Winter Program
- Ohio Sea Grant - Lake Erie and Great Lakes Education During The
Cleveland Mid-American Boat Show
- ANS HACCP Training
- MI Sea Grant - Michigan Fish Producers Association Annual Conference
- NY Sea Grant -"Great Lakes Underwater" Features Shipwreck
Explorers From Around the Inland Seas
3) News
- MI Sea Grant - More Than 200 Michigan Lakes Now Infested With
Zebra Mussels
- NY Sea Grant - Educating River Residents Re Potential for Invasive
Species New to Northeast
- IL-IN Sea Grant -"Fish School" Informs Families of
Health Risks and Benefits
- MI Sea Grant - DTE Energy Foundation Awards $265,000 to Northwestern
Michigan College
4) Publications
- OH Sea Grant - Economic Study
- WI Sea Grant - Earthwatch Radio
5) Staff News
- OH Sea Grant/Stone Lab - Education, Outreach, and Development
Challenge is Met
- OH Sea Grant - Stone Lab Review
- IL-IN Sea Grant - Great Lakes Ecosystem Extension Specialist
- IL-IN Sea Grant - Great Lakes Sediment Extension Specialist
____________________________________________________________________________________________
1) PA Sea Grant - PA Moves Forward on Sea Grant Status
Excerpt from Press Release
Pennsylvania is half way in its progress to attain full college
status within the National Sea Grant College Program. Beginning
in March 1998 as a"project," Pennsylvania Sea Grant
has now advanced to"coherent area program" status. The
program is now working to achieve the last step prior to formal
designation as a Sea Grant College. Now that Pennsylvania Sea Grant
has the designation as a Coherent Area Program, assuming satisfactory
performance, it is assured of continuing financial resources and
expanded programmatic and geographic responsibilities. Pennsylvania
Sea Grant serves two coastal watersheds, Lake Erie and the Delaware
Estuary, and works to increase public awareness of and develop
solutions for coastal-related environmental and economic issues.
2) Events
OH Sea Grant - 24th Annual Ohio Charter Captains Conference
The 2005 Ohio Charter Captains conference will be held March 5,
2005 at the I.A.B. Club in Sandusky, Ohio. Speakers from agencies
and the private sector will discuss topics on Lake Erie fish stocks,environmental
concerns, business management, state and federal regulations, marine
equipment and advanced fishing methods. Over 200 licensed captains
typically attend this annual conference. For more information contact
Fred Snyder.
OH Sea Grant - 7th Annual Winter Program
Ohio Sea Grant and the Friends of Stone Laboratory will host their
7th Annual Winter Program on 23 February from 7:00-9:00 PM at
the Fawcett Center for Tomorrow on the Ohio State Campus in Columbus.
The program will include a discussion of the history of Gibraltar
Island and Cooke Castle and a silent auction.
Ohio Sea Grant - Lake Erie and Great Lakes Education During
The Cleveland Mid-American Boat Show
The Ohio Sea Grant College Program again maintained an educational
exhibit during the 10 day Cleveland Mid-American Boat Show at the
International Exposition (I-X) Center. Claimed to be the largest
indoor boat show in the nation, the event ran January 14-23. Sea
Grant Extension faculty were present at the display each day to
answer questions regarding Lake Erie and the Great Lakes. 2005
marked the 25th year of Boat Show participation by Ohio Sea Grant.
This year's Sea Grant Extension display highlighted sport angling
awareness, aquatic invasive species, and the Ohio Clean Boater
and Clean Marina Programs. A new addition to the display consisted
of a 70 gallon aquarium complete with native Lake Erie fish species
and invasive zebra mussels, quagga mussels and round goby. Boaters
were able to take the Clean Boater Pledge at the exhibit, and participants
were challenged to name both the live aquatic species in the aquarium,
and the AIS images on the display. Sea Grant also presented daily
seminars on the current Lake Erie Fish Consumption Advisory.
ANS HACCP Training
Jeff Gunderson (MN Sea Grant), Phil Moy (WI Sea Grant), and Ron
Kinnunen (MI) conducted AIS-HACCP Training Workshops at the Keweenaw
Bay, Red Cliff, and Lac Courte Orellies Ojibwa tribal communities.
Natural resource managers from the various tribes, MI and WI
DNR, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife and Forest Services participated
in these workshops. PA Sea Grant has ANS HACCP Training Workshops
scheduled for March 29, 2005 1-5 p.m. and March 30, 2005 8 a.m. - 12
p.m. at the Northeast Fishery Center of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (308 Washington Avenue, Lamar, PA).
