A curriculum for integrating real-time buoy data as a teaching tool about Lake Michigan conditions and current issues.

This program provides the opportunity for educators to borrow actual monitoring equipment used by scientists in the field and for students to experience collecting and analyzing real water-quality data. It is a great way to bring to life the topic of water quality for your students, and bring the outdoors to your classroom or your classroom outdoors!

For more detailed information, visit Limno Loan

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
• 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

The Lake Guardian is an EPA research vessel that sails the Great Lakes. This brochure provides stats on the ship, explains the variety of research that happens aboard, and highlights the equipment that scientists use to test these waters.

A printer-friendly version of this document is available at https://iiseagrant.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Lake-Guardian-US-Letter-Size-Print.pdf.

This toolkit is a curated collection of information and resources focused on seafood for educators interested in supplementing existing programs. Topics covered in this publication include the health benefits of eating seafood, recommendations for including seafood as part of healthy eating patterns, sourcing, and seafood safety. In addition to information about nutrition and safety, there are sections on cooking methods, recipes, and social media that can be used for planning your next cooking demonstration and educating and inspiring clients.

This 4-H curriculum, designed for informal education audiences, provides five inquiry-based lessons to help high school youth understand the harmful effects of improper disposal of medicines and what they can do to help. Each lesson contains a complete instruction plan, centered on a hands-on activity for the students.

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

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

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

The Helm is a collection of recent IISG success stories, describing some of our research, outreach, and education efforts to address coastal and Great Lakes issues in Illinois and Indiana.