This is an annual summary of Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant success stories.

Flip through the magazine: https://issuu.com/iiseagrant/docs/thehelm-2021

This session was one of the largest at the 60th annual IAGLR conference, with 18 oral presentations, 1 poster presentation, and 1 facilitated discussion period. The full list of abstracts (with author contact information) is included as Appendix 1. This session was well-attended throughout the day, with as many as 70 people attending the individual talks.

A Great Lakes Area of Concern, the Sheboygan River in Wisconsin has undergone a cleanup through the Great Lakes Legacy Act. As a result, the city of Sheboygan has seen environmental, economic, and quality of life benefits.

Citations:

1. Great Lakes Commission. Assessing the Investment—The Economic Impact of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: A Case Study of Sheboygan, Wisconsin. September 2018.

Other Resources

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Sheboygan River AOC
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Remediation and Restoration Projects for Sheboygan River AOC
• City of Sheboygan, Department of Planning and Development[Conversation]
• Healing our Waters/Great Lakes Coalition: Sheboygan River cleanup nears completion

En Español

Revitalización de Sheboygan en español está aquí.

Learn about the pros and cons of using two different methods to establish a new lawn.

Summaries of climate events on a quarterly basis throughout the Great Lakes basin as well as an outlook for the next season. The most current report, as well as previous report,s are available on the website for the Midwest Regional Climate Center, located at https://mrcc.illinois.edu/pubs/pubsGreatLakes.jsp.

Climate change is spotlighting the importance of managing water resources. Building on previous work (ID-524-W, ID-520-W, ID-519-W), in this publication the authors discuss how the One Water approach can benefit urban communities.

This file can be downloaded from the Purdue Extension Ed Store at: https://mdc.itap.purdue.edu/item.asp?Item_Number=ID-525-W

This brochure is a guide to the characteristics and benefits of selected Illinois spring ephemerals to help home gardeners choose plants appropriate for site-specific conditions.

Alternative Version

A screen-reader friendly version is available at: https://iiseagrant.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Native-Spring-Ephemerals-ADA-Accessible-Version.pdf

En Español

Plantas Nativas Efímeras de Primavera en español está aquí.
La publicación para un lector de pantalla está disponible aquí.

A Great Lakes Area of Concern, Muskegon Lake in Michigan has undergone a cleanup through the Great Lakes Legacy Act. As a result, the city of Muskegon has seen environmental, economic, and quality of life benefits.

Citations:

1. Paul Isely Erik Nordman Kendra Robbins Julie Cowie. Muskegon Lake Area of Concern Habitat Restoration Project: Socio-Economic Assessment Revisited. July 2020.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.

Other Resources

• Great Lakes Commission: Assessing the Investment—The Economic Impact of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: A Case Study of Muskegon, Michigan

En Español

Revitalización de Muskegon en español está aquí.


• International Association of Great Lakes Research: Great Lakes Revival: How Restoring Polluted Waters Leads to Rebirth of Great Lakes Communities (pp. 39-46)
• Livability: Transforming Waterfronts Along the Muskegon Lakeshore
• Western Michigan Regional Shoreline Commission: Muskegon River Habitat Restoration at Veteran’s Memorial Park
• NOAA Fisheries: Muskegon Lake Nears Recovery After Years of Restoration
• MiBiz: Arts playing ‘huge role’ in shaping downtown Muskegon through pandemic
• WZZM Channel 13: A successful Muskegon festival season by the numbers
• WOOD Channel 8: ‘Hidden gem’ discovered: Muskegon Lake ripe for development
• FOX Channel 17: Great Lakes cruises bring passengers, revenue to Muskegon
• MLIVE: Marquette to Muskegon: Cruise ships bring big tourism dollars to the Great Lakes 
• Detroit Free Press: Cruise ships to visit Muskegon again after 2 years of COVID-19 cancelations

Nearshore environments include wetlands, beaches, and grass meadows of a lake. This factsheet describes life in a nearshore, water quality in this area, why degradation occurs, and what you can do to improve nearshore water quality.