Each year the Illinois Lakes Management Association recognizes one outstanding professional or volunteer for their significant contributions to preserving and protecting the quality of Illinois lakes. 

The Lake Guardian award, given annually, acknowledges each winner’s career-long efforts to ensure healthy lakes throughout the state of Illinois, and this year Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant’s Pat Charlebois was selected from among several nominees. 

Pat’s work on outreach efforts to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species is especially important to protecting Illinois’ waterways. The development of tools to inform boaters, anglers, and the general public about the dangers of these species, as well as best management practices and regulations, continue to be instrumental in protecting delicate ecosystems, and Pat has lead the way in these areas. 
 
To learn more about our work on aquatic invasive species, visit our AIS page.

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Got a research idea worth a bigger room? The 2026 State of Lake Michigan Meeting is accepting proposals for symposia and workshops, and we want to hear yours!📅 Nov. 4–6 | Michigan City, IN⏰ Proposals due June 1 at 1 PM ETHelp shape what the Great Lakes research community discusses this year.🔗 Submit at the link in bio.
To every educator who has brought the Great Lakes into their classroom, thank you. 🍎Your curiosity is contagious. Your lessons last. And the students who learn to love these waters? They’ll protect them.Happy Teacher Appreciation Week from all of us at IISG.
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.