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.

IISG Instagram

Do you work or live along the Great Lakes coasts? Watch our newly released video series collection, containing several short videos that overview the range of coastal protection options in the Great Lakes, including:- Natural processes in the Great Lakes- Hard coastal protection structures and how they interact with/alter natural processes- Nature-based coastal solutions in the Great Lakes, ranging from green to gray approachesFind our two new video series at the link in bio.
Located in Washington, D.C., the Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship provides a unique educational and professional experience to graduate students who have an interest in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources, and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources. This is a one-year fellowship open to any student, regardless of citizenship, who is enrolled toward a degree in a graduate or professional program on the day of the deadline.Students enrolled at an Illinois or Indiana university or college should submit their applications through Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant by emailing Angela Archer at amcbride@purdue.edu. Students in surrounding states without a Sea Grant program should contact the National Sea Grant College Program at oar.sg.fellows@noaa.gov for a referral. Application deadline: June 3, 2026.To learn more about the fellowship, visit the link in bio.
Science is Survival at C2E2 2026! Catch us at the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (March 27–29) as we explore the underwater world of Subnautica through the lens of Great Lakes science.Stop by our booth to discover how Great Lakes food webs, invasive species, and aquaponics stack up against your favorite survival game!Learn more about the event at the link in bio.