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.

With summer vacation on the horizon, NOAA and the National Park Service are alerting beach-goers to the threat of rip currents and how to prevent drowning from their strong and potentially fatal grip.

Rip currents are the leading surf hazard, claiming more than 100 lives per year nationally. For that reason, NOAA and NPS are teaming up to sponsor Rip Current Awareness Week, June 7-13, with the theme Break the Grip of the Rip®.

Rip currents are narrow channels of fast-moving water that pull swimmers away from the shore. Moving at speeds of up to eight feet per second, rip currents are surprisingly strong and swift. They account for more than 80 percent of the tens of thousands of rescues performed by beach lifeguards in the United States annually.

“Before going into the water, check the rip current outlook, swim on guarded beaches and know how to escape a rip current’s grip,” said Jack Hayes, Ph.D., director of NOAA’s National Weather Service. “Doing so can save your life.”

If you are caught in a rip current, swim in a direction following the shoreline. When free of the current, swim at an angle away from the current toward shore. Swimmers who try to swim against a rip current straight back to shore often fail to overcome its strength, risking exhaustion and drowning.

“Every year, more than 75 million visitors come to swim, fish, snorkel, scuba dive, boat and enjoy the wildlife and majestic scenery in the coastal areas of our National Park System,” said Dan Wenk, acting director of the National Park Service. “The National Park Service has a long partnership with NOAA and its National Weather Service to enhance our ability to provide visitors with the latest information on water safety.”

Rip currents can form at all surf beaches so keep these safety tips in mind:
• Check for surf zone forecasts at NOAA’s National Weather Service Rip Current Safety.
• Look for signs and flags posted to warn about rip currents;
• Do not swim against a rip current;
• Escape rip currents by swimming in a direction following the shoreline until you are free of the rip current;
• Never swim alone.

“Sea Grant and the National Weather Service have placed rip current signs in English and Spanish on ocean and Great Lakes beaches throughout the nation to warn swimmers of the dangers posed by this hazard. It is critical that all beach-goers know how to identify a rip current, and that they know what to do if they are caught in one,” said Leon M. Cammen, Ph.D., director of NOAA’s National Sea Grant College Program.

NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources.

Break the Grip of the Rip is a registered trademark of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Here are some links for more information:
NOAA’s homepage
NOAA Rip Current information
NOAA Sea Grant
National Park Service

Planning with POWER’s latest publication—Smart Growth and Protection of Natural Resources in Indiana—responds to a problem persistent in urban and residential development in Indiana as well as other states.

“Local land use planning in the past has not incorporated natural resources,” said POWER project leader Robert McCormick. “Typically, housing is scattered in a sprawled fashion without regard to environmental impacts. As a result, we have seriously degraded our water and other natural resources.”

The goal of smart growth—an idea promoted by the U.S. EPA Smart Growth Network (SGN) in 1996—is to protect communities’ natural resources and improve the quality of life in neighborhoods through mixed-use development, transportation accessibility, and protection of open spaces.

With help from Planning with POWER, smart growth development is already underway in Porter County and is under consideration in a handful of other Indiana counties. POWER’s new publication provides details on smart growth development in Indiana and outlines methods for implementation, including SGN’s “Ten Principles of Smart Growth.”

Planning with Power—a statewide educational program that links land use planning with watershed planning at the local level—is coordinated by Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and Purdue University Extension. The project is designed to empower communities to prevent and solve natural resource problems resulting from changing land use in growing watersheds and to empower local officials to incorporate watershed protection measures into comprehensive land use plans.

For more information or to download the publication, visit Planning with Power or contact Robert McCormick at 765-494-3627.