MI Sea Grant - Michigan Fish Producers Association Annual
Conference
This conference consisted of a morning session on the Status of
Lake Whitefish Populations and an afternoon session on Issues of
Importance to the Great Lakes Commercial Fishing Industry. At the
afternoon session Ron Kinnunen made a presentation on overwinter
mortality of juvenile lake herring and Chuck Pistis gave an update
on aquatic invasive species. Other speakers at this event included
representatives from CORA, USGS, GLERL, and USDA-APHIS.
NY Sea Grant -"Great Lakes Underwater" Features
Shipwreck Explorers From Around the Inland Seas
Excerpt from Press Release
Shipwreck explorers will share their tales of adventure with the
public at Great Lakes Underwater 2005, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday,
March 5 in Lanigan Hall on the SUNY Oswego campus. Sign-in begins
at 8:30 a.m.
Great Lakes Underwater brings to central New York many of the
foremost researchers and adventurers in Great Lakes shipwreck diving
and exploration. The annual shipwreck and diving symposium is hosted
by the Oswego Maritime Foundation (OMF) and New York Sea Grant.
Feature presentations include the recent discovery of two shipwrecks
in Lake Ontario by Jim Kennard and Dan Scoville of StealthDive
in Rochester. The team found the wrecks of the tall ship Etta Belle
and a US Coast Guard Vessel and are in the process of surveying
and documenting the sites. Built in 1852 in Canada and originally
named Champion, the Etta Belle was 93 feet long. The oak-hulled
schooner, Etta Belle, foundered suddenly during calm weather on
September 3, 1873. The ship was on route from Little Sodus to Toronto,
Canada, and was loaded with a full cargo of coal. Kennard and Scoville
discovered the Etta Belle in approximately 200 feet of water. Kennard
and Scoville also discovered a 56-foot Coast Guard cable vessel,
which was on route from Oswego to Niagara in 1977 when it was overcome
by high waves and wind.
Other presentations include underwater photographer Tom Wilson;
Shipwreck Preserves of Lake Superior and Lake Michigan by John
Karl of Wisconsin Sea Grant; Lake Erie Shipwrecks by Dave Kelch
of Ohio Sea Grant; and update on the Pennsylvania Underwater Preserve
Project by Anne Danielski of Pennsylvania Sea Grant; Diving The
Seaway Trail by Dave White of New York Sea Grant; and the Lake
Ontario Dive Site Steward Project by Phil Church, Oswego Maritime
Foundation.
Pre-registration is required before March 1, 2004. Registration
is $20 ($15 student) and includes presentations, buffet lunch and
refreshments. To register, contact Sea Grant at 315-312-3042 or slm22@cornell.edu.
Make checks payable to Cornell University and mail to New York
Sea Grant, SUNY Oswego, Oswego, NY 13126. MasterCard and VISA credit
cards are also accepted. For directions and more information, contact
Sea Grant, or see the Great Lakes Underwater! 2005 web site at:
http://www.oswegomaritime.org.
3) News
MI Sea Grant - More Than 200 Michigan Lakes Now Infested
With Zebra Mussels
Excerpt from press release
The count of Michigan's inland lakes infested with zebra mussels
grew to more than 200 last year. In 2004, infestations were confirmed
in twelve more lakes, bringing the total to 204, according to Michigan
Sea Grant. Last year, the striped mollusks were found for the first
time in the following lakes: Marion (Charlevoix County), Spider
(Grand Traverse County), Long (Hillsdale County), Indian (Kalamazoo
County), Runyan (Livingston County), Gunn (Mason County), Corey,
Fisher, Palmer, Sturgeon and Wahbememe (St. Joseph County), and
Tamarack (Washtenaw County). Zebra mussels have now been found
in 47 of Michigan's 83 counties. All of the 2004 reports came
from lakefront property owners and resource managers who found
adult colonies of the mussels clinging to surfaces such as boats,
docks, rocks, dams and water pumps. Reports from citizens become
part of the Zebra Mussel Infestation Monitoring Program maintained
by Michigan Sea Grant on the web at http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/ais/lakes.html.
Zebra mussels have been associated with a wide range of changes
to inland lake ecosystems. Sea Grant research led by Orlando Sarnelle
of Michigan State University showed that lakes colonized by zebra
mussels have, on average, three times higher levels of a species
of blue-green algae known as Microcystis. Those same lakes also
have about three times greater levels of microcystins, a toxin
produced by the algae that has been associated with animal deaths
and is believed to cause liver damage in humans. Mike Klepinger,
Michigan Sea Grant Extension specialist, encouraged citizens to
look for zebra mussels whenever they go to an inland lake."If
you find what you think is a zebra mussel in a lake or stream not
already on the list of infected lakes (see the web site), note
the date and precise location where you found it; take the mussel
(several if possible) and store in rubbing alcohol, then immediately
call Michigan Sea Grant Extension."
