“The study, led by Oregon Sea Grant Extension’s invasive species expert Sam Chan, was presented at this week’s national meeting of the Ecological Society of America in Portland.‘Live organisms are a critical element for learning and we don’t want to imply that they should not be used in the classroom,’ said Chan. ‘But some of our schools – and the biological supply houses that provide their organisms – are creating a potential new pathway for non-native species to become invasive.’”
Category:
Classroom specimens require caution and care to prevent becoming invasives
August 14th, 2012 by Irene MilesSea Grant staff take to the sea for research
August 10th, 2012 by Irene MilesCommunity outreach specialist Kristin TePas rinses a PONAR dredge used to collect sediment containing benthic organisms. |
IISG Great Lakes ecosystem specialist Paris Collingsworth deploys a net to collect zooplankton. |
“The Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) is responsible for monitoring the offshore water quality of the Great Lakes to evaluate water quality over time and identify any emerging water quality problems. Comprehensive water quality surveys are conducted in all five Great Lakes in both the spring, when the water is cold and well mixed, and in the summer, when the lakes are biologically active. The R/V Lake Guardian is currently being used to conduct the summer water quality survey.”
Kimiko Pettis wins Sea Grant PPCP Stewardship Award for classroom PPCP projects
August 7th, 2012 by Irene MilesAquaponics and food farming take over abandoned Chicago factory
August 6th, 2012 by Irene Miles“The transformation is already underway and over the next few years, the factory will become a zero-energy, food business incubator, research facility, education space, and working urban farm. Plant Chicago is already growing greens and mushrooms and will soon start brewing beer and kombucha and raising tilapia in a sustainable system with zero waste.”
Students Learn about Coastal Issues in the Pacific Northwest from Sea Grant Specialists
August 3rd, 2012 by Irene MilesBill Hanshumaker of the Hatfield Marine Science Center and Oregon Sea Grant explains aquaculture research being conducted at the facility. |
Each year, natural resource students from Purdue University, North Carolina State University, and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences come together to learn about sustainable use of natural resources in some part of the world. In July 2012, the course took place in the Pacific Northwest. Students visited old-growth forests, wildlife refuges, urban areas and more, learning about the political, social and economic concerns that factor into decision-making and development in the region.
Oregon Sea Grant agent Jeff Feldner discusses commercial fishing during a “dock walk.” |
IISG’s Carolyn Foley shares more about the course: “Amidst glorious sunshine, students learned about the strong fishing trade in Newport, OR, including oyster farming. They asked questions about how these trades are regulated in the Pacific Northwest, and what impacts their activities have on the surrounding community and natural resource use. They were also able to visit the Hatfield Marine Science Center and gain a healthy overview of the major issues affecting coastal resources in Oregon and surrounding states, including the development of technology to harness wave energy, impacts of naturally-occurring low-oxygen conditions, and effects of development on local wildlife populations. Some students even visited a large dock (~66’ x 19’ x 7’) that was ripped from its pilings in Misawa, Japan during the 2011 tsunami which crossed more than 11,000 km of Pacific Ocean and landed near Newport in early June, bringing with it more than 80 non-native, potentially invasive species of algae, snails, clams, and other life forms.”
Students from the course gather in front of the tsunami-generated floating dock that washed ashore in early June 2012. Researchers have identified 92+ species that survived the trans-Pacific voyage. |
For more about some of IISG’s education initiatives, visit our education website. College and graduate students are also encouraged to contact their departments for information on similar courses and opportunities.
*Photos courtesy of George Hess with North Carolina State University
In the news: New Illinois law helps prevent spread of AIS
August 2nd, 2012 by Irene MilesAs an amendment to the Boater Registration and Safety Act signed into law by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, aquatic plants and animals would need to be removed from seaplanes and watercraft before moving between bodies of water. The requirement is an important step in preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species throughout the state of Illinois, as well as between states and bodies of water where these vehicles might travel.
Educators set sail on Lake Huron
July 31st, 2012 by Irene MilesSummer interns helping to move IISG projects from paper to practice
July 27th, 2012 by Irene Miles
Naoki Wada
As a native of Japan, Naoki was particularly struck by the results of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami: “My home country, Japan, where the supply of natural resources is very scarce, experienced one of the largest earthquake and tsunami last year, putting most of their nuclear power plants out of operation due to the safety concerns and…forcing the nation to rethink their future energy security. As an island nation surrounded by the ocean, utilizing oceanic energy by means of wave/tidal/current/power generation can be a remedy.” Naoki feels that the United States can also benefit from technology related to ocean-generated power; in addition to providing sustainable energy, it doesn’t require as much land as solar or wind farms and may be more palatable to planners and developers. After his graduation at the end of this year, Naoki intends to pursue graduate work in this field.
Meredith explains more: “I am working with Dr. Paris Collingsworth this summer and we are conducting a study to compare zooplankton community data collected by the Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) with data collected by the Interagency Lower Trophic Level Monitoring Program of the Lake Erie Committee Forage Task Group (LEC-FTG). We are using statistical models to calculate zooplankton community similarity metrics at specific sample sites through time and space. This study will determine whether the LEC-FTG survey is capturing zooplankton community characteristics that are unique to those captured by the GLNPO data set.”
Lainey will be entering her junior year at the University of Illinois this fall, majoring in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, with a concentration in Resource Conservation and Restoration Ecology.
New specialist will bolster awareness of invasive species introduced through trade
July 25th, 2012 by Irene MilesGreg Hitzroth is IISG’s new aquatic invasive species specialist, working out of the Chicago Botanic Gardens in Glencoe, Illinois. Greg will design and implement public outreach programs and resources designed to increase awareness of the spread of invasive species introduced to the waterways of Illinois and Indiana through commercial trade. He will also work closely with IISG’s Aquatic Invasive Species team to identify and partner with outside stakeholders, including suppliers of non-native species, to ensure greater public awareness of the impact of organisms in trade and strategies for reducing their movement into the Great Lakes region.
Recent News
- Educators explore water quality along the Chicago River’s Wild Mile
- IISG is looking for help to develop a green infrastructure curriculum
- Taking part in the Calumet Stewardship Day, 70 youth explored nearby nature
- IISG is looking for a K-12 educator with digital development experience
- Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant announces funding for southern Lake Michigan region research
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