“This quest received a financial boost last week when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded a $448,663 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant to the Ozaukee Washington Land Trust. In return, the group and its partners will inventory and eliminate the most aggressive of invasive plants in wetlands and waterways in the six counties.Graff, executive director of the land trust, said work will continue the rest of this year on locating each infestation. The organization is working with other land trusts in the region, the Wisconsin Land and Water Conservation Association and River Alliance of Wisconsin to curb the threat posed by the exotic plants.”
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Don’t miss out! Join us for a deep dive into the latest Lake Michigan fisheries science.
Topics will include:
-Reef restoration impacts on aquatic and fish species
-Wild reproduction rates for salmon and trout species from the Great Lakes Mass Marking Program
-Fisheries update from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Learn more & register at the link in bio.
With spring around the corner, are you curious how this year’s ice cover on Lake Michigan compares to past years? @noaa.glerl has got you covered with the data. Then you can borrow our Great Lakes Basin floor map to help students visualize the data.
View the data: https://www.glerl.noaa.gov/data/ice/
Request to borrow the map: https://iiseagrant.org/education/loanable-kits/
#TeachingTuesday
#GreatLakes
Satellite Photo: February 12, 2023, MODIS satellite imagery indicates below-average ice cover on the Great Lakes for this time of year. (Credit: NOAA GLERL / NOAA Great Lakes CoastWatch Node)
Since January, we’ve been busy helping students and educators dive deeper into hands‑on science! This winter, our team supported community engagement at the Step N2 STEM event, the Annual HASTI Conference, at Decatur Classical School, and at the Chicago River Student Congress.
Educators and students joined us to:
🔍 Explored macroinvertebrates up close
🌊 Learned about watersheds through an interactive game
🔬 Investigated plankton under a microscope
🦠 Engineered and raced plankton in the Great Plankton Race
#TeachingTuesday
Celebrate Earth Day with freshwater science and good conversation! Join Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, the Northwestern Center for Water, Loyola University researcher Tim Hoellein, and IISG’s Sarah Zack for Science Sips: Trash Talk about Chicago Waterways. Learn what research reveals about litter and trash in Lake Michigan and Chicago waterways and what we can do to help.
Plus, enjoy Great Lakes trivia games!
📅 April 22, 2026
⏰ 7–9 PM
📍 Sketchbook Brewing Company, Evanston Tap Room
Come curious and ready to test your Great Lakes knowledge!
