November 7th, 2011 by Irene Miles
The National Sea Grant Academy was established to provide continuing education for Sea Grant Extension faculty, to give a national perspective on the role and importance of each Sea Grant program, and to further the work of studying, improving, and protecting America’s waterways.
In March 2011, IISG specialists Paris Collingsworth, Carolyn Foley, Laura Kammin, Caitie McCoy and Kristin TePas attended the first half of the 3rd National Sea Grant Academy in Washington, D.C. This week-long training event gave participants the opportunity to interact with other Sea Grant staff from around the globe, learn how to better design their projects, and begin to understand the inner workings of the National Sea Grant Program Office.
During the week of October 23-29, 2011, Carolyn, Laura and Caitie attended the second week’s events in Portland, Oregon. These sessions offered information on how to plan projects aimed at achieving meaningful outcomes, and solidified the connections made during the first week’s sessions by allowing participants to share their thoughts, experiences, and resources with other Sea Grant specialists. During the week, participants had the opportunity to learn about and be inspired by the work being done by other Sea Grant programs around the country, especially in the host state of Oregon.
These recent graduates of Sea Grant Academy are looking forward to using the skills and connections made during these two training weeks as they work to create interesting, useful programs in the Great Lakes region and beyond.
October 25th, 2011 by Irene Miles
From the Great Lakes Echo:
Scientists are in Washington D.C. today to present to federal lawmakers research suggesting the Great Lakes region has more problems with mercury than previously thought.
Their visit comes just weeks after the GOP-led House of Representative passed two bills that would handcuff the EPA from limiting mercury emissions.
As Echo reported, scientists reviewed research on mercury in the Great Lakes region and found despite overall decreases in the pollutant, concentrations are rising in some species and health risks are occurring at lower levels than expected. Read more.
October 12th, 2011 by Irene Miles
A blog post from the Metropolitan Planning Council:
About 200 reports are now released annually about low levels of chemicals, such as drugs, detergents and plastics, in our waterways. As products, these compounds are beneficial (I am grateful that my office mates use soap.) Some of them, like heart meds, are even life-saving. The problem begins once we are done using them — when they are flushed (one way or another) down the toilet or swept away in stormwater, and flow into our streams and lakes. Because, especially in areas like the Fox River Basin, that is also our drinking water. We know that some of these chemicals, at certain levels, can disrupt our endocrine system, causing a host of health problems, ranging from infertility to cancer. But, is there enough in our water to make us sick?
To try to answer that, on Sept. 15th, Openlands and MPC held “Emerging Contaminants, Emerging Solutions,” our latest roundtable on the region’s water challenges (listen to the audio recording, courtesy of Chicago Amplified). Almost 80 people from through the region convened in Elgin to hear about known (and unknown) risks, and possible methods to prevent or reduce contamination. The audience had the opportunity to ask national experts about cutting-edge scientific findings on the issue. Read more.
September 23rd, 2011 by Irene Miles
From the CBC:
The Great Lakes have faced various threats for years, from industrial pollution to invasive species, but another challenge worries many researchers these days — the emerging chemical threat.
It’s not just pesticides, as scientists are finding worrying levels of pharmaceutically active compounds such as anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, anti-epileptics, and beta blockers in lake water. As well, hormones, pesticides and alkylphenols have been identified as threats. Read more.
September 9th, 2011 by Irene Miles
The Clean Water Celebration 2011 in Gary, Indiana on Saturday, September 3 offered an opportunity for IISG’s Leslie Dorworth and Carolyn Foley to talk with visitors about what they can do to reduce unwanted inputs into waterways. However, this was not a dry lesson–learning took place by playing the Watershed Game, which was developed by Northland NEMO, Minnesota Sea Grant, and University of Minnesota Extension. In this game, participants apply plans, practices, and policies that help them achieve a water quality goal for a stream, lake, or river.
People of all ages joined in to play the game. They chose best management practices to employ in different landscapes (farmland, city, residential, or parks and open space areas) to help reduce phosphorus inputs into a fictional lake.
This was the seventh annual event, which took place in Marquette Park. In addition to fun, the focus of the Clean Water Celebration is water sports safety and protecting water quality.
September 7th, 2011 by Irene Miles
The residents around Lincoln Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin have always used their expansive park to its fullest. It is intersected by Lincoln Creek and the Milwaukee River, which provides an opportunity for fishing and other activities. It also has a golf course, picnic areas, a water park, and trails for walking, biking and cross country skiing.
So when it was announced that contaminated sediment in a section of the river in the park was going to be cleaned up through the Great Lakes Legacy Act, local residents had many questions—they wanted to understand what was going to be happening in their park.
IISG, working with all the project partners (U.S. EPA, Wisconsin DNR, Milwaukee County Parks, Milwaukee County, University of Wisconsin Extension, Department of Health Services – State of Wisconsin, the City of Milwaukee and its Health Department, North Shore Health Department, the Area of Concern Community Action Group, and local representatives) developed a plan to ensure the community was part of the process and they had ample opportunities to learn about what was taking place and why.
This process began with a series of town hall meetings where U.S. EPA and the State of Wisconsin provided a description of the project through presentations, posters and one-on-one discussion. The questions from the community were gathered and combined into a document and responses were provided both in written form and at a second meeting.