NY Sea Grant - Educating River Residents Re Potential for
Invasive Species New to Northeast
Excerpt from Press Release
With the discovery of a single invasive Chinese mitten crab in
the St. Lawrence River near Quebec City last fall, New York Sea
Grant scientists are undertaking an effort to educate River area
residents about the species and enlist their support in watching
for advance of the crabs into New York waters. New York Sea Grant
Coastal Resources Specialist and Acting Great Lakes Program Coordinator
Chuck O?Neill stresses that the discovery of a single individual
Chinese mitten crab does not signal that a successful invasion
is underway."Other nonindigenous marine species have been
found in the river -- including a juvenile octopus found in the
upper reaches of the river a year ago, along with the occasional
flounder in the Great Lakes -- without being able to successfully
establish self-sustaining populations. The discovery does, however,
serve as a wake-up call that we all need to be extra vigilant to
prevent and detect the introduction of all aquatic invasive species," says
O?Neill, an invasive species specialist. O?Neill is also founder
of the National Aquatic Nuisance Species Clearinghouse, and a member
of the national Invasive Species Advisory Committee and federal
Aquatic NuisanceSpecies Chinese Mitten Crab Task Force. The Chinese
mitten crabs? life cycle requires time spent in both freshwater
and saltwater, O?Neill explains. The lower St. Lawrence River estuary
provides an ideal setting for the crab to quickly establish a large
population.
The species, which spreads naturally by water, and occasionally
over land for short distances, can also be transported in ships'
ballast water. The crab originated in China and spread to Europe
before being reported in San Francisco Bay in the early 1990s.
Although the Chinese mitten crab, so named for dense patches of
hair on some of its claws, has been found periodically in the Great
Lakes since 1965, the species has apparently not taken up residence
there. New York Sea Grant Fisheries Specialist David MacNeill says,"Largely
because of their scavenging nature, the crabs may threaten the
recreational and commercial fishing industry in estuaries by robbing
bait off fish hooks and fish traps, damaging fish nets, and injuring
netted fish. The crabs, which have a two- to five-year life span,
compete with fish and invertebrates for food." The crabs reproduce
rapidly and burrow into riverbanks, causing the potential for erosion
problems, and they can easily clog fishing gear and water intakes.
The crabs biaccumulate heavy metals, such as mercury and lead which
can be passed along to potential predators, causing burdens of
these contaminants to increase up the food web, MacNeill says.
Anglers and commercial fisherman can help prevent the spread of
nuisance species by following the tips suggested in the New York
Sea Grant Fact Sheet on the Fishhook Waterflea. The fact sheet
is available by calling New York Sea Grant's Oswego office at 315-312-3042.
Information on the Chinese mitten crab is found online at http://www.aquaticinvaders.org,
by calling New York Sea Grant's Brockport office at 585-395-2516,
and by emailing Aquatic Invaders Editor, Diane Oleson, at djo5@cornell.edu.
Contact: Chuck O'Neill, Acting Great Lakes Program Coordinator,
585-395-2638; David MacNeill, Fisheries Specialist, 315-312-3042.
IL-IN Sea Grant -"Fish School" Informs Families
of Health Risks and Benefits
Excerpt from Press Release
A new education program, Fish School: Taking Stock of Risks and
Benefits, will involve scientists, nutritional experts, extension
educators, teachers and students who will reach out to southern
Lake Michigan communities at school fairs and local festivals to
raise awareness about the risks, as well as the benefits of eating
fish in those who need it the most--women in their child-bearing
years and families who fish for their food."The Calumet River
is one of the most polluted rivers in the country, yet many immigrants
regularly fish along its banks as they did in their countries of
origin," said Diana Dummit, Illinois Science Teachers Association's
former executive director who now is the associate director of
development in the University of Illinois, College of Medicine."Even
those who don't fish can be at risk," said Leslie Dorworth,
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant water quality specialist."Due
to limited resources, some people rely on canned tuna to provide
a significant portion of their diet. On the other hand, others
believe that lakes and rivers are unclean and simply stop eating
fish. But fish are an important part of a healthy diet."
To help strike a balance, the Illinois Science Teachers Association
and Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) are working together with
other agencies and universities to foster creative ways for people
to learn from each other."Brochures can have all the right
information, but the reality may not sink in," said Dummitt.
With funding from U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office,
Fish School begins on May 21 with a one-day workshop for 20 middle
and high school science, health, and food and nutrition teachers
in the region to learn the latest research data about fish consumption
concerns directly from scientists and to work with University of
Illinois Extension educators to develop teaching programs and plan
health expos. Teachers interested in participating in this workshop
can find more information on the IISG Web site at:
http://www.iisgcp.org/edk-12/FishSchool/index.htm.
