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We all know buoys are critical for water safety on the Great Lakes, but did you know data is collected from an entire network of technology for scientists to analyze regional trends, natural resource managers to improve their work and policy makers to make informed decisions?

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In Episode 10 of Teach Me About the Great Lakes, titled “A Lot of Different Kinds of Data,” Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant’s Stuart Carlton and Hope Charters talk with Kelli Paige, chief executive officer of the Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS), about how GLOS works with Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and other partners across the Great Lakes to collect and visualize important and useful data. We also discuss how data use has changed as technology has changed and about GLOS’ Smart Great Lakes Initiative.

Teach Me About the Great Lakes is a monthly podcast in which Carlton—a social scientist who grew up in the South near the Gulf of Mexico—asks people to explain the biology, ecology and natural history of the Great Lakes. A new episode will be released on the first Monday of each month. The latest episode is embedded below.

If this isn’t enough buoy content for you, check out our How Buoys Help page and Two Yellow Buoys on Twitter. 

Love this episode and want to hear more in the future? Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or use the RSS feed in your favorite podcast player.

If you have questions you want answered about the Great Lakes, reach out to @TeachGreatLakes on Twitter or email Stuart Carlton at jsc@purdue.edu.


Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant is a part of University of Illinois Extension and Purdue Extension.

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When participating in a crayfish participatory science activity, be sure to snap plenty of photos of any crayfish you catch or observe. Not only is it a great way to capture the fun and excitement of the day, but it also helps document the species present. To ensure accurate identification by scientists, it’s important to provide clear photos from multiple angles. Dorsal (top), lateral (side), and ventral (underside) views of the crayfish should always be photographed.To learn more about the specific features to highlight in your photos visit the link in bio or InvasiveCrayfish.org/Management/#Community
Who says “Back to School” means back indoors? While the weather is still warm, take your students on an outdoor science adventure by exploring crayfish in your local waterways.The Invasive Crayfish Collaborative invites grades 2-12 educators to take part in a hands-on participatory science activity. By catching, identifying, and reporting crayfish species in your area, students contribute valuable data that helps scientists better understand where native and invasive crayfish live.Check out what other educators have found and get involved: inaturalist.org/projects/great-lakes-crayfish
Come round up some rusty crayfish and help remove this #invasivespecies from the Fox River at the 7th Annual Rusty Rodeo. Join us at this FREE event and help collect, identify, and remove rusty crayfish from the river using aquatic nets and buckets. Prizes are given to the participant who collects the most, the largest, and the smallest rusty crayfish. Learn more about native and invasive aquatic species at educational pop-up exhibits.Participants will need to provide their own supplies. We suggest bringing an aquatic net, a bucket, and clothes and shoes you don’t mind getting dirty. This is a partnership program with: Forest Preserve District of Kane County, St. Charles Parks & Recreation Department, Fox Valley Park District, and Friends of the Fox River. No registration required.More info: https://kaneforest.com/upload/2025RustyRodeoFull-pageFlyer.pdf#CrayWeek #Crayfish #InvasiveSpecies #RustyCrayfish #FoxRive
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