Milwaukee Waterways are a “Hotspot” for Antibiotic Resistance

Water and sediment in the three rivers that converge in Milwaukee, Wis., and the city harbor contain antibiotic-resistant bacteria in greater amounts than in bacteria isolated from the city’s hospitals, a Wisconsin Sea Grant researcher and her colleagues have found. The researchers are concerned these environmental “hotspots” for drug-resistant bacteria could harm human health by increasing the incidence of bacterial resistance in medical centers, and they urge people not to use antimicrobial products in their homes.

River Talk Sponsors Tell Their Stories

The next monthly River Talk is scheduled for Wed. Nov. 18, 7 p.m. at Barker’s Waterfront Grille (Barker’s Island Inn, 300 Marina Dr., Superior, Wis.) Erika Washburn, director of the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve; Jen Hauxwell, assistant director for research and student engagement for Wisconsin Sea Grant; and Jesse Schomberg, interim co-director of Minnesota Sea Grant will present, “The Story Behind the River Talk Sponsors: What the Heck is a National Estuarine Research Reserve and a Sea Grant?”

River Talk Series Begins With Climate Change

Our informal “River Talks” for 2015-16 begin in October and will be held monthly through February at the Barker’s Waterfront Grille at Barker’s Island Inn in Superior, Wis., then will move across the estuary to the Vikre Distillery in Duluth, Minn. The series will end for the year in May.

The first River Talk, “Bringing Climate Change Home: Implications for the Twin Ports,” is scheduled for Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. at Barker’s Waterfront Grille (Barker’s Island Inn, 300 Marina Dr., Superior, Wis.) Hilarie Sorensen with Minnesota Sea Grant will discuss the effects of climate change on the St. Louis River.

St. Louis River Watershed Workshop Project Awarded Funding

Our David Hart and three co-investigators successfully submitted a proposal to NOAA to conduct a pilot workshop about ecosystem services in the St. Louis River watershed and western Lake Superior region, spanning the border of northwestern Wisconsin and northeastern Minnesota.