These teachers will return to their classrooms to inspire students
to inform their families, their schools, and their communities
about the risks and benefits of eating fish."Students will
design posters, exhibits or other creative projects that will be
on display at Fiesta Del Sol, the Wolf Lake Wetlands, Wind, and
Water Festival and other community events," said Robin Goettel,
IISG education specialist."Students are our future consumers
and decision-makers. It's important that they know how to
eat fish wisely,"
added Goettel."They also provide a unique way to connect
with their communities by providing new information on benefits
and risks."
IISG and Extension will also use more traditional means to reach
out to underserved populations with this critical information.
They are developing workshops to explain the latest fish consumption
advisory information directly to local families. The workshops
will also be available in Spanish, Polish and Chinese.
Much of the information presented in this outreach program as well
as in the Fish School effort is derived from the brochure, Contaminants
in Fish and Seafood: A Guide to Safe Consumption, available in
two versions, with guidelines specific to Illinois and Indiana.
For a copy, contact Susan White at (217) 333-9441 or email white2@uiuc.edu.
MI Sea Grant - DTE Energy Foundation Awards $265,000 to
Northwestern Michigan College
Excerpt from Press Release
The DTE Energy Foundation announced it awarded a five-year $265,000
grant to Northwestern Michigan College to establish the DTE Energy
Freshwater Institute for Teachers, an innovative summer program
that will enrich K-12 science education for students throughout
the state. The program will be offered through the College's
Great Lakes Water Studies Institute. The program will bring together
teachers, student volunteers and community organizations for workshops
each summer. They will participate in a variety of field experiences
and hands-on activities to gain a deeper understanding of Michigan's
water resources. Teachers will explore ways to use freshwater studies
to improve student comprehension, application of scientific concepts
and inquiry-based learning. They also will develop strategies for
forging partnerships with community organizations to involve students
in local water issues. Two four-day workshops will be offered this
summer in Traverse City and Petoskey. Plans call for the Institute
to expand in 2006 to locations throughout Michigan, in conjunction
with other colleges and universities. Applications for the 2005
DTE Energy Freshwater Institute will be mailed to teachers in March.
In addition to the DTE Energy Freshwater Institute, the grant
will support a resource center for students, educators, and educational
and water-resource organizations seeking information and project
materials on freshwater. The grant also will help fund the Great
Lakes Coastal Observing System for waters in the Grand Traverse
region. The system will use new technologies to provide real-time
information on wind, water chemistry, water temperature, currents
and other factors. The system will be the region's first and
will provide web-based data to students, teachers, sailors, and
sport and tribal fishermen. It will be used for long-term studies
by scientists and the National Weather Service. The system will
be made possible by a partnership of the DTE Energy Foundation,
Northwestern Michigan College, the Michigan Sea Grant, the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the University of Michigan
and other organizations.
4) Publications
OH Sea Grant - Economic Study
Blaine, T.W. and F.R. Lichtkoppler. 2004 "Willingness to pay
for green space preservation: A comparison of Soil and Water Conservation
District clientele and the general public using the contingent
valuation method. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation. 59 (5)
203-208.
WI Sea Grant - Earthwatch Radio - http://ewradio.org
- The Present Ice Age -- The world is warming up, yet we're
stuck in an ice age. An earth scientist explains. (1/24/2005)
- The Washington Elm -- George Washington gathered his troops
under a big elm tree in Cambridge, Massachusetts, according to
legend, and the tree became famous. The fact that it didn't really
happen is beside the point, according to the author of a book
about landmarks. (1/25/2005)
- Perfect Storm of Stress -- The lobsters of Long Island Sound
are important to the local economy. Thousands of these crustaceans
died in 1999, and their numbers have not yet recovered. (1/26/2005)
- Modeling Future Forests -- Forestry experts and computer programmers
work together to create digital mosaics of the forests of the
future. (1/27/2005)
- Crushing Insects -- Changes to ecosystems can have large impacts
on small creatures, and the repercussions can reach far and wide.
(1/28/2005)
- Poisoned Eggs -- Canadian wildlife experts find that flame-retardant
chemicals are showing up at higher levels in the eggs of some
Great Lakes birds. (1/31/2005)
- Citrus Chill -- Farmers in Florida tried to protect their orange
trees from cold weather by moving their groves further and further
south. They changed the landscape and might have brought cold
weather with them. (2/1/2005)
- Snake Sociology -- Rattlesnakes might have more of a social
life than people have ever imagined. (2/3/2005)
- Poor Man's Horse -- The development of the bicycle brought
mobility to people at all levels of society. (2/3/2005)
- Sea Level Matters, For Shore -- Changes in sea level can have
dramatic changes to ocean shorelines, and those changes can come
more quickly than people might expect. (2/4/2005)
- Overweight by Design -- Suburbs aren't the only thing spreading
out. So are our waistlines, and a doctor sees a connection. (2/7/2005)
- Fearless Felines -- Mountain lions seem to be losing their
fear of people around Colorado communities. (2/8/2005)
- Shark Tales -- Some people say eating cartilage from sharks
can help cure cancer. A marine scientist says that's not true.
