July 7th, 2015 by iisg_superadmin
When Anna Barnes and David Riecks originally installed their rain garden in 2010 they knew it might take a little work, but they were in for more than they thought. Ranging from the uncontrollable to the unavoidable they had their fair share of trouble. But it was nothing they couldn’t handle.
The couple took the opportunity to build their rain garden when the City of Champaign was putting in new sewer drainage and a driveway for their neighbor. Along with their neighbor, they decided to build their garden in the lawn space along the side of the road, as the city was going to dig up the whole area.
The garden itself is made up of two basins. The lower basin is along the road and the upper is on the main property, the sidewalk separating the two. The lower basin contains a variety of flowering plants and grass-like plants. When in full bloom the garden contains lavender, daffodils, black-eyed Susans as well as obsidian heuchera and dwarf goldenrod. The basin is lined with Pennsylvania sedge and Ice Dance sedge. The sedge helps keep the soil in place as well as protects the garden from things such as too much snow build up and salt. The upper basin now has brunnera, Pennsylvania sedge, and ‘Ice Dance’ sedge that shares space with the walnut tree in the front yard.
In the garden’s first years, it suffered from back to back droughts as well as a surprising foe, dogs. The upper basin originally had astilbe, ligularia, and osumnda. Not only were these plants unable to compete with trees roots, they were not drought proof either. Plants such as turtle heads, cardinal flowers, and ligularias in the lower basin could not survive with the extreme lack of water. Also, the garden did not thrive because their street is a popular path for dog walkers, so it was frequently urinated on. Dog urine contains chemicals that dry out plants and can lead to leaf burn. In addition, dogs walked through their garden, unintentionally damaging plants.
Barnes explained that too few people understand that a single perennial can cost as much as a bag of grass seed, and that some people believe dog urine is no more harmful than water. She added a sign in the garden warning of the dangers of dog urine on their plants asking people to curb their dogs.
This led to changes in the original garden layout. The plants that couldn’t survive were replaced and some plants were moved around to protect others. For example, the Ice Dance sedge is now along the road in the lower basin, replacing the Pennsylvania sedge. Barnes did this strategically in response to the amount of snow and salt the area is exposed to. Barnes noticed the snowplow that cleans her neighborhood tends to pile up excess snow, and therefore, salt as well, along part of her garden. This damaged the Pennsylvania sedge that was supposed to keep the soil together and protect other flowers in the garden.
Barnes advice to homeowners who wished to start their own rain gardens, is that patience is key. “Really watch the site for a full year,” she said. She remembers that their landscape architect only saw the area of their potential garden in the fall, which heavily influenced the types of plants picked and their arrangement.
But these difficulties don’t discourage them. They look forward to watching their garden grow throughout the years.
“As time goes on it will look like a little prairie,” Barnes said.
They will have their little prairie in the midst of their city.
-Victoria Figueroa
July 1st, 2015 by iisg_superadmin
Municipalities throughout Illinois have been making determined efforts to conserve water though policy changes, education, outreach, and water-loss reduction strategies. The Illinois Section of the American Water Works Association (ISAWWA) Water Efficiency Committee and IISG assembled seven case studies from the ISAWWA Water Saver award applications to highlight water efficiency achievements. Evanston is our first story.
Evanston, a city of 74,500 that sits along Lake Michigan north of Chicago, developed a Water Conservation and Efficiency Plan through a grant from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning Local Technical Assistance Program.
As a result of this plan, Evanston began to educate residents on how to reduce wasted water. It distributed toilet leak detection testing kits, promoted
WaterSense-branded bathroom fixtures, and encouraged drinking tap water. Evanston provided 9,300 gallons of tap water at city-sponsored events in 2014, eliminating the use of over 99,000 plastic 12-ounce bottles.
In addition, Evanston purchased new leak detection equipment and has completed a survey of the distribution system. The entire 157 mile system will be surveyed each year to minimize water loss due to aging water mains.
June 23rd, 2015 by iisg_superadmin
It may sound cheesy, but it’s always my dream and goal in life to make a difference in the world and to help others. I always thought this would be something I would have to do outside of my career, however, being an outreach intern for Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant allows me to integrate part of this dream into my career.
This coming fall I will be going into my senior year at the University of Illinois. I am majoring in advertising and minoring in both communication and sociology as well as receiving my certification in public relations. In addition, I am part of the James Scholar Program in the College of Media at U of I.
