From the Environmental Almanac:

Today’s Environmental Almanac comes to you courtesy of students from Zanne Newman’s class at Stratton Elementary School in Champaign. This Spring, some of Newman’s fourth graders have been working with University of Illinois students enrolled in a service learning program called Community Stewardship through Environmental Education, which is offered cooperatively by Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant Program, the UI Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, and the Center for Teaching Excellence. Read more.

In addition to song lyrics written by the Stratton students, this blog post includes a video of Franklin School eighth graders performing their play about the problem of invasive aquatic species.

Shelley Cabrera is a recent graduate from the University of Chicago with a B.S. in environmental science. She is now an O.R.I.S.E. (Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education) intern working in conjunction with the U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office and IISG. Here is her post:

As an intern I have the opportunity to learn about effective product stewardship and a wide range of environmental issues. In turn I am able to pass this knowledge on to others, and provide them with tools and resources needed to make a difference in their communities and their own lives. More specifically, in the realm of product stewardship, we are concentrating our efforts on the proper disposal of pharmaceutical and electronic waste. Just last week I was able to speak with a representative of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative who intends to relay, to participating mayors and local officials, information on how to implement ongoing PPCP (pharmaceutical and personal care product) collection programs in their cities. Knowing that cities throughout the Great Lakes basin and the rest of the country want to take charge of the situation is reassuring; unfortunately others are not as fortunate.

Recently, an AP article highlighted the Iska Vagu stream in Patancheru, India that is so polluted with pharmaceuticals that “enough of a single, powerful antibiotic was being spewed into one stream each day to treat every person in a city of 90,000.” Some of the possible consequences of these unregulated releases include cell growth failure, harm to reproductive systems, and the promotion of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. As if the degradation is not enough, the Iska Vagu stream acts as the only water source to many of the villages downstream. The villagers and manufacturing facilities upstream that are releasing these high concentration residues know that the river is highly contaminated, yet not much has been done either due to apathy or inability. This story is a sad reminder of the consequences a lack of product stewardship can have on the environment and communities. I am pleased to be a part of the effort to make sure that an incident like this one does not happen in the Great Lakes.

In line with protecting our environment, IISG’s Disposal of Unwanted Medicines: A Resource for Your Community toolkit has been sent to locations throughout the U.S,, even to Canada and New Zealand! Whether it is helping an individual, group or local government set up their own collection event, increasing awareness among the general public through education and outreach is imperative to changing the way we think about our everyday actions. In fact, I was able to pass on educational materials to a Montessori grade school teacher (who happens to be my aunt), after she mentioned that she would be starting an ecology course soon.

As to electronics recycling and disposal, we have been working with U.S. EPA and Ohio Sea Grant to redesign ecyclingtools.com to more effectively provide businesses with the information and tools needed to refurbish and/or recycle their old computer equipment. Among the many sites providing information on electronics disposal, we noticed that there was a lack of recycling information provided to businesses. Our hope is that this user-friendly site will act as a one-stop shop for businesses to find out about energy star ratings for new equipment, recyclers in the area, regulations for their state, etc. In my opinion, before the redesign the site was too much like the report it grew from. Now, almost everything is displayed when you first enter the site in a format that is not overwhelming for the user, and clickable maps will make finding regulations and recyclers for a state a bit easier. The best part is that this is just one more step toward keeping hazardous chemicals from entering the environment and contaminating our water supplies.

In addition to working on proper waste disposal, I have also been fortunate enough to work on production of a type E botulism manual for the Great Lakes states. Our goal is to have a document that local and state governments and the public can refer to for information on symptoms to look for, avian carcass disposal, cooking temperatures for fish and birds, as well as any federal and state advice that may exist. Before starting work on this manual, I had no idea that there were even various types of botulism or the conditions required to activate the toxin. The only thing I knew was that improperly canned fruits and vegetables could contain botulism, but I never thought that it was naturally occurring in the Great Lakes. With each new assignment I feel that I am probably learning even more than I realize, and these tasks are just a few of many that, as an intern, one is able to accomplish working with Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and U.S. EPA.

COSEE Great Lakes recently completed another successful online workshop—“Great Lakes Alive!”—in which scientists and educators were brought together to exchange information about the biological aspects of the Great Lakes.

The workshop—held in February—is the third in a series of workshops started in 2006. Among its components are streaming video presentations from university scientists and educational resources pertaining to the topics discussed.

“These workshops are a great opportunity for educators to converse with scientists, collect exemplary teaching resources, share varied experiences, and expand their understanding and knowledge of Great Lakes science,” said IISG education specialist Terri Hallesy.

Over 155 people participated in this year’s workshop and 26 received graduate credit for their participation.

“The lessons have been extremely popular with students and teachers,” said participant Wendy Lutzke, who used resources from the workshop in her own classroom. “I highly recommend the ESCAPE lessons.”

“It is amazing how many people were able to benefit from this online workshop,” said participant Corista Nichols.

IISG recently released a new WATCH card featuring two new invasive species—the Brazilian elodea and hydrilla. These costly noxious weeds have been invading and causing harm in parts of the U.S.