(2/9/2005)
- Melting Ice and Lost Meals -- A big chunk of Antarctica appears
to be getting warmer. As ice on the ocean disappears, it could
radically alter the food supplies that polar animals need. (2/10/2005)
- Leading Edge -- Europe has had a strong and steady relationship
with the bicycle. In America, it's been boom and bust. (2/11/2005)
- So Long to Soil -- A geologist says people cause more soil
erosion than all natural processes combined. (2/14/2005)
- Rattlesnake Press Relations -- An ecologist says we should
show more appreciation for rattlesnakes. (2/15/2005)
- Building without Borders -- A non-profit group revives traditional
building techniques in countries where the old ways are being
forgotten. (2/16/2005)
- Familiarity Breeds Conflict -- Deer, bears and other wild animals
are commonly seen in suburban areas. That can mean trouble. (2/17/2005)
- Bugs on the Move -- Warmer winters and international travel
are bringing a wider variety of insects to the Upper Midwest.
(2/18/2005)
5) Staff News
OH Sea Grant/Stone Lab - Education, Outreach, and Development
Challenge is Met
The Friends of Stone Laboratory met their goal of raising $25,000
for the Dunlap Endowment for our Education, Outreach and Development
efforts at Stone Laboratory with a final gift of $10,000 from the
Leigh Perkins Charitable Lead Trust. These funds will be matched
by $50,000 from the Kellogg Foundation and the Columbus Foundation.
OH Sea Grant - Stone Lab Review
Some 1,875 elementary, junior and senior high and college students
and adults were introduced to Lake Erie's ecosystem through Stone
Laboratory's Aquatic Science Workshop Program, April-June, 2004.
Activities include a hands-on limnological cruise, plankton and
fish identification lab sessions, an invertebrate walk for biological
indicators, bird hikes, insect lab sessions and an exotic species
(AIS) slide show. Another nearly 5,400 visitors at Stone Laboratory
received the latest news on Lake Erie's "dead zone" and
changing ecosystem, aquatic invasive species, fishery updates,
a program overview, island history and tours of Gibraltar Island's
geological highlights such as caves, arches, glacial grooves
and erratic deposits.
IL-IN Sea Grant - Great Lakes Ecosystem Extension Specialist
Beth Hinchey Malloy is the program's new Great Lakes Ecosystem
Extension Specialist, working in the U.S. EPA Great Lakes National
Program Office (GLNPO). She will be working on Great Lakes issues
that include ecosystem monitoring, wetland habitats, sediment
removal, pollution prevention, and mass balance issues relating
to policy. Beth was formerly a research ecologist and post-doctoral
fellow at the U.S. EPA Atlantic Ecology Division in Narragansett,
RI. She has an M.S. and Ph.D. in Marine Science from the College
of William & Mary, Virginia Institute of Marine Science,
and a B.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of Notre
Dame. Her research interests include organism-sediment interactions,
fish and shellfish-habitat relationships, and sediment geochemistry.
IL-IN Sea Grant - Great Lakes Sediment Extension Specialist
Dr. Susan E. Boehme is the program's new Great Lakes Sediment Extension
Specialist with the Great Lakes Legacy Program at U.S. EPA-GLNPO.
Susan will be working with communities and EPA staff around the
Great Lakes region to remove contaminated sediments from various
water bodies in an effort to improve environmental and human
health. She received her undergraduate degree in Geology from
the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her Masters and Ph.D.
in Chemical Oceanography from North Carolina State University.
