This brochure is a part of a natural lawn care communication campaign developed and refined through a series of grant funded homeowner surveys and focus groups. The goal is to address the issue of lawn care-related pollution in watersheds by targeting outreach efforts directly towards homeowners engaged in lawn care. Choosing the right turfgrass species for the lawn’s growing conditions is an important management practice. This brochure provides a brief introduction to turfgrass growth habits, a checklist for understanding your lawn’s growing conditions and provides a turfgrass selection guide.

References:

1. Reicher, Z., Bigelow, C., Patton, A., & Voigt, T. (2006). Zoysiagrass for Indiana. Purdue Extension. https://turf.purdue.edu/extpub/zoysiagrass-for-indiana/
2. Fresenburg, B., Miller, L. (n.d.) Managing Lawns and Turfgrass. University of Missouri Extension. https://extension2.missouri.edu/mg10
3. Hentschel, R., & Spangenberg, B. (n.d.). Groundcovers as lawn alternatives. University of Illinois Extension. https://web.extension.illinois.edu/lawntalk/other/groundcovers_as_lawn_alternatives.cfm
4. Reicher, Z., Throssell, C. (1998, July). Improving Lawns in the Shade. Purdue Extension. https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/AY/AY-14-W.pdf
5. Braun, R. C., Patton, A. J., Watkins, E., Koch, P. L., Anderson, N. P., Bonos, S. A., & Brilman, L. A. (2020). Fine fescues: A review of the species, their improvement, production, establishment, and management. Crop Science, 60(3), 1142–1187. https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.20122
6. Murphy, J. A. (1996, September). Fine Fescues: Low Maintenance Species for Turf. Rutgers Cooperative Research and Extension. https://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/publication.php?pid=FS688
7. Laskowski, M. (2018, July). Making roadsides greener by selecting salt tolerant turfgrasses. University of Minnesota: Turfgrass Science. https://turf.umn.edu/news/making-roadsides-greener-selecting-salt-tolerant-turfgrasses

This video welcomes people and partners to the benefits of restoring degraded rivers, harbors, and lakes. It simplifies the Great Lakes Legacy Act sediment cleanup process.

Please view at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Qc2drk-sO8

Please check out all the IISG videos at: https://www.youtube.com/user/iiseagrant/videos

This brochure details information about the problems caused by unwanted medicine in the home and environment, and provides helpful information for how to minimize the risks it poses.

A printer friendly alternate version is available at https://iiseagrant.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Unwanted-Meds_Brochure_Print_Friendly.pdf.

This brochure provides tips on how to properly use, store and dispose of expired or unwanted medications. It was developed by IISG, on behalf of the National Sea Grant Office, in partnership with the American Veterinary Medical Association

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a suite of manufactured chemicals with wide applications in consumer products ranging including clothing, cookware, cosmetics, and firefighting foams, are threatening the Great Lakes and Lake Champlaign region. These chemicals and their related precursor compounds have very strong bonds that make them waterproof, oil repellent, and high temperature and stain resistant. Their chemical structure also makes them very persistent in the environment, for which they are called “forever chemicals”. To explore the socioeconomic impacts of PFAS, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) is leading a Great Lakes and Lake Champlain regional research effort that is expected to support research to further advance the knowledge of social or economic issues related to PFAS risk, exposure, and remediation in these regions. The project advisory committee recommended a regional scoping effort to guide this effort; the purpose which was identifying and subsequentially prioritizing the knowledge gaps and potential socioeconomic barriers to PFAS efforts in the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain regions. Details of these scoping sessions are discussed in this report.

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

This brochure offers tips on keeping our yards green and water clean.

IISG historical pub number IISG14-91

This brochure is a part of a natural lawn care communication campaign developed and refined through a series of grant funded homeowner surveys and focus groups. The goal is to address the issue of lawn care-related pollution in watersheds by targeting outreach efforts directly towards homeowners engaged in lawn care. Managing lawn pests was identified as a main concern for homeowners. Integrated Pest Management (IPM), outlined in this brochure is a tool homeowners can implement to minimize reliance on pesticides, reduce treatment costs, improve lawn health and protect surface and ground water.

References:

1. Environmental Protection Agency. (2017, August). Introduction to Integrated Pest Management. https://www.epa.gov/managing-pests-schools/introduction-integrated-pest-management
2. UC IPM. What Is Integrated Pest Management (IPM)? University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program. (UC IPM). https://www2.ipm.ucanr.edu/What-is-IPM/
3. Calhoun, R. N. (2015). Integrated Pest Management for Home Lawns. MSU Extension. https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/integrated-pest-management-for-home-lawns
4. Reicher, Z., Throssell, C. (1998, July). Improving Lawns in the Shade. Purdue Extension. https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/AY/AY-14-W.pdf
5. Environmental Protection Agency. (2017, June 28). Healthy Lawn, Healthy Environment: Caring for Your Lawn in an Environmentally Friendly Way. https://www.epa.gov/safepestcontrol/healthy-lawn-healthy-environment-caring-your-lawn-environmentally-friendly-way
6. Pennsylvania State University. (n.d.). Pennsylvania Integrated Pest Management [Brochure]. Pennsylvania Integrated Pest Management. http://www.paasthma.org/images/docs/IPM_brochure.pdf
7. Pennsylvanian State University Extension. (2011, March). Steps of Integrated Pest Management. https://extension.psu.edu/steps-of-integrated-pest-management-ipm