From the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:

The leaping Asian carp have long been a problem for recreational boaters plying waters infested by the species, which was accidentally unleashed two decades ago during government sewage treatment experiments in Arkansas.

Now the misery has spread to commercial barge operators near Chicago.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced Tuesday it will end a subsidy that provides an extra tow boat for barges moving through a new carp barrier on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. Read more.

From Science Daily:

Aquaculture, once a fledgling industry, now accounts for 50 percent of the fish consumed globally, according to a new report by an international team of researchers. And while the industry is more efficient than ever, it is also putting a significant strain on marine resources by consuming large amounts of feed made from wild fish harvested from the sea, the authors conclude. Their findings are published in the Sept. 7 online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Read more.

Aquatic invasive species make their way into our waters through a variety of means. One is through classroom specimens that end up released into local rivers and lakes when the class work is done.

“Live Plants and Animals in the Classroom: Developing Teacher-Based Solutions” is the name of a focus group meeting that was held on August 12 at the Chicago Zoological Society’s Brookfield Zoo. Ten educators representing elementary, middle, and high schools in Illinois and Indiana, as well as two school librarians and a zoo educator participated in the discussion.

This event is one important component of a grant from NOAA-Sea Grant coordinated by the Oregon Sea Grant Program. The goal of the project is to develop appropriate solutions that will help prevent new introductions of organisms into local waterways. Wei Ying Wong, Mellon postdoctoral fellow at Connecticut College, facilitated the four-hour focus group discussion. Several IISG staff members planned and attended this event–Robin Goettel, associate director for education, Terri Hallesy, education specialist, Pat Charlebois, aquatic invasives specialist and Kristin TePas, aquatic invasive extension associate. Lanis Petrik, senior education specialist at the Brookfield Zoo, arranged for the room, lunch, and our conference equipment.

The goal of the focus group was to obtain input from educators who use live organisms in their classrooms. These educators shared perspectives on ways that they use live species in the classroom and why they feel they are important in helping students learn. They also discussed where they get their organisms and their concerns about using live species in the classroom such as how do deal with long-term care and disposal.

Many of the educators expressed concern with the option of euthanizing these animals after use. The focus group concluded with an interesting discussion about what types of resources on invasive species would be helpful to them, what might lead them to use the resources, and how IISG and others can best reach out to teachers and students regarding information about invasive species as they relate to live organisms used in the classroom.

Here are a couple quotes from two participants:

“I am an elementary general teacher and I want to learn more. We don’t have a science specialist coming to our bi-lingual school. It’s difficult to go in depth into something as valuable as science. It can become an overwhelming issue.”

“I am amazed at how much I do not know! Glad to know there are other teachers out there that are better versed, but there is still a lot that they need to know.”

Green roof tops are sprouting up around Chicago. But what is the most useful way to incorporate green infrastructure into urban settings? Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) Environmental Planning Specialist Martin Jaffe recently received a $300,000 grant from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to assess the use of green infrastructure for urban stormwater management in Illinois.

Green infrastructure is a growing movement toward sustainable, environmentally-friendly approaches to land use planning. Popular practices include rain gardens, permeable pavements, and green roofs, which seek to maximize on natural resources while maintaining environmental health. Jaffe’s team will be collecting data and monitoring the performance of such practices in urban environments.

“This study should help state officials decide which green infrastructure proposals ought to be funded and which should be given lower priority, based on the proven effectiveness of the various best management practices in different settings,” said Jaffe, who is also an associate professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Jaffe’s results will also be used by IISG to develop a plan to inform local officials, municipal engineers, and planners about the proper role of green infrastructure in urban stormwater management.

The 18-month grant is the result of recent legislation, mandating a statewide study of green infrastructure in Illinois. Jaffe’s co-principal investigators will be studying the effect of wetlands in various landscapes on pollution control.

This study also coincidentally comes on the heels of a rise in flood peaks in Chicago metropolitan areas, due to growing urbanization, as documented by IISG-funded research by Momcilo Markus, Illinois State Water Survey.

“We are not focused on urban flood peaks,” Jaffe said. “However, flood peaks have a complex relationship to green infrastructure. Some green infrastructure best management practices, such as wetlands, can provide flood storage, and practices encouraging infiltration and on-site storage can potentially reduce such peaks through minimizing runoff to surface waters.”

The study’s consultants include Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning and the Center for Neighborhood Technology, who will be examining the legal standards of green infrastructure in urban stormwater management and whether measures used in the study will be transferable to downstate rural counties and small towns.

IISG was presented with a 2009 Education and Public Service Award from the Universities Council on Water Resources (UCOWR) at the organization’s annual meeting in Chicago in July. This award is given by UCOWR in recognition of individuals, groups or agencies that have made significant contributions to increased public awareness of water resources development, use or management.

IISG was recognized for the program’s efforts regarding natural resource issues facing the greater Chicago metropolitan region, including water supply. Despite the fact that Chicago sits on the plentiful resource of Lake Michigan, the region is facing a growing population and a water supply that is limited, both legally and practically.

Throughout the decade, IISG has supported and informed efforts to develop regional plans regarding water supply and other natural resource issues facing the region. For example, in 2001 IISG helped the Tri-State Wingspread Accord get off the ground. The accord brought together planning agencies from Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin to address issues on a larger scale. Through this agreement, water supply planning can take place on a watershed or aquifer basis, which often extends beyond state lines. Since then, Michigan has joined the accord, and the group continues to make historic efforts to address future coastal resource needs.

