As part of the Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative (CSMI), over 40 scientists from 15 agencies gathered in 2015 to take stock of the health of Lake Michigan. They focused on assessing several critical concerns in Lake Michigan: the lower food web, which may be depleted by invasive zebra and quagga mussels, the condition of key prey fish species, and the impact of contaminants on water quality and in the food chain.

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

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

This is a wallet card-sized brochure that will be distributed to boaters and anglers by Illinois Conservation Police Officers. The brochure contains Illinois’ aquatic invasive species laws and additional recommended actions these audiences can take to prevent the spread of invasive species.

This publication brings together program impacts from the 2018-2019 Sea Grant year.

The role of the Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative (CSMI) is to provide enhanced monitoring and research activities that provide relevant information to address the science priorities of the Lake Partnerships (established under the Lakewide Management Annex of the 2012 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement) across the Laurentian Great Lakes. The Lake Michigan Partnership, a collaborative team of natural resource managers led by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with participation from federal, state, tribal, and local governments or agencies, uses the information collected through CSMI to help develop long term ecosystem-based management strategies for protecting and restoring Lake Michigan’s water quality. On a practical level, CSMI is an intensive effort to collect information on the health of each lake, rotating to one Great Lake each year. In 2015, it was Lake Michigan’s turn. This is an executive summary of the 2015 research results and the associated white paper containing more specific information.

Invasive crayfish pose a substantial threat to aquatic habitats in the Great Lakes Region because of their ability to reduce habitat quality and dramatically alter aquatic food webs. Currently, efforts to prevent the introduction and spread of invasive crayfish consist largely of reducing the size of existing populations and encouraging people to refrain from releasing crayfish into new bodies of water. The ICC focuses on improving upon our collective management and outreach capabilities.

For more detailed information, visit Invasive Crayfish Collaborative