The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has created a new webpage that provides information, tips, and safe practices for veterinarians, pet owners, and the public at large to keep unwanted medicine out of the water supply.

The most common poisons that threaten our beloved pets are our own medicines—ibuprofen, acetaminophen, antidepressants, and ADHD medications. Any medication, even those prescribed for a pet, can pose a risk to dogs or cats who decide to eat what they find.

That is why Sea Grant and the AVMA have teamed up to provide information for multiple audiences including animal owners who, along with the general public, may need to dispose of unused and expired medicine. By offering valuable disposal tips, safe disposal collection locations, and more, the new webpage and the partnership between IISG and the AVMA look to make things safer for pets, people, and the environment.

The partnership kicked off in a big way when Sea Grant and the AVMA joined forces to get the message—”Don’t flush medicine”—to a Times Square audience.

University of Illinois atmospheric scientist David Kristovich tested a mobile sounding system that might help predict the fate of storms that move across Lake Michigan. This system measures temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure.

“The Great Lakes make it difficult to predict summer weather. One problem weather forecasters face is determining what will happen when massive storms reach one side of the lake. It is hard to figure out if those storms will make it across to the other side and cause severe weather,” Kristovich said. “We don’t have a lot of information. On the lake, we don’t have people taking observations all over the place like we do on land.”

The device they used is called a rawinsonde, which is attached to a weather balloon with a parachute. Because the system is connected to a balloon, researchers were also able to record the wind direction and speed.

Kristovich said having a test run for the device was critical for ironing out issues for future projects.

This study is one of many funded as development of “seed” grants for researchers, either to begin start-up studies that may grow into larger work, or to complete ongoing projects. This project and others are highlighted in our latest issue of our newsletter, The Helm.

Purdue University ecologist Patrick Zollner studied how people walking on nature trails can affect the reproduction habits of the Karner blue butterfly, which is a federally endangered species.

Resource managers are under increasing pressure to implement strategies that address the negative effects of outdoor recreational activities on wildlife. The study shows that human recreation can disrupt the breeding patterns of Karner blue butterflies, as well as other species.

Using a simulation model, the project found that significantly fewer eggs are laid by Karner blue butterfly females in sites at the Indiana Dunes National Park that are 10-15 meters from the trail. Plants that are farthest away have the most eggs. Zollner suggests that habitat patches be at least 25 meters from the trail.

“Depending on the circumstances, about 17 percent of the females are only laying half of their potential eggs because of human dis¬turbance,” Zollner said.

Zollner has studied how traffic affects Indiana wildlife and has submitted a proposal to study how the Huron-Manistee National Forest equestrian population impacts Karner blue butterflies.

This study is one of many funded as development of “seed” grants for researchers, either to begin start-up studies that may grow into larger work, or to complete ongoing projects.

This project and others are highlighted in our latest issue of our newsletter, The Helm. You can  also read the complete study (PDF).

IISG’s Asian Carp Marketing Summit in September of 2010 played a significant role in bringing jobs and invasive species solutions to Illinois, as highlighted in one of The Telegraph’s Top 10 local stories of 2011. 

The summit brought together representatives from restaurants, commercial fishing, processing and related businesses, as well as agencies and academic institutions to discuss ways to address the potential threat that Asian carp pose to the Illinois River and the Great Lakes. 

Times Square—some call it the crossroads of the world. Annually, over 450 million people pass through this historic and dazzling site.

Since late December 2011 (which included the world famous New Year’s Eve celebration that attracts many, many thousands) Sea Grant and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) are informing audiences on the issue of medicine disposal on the CBS JumboTron “Super Screen.” The 15-second spot will run through March 31 about 18 times every day or about every 80 minutes. The screen is located on 42^nd Street between 7^th and 8^th avenues in Times Square Plaza.

The Buffalo River was subjected to a great deal of industrial contamination years ago. Efforts at pollution prevention and cleanup have helped to rehabilitate the water way, but a great deal of contamination still exists in the sediment at the bottom of the river. These contaminants can still have a negative effect on economic, social, and environmental uses of the river, but an ongoing collaboration between a number of agencies is working right now to clean up and restore the river bottom.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo Niagara RIVERKEEPER, Honeywell and several other affiliated public and private entities have teamed up to complete a two-year dredging project that will remove 1.2 million cubic yards of contaminated sediment, which will provide a clean and supportive environment for local, native species to flourish.

Part of the work is being performed under the Great Lakes Legacy Act, which revitalizes once-thriving waterways through sediment cleanups and restoration. The act requires at least 35 percent of the project cost to come from non-federal partners. IISG’s Environmental Social Scientist Caitie McCoy has provided expertise for the project. For example, she prepared the publication The Buffalo River Restoration Project: Frequently Asked Questions. The FAQ gives detailed information on the Buffalo River Restoration Project, including the project’s timeframe, funding, impact, and more.

What do you get when you combine an aquarium, a greenhouse, and a fish farm? The answer is aquaponics.

Aquaponics is the process of operating fish farming and hydroponic plant farming in a contained system where the water is circulated, filtered, and reused between both. Here’s how it works. The water in the fish tanks builds up waste that need to be filtered out to keep the fish healthy. But this waste can actually provides nutrients for plant growth so in an aquaponic setup, that water is used to hydroponically grown plants. The plant roots filter the water by taking up and using these valuable nutrients. By circulating the water through the system in this way, both the plants and the fish benefit, and the water is reused. The system also provides a natural environment where vegetables, herbs, and fish are all raised organically.

For a great explanation of the process, as well as a tour of what an aquaponic system can look like, watch this video.

If you would like to learn more about aquaponics, contact IISG Aquaculture Marketing Specialist Kwamena Quagrainie.