Last year, in partnership with the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning and the University of Illinois Extension, IISG hired a water resource economist to oversee the economic analysis to support the development and implementation of a sustainable water use and supply plan for the Chicago region. Margaret Schneemann is examining the costs and benefits of the water supply planning process, including conservation options, and is developing an optimal water pricing schedule for the region.

“We are very proud that our contributions to water resource education have been recognized by UCOWR,” said Brian Miller, IISG director. “Addressing water quantity and quality issues in the region requires a team effort that includes partnerships with agencies and organizations. Over the years, we’ve had the privilege of working with great partners.”

UCOWR consists of over 90 member universities and organizations throughout the world. UCOWR’s goals include: facilitating water-related education at all levels; promoting meaningful research and technology transfer on contemporary and emerging water resources issues; compiling and disseminating information on water problems and solutions; and informing the public about water issues with the objective of promoting informed decisions at all levels of society. Member institutions engage in education, research, public service, international activities, and information support for policy development related to water resources.

IISG’s Nab the Aquatic Invader Playing Cards has won a 2009 APEX Award for Publication Excellence in One–of-a-kind Environmental Publications. The award goes to Robin Goettel, Terri Hallesy and Susan White of IISG, along with Dave Brenner of the University of Michigan.

The playing cards are based on invasive aquatic species characters developed for the Nab the Aquatic Invader website. The cards are designed to introduce 4-10th grade students to AIS in a fun way, with games such as “Invader Hide and Seek,” “Exotic Species Recall” and “The Lonely Police Chief.”

There’s a whole other world living and growing alongside Chicago’s busy streets in Lake Michigan. Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) and Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) have teamed up to help acquaint local residents with this world as a part of the Museum of Science and Industry’s “Science Saturdays.”

“We hope to expose the public to some of the organisms living in the lake, how we sample them, what types of questions we are trying to answer, and what the answers mean for the management of the lake,” said IISG aquatic invasives specialist Pat Charlebois.

The tour—directed towards those aged seven and up—will be held on Saturday, July 18, from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. It will take place at North Point Marina in Winthrop Harbor, Illinois, where researchers from the Lake Michigan Biological Station, an INHS field station, will lead a shore-based exploration of aquatic life in Lake Michigan. Participants will have an opportunity to learn about—and at some stages touch—the invertebrates and offshore and nearshore fishes that inhabit the lake.

Science Saturdays are a part of a yearlong initiative, called Science Chicago, aiming to establish the crucial value of science and math in its residents. The museum initiative “brings together more than 140 of the area’s leading academic, scientific, corporate, and non-profit institutions to host thousands of programs that provide hands-on learning, spur thoughtful debate, and build enthusiasm for the pursuit of cutting-edge science.”

IISG, as a part of its on-going efforts to educate the public about water issues in the region, is organizing the Lake Michigan event. “We thought it would be a great opportunity to showcase the lake and the work that researchers at the Lake Michigan Biological Station are doing to understand more about it,” said Charlebois.

From the Northwest Herald:

Local waters might seem clearer to the naked eye, but the reason behind it could disrupt the food chain and eventually the fish supply.

Zebra mussels, which are spreading throughout the Chain O’ Lakes and the Fox River, filter through a liter of plankton-filled water a day each as they go, said Pat Charlebois, aquatic invasive specialist with the Illinois Natural History Survey and the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant program.

But those plankton, which fog the water, are needed to serve as the base of the food chain.

“[Zebra mussels] are bad,” Charlebois said. “Because they’re removing particles from the water, some people think the water becomes clearer. Lake Michigan is clearer now, but that is because there’s no food.” Read more.

Nab the Aquatic Invader!, an educational website about aquatic invasive species, is featured this month on the Fun Zone page of the Year of Science 2009 website.

Year of Science 2009 is a 12-month celebration of how science works, why science matters, and who scientists are. It is led by participants in the Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science (COPUS), a grassroots network composed of more than 400 participating organizations representing universities, scientific societies, science centers and museums, government agencies, advocacy groups, media, educators, businesses and industry—formed in response to recent concerns about national scientific literacy.

COPUS, which began with a grant from the National Science Foundation, has grown to be an inclusive endeavor spurring communication and collaboration in the scientific community while shining the spotlight on science throughout the year. Major sponsors include the American Institute of Biological Sciences, the University of California, Museum of Paleontology, the Geological Society of America, and the National Science Teachers Association.

Nab the Aquatic Invader! is featured as part of this month’s “Ocean and Water” theme. The web site was created by Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant along with Sea Grant programs in New York, Louisiana, Connecticut, and Oregon to provide the latest information about aquatic invasive species through colorful characters and a crime-solving theme. Since its inception, the project has expanded to include species from coastal regions around the country.

“The site is clever and fun, but it’s also rich with curriculum for teachers, ideas for stewardship projects, and creative educational activities for students and other online audiences,” said Robin Goettel, IISG associate director for education.
In addition to visiting the Fun Zone, on this month on the Year of Science website you can meet scientists, including Dr. Richard Spinrad, NOAA Assistant Administrator for Research, enter a contest to name a newly-found jellyfish, and learn ways to get involved in protecting our oceans.

Upcoming Year of Science 2009 themes include “Astronomy” in July, “Weather and Climate” in August, and “Biodiversity and Conservation” in September.