As an intern, I assist with outreach efforts associated with
R/V Lake Guardian to increase awareness of the
Lake Guardianmission and the research conducted on the ship. My specific duties entail developing a brochure about the ship, assisting with the Lake Guardian Dispatch blog, maintaining and reorganizing the
Lake Guardian website, assisting with daily
social media efforts, and assisting with a kiosk design for the ship. This past week (June 15-18) I was given the opportunity to climb aboard the
Lake Guardian where I was able to develop a full understanding of the vessel along with assist with ongoing sampling, and conduct outreach efforts while on the ship.
Robert Browning once said, “Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for?” This past week definitely exceeded my own grasp. My experience on Lake Guardian was a completely new experience for me and I admit that I was a little nervous going into it. After being on board for just a few hours, I was quickly reminded of how rewarding it is to take on a new experience. It truly makes you grow as a person and appreciate new things in life. A typical day for me consisted of photography and videography, live-tweeting, late night blog posting, and assisting with ongoing sampling throughout the day. The work days were long, but seemed to go by quickly. So did my time on the ship, I enjoyed every minute of it.
Our overall trip mission was to collect water, plankton, and benthic invertebrates for organic chemical analysis. This survey is known as the “Great Lakes Fish and Monitoring Surveillance Program: Pushing the Science (Clarkson University)” and assesses how contaminants cycle throughout the food web in Lake Michigan. The vessel consisted of a team of crew members (marine technicians, seamen, engineers, the captain and mates) as well as members from Clarkson University, SUNY Fredonia, SUNY Oswego, NOAA, U.S. EPA GLNPO, and IISG.
The trip was most definitely the experience of a lifetime. I am extremely grateful to have been given the opportunity to experience the Lake Guardian hands-on and to help keep the Great Lakes clean for all through this internship.
June 18th, 2015 by iisg_superadmin
We are happy to announce that APEX 2015 bestowed the Award of Excellence to two IISG projects.
Anjanette Riley, Erin Knowles, and Joel Davenport received a “Social Media – Special Purpose” prize for iamIISG, an undertaking that involved 33 employees throughout all of IISG’s locations. Program staffers were interviewed and photographed to provide insight into who we are for a social media campaign on Facebook and Twitter.
The other honor, “Electronic Media – Green,” went to Kristin TePas, Allison Neubauer, and Jason Brown for a video series that took a behind-the-scenes look at marine careers. The nine videos – viewed over 1,000 times – explored the professions of individuals aboard the U.S. EPA research vessel, the Lake Guardian.
June 16th, 2015 by iisg_superadmin
By Anne Packard (Anne is a summer intern working with Laura Kammin, IISG pollution prevention specialist)
Can pharmacists play a role in pollution control? This is the question I asked myself when I heard about an internship through Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant.
As a third year student at Purdue University College of Pharmacy, I became interested in this internship because of my love for the Great Lakes. I am a western Michigan native, so the freshwater lakes are dear to my heart. At a young age, I took advantage of all the benefits living close to Lake Michigan can provide. I have fond memories of sailing, watching the sunset, and building sand castles on the beach.
During the school year, being a pharmacy student feels like a 24 hour a day job. The amount of time spent studying and thinking about pharmacy related topics is quite demanding. I have to love what I study. The pollution prevention internship is a great way for me integrate two key facets of my life—my pharmaceutical knowledge and my love of the environment and the Great Lakes.
My role with Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant is to help with education in the community with regards to medication pollution and disposal. Another major aspect that ties in my pharmacy experience will be to educate people about the consequences for misuse, accidental poisonings and abuse of unused medication. I also am working with a Purdue College of Pharmacy professor to organize data to better understand the needs in the Lafayette area related to medication take back programs.
Even in the few weeks since starting, my knowledge base on medication pollution has expanded substantially. By the end of this summer I hope to take the knowledge I have gained and apply it in my future career as a pharmacist. Through this experience I want to be knowledgeable about the resources available for proper medication disposal as well as tools to implement safe disposal practices wherever my career takes me.
As with all student interns, there is always a dream of making a difference in the job they are in. Although, I do not expect to make groundbreaking changes, I hope I can help my community take a step in the right direction to minimize pharmaceutical pollution in the environment.