Her graduate research focused on the biologically-mediated chemical
transformations occurring in coastal marine sediments. During
her postdoctoral work at Rutgers University (New Brunswick, NJ)
and at the Max-Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology (Bremen,
Germany) she continued her investigations of sediment chemistry
in shallow to deep sediments globally. Her work also included
studies of sea surface-atmospheric exchange of CO2, water column
distributions of nutrients and chemical constituents, and development
of new instrumentation for in-situ measurements. Throughout her
studies and postdoctoral work she taught classes and gave presentations
locally and at national and international meetings. Susan's
desire to bring a scientific perspective to public policy led
her to the New York Academy of Sciences where she became the
Director of the New York/New Jersey Harbor Project. |
|
January
2005
Contents
1) Publications
- MN Sea Grant - New Reprints - Ruffe, Picoplankton
- NY Sea Grant - New Reprints - sea lamprey, cyanobacteria, alewife
- MI Sea Grant - Upwellings Dec 2004
- MN Sea Grant - Seiche Dec. 2004
- NY Sea Grant - Coastlines - Fall 2004
- PA Sea Grant - Keystone Shorelines - Fall 2004
- MI Sea Grant - New Extension Publication - Fish composting
- NY Sea Grant - Outreach Publications - AIS, marshes, boating
economics
2) Staff News
- PA Sea Grant - New Home for Sea Grant's Delaware Estuary Office
- MI Sea Grant - Senior Graphic Artist
- PA Sea Grant - Sarah Whitney Delaware Estuary Coastal Outreach
Specialist
- MI Sea Grant - John Hannah Award Presented for Detroit River
Activities
_____________________________________
1) Publications
MN Sea Grant - New Reprints - Ruffe, Picoplankton
Order at http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/pubs/jrorder.html
- Keough, B., Schmidt, T., and Hicks, R. (2003) Archael Acids
in Picoplankton from Great Lakes on Three Continents. Microbial
Ecology 46: 238-248. (JR 486)
- Sorensen, P., Murphy, C., Loomis, K., Maniak, P., and Thomas,
P. (2004) Evidence that 4-pregnen-17,20?,21-triol-3-one functions
as a maturation-inducing hormone and pheromonal precurson in
the percid fish, Gymnocephalus cernuus. General and Comparative
Endocrinology 139:1-11, (JR 496)
NY Sea Grant - New Reprints - sea lamprey, cyanobacteria,
alewife
Order at 631-632-9124
- Effects of background concentrations of Aureococcus anophagefferens
(brown tide) on growth and feeding in the bivalve Mercenaria
mercenaria. D.I. Greenfield, D.J. Lonsdale, R.M. Cerrato and
G.R. Lopez. 2004. Marine Ecology Progress Series 274:171-181.
- Mitochondrial DNA analysis indicates sea lampreys are indigenous
to Lake Ontario. J.R. Waldman, C. Grunwald, N.K. Roy and I. Wirgin.
2004. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 133:950-960.
- The occurrence of cyanobacterial toxins in Lake Champlain.
G.L. Boyer, M.C. Watzin, A.D. Shambaugh, M.F. Satchwell, et al.
2004. Lake Champlain: Partnerships & Research in the New
Millennium 241-257.
- Importance of Lake Ontario embayment and nearshore habitats
as nurseries for larval fishes with emphasis on alewife (Alosa
pseudoharengus). R.A. Klumb, L.G. Rudstam, E.L. Mills, C.P. Schneider
and P.M. Sawyko. 2003. Journal of Great Lakes Research 29(1):
181-198.
MI Sea Grant - Upwellings Dec 2004 - http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/pubs/up/
- Strategic Plan Highlights Sustainable Coasts
- New Great Lakes Research Projects
- Genetic Pollution: Coastal Beaches as Environmental Reservoirs
of Virulence and Antibiotic Resistance Genes
- Evaluating Harvest Policies for Yellow Perch in Lake Michigan
- Guiding Shoreline Restoration: Fish Habitat Choices Based
on Flow Signatures
- Ecosystem Mosaics and the Lake Michigan "Doughnut":
Modeling Pattern and Process Using Remotely Sensed Imagery
- Fellowship Opportunities for Grad Students
- Great Lakes Bowl for High School Students
MN Sea Grant - Seiche Dec. 2004 - http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/seiche/index.html
- Harbor Corrosion: It's the Pits -The rapid aging of steel
in the Duluth Superior Harbor puzzles even corrosion experts.
Five specialists offer observations and advice to port officials,
university and agency staff, and Sea Grant.
- Luring Ruffe with Smell - Female ruffe approaching ovulation
release a pheromone in their urine that attracts males. Researchers
believe this discovery could be applied to control this invasive
fish.
- The Case of the Watery Grave - Each July a blanket of dying
algae forms 30 meters below the surface of Lake Superior. Find
out why in this book excerpt.
- Sea Grant Staff (and Products) Trot Globe - International conference-goers
in Ireland got a dose of Habitattitude. Meanwhile, in Japan,
city officials and symposium guests heard our latest reports
on how community planning affects water quality.
- Sea Grant Law Center Offers Free Help with Coastal Law Issues
- Get answers for legal and legislative questions concerning
Sea Grant-related topics.
- Watch for Nets! - Know how to identify and avoid commercial
fishing nets in Minnesota's Lake Superior through this new brochure.
NY Sea Grant - Coastlines - Fall 2004 -
http://www.seagrant.sunysb.edu/Pages/Coastlines/fall04.pdf
- Big Fish, Little Fish (fish stocking and food webs)
- New York Boaters Spent $2.4 Billion in 2003
- Alewife: Unlocking unknowns of a key species
- Ted Bestor: Report from Sushi Central
- Sea Lampreys: Lake Ontario'snative son?