In an effort to ensure that anyone visiting the park would have an opportunity to learn about the project, the team developed a series of three signs or kiosks. Each has a different focus:
- The Department of Health Services is providing clear guidance on contaminants in local fish–which ones are safe to eat and how often. This sign includes some simple safety tips during the project construction.
- The U.S. EPA Areas of Concern (AOC) kiosk describes all the clean-up projects going on within the Milwaukee region to link this project to the larger goal of delisting the AOC. This kiosk provides direction for cleaning up after your pet and the potential impacts of pet waste to the waterway in its “Pick up your pet waste–it’s your doodie” campaign.
- The Great Lakes Legacy Act kiosk provides specifics about this project including the activities that will occur, a timeline, and a weekly update. A dump truck that fills up over time will illustrate progress of the project.
There are two sets of kiosks in the park – one along a well-used bike path and a second near the picnic area. The signs were designed so that at the end of the project, they can be repurposed for other topics, used in other parks, and for other outreach activities.
August 25th, 2011 by Irene Miles
Two bills signed by Governor Pat Quinn are going to make it much easier for people to properly dispose of their unused medicines. Improper storage and disposal of medicines can lead to unintentional poisonings, medicine diversion and misuse, and can negatively impact aquatic wildlife.
“One of the main road blocks to medicine collection programs is the cost of properly disposing of the materials once they are collected”, says Laura Kammin, IISG pollution prevention program specialist. “This legislation will help communities that could not previously afford to have a program to start new collection programs, and it will provide financial support for police departments that already have medicine collection programs in place. HB2056 will provide critical funding to keep medicines out of the water until a national funding program is put into place.”
On August 24, 2011, Governor Quinn signed two bills that will provide a major boost to unused medicine collection programs in Illinois. House Bill 2056, sponsored by Rep. JoAnn Osmond (R-Antioch) and Sen. Suzi Schmidt (R-Villa Park) will make it easier for police departments in Illinois to pay for medicine collection programs. The new law authorizes law enforcement agencies to collect pharmaceuticals from residents and provides the funding to support collection and proper incineration of the medicines. Costs associated with medicine collection can be recovered through a $20 court fee levied against people who commit specified drug offenses.
House Bill 3090, sponsored by Rep. Luis Arroyo (D-Chicago) and Sen. William Delgado (D-Chicago), authorizes the use of city halls or police departments to house medicine collection containers. Both laws go into effect on January 1, 2012.
“We don’t want these pharmaceuticals disposed of in an improper way. If they are just thrown down the toilet or thrown in the garbage they can end up in our water supply,” Governor Quinn said. “These bills will help Illinois conserve water, protect the safety of our drinking water supplies and ensure that unused medications are disposed of properly.”
Yesterday’s signing was actually the result of the hard work and enthusiasm of high school students. The Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal Program (P2D2), was launched by students at Pontiac Township High School and their ecology teacher, Paul Ritter. High school students from Antioch joined the program and brought the idea of a bill to fund household medicine disposal to Rep. Osmond.
“Through the hard work and dedication of students from Pontiac, Antioch, and other schools in the state of Illinois, and with the guidance of Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, the P2D2 Bill [HB2056], which pays for the disposal of pharmaceuticals in Illinois, was signed by Governor Pat Quinn and become law,” said Ritter.
IISG and the P2D2 Program developed The Medicine Chest curriculum to educate other students around the country about proper disposal of medicines. And both organizations work together help communities start new medicine collection programs. For more information about how you can start a program in your community, contact Laura Kammin.
August 24th, 2011 by Irene Miles
Amanda Miracle, an environmental science teacher at the Hammond Academy of Science and Technology, was invited by Robin Goettel, IISG associate director for education, to co-present on her students’ aquatic invasive species (AIS) stewardship projects at the recent National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE) Conference. Here, Amanda is demonstrating a ballast water simulation model showing how invaders can easily spread throughout the Great Lakes. One of the session’s attendees was a geography curriculum specialist from the Denver public school system.
This presentation is part of a larger campaign through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative project, A Comprehensive Regional Public Outreach Campaign on AIS. A primary goal of this project is to actively involve Great Lakes region students in community stewardship projects, where they can implement their new understanding of AIS and associated impacts. This joint venture with teachers incorporates the Nab the Aquatic Invader! website, which is being enhanced with new activities and mapping information. A new AIS Stewardship Education Network—also serves to sustain and improve aquatic ecosystem biodiversity. Teachers in Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, and New York will be invited to co-present at next year’s NCGE conference in Texas.
August 12th, 2011 by Irene Miles
From The New York Times:
When federal and state environmental regulators spent a few days at Lake Calumet in Chicago earlier this month fishing for Asian carp with stun guns and half-mile-wide nets, their hunt seemed to underscore the carp’s status as the Midwest’s ecological enemy No. 1.
The subject of endless debate over the best control strategies, Asian carp, an invasive species, have earned a place of dread in local lore. None, however, were found in the Lake Calumet search, and some scientists say the ecological concerns may be overblown.
For many people, Asian carp are proving more boon than bane. Bolstered by government support, the Asian carp harvest has leapt thirtyfold in the past decade, creating a new industry, attracting fishermen and entrepreneurs, and feeding people all over the world.
“We’ve been ramping up for years,” said Mike Schafer, owner of Schafer Fisheries. Read more.