June 15th, 2015 by iisg_superadmin
By Carly Norris
I am excited to be joining the IISG team as a social science research intern with Caitie Nigrelli. This May I graduated with a degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Science from the University of Illinois. I enjoy working with people and helping others to understand the importance of sustained environmental quality. During my time as an undergrad, I worked in two social science labs where I realized my passion for environmental social science research. I became interested in the IISG internship because it would combine this with my love of aquatic ecosystems. Through my internship with IISG I hope to improve my research and communication skills, as well gain experience working with communities.
Saturday, May 30 was my first opportunity to get out in the field and get my hands dirty, literally! Caitie and I traveled north to Milwaukee, joining forces with volunteers from Friends of Lincoln Park and The Park People on a morning Weed Out. Dedicated community members and a plant expert from Milwaukee County Parks worked through the rain to remove garlic mustard and other invasive species from wooded areas within Lincoln Park. A native to Europe, garlic mustard was brought to the states as a salad green and for its proclaimed medicinal properties. It now dominates the understory of Midwestern forests as an invasive, excluding almost all other herbaceous plants and destroying vital mycorrhizal fungi from the soil.
After just three hours of work, volunteers filled 30 garbage bags to the brim. Everyone was enthusiastic to be contributing to Lincoln Park’s restoration efforts. Sally Callan a Friends of Lincoln Park member agreed, “After drying out [from the rain], it was great to feel sore for a good cause.”
The Weed Out was followed by a cook out provided by Environmental Quality Management, the primary construction contractor on this Great Lakes Legacy Act site, where volunteers had an opportunity to gather and meet members of the cleanup crew. Everyone, besides the lone vegetarian (me), enjoyed Milwaukee style brats, (I savored the coleslaw) while kicking back with neighbors and new friends alike after a morning well spent.
Lincoln Park is part of the larger Milwaukee Estuary, a federally designated Area of Concern. Saturday’s restoration event contributes to the work being done in Lincoln Park under the Great Lakes Legacy Act to remove contaminated river sediment, which remains after decades of industrial pollution. The current cleanup targets the river in the eastern half of the park and is the last phase of the Lincoln Park sediment remediation. Creation of The Friends of Lincoln group is a promising sign of the neighborhood’s reinvestment in this beautiful piece of nature.
It was truly energizing for me to see such a diverse group of community partners coming together to improve this local public space as a direct result of the river cleanup. I really enjoyed my time working with this welcoming group of people and getting to know some of what the Milwaukee River has to offer. My roommates and I will also be eating a little healthier this summer with the tomato plants and the garlic mustard pesto recipe I got to take home!
Top photo: A Friends of Lincoln Park member points me to some additional areas for cleanup.
Middle photos: The before and after–Caitie worked to pull this garlic mustard. Native plants now have room to breathe!
Bottom photo: Some workday participants enjoy good food and conversation courtesy of Environmental Quality Management, the primary construction contractor.
June 10th, 2015 by iisg_superadmin
Victoria Figueroa is a summer intern with IISG. She is on the University of Illinois campus, working with Eliana Brown, stormwater specialist. She will be engaged in raising awareness about the benefits and beauty of rain gardens.
A Chicagoan born and raised, I was not used to being surrounded by so much green. There are plenty of parks in the city, but you never feel like you are surrounded by nature. But when I moved to Urbana for school, I realized just how much of a city kid I was and how much I could enjoy being surrounded by so much green, in particular trees. One night, walking around campus with a couple friends, we thought we would try our luck at climbing trees. This may not have been the best idea as it was dark and the two big (oak, I later learned) trees were surrounded by rocks and overgrown shrubs. But the light coming from the detention pond not too far away was enough to give us the confidence to try.
Now I didn’t succeed, but what was once just a meaningless patch of land on my campus, became a memory I now have a great fondness for. Just imagine my surprise when I learn that those rocks and shrubs I was playing in were not just there for decoration. Those stones and plants were not just there as placeholders. That night my friends and I had played in a rain garden. Our amusement might not have been the use the gardeners and students who built the garden had in mind, but it was very natural.
But what is a rain garden? A rain garden is built in a bowl shape, which gives rainwater runoff from surfaces that do not absorb water, like roofs, sidewalks, and roads, the opportunity to be absorbed. This helps to control flash floods, remove pollutants, improve water quality, and recharge groundwater. Not only do these gardens provide wildlife habitats, but are also an attractive alternative to detention ponds and can be adapted to fit into the existing urban landscapes. This is why it was so easy to walk through a rain garden on my college campus. It did not feel out of place. It was not intrusive and blended well in between the dorm building and its surroundings.
