As Thanksgiving 2015 approaches, take a moment to be thankful for Wisconsin’s water resources.

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?”

Wisconsin Sea Grant researchers have found that the sandstone bluffs in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore increase in the probability for rogue waves by reflecting and focusing wave energy. They also found that if one rogue wave was observed, others aren’t far behind.

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.

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.

For the first time ever, Wisconsin has lent its expertise to certifying a marina as clean in a neighboring state. Iowa does not have its own Clean Marina Program and turned to the Badger State for some assistance. Now, there’s a Dubuque clean marina.

The 12-minute video, produced by Wisconsin Sea Grant, contains important tips and resources for businesses that deal with water gardens.

President Obama announced in early October that a new National Marine Sanctuary, the first 15 years, is moving forward in Wisconsin. The announcement is based, in large measure, on the shipwreck work Sea Grant and the Wisconsin Historical Society have long collaborated on.

Erica Young set out to show that Lake Michigan Cladophora could be used to bioremediate wastewater effluent. Her research ended up in an unexpected place.

Lake Michigan real-time rip current and wave conditions will be available through a NOAA Coastal Storms Program grant, Sea Grant expertise and other partners.