- CurrentsCelebrating NY's Estuaries
- Estuary LIVE in the Peconics
- Angler"Talks Up"Great Lakes Fishing
- The Clearinghouse Goes Emerald
PA Sea Grant - Keystone Shorelines - Fall 2004 -
http://www.pserie.psu.edu/seagrant/communication/news/fall04.html
- West Branch of Cascade Creek to be Restored
- Round Goby Research on Web
- Alien Alert! Invasive Water Chestnut and Northern Snakehead
found in Delaware Estuary
- Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials (NEMO) Visits Edinboro
- STEAR (Shipwreck, Training, Education, Archaeology, Research)
Along on an Underwater Adventure!
- BCMS Brightens the Bayfront Sea Grant Partner Has New Home
- Lake Erie-Allegheny Earth Force Receives Two Awards
- Free "Presque Isle Bay: Area of Recovery" Educational
Inserts Available
WI Sea Grant - Earthwatch Radio - http://ewradio.org
- Time-Lapse Extinctions -- A paleontologist says the extinction
of large mammals after the last ice age was the product of human
activity and global climate change. He says something similar
might be happening now.(1/17/2005)
- People, Protein and Poaching -- People need protein as part
of their diets. New sources of cheap protein in West Africa would
mitigate serious problems with over-fishing and over-hunting.
(1/18/2005)
- Nuclear Divide -- Some countries are heavily dependent on nuclear
reactors to produce electric power. Their reasons vary. (1/19/2005)
- Nature, Religion and Democracy -- The naturalist John Muir
found no conflict between religion and democracy, and he saw
them both represented in nature. (1/20/2005)
- Tree Hopscotch -- A researcher tries to understand how forests
will change and how some tree species might move across the landscape
in a warmer, wetter world. (1/21/2005)
- Center of the World -- Most of us connect with landmarks that
make us feel at home. But those landmarks don't last forever.
(1/10/2005)
- Compromising Nature -- John Muir fought hard for wild and spectacular
places like Yosemite. But the famous naturalist might have been
compromised by a taste for the good life, according to a historian.(1/11/2005)
- The Snow Goes On -- Winter weather that bounces above and below
freezing can freeze the ground so hard that it causes flooding
and erosion in the spring. (1/12/2005)
- Aid for Amphibians -- An aggressive campaign to create wildlife
reserves and promote captive breeding might be needed to save
many amphibian species from extinction. (1/13/2005)
- Catching Bugs -- An ecology researcher takes an inventive approach
to studying insects in rotting logs, and he finds a surprising
number of subjects. (1/14/2005)
- More Carbs and Better Relationships -- Some desert plants use
ants as bodyguards, and they do it by overloading the ants with
carbohydrates. (1/3/2005)
- Problems with Fish and Game -- The problems of wildlife conservation
on land are linked to conservation at sea. A scientist reports
a link between overfishing and over-hunting in West Africa. (1/4/2005)
- Frozen Earth -- Ice ages have been an important part of Earth's
past, and they're likely to shape the planet in the future, too.
(1/5/2005)
- Survival at Sea -- A new book tells the story of the colorful
life and tragic end of a tall ship off the coast of New Zealand.
(1/6/2005)
- Endangered Killers -- The killer whales of Puget Sound appear
to be in trouble. The state of Washington listed them as an endangered
species last year; and the federal government might do the same
in 2005. (1/7/2005)
- Forces of Nature -- A new book steers kids toward careers in
science by emphasizing its adventurous side. (12/27/2004)
- Time for an Update? -- The Clean Air Act has not kept up with
the changing nature of air pollution, according to the author
of a new book. (12/28/2004)
- Rush Hour on the River -- Scientists study the fish of the
Upper Mississippi River to see how they're affected by all the
barges and towboats that use it. (12/29/2004)
- Siberian Smoke in Seattle -- A plume of smoke from a forest
fire reached all the way from Siberia to the Pacific Northwest
and created problems with smog in Seattle. (12/30/2004)
- Birds in Verse -- An award-winning author of children's books
shares her family's love of birds in a new book of poems. (12/31/2004)
- Climate Change and Scientific Certainty -- Politicians still
debate the cause and extent of global warming, but climate scientists
have come to a consensus. (12/20/2004)
- Two Earthquakes, Two Outcomes -- Recent earthquakes in Japan
and Iran offer lessons about preparedness and economics. (12/21/2004)
- Blackout Bonus -- A huge power blackout in 2003 helped shed
some light on air quality problems in the United States and Canada.