Rain gardens are a relatively new approach to treating stormwater runoff. Stormwater runoff is any water originating from rainfall or melted ice or snow. Stormwater runoff not only transports pollutants, but is also a creator of pollution itself. A study conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency from 1979-1983 found that stormwater runoff contributed to poor water quality in receiving streams. This can be particularly harmful in urban areas because of the great amount of hard surfaces like roads, walkways, and parking lots that do not allow water to be absorbed. This then causes a larger percentage of stormwater runoff than in more rural areas. Therefore it is important for urban areas to be able to manage the excess water that comes along with living in our concrete jungles. Rain gardens were created to mimic natural water retention areas, which existed before the development of urban environments and they began to be developed for residential use in 1990.
There are many ways of going about treating water in urban areas, and rain gardens are a good way to start. They are unassuming and they can be implemented in your own yard. Not only are rain gardens helpful but they can very beautiful as well. Like any garden, its appearance can vary. It really depends on what the gardener makes of it. Rain gardens could have more plants that resemble grass and be very subtle or many blossoming plants and add more color to their yard.
Maybe one day I’ll have one in my own back yard. But first I invite you to follow me in my future blog posts as I search for the perfect fit for my future garden, whether I keep Chicago as my home or move away and settle down elsewhere.
June 8th, 2015 by iisg_superadmin
Enough rain fell in Texas over the past month to cover the entire state in more than eight inches of water. The Trinity River in Dallas has risen to levels not seen in over 25 years. Flooding has resulted in $45 million worth of damage in Houston alone, and at least 31 people have died, with 10 still missing. As recovery in the Lone Star State begins, it becomes clear just how important urban flood management is, not only for the safety of people, but for the health and well being of the environment. Next month, Chicago, no stranger to flooding itself, will be the host location to a workshop confronting these very issues.
On July 8, IISG climate specialist Molly Woloszyn will be overseeing the next Resilient Chicago workshop: Urban Flood Management through No Adverse Impact and Green Infrastructure.Following up on a workshop from last year, this free, one-day event offers local government staffers and other interested professionals the opportunity to learn how to prepare for flooding in a more efficient and ecologically-conscious way. City planners, engineers, and members of non-profit organizations are called to gather at Loyola University to hear presentations from the Association of State Floodplain Managers, the Metropolitan Planning Council, the City of Chicago, and many others.
The two primary foci of the workshop will be how to apply No Adverse Impact (NAI) floodplain management and integrating green infrastructure into comprehensive and capital improvement planning. By focusing on NAI floodplain management, the workshop will provide potential management solutions that can be applied from strictly flooding related problems to issues like water quality protection and stormwater management. And in showcasing the potential for green infrastructure, attendees will learn how to cope with the increased potential for soil saturation that comes with urban development. The workshop will be sponsored by ASFPM, and the NOAA Coastal Storms Program.
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June 3rd, 2015 by iisg_superadmin
Another school year is coming to a close, and teachers across the country are beginning to pack up their classrooms for the summer. Books are being packed away, wall decorations are coming down, and classroom plants and animals are moving to a new home. And where that new home is can have large and lasting environmental impacts.
Common classroom pets like goldfish, bullfrogs, and red-eared slider turtles can become invasive if released into local rivers, lakes, and ponds. Many aquarium plants also pose a threat to nearby aquatic habitats. These invaders can crowd out native species, degrade water quality, introduce diseases, and limit recreation. Once established, aquatic invasive species are extremely difficult to control—Florida alone spends millions each year trying to control the aquarium plant hydrilla.
Teachers and students can help protect our waterways from the harmful effects of aquatic invasive species with a few simple steps. While you’re in the market for a classroom pet, look for native and non-invasive species. Knowing the scientific names will make this easier.
When the time comes to dispose of plants, seal them in a plastic bag and throw them in the trash. Fish, reptiles, and other animals should be returned to the seller or given to a friend or fellow teacher who has pledged not to release unwanted pets. If a new home can’t be found, ask a veterinarian about other options. And be sure to sterilize any water before pouring it down the toilet or sink.
Learn more about aquatic invasive species and what you can do to curb their spread at www.TakeAim.org.
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