“They have the potential to crowd out native species, alter habitat, and hinder recreational activities such as boating and fishing,” said IISG aquatic invasives extension associate Kristin TePas.

Costs have quickly added up in Indiana in efforts to control these invaders. According to TePas, in 2006 an infestation of hydrilla was found in a 735-acre lake that is expected to cost the state $1.5 million to remove. This followed a previous infestation of Brazilian elodea in a 109-acre impoundment, which cost the state $135,000 to eradicate.

Both hydrilla, native to Asia, and Brazilian elodea found their way into U.S. waters through aquarium trade. Recently these plants have been spread to new waters via boats and recreational equipment and as a hitchhiker on other plant materials.

Boaters and anglers can help by regularly cleaning their boat equipment when they leave a water body and by reporting any sightings. Hobbyists can help by purchasing plants other than Brazilian elodea and disposing of unwanted aquarium and water garden plants in the trash rather than nearby water bodies.

The new WATCH card provides a brief description of the plants as well as illustrations and a photograph of the two species. It also includes a clear description of how to tell them apart from native elodeas, as they are similar in appearance. The card also provides useful information to help prevent the spread of these invaders and what to do to report a new sighting.

Nab the Aquatic Invader!, an educational web site about aquatic invasive species (AIS), will be featured at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History as part of the Ocean Today Kiosk in the Sant Ocean Hall. It will also be on display at Coastal Ecosystem Learning Centers throughout the country.

The web site was created by Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG), which is part of University of Illinois Extension, along with Sea Grant programs in New York, Louisiana, Connecticut, and Oregon to provide the latest information about AIS through colorful characters and a crime-solving theme. Since its inception, the project has expanded to include species from coastal regions around the country.

“In addition to being clever and fun, the site is 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.

The Ocean Today Kiosk, developed by NOAA in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution , presents news, video stories and in this case, interactive pages that highlight some of the most interesting, surprising, and pressing issues facing our ocean today. Through a large touch-screen interface, kiosk visitors are offered a variety of information about ocean life, current science and technology, and recent discoveries. The kiosk also features a ‘current news’ section, presenting users with near real-time data about ocean and weather conditions around the U.S.

The Nab the Aquatic Invader! feature will focus on the suspects–aka the invasive species–in four regions of the country: Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf, and Great Lakes. In each region, visitors can see read interrogation interviews with the 10 Most Wanted AIS and learn their origin, problems they cause, and some control methods used to slow the spread of these species.

“The Ocean Today Kiosk team is excited to partner with Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant to turn content from the Nab the Aquatic Invader web site into an interactive feature,” said Katie Snider, kiosk executive producer at NOAA’s National Ocean Service. “The Ocean Today Kiosk was designed to educate the public on fundamental ocean literacy concepts. There’s no better way to teach kids (and big kids!) about invasive species than by letting them “touch screen” their way through the crimes and profiles of invasive “suspects” around the country.”

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

If change truly is the only constant, then proof is at our doorstep.

In the last century, Lake Michigan has seen its native fish stocks depleted, an onslaught of exotic species, and the rise and fall and tenuous rise again of a world-class trout and salmon fishery.

Now, with the forage base at a record low and a tentative plan by a lake-wide committee to increase lake trout stocking, many in the sportfishing community feel the multibillion dollar fishery is at a crossroads. Read more.

It started with a simple question asked by high school teacher Paul Ritter of his ecology class: What does one do with medicines when you no longer need them? This question has lead to a lot of research by students, a movie at the Sundance Festival, a new song, a new mascot–Pill Bottle Phil–but most importantly, it has led to a program that is now the model for collection programs across the country.

The Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal (P2D2) Program educates the public about the harm done to the environment due to the current prescription and non-prescription drug disposal practices and provides alternative disposal solutions that ensure the quality of our water for future generations.

Founders of this successful program, Ritter and Eric Bohm, are teaming up with IISG educators Robin Goettel and Terri Hallesy to mentor six science teachers who wish to incorporate the P2D2 curriculum in their schools and communities in Indiana. P2D2 is a collaborative effort between local pharmacies, officials, and high school teachers and students.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

The Obama administration’s top environmental official indicated Tuesday that she will consider tougher rules to protect the Great Lakes from invasive species that hitch rides into the region aboard oceangoing vessels.

Newly appointed Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson said she will take a fresh look at her agency’s new policy that requires oceangoing vessels to flush their ship-steadying ballast tanks in mid-ocean to expel any unwanted organisms. Read More.

From the Environmental News Network:

Representatives from more than 140 countries today committed to reduce global mercury pollution, which will help protect the world’s citizens from the dangerous neurotoxin. This agreement was propelled by the United States’ reversal in policy, which also influenced policy reversals of other countries, including China and India. The announcement is a historic step forward in the fight against mercury pollution, according to scientists and policy experts at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

“This is great news for reducing mercury pollution around the world, and shows a commitment from the Obama Administration to international environmental issues,” said Susan Egan Keane, policy analyst for NRDC. “The United States has taken a leadership role that will chart a new course on mercury protections around the world. We have set a strong example that is already influencing others to do the same.” Read More.