For over 35 years, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) has been working to foster a healthy environment and economy in the southern Lake Michigan region. We have a long record of leading research, outreach, and education in areas such as aquatic invasive species and pollution prevention. We have developed decision tools for communities and their residents, helped communities adopt green infrastructure to reduce stormwater runoff, and have helped bring the Great Lakes to students.

We did this work with the support and collaboration of our partners. IISG is administratively housed in and shares positions with University of Illinois Extension, Purdue Extension, and the Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resources. We share positions with the University of Illinois Prairie Research Institute, Midwest Regional Climate Center, Illinois Water Resources Center, and Purdue University Northwest.

The U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office provides support, with assistance from the U.S. Geological Survey, for our specialists and educators who help bring EPA science to the public. The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, Chicago Botanic Garden, McHenry County Extension, and Loyola University Chicago provide office space and administrative support for our specialists as well. Our successes would not be possible without these and many other partners.

In recent years, our impacts include supporting quagga mussel research that led to a $1 million in new federal funding, informing water supply planning in the greater Chicago region, and supporting medicine collection programs as they reach a significant milestone.

We look forward to carrying on with our long-term projects addressing critical coastal issues. As IISG moves forward with new faces and ideas, we are poised to tackle emerging issues and opportunities in the region.

Tomas Höök
Director, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant