At the recent Great Lakes Sea Grant Network meeting in Evanston, Illinois, Amy Shambach, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant aquaculture marketing outreach associate, was presented with the 2023 Great Lakes Sea Grant Network Early Career Award.
Shambach has been in her role with IISG since 2019. Since then, she has developed numerous outreach products, including videos, factsheets, and websites. She has organized and led webinars and workshops in the two states and helped lead Great Lakes-wide projects.
Throughout her four years with the program, Shambach has worked closely with fish farmers—she has been someone they can turn to for guidance and information. As a result, she was able to help some farmers successfully secure federal support during COVID and then when an ice storm hit southern Illinois.
“It is unusual for someone to launch so many high-output, high-impact programs so early in their Sea Grant career, especially when they begin the job with little outreach experience,” said Stuart Carlton, IISG assistant director. “However, Amy is not usual, she is special, and is well deserving of recognition for her work.”
Ashley Belle, third from left, and the Spirit Lake Project Team, were presented with a 2023 Western Dredging Association Environmental Excellence Award for Partnerships and Outreach/Education.
Also honored at a recent event, IISG’s Ashley Belle is part of an award-winning team working to inform residents and other stakeholders in a Great Lakes Area of Concern that is undergoing an environmental cleanup. Belle leads outreach efforts for the Spirit Lake Project Team that was recently presented a 2023 Western Dredging Association Environmental Excellence Award for Partnerships and Outreach/Education.
Spirit Lake is located in the St. Louis River between Minnesota and Wisconsin and is part of one of the largest Great Lakes Legacy Act sediment remediation projects. This work takes place near the Duluth, Minnesota neighborhood of Morgan Park and a culturally significant tribal site—Spirit Island.
As the cleanup progresses, Belle and the team have provided public meetings, regular updates delivered to residents, online photo galleries, an onsite kiosk, and more.
When it comes to PFAS, scientists have found these “forever chemicals” in soil, water and air in sites around the country and the world. Now, researchers have found PFAS in every Lake Michigan fish they sampled and a particularly toxic form of PFAS in most of the lake’s sportfish.
PFAS is short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, which encompass thousands of compounds that don’t break down in the environment. They are used in many everyday items like nonstick cookware, water- or stain-resistant clothing or carpeting, cosmetics, and even toilet paper.
Along with their persistence and growing presence in the environment, these chemicals may have human health impacts, such as impairing one’s immune system, increasing the risk of some cancers, and delaying development in children.
With funding from Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG), scientists from the University of Notre Dame—led by biologist Gary Lamberti and nuclear physicist Graham Peaslee—set out to assess the presence of PFAS in Lake Michigan fish and how these chemicals move through the lake’s food web, which had not been previously studied.
“We tested over 100 sportfish—chinook salmon, coho salmon, rainbow trout and native lake trout—and another 100 or so prey fish from all four quadrants of Lake Michigan,” said Daniele De Almeida Miranda, a postdoctoral associate working on the project.
They found PFAS in all sampled fish, both predator and prey, and in similar amounts and composition throughout the lake. The good news in terms of Lake Michigan—the study showed PFAS levels were lower there than in most Great Lakes.
Of notable concern though, was the widespread presence and level of PFOS (or perfluorooctane sulfonic acid) in the lake’s fish. These compounds were identified in more than 95% of sampled fish, especially salmon and trout.
“PFOS are a type of PFAS that are very toxic, even in low concentrations,” said Miranda. “For that reason, these compounds were phased out of production in 2002. Over 20 years later, PFOS are still the main PFAS compounds that we are seeing in Lake Michigan fish.”
These dangerous substances were also more likely than other tested PFAS compounds to bioaccumulate, meaning to move up the food chain from smaller to larger fish, potentially resulting in higher concentrations in popular sportfish.
“While bioaccumulation is straightforward with some contaminants, such as PCBs or heavy metals, it’s not with PFAS,” said Miranda. “For some PFAS compounds we found higher levels in predator fish such as chinook and lake trout, than in prey fish, but sometimes it was more variable.”
Lamberti noted that PFAS uptake by fish can be complicated, and many factors might play a role, such as the smaller fish’s diet or whether they spend time near the lake’s sediments, where PFAS might accumulate. “For example, small bottom-dwelling fish called sculpin had the highest PFAS concentrations of all the fish tested,” he said.
Also part of this IISG project, Peaslee developed a quick and affordable screening tool using technology that involves particle induced gamma-ray emission (PIGE) for analyzing PFAS and the researchers adapted the process for sampling fish tissues. This new approach provides a measure of total fluorine levels, which are a useful indicator of the presence and the amount of PFAS in fish.
The PIGE method was tested using a subset of this project’s sample fish and next steps include expanding that number.
The research team expects this first look at PFAS and their movement through the Lake Michigan food web to help decision makers evaluate the extent of these pollutants in the ecosystem and in sport fish, which may ultimately be on someone’s dinner plate.
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant is a partnership between NOAA, University of Illinois Extension, and Purdue University Forestry and Natural Resources, bringing science together with communities for solutions that work. Sea Grant is a network of 34 science, education and outreach programs located in every coastal and Great Lakes state, Lake Champlain, Puerto Rico and Guam.
This summer, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) is offering an opportunity to expand knowledge of the impacts of a suite of chemicals that can be found in our homes and in the environment. PFAS, or per- and polyfluoralkyl substances, are thousands of compounds that have emerged to be a concern in the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain—they are known as “forever chemicals” due to their persistence and have been associated with health issues.
With funding from the National Sea Grant Office, we led the development of a Great Lakes region PFAS scoping process to identify and prioritize knowledge gaps and are now leading a request for proposals focused on social and economic considerations of PFAS exposure and mitigations.
Also, this summer, as part of an exciting collaboration with Shedd Aquarium and Purdue University’s Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, we are tracking fish movement in the Chicago River. We have placed 28 acoustic receiver devices in downtown waters and have implanted acoustic tags in many largemouth bass, bluegill, and common carp. Collectively, these tags and receivers will help us understand and visualize how fish in this system move in response to factors such as habitat enhancements, sewage overflow events and seasonally changing conditions.
It’s intern season at IISG and this year we have a record number. Through our long-standing internship program and the addition of the Community Engaged Internship program supported by the National Sea Grant Office, we have 12 undergraduates getting on-the-job experience and developing and honing their skills with a number of our specialists or partners.
To make the most of their experience, we also provide professional development opportunities in the form of webinars and discussions for our interns as well as other students beyond IISG to learn about practical information on careers, available resources and more.
This year is also noteworthy as it marks the return of the Shipboard Science Workshop on the EPA research ship the Lake Guardian after last year’s mechanical setbacks and the pandemic before. The 7-day workshop in early July is hosted by New York Sea Grant and will be on Lake Ontario, but it will include two teachers from Illinois, along with another 13 from New York, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. During this workshop these lucky educators will work alongside Great Lakes scientists and engage in real-world research.
Educators staying on dry land have learning opportunities as well. For example, they are invited to register for our water quality workshop, organized by our education team, on July 27 at the Indiana Dunes State Park. At this one-day event, educators will learn how to collect and analyze water quality data and how to introduce this new knowledge to their students.
You can find our aquatic invasive species team this summer at the Rusty Rodeo on August 12 at Glenwood Park in St. Charles, Illinois. This family event is an opportunity to join in to help round up and remove rusty crayfish from local waterways.
And for local officials, the Indiana Land Use Summit will take place at the Hendricks County Fair Grounds on August 22. There, local planning experts will learn about the latest development trends and tools as well as have an opportunity to network and brainstorm regarding technical assistance and partnerships.
All in all, summer is a busy and exciting time for IISG. And, we look forward to engaging with many of you through our various in-person and virtual programs.
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant is a partnership between NOAA, University of Illinois Extension, and Purdue University Forestry and Natural Resources, bringing science together with communities for solutions that work. Sea Grant is a network of 34 science, education and outreach programs located in every coastal and Great Lakes state, Lake Champlain, Puerto Rico and Guam.
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant is looking to hire an aquatic invasive species (AIS) specialist to conduct research and, especially, engage in outreach regarding AIS pathways. The successful candidate will serve as a full time, 12-month academic professional who works with Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and the Illinois Natural History Survey—part of the Prairie Research Institute at University of Illinois—and will work from an office at the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, Illinois.
POSITION DETAILS
Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
Conduct research into pathways of AIS introductions in the southern Lake Michigan region, particularly related to Organisms in Trade and recreational water users.
Design and implement surveys to collect data on stakeholder knowledge and behaviors regarding AIS prevention.
Gather, compile, and analyze survey data for reporting and research projects.
Present research findings at local, regional, and international meetings.
Develop and conduct outreach activities and events to benefit the mission and visibility of the Survey, PRI, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, and University of Illinois.
Design outreach materials for the AIS program and disseminate them to various stakeholder groups.
Implement and manage social media and other educational marketing campaigns for the AIS program.
A bachelor’s degree is required and experience engaging in outreach and presenting at conferences, to the public, or at professional settings is preferred.
INCLUSION AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer dedicated to building a community of excellence, equity, and diversity. They are committed to fostering an inclusive environment and welcome applications from qualified individuals of all backgrounds and identities. University of Illinois participates in the federal e-Verify program and participates in a background check program focused on prior criminal or sexual misconduct history.
We strongly encourage women, minorities, and people from traditionally underrepresented groups to apply. For more on Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant’s commitment to inclusion, please see our program’s values statement.
TO APPLY
To learn more about the position’s responsibilities and qualifications, visit the job posting on the University of Illinois job board. Applications are due by June 13, 2023.
Nestled in Missouri’s Ozark Mountains, Crystal Lake Fisheries has been a family trout farm for 70 years. Dwight and Mary Alice Emerson came to the site in 1950, drawn by the natural spring, and soon the Emerson’s were in the aquaculture business.
“We created this video series to help inform seafood consumers as well as recreational anglers about fish and seafood farming in the Midwest,” said Amy Shambach, IISG aquaculture marketing outreach associate. “Aquaculture is a diverse and often misunderstood industry.”
This video is the first in the series to highlight aquaculture focused on raising fish for stocking.
The Emersons raise their own registered strain of rainbow trout from eggs to sportfish and they deliver these fish to private customers and through community and state contracts to stock local lakes and streams in Missouri and many other states.
“Our fish are fast biting and hard fighting,” said David Emerson, one of the Emersons’ sons and Crystal Lake Fisheries co-owner, along with his brother Marvin. “The majority of what we sell is stocked in water for people to catch.”
Trout have a long history of being farmed in the United States, going back to the 1800s, raised both for food and in state and private hatcheries for stocking. These fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and are considered a “Best Choice” seafood option for pregnant women and children by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration.
This video is the ninth in the Local Farmers, Local Fish series that has highlighted farms in five Midwestern states. The project is funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Sea Grant Office and in partnership with Purdue University, University of Illinois, North Central Regional Aquaculture Center, and the Great Lakes Sea Grant Network.
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant is a partnership between NOAA, University of Illinois Extension, and Purdue University Forestry and Natural Resources, bringing science together with communities for solutions that work. Sea Grant is a network of 34 science, education and outreach programs located in every coastal and Great Lakes state, Lake Champlain, Puerto Rico and Guam.
During large rainstorms, many Illinois residents brace themselves for flooding in their basements, streets and neighborhoods. A new online tool, Illinois Groundwork, provides communities and stormwater professionals with resources on green stormwater infrastructure, which provides a way for rain to be absorbed into soil where it lands.
Green stormwater infrastructure offers a way to enhance traditional or “grey” infrastructure using a rain garden or permeable pavement but this approach doesn’t always work as well as it might. Improving access to, and use of, data, research and other resources can help increase the effectiveness of green infrastructure in addressing stormwater management challenges.
“The University of Illinois not only has relevant research and data across many departments, but also real-world examples of successful green infrastructure, along with other extension and education tools, such as the Red Oak Rain Garden,” said C. Eliana Brown, University of Illinois Extension stormwater specialist. “This new tool brings these resources together, providing a robust platform to access green infrastructure knowledge.”
The project is a collaboration of Illinois–Indiana Sea Grant and Illinois Extension. A critical component of Illinois Groundwork is an Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG)-funded research project that focused on incorporating soils data into green infrastructure design. Soils are the foundation of effective green stormwater infrastructure performance.
“Soil characteristics establish how much and how fast water can move through and absorb into the soil,” explained Margaret Schneemann, IISG water resource economist. “Failing to take soils performance into account means we are not designing green infrastructure as cost-effectively as we could be and may be leaving its benefits on the table.”
“The goal of Illinois Groundwork is to complement and deepen existing community knowledge with better design capacity and soils knowledge to support local decision-making,” says said Mary Pat McGuire, University of Illinois landscape architect, who led the soils research. “Ultimately, design is a social process, people coming together to make a change.”
The web tool outlines a process that users can follow to incorporate soils data into green infrastructure design. Throughout, Illinois Groundwork provides insights into helpful or necessary expertise, specific tasks, and additional resources. It also includes an interactive resource to help optimize green infrastructure sizing and Plant Finder, which covers 119 species, with information on soil type, light and moisture needs for each as well as photos and descriptions.
“Plant Finder helps designers select plants that are best suited for site conditions and promotes designing with maintenance in mind” said Layne Knoche, University of Illinois stormwater associate. Other resources include relevant Illinois regulations, literature addressing a range of green infrastructure benefits, and real-world green infrastructure examples.
Illinois Groundwork was made possible through a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Illinois Extension collaboration grant. For more information or questions about the website, contact the team at Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant iisg@purdue.edu or (765) 496-6009. Stormwater quality is regulated at the federal level via the Clean Water Act contains an amendment (33 USC 1342) creating the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Storm Water Management Program, which the US EPA oversees.
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant is a partnership between NOAA, University of Illinois Extension, and Purdue University Forestry and Natural Resources, bringing science together with communities for solutions that work. Sea Grant is a network of 34 science, education and outreach programs located in every coastal and Great Lakes state, Lake Champlain, Puerto Rico and Guam.
During this particularly cold March, it helps to know that spring weather is around the corner. With that in mind, I’d like to mention some upcoming workshops and other resources that can turn one’s focus to the coming warmer temperatures and what that brings.
For the fisher in you, our fisheries specialist, Peter Euclide, has organized an evening of information and discussion on topics that include yellow perch habitat, the economic impact of fishing, and a research roundup by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The Illinois-Indiana Spring Fisheries Workshop will take place on April 5 in Wilmette, Illinois.
If you can’t attend the in-person event, a virtual viewing of the workshop presentations along with a live question-and-answer session with the speakers is scheduled for the evening of April 13.
For master gardeners and fellow green thumbs, the Rainscaping Education program will hold two-part workshops in Rock Island County in Illinois on March 30 and April 6. On the Indiana side of the border, workshops will take place on April 15 and 18 in Grant County. In both states, participants will learn methods for managing stormwater to reduce runoff, in other words, for rain to be absorbed where it lands. Rain gardens are one method and Illinois workshop participants will be invited to take part in constructing a rain garden this spring, while Indiana participants will install a rain garden as part of the scheduled workshops, in partnership with Taylor University.
We’ve got a new website called Illinois Groundwork that provides guidance, tools, and resources to stormwater professionals, local leaders, and community members as they look to address local flooding with green infrastructure. This site, which went live on World Water Day on March 22, is based on an IISG-funded research project that focused on incorporating soils data into green infrastructure design. IISG’s Illinois Groundwork team has brought together a vast array of information on this newweb tool.
As we consider warmer weather, I’d also like to mention the website Lake Michigan Water Safety that was redesigned and enhanced last year to include safety tips for swimming, boating, and fishing. In addition, we’ve compiled on-the-ground and online resources for beach managers and others looking to raise awareness and provide safety tips. Check out this helpful site before heading to the water.
Finally, we have several new members of the IISG team and new research scholars to announce. Amanpreet Kohli is now the project coordinator for an effort funded by the NOAA National Sea Grant Office to identify knowledge gaps and support research on PFAS contamination in the Great Lakes. She is simultaneously finishing up her PhD at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.
Haider Mehdi is our new postbaccalaureate fellow. Having recently received his degree in biology from Northeastern University, he will be assisting three staff members with a variety of administrative and outreach projects. This will take place in three separate, 4-month rotations.
In addition, this year we are awarding funding to seven new faculty and graduate student scholars for one year to study water resources issues, including shoreline and infrastructure resiliency, aquatic food web dynamics, and homeowners’ perspectives on lawn alternatives. More on that to come soon.
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant is a partnership between NOAA, University of Illinois Extension, and Purdue University Forestry and Natural Resources, bringing science together with communities for solutions that work. Sea Grant is a network of 34 science, education and outreach programs located in every coastal and Great Lakes state, Lake Champlain, Puerto Rico and Guam.
Last May, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) launched its third buoy in southern Lake Michigan—this one based in the busy waters off Navy Pier. This new buoy with its flow of in-the-moment data is helping the National Weather Service (NWS) Chicago develop more accurate forecasts and warnings, especially related to nearshore wave heights and wind speeds.
This third buoy, known affectionately as Chuoy, joins IISG buoys in the nearshore waters of Michigan City, Indiana and Wilmette, Illinois. Together, these three, along with two University of Illinois buoys closer to the Wisconsin border, paint a comprehensive picture of coastal lake conditions in the two states. In addition to meteorologists, the data is used by scientists, boaters, anglers and beach goers.
“Information from these buoys allows recreational water users to make better informed decisions when it comes to safety,” said Ben Szczygiel, IISG buoy specialist. “The data allows people to plan for current conditions and avoid the water when there are increased safety concerns.”
At NWS Chicago, IISG buoys in nearshore waters have proven to be particularly helpful in filling in information gaps and validating nearby observations, most pointedly with regards to wave height. Previously, meteorologists had to make assumptions on how waves would impact the Illinois shore based on open water buoys.
“The initial arrival of the buoy off of Wilmette opened our eyes to the increase in waves in the nearshore areas,” said Kevin Donofrio, NWS science and operations officer. “We have learned that waves don’t always come down as quickly as winds decrease.”
This new understanding of wave action has only been enhanced with the addition of Chuoy. And its location near Navy Pier puts it right where many boaters are sailing or buzzing by, plus it is directly upstream of many Chicago beaches.
Over the summer, the buoy also helped keep NWS forecasters up to speed on wind velocity, providing data measured much closer to the water than from the top of a nearby water intake facility—the Harrison-Dever Crib, which has been a long-time wind data resource.
The results of all this information are more accurate forecasts and advisories for boaters and swimmers. “We used this buoy to determine the risk level for our Surf Zone Forecasts and it plays a direct role in our Nearshore Marine Forecasts,” said Donofrio.
In the summer of 2022, Chuoy was also there to help with one of Chicago’s major lakefront events. In August, the annual Chicago Air and Water Show brings an average of two million people down to Lake Michigan’s beaches, marinas and parks as well as out in boats to experience the spectacle up close. Chuoy data helped inform on-the-ground decisions with regard to water and weather conditions and safety concerns.
As Dononfrio described it: “Forecasting for the marine environment can be very challenging with the limited observation network, but it can be very impactful.”
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant is a partnership between NOAA, University of Illinois Extension, and Purdue University Forestry and Natural Resources, bringing science together with communities for solutions that work. Sea Grant is a network of 34 science, education and outreach programs located in every coastal and Great Lakes state, Lake Champlain, Puerto Rico and Guam.
The largest electric barrier system in the world is in the Chicago River waterways—it’s there to prevent the spread of invasive carp from the Illinois River into the Great Lakes. But many other invaders, such as invertebrates, may not be impacted by barrier technology as they move between these watersheds, according to a recent Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant study.
“Silver and bighead carp pose a huge risk to the Great Lakes, but many other species, most of which are invertebrates, can be serious invaders and we also need to prevent them from spreading either to the Mississippi River Watershed from the Great Lakes or the opposite,” said Reuben Keller, a Loyola University Chicago biologist who led this research project.
Aquatic invertebrates, organisms without a spine, include mussels, crayfish, snails, zooplankton and more. When some nonnative species have been introduced to new waters, they have taken a serious toll on the food web—quagga mussels in the Great Lakes provide the most dramatic example.
Keller’s team tested two barrier technologies on a sample of invertebrate species in a lab setting—one that uses electricity as does the barrier in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal near Joliet, Illinois, and the other based on emitting carbon dioxide, an idea that is being researched and discussed as a potential backup technology to help stop the invasive carp.
Loyola physicist Robert Polak and his team of students provided their expertise to the design and set up of a fish tank that could recreate the same electrical charge as the real world barrier. “With help from the physics students, we were able to precisely know the electric field in the water,” explained Keller, “and to test the impact of different charges on organisms.”
Focusing on two invertebrates—the red swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarkii, and the much smaller amphipod Hyalella azteca—the researchers found that even at electrical charges 400% higher than the barrier, no organisms died. The impact was limited to stunning and temporarily upsetting the equilibrium of organisms.
Carbon dioxide barriers work by bubbling this gas into the water as a deterrence. “Using carbon dioxide levels that elicit avoidance responses in Asian carp, we tested nine invertebrate species, covering a range of sizes and types,” said Colette Copic, who worked on this project as part of their Master’s thesis.
That concentration was fatal to only one species—the bloody red shrimp—originally from Eastern European waters, it is now established in the Great Lakes.
Colette Copic (left) and Rachel Egly, Keller’s lab manager (right), collected invasive invertebrate species from local waterways to use in these barrier experiments.
The researchers also tested the species’ tolerances for a range of high carbon dioxide levels and the higher the rate the more the impact. At a concentration almost twice the level allowed by the Environmental Protection Agency, mortality was low, but the gas did cause many of the organisms to seem to fall asleep. “They almost essentially became frozen and then woke up once conditions got better,” said Copic.
Keller and Copic see the low fatality rate for invertebrates in the barrier experiments as both good and bad news. The positive story is that a carbon dioxide barrier added to the Chicago waterway to stop invasive carp will have very few unintended effects on non-targeted species, such as native invertebrates. But this also means that this barrier is not an obvious option if resource managers are looking to use a lethal approach to prevent the spread of invasive invertebrate species.
The researchers also created a tank where the invertebrates could choose to avoid carbon dioxide laden waters. As it turned out, many of them did, especially the adult red swamp crayfish. “These are definitely encouraging results, but I think that we need to know more and also be thinking about how these species are actually spreading,” said Copic.
The researchers created a tank in the laboratory in which invertebrates could choose to avoid water high in carbon dioxide and most did.
In general, the researchers see both the electric and carbon dioxide barrier technologies set to levels that deter invasive carp as doing little to prevent the spread of invertebrates between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basin. Even at higher rates, they expect a similar lack of impact.
“Invertebrates typically drift rather than swim downstream and often move upstream attached to boats and barges,” said Keller. “They may be uncomfortable or incapacitated going through barriers but would likely recover on the other side.”
Keller is now engaged in new research to answer more questions related to barriers and invasive species, inspired by this project. Working with Polak’s team in the physics department, they hope to get an understanding of what happens to the electrical field when barges pass through the barrier.
“We don’t know whether the field is magnified or concentrated or whether it’s dissipated,” said Keller. “We’re hoping to get insight into whether the electrical field needs to be adjusted higher or lower as barges pass through to be a more effective deterrence.”
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant is a partnership between NOAA, University of Illinois Extension, and Purdue University Forestry and Natural Resources, bringing science together with communities for solutions that work. Sea Grant is a network of 34 science, education and outreach programs located in every coastal and Great Lakes state, Lake Champlain, Puerto Rico and Guam.
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