15 educators from across the Great Lakes Basin spent a week on Lake Michigan aboard the US EPA R/V Lake Guardian from July 7-13, 2025. This story map highlights the journey and shares the stories of the participants’ experiences in their own words.

The use of live crayfish in classrooms has been identified as a pathway for the introduction of invasive crayfish into our local waterways. To address this issue, the Investigating Crayfish and Freshwater Ecosystems curriculum was developed to teach students about Great Lakes ecosystems, the significance of native crayfish, and the ecological threats posed by invasive crayfish. It contains nine lesson plans aligned to Next Generation Science Standards, Common Core State Standards, and Center for Great Lakes Literacy Principles. The curriculum is best suited for students in grades 6-12 but offers numerous adaptations/extensions to meet the divergent needs of students in grades 2–5.

This document is available on the Invasive Crayfish Collaborative website: https://invasivecrayfish.org/crayfish-curriculum/

This quick fact sheet provides highlights of IISG’s work through 2024 with a bi-state perspective.

Understanding future water demand is key to managing these resources sustainably. The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG), and University of Illinois Extension recently updated the region’s water demand forecast to reflect new population and employment projections. The forecast shows that water use is expected to continue declining, due to steady advances in water conservation and efficiency that are outpacing population and employment growth. However, in some areas, forecasted water demand will exceed available groundwater supplies.

This publication is available through the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning’s website at: https://cmap.illinois.gov/wp-content/uploads/dlm_uploads/Regional-Water-Demand-Forecast-for-Northeastern-Illinois-2020-2050.pdf

This report provides an overview of the current state of scientific knowledge concerning PFAS, as well as a concise assessment of current and potential impacts of its continued use. It also focuses on exposure pathways impacting the health of the people, organisms, and environment in Indiana and the region and provides recommendations regarding pressing challenges and how we can work to reduce the presence of PFAS while also limiting exposure and negative impacts. Initiated and produced through Purdue University’s Institute for a Sustainable Future, this report was researched and drafted in collaboration with Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, state and regional organizations, as well as scientists from multiple Indiana academic institutions including Purdue University, Indiana University-Bloomington, and the University of Notre Dame, and Indiana Department of Environmental Management.

To view the report, please visit Purdue’s Institute for a Sustainable Future at: https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=isfdocs

Small- to medium-scale aquaculture businesses in the USDA North Central region face marketing challenges. In this publication, Purdue and Illinois researchers use a step-by-step approach to advise farmers how direct marketing can shorten the supply chain and help them find new customers willing to pay premium prices.

This publication is available for download from the Purdue University Extension Education Store at: https://edustore.purdue.edu/fnr-642-w.html