(12/22/2004)
- Killer Grandmas -- Killer whales seem to have a social structure
that makes special use of grandmothers. (12/23/2004)
- Winter Wonderlab -- The infinite variety of snowflake shapes
has captured the attention of scientists for centuries. (12/24/2004)
MI Sea Grant - New Extension Publication - Fish composting
NY Sea Grant - Outreach Publications - AIS, marshes, boating
economics
- Biological Pollution of the Great Lakes: The Nonindigenous
Aquatic Species Issue. C.R. O'Neill, Jr. 2004. Fact Sheet.
- Proceedings: Jamaica Bay's Disappearing Marshes. National
Park Service, B. A. Branca, editor. 2004.
- Guidelines for Reducing the Spread of"Fishhook waterfleas"
(Cercopagis pengoi). D. MacNeill, M. Snyder, K. Schulz, J. Makarewicz
and D.R. Baker. 2004. Fact Sheet.
- Recreational Boating Expenditures in 2003 in New York State
and Their Economic Impacts. N.A. Connelly, T.L. Brown and D.L.
Kay. 2004. Survey.
2) Staff News
PA Sea Grant - New Home for Sea Grant's Delaware Estuary
Office
The Delaware Estuary office has a new home 15 miles "downstream"
from our previous West Philadelphia location. The relocation to
the University Technology Park in historic Chester City moves the
office closer to the Delaware River waterfront and to coastal revitalization
initiatives like the Wharf at Rivertown. University Technology
Park is itself a redevelopment joint venture between Widener University
and the Crozer-Keystone Health System designed to transform a brownfield
into a modern business and research center. The office's new phone
number is 215-806-0894.
MI Sea Grant - Senior Graphic Artist
Artist and graphic designer Todd Marsee recently joined the Michigan
Sea Grant staff. Marsee will be responsible for designing print
publications and maintaining the Michigan Sea Grant Web site.
Marsee holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from Eastern Michigan
University. He recently served as a graphic designer for Foursight
Creative Group in Plymouth, Michigan where he designed brochures,
logos, and other print materials. He also taught courses in print
and Web design at Siena Heights University in Adrian, Michigan
and maintained a departmental Web site. "We are very pleased
to have Todd join Michigan Sea Grant," said Communications
Director Elizabeth LaPorte."He brings excellent design,
illustration and photography skills, as well as project management
experience to the position."
Marsee will be based in Michigan Sea Grant's office at the University
of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment. He may
be contacted at marsee@umich.edu or
(734) 764-2421.
PA Sea Grant - Sarah Whitney Delaware Estuary Coastal Outreach
Specialist
In August, Sarah Whitney joined the Pennsylvania Sea Grant's Delaware
Estuary office as the new Delaware Estuary Coastal Outreach Specialist,
doubling the number of staff working on Delaware Estuary issues.
She will work most closely on projects involving aquatic invasive
species, marina and boater pollution prevention education, and
state water planning efforts in the Delaware basin. Sarah has a
B.S. in Biology from Bates College and a master's degree from the
Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. She previously
was employed by the Great Lakes Commission as a project manager
in the resource management program, working on watershed management
issues and providing support to the Great Lakes Panel on Aquatic
Nuisance Species. Sarah's position is supported by the Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and its affiliated
Coastal Zone Management Program.
MI Sea Grant - John Hannah Award Presented for Detroit River
Activities
The Michigan Council of Extension Associations presented the prestigious
John A. Hannah Award for Program Excellence to Sea Grant Extension
staff and Michigan State University (MSU) Extension staff involved
in the Greater Detroit American Heritage River Initiative. The
award recognizes superior programs that are developed and carried
out by MSU Extension professionals appointed by the MSU Board of
Trustees. In 1997, Michigan Sea Grant Extension agent Mark Breederland
and Extension colleagues Morse Brown and Lillian Randolph collaborated
with highly diverse stakeholders - including businesses, industries,
local governments, environmental organizations, conservation groups,
churches, academics, labor unions and other groups such as Metropolitan
Affairs Coalition - to nominate the Detroit River as an American
Heritage River. The Detroit River was designated as one of 14 American
Heritage Rivers in July 1998, thus receiving federal assistance
in its efforts to obtain resources for natural resource and environmental
protection, economic revitalization, and historic and cultural
preservation. Breederland then chaired the initiative's steering
committee to implement priority projects such as expanding soft
engineering along shorelines, developing waterfront greenways,
establishing an international wildlife refuge, restoring an historic
building on Belle Isle, and remediating brownfield sites. The initiative
helped leverage more than $40 million in federal grants, as well
as considerable private sector investments. Breederland and Extension
colleagues including Barry Murray, who worked on the initiative
as part of his private sector employment, and David Sanders from
the Metropolitan Affairs Coalition accepted the award in October
2004.
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