Sea Grant staffers take new interactive watershed planning tool for a spin

Posted November 6th, 2013 in Sustainable Community Planning
Staff members from six Great Lakes Sea Grant programs met at Purdue University last week to preview a new web-based tool that will help local planners make sustainable land use decisions. The two-day workshop gave Sea Grant specialists a chance to work through the tool’s four-step process and suggest changes before they start using it with planning groups and communities next spring.
 

The Tipping Points and Indicators tool uses watershed data and cutting-edge research to show planners where aquatic ecosystems in their region are stressed by various factors to the degree that they are in danger of crossing a “tipping point,” triggering rapid and sometimes irreversible shifts in their functioning. With help from a Sea Grant facilitator, planners can use the tool’s interactive maps and simulators to specify important regional priorities, pinpoint specific land use practices that threaten ecosystem health, and test how further development, restoration, or conservation projects would help or hurt. Together with suggested policies, ordinances, and outreach efforts, these features help planners develop watershed management plans that prevent ecosystems from being degraded beyond repair. 

Future facilitators from Ohio, New York, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant programs worked in groups to build mock watershed management plans for rural, suburban, and urban watersheds. Hands-on activities helped participants get familiar with the tool’s features, as well as ways to customize the process to meet the needs of communities they work with. They also learned how to use and set up different technologies that help larger groups collaboratively use computer-based programs, including the weTable, which transforms a regular tabletop into an interactive computer screen.

 

Perhaps the most important result of the workshop, though, was a list of feature and design changes to further increase the usability of the tool. Many of the suggestions focused on making land use data more accessible for the residents who join non-profits and local agencies in watershed planning groups. These and other refinements, including the addition of new data, will be made in the coming months.

 

The tipping points tool is part of a four-year project funded by NOAA and EPA and coordinated by Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant. Research and outreach partners include Purdue University, University of Michigan, Michigan State University, University of Minnesota Duluth, University of Windsor, the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, the Cooperative Institute for Limnology and Ecosystem Research, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, NOAA, and the Sea Grant Great Lakes Network. 

*Pictures: 
Top – Mark Breederland (Michigan Sea Grant) and Brian Miller (IISG)
Middle – Joe Lucente (Ohio Sea Grant) and Julie Noordyk (Wisconsin Sea Grant)
Bottom –  Mary Penney (New York Sea Grant) and Jarrod Doucette (Purdue University)

 

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Summer of Great Lakes Learning!

This summer, we empowered educators with the knowledge, inspiration, and confidence to bring Great Lakes literacy into their classrooms! 🌊

✅ We dove into aquatic invasive species with the Chicago Park District Fishing Program
✅ Explored Lake Michigan aboard Lake Guardian Resreach vessel through the Shipboard Science Immersion
✅ Investigated remediation and restoration in the Grand Calumet Area of Concern, and launched our new Grand Calumet VR curriculum
✅ Partnered at Indiana Dunes to lead a Project WET workshop with a Great Lakes focus

From shoreline to shipboard, these workshops connected educators to the science, stewardship, and stories of the Great Lakes.

#GreatLakesLiteracy #TeachingTuesday

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Summer of Great Lakes Learning! This summer, we empowered educators with the knowledge, inspiration, and confidence to bring Great Lakes literacy into their classrooms! 🌊 ✅ We dove into aquatic invasive species with the Chicago Park District Fishing Program✅ Explored Lake Michigan aboard Lake Guardian Resreach vessel through the Shipboard Science Immersion✅ Investigated remediation and restoration in the Grand Calumet Area of Concern, and launched our new Grand Calumet VR curriculum✅ Partnered at Indiana Dunes to lead a Project WET workshop with a Great Lakes focusFrom shoreline to shipboard, these workshops connected educators to the science, stewardship, and stories of the Great Lakes. #GreatLakesLiteracy #TeachingTuesday

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Calling all K–12 educators — formal and non-formal! Stay connected to the Great Lakes and inspired in your teaching with our educator-focused newsletter.

📬 Why Subscribe?
✅ Discover teaching resources and professional development opportunities
✅ Connect with Sea Grant partners and community efforts
✅ Bring Great Lakes science and stewardship into your classroom or program

🗓️ Published quarterly — with occasional bonus issues when exciting events or new content arise!

💡 Whether you’re in a classroom, nature center, or museum, this newsletter helps you make waves in education.

👉 Sign up now: https://iiseagrant.org/education/subscribe-to-education-newsletter/

#TeachingTuesday
#GreatLakesEducation

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Open post by ilinseagrant with ID 17970474224778067
🌊 Making Waves in Education Calling all K–12 educators — formal and non-formal! Stay connected to the Great Lakes and inspired in your teaching with our educator-focused newsletter.📬 Why Subscribe?✅ Discover teaching resources and professional development opportunities ✅ Connect with Sea Grant partners and community efforts✅ Bring Great Lakes science and stewardship into your classroom or program🗓️ Published quarterly — with occasional bonus issues when exciting events or new content arise!💡 Whether you’re in a classroom, nature center, or museum, this newsletter helps you make waves in education.👉 Sign up now: https://iiseagrant.org/education/subscribe-to-education-newsletter/ #TeachingTuesday#GreatLakesEducation

When participating in a crayfish participatory science activity, be sure to snap plenty of photos of any crayfish you catch or observe. Not only is it a great way to capture the fun and excitement of the day, but it also helps document the species present. To ensure accurate identification by scientists, it’s important to provide clear photos from multiple angles. Dorsal (top), lateral (side), and ventral (underside) views of the crayfish should always be photographed.

To learn more about the specific features to highlight in your photos visit the link in bio or
InvasiveCrayfish.org/Management/#Community

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Open post by ilinseagrant with ID 18519504694041949
When participating in a crayfish participatory science activity, be sure to snap plenty of photos of any crayfish you catch or observe. Not only is it a great way to capture the fun and excitement of the day, but it also helps document the species present. To ensure accurate identification by scientists, it’s important to provide clear photos from multiple angles. Dorsal (top), lateral (side), and ventral (underside) views of the crayfish should always be photographed.To learn more about the specific features to highlight in your photos visit the link in bio or InvasiveCrayfish.org/Management/#Community
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