News
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Underwater photography program for high schoolers and at-risk youths expands
A unique program in northern Wisconsin uses the healing value of spending time in water to aid at-risk youths and to educate high school students. Thanks to funding from Wisconsin Sea Grant, the program is expanding its reach, and connecting kids with freshwater science.
Read more in our article here: https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/underwater-photography-program-for-students-and-at-risk-youths-expands/
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Meet Joe Naughton, 2020 Knauss Fellow
Joe Naughton, originally from Brookfield, will be a a 2020 John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellow, serving in a one-year position in Washington, D.C. Learn more about Joe and what he'll be doing through this prestigious program for early-career professionals.
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New paper on mercury levels in Great Lakes fish
According to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 40 years of reduced mercury use, emissions, and loading in the Great Lakes region have largely not produced equivalent declines in the amount of mercury accumulating in large game fish.
Researchers, including those from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, say this is due to aquatic invasive species in Lake Michigan — quagga and zebra mussels — that have upended the food web and forced fish to seek atypical food sources enriched in mercury.
Read the full story here: https://go.wisc.edu/1d423m
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant
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Graduate P.A. Morgan Witte honored for sturgeon work (again!)
A poster Morgan Witte created about the sturgeon work was honored in the “Best Content” category at the recent yearly conference of the Wisconsin Library Association. The poster also won “Best Content” earlier this year at a conference specifically for academic librarians. The Aquatic Sciences Center (ASC) will bid a fond farewell to Morgan Witte, who has served as a graduate project assistant since fall 2018.
Read the full story here: https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/blog/morgan-witte-honored/
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant
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Underwater photography program for high schoolers and at-risk youths expands
A unique program in northern Wisconsin uses the healing value of spending time in water to aid at-risk youths and to educate high school students. Thanks to funding from Wisconsin Sea Grant, the program is expanding its reach, and connecting kids with freshwater science.
Read more in our article here: https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/underwater-photography-program-for-students-and-at-risk-youths-expands/ -
Meet Joe Naughton, 2020 Knauss Fellow
Joe Naughton, originally from Brookfield, will be a a 2020 John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellow, serving in a one-year position in Washington, D.C. Learn more about Joe and what he'll be doing through this prestigious program for early-career professionals. -
New paper on mercury levels in Great Lakes fish
According to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 40 years of reduced mercury use, emissions, and loading in the Great Lakes region have largely not produced equivalent declines in the amount of mercury accumulating in large game fish.
Researchers, including those from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, say this is due to aquatic invasive species in Lake Michigan — quagga and zebra mussels — that have upended the food web and forced fish to seek atypical food sources enriched in mercury.
Read the full story here: https://go.wisc.edu/1d423m
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant -
Graduate P.A. Morgan Witte honored for sturgeon work (again!)
A poster Morgan Witte created about the sturgeon work was honored in the “Best Content” category at the recent yearly conference of the Wisconsin Library Association. The poster also won “Best Content” earlier this year at a conference specifically for academic librarians. The Aquatic Sciences Center (ASC) will bid a fond farewell to Morgan Witte, who has served as a graduate project assistant since fall 2018.
Read the full story here: https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/blog/morgan-witte-honored/
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Meet Wisconsin Sea Grant
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Education for the future: Ginny Carlton
In interacting with youth on a daily basis, teachers have an important opportunity to shape the future. Dr. Ginny Carlton, Wisconsin Sea Grant's Education Outreach Specialist, works with teachers on Great Lakes literacy and water science programming.
Find more about Wisconsin Sea Grant education at: seagrant.wisc.edu/our-work/focus-areas/education/
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant
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Hands-on Aquaculture: Emma Hauser
Aquaculture is the fastest growing segment of agriculture globally, and every day, Emma uses her passion for fish and research to share aquaculture with Wisconsin's communities.
She and Greg Fischer are based at the UWSP Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility, where their mission is to promote public education and advance the discovery, dissemination and application of knowledge for sustainable aquaculture in a northern climate.
Find more information on UWSP NADF at aquaculture.uwsp.edu
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant
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Emerging contaminants and ecosystems: Gavin Dehnert
Wisconsin Sea Grant's Gavin Dehnert uses science and outreach to address contaminants of emerging concern that pose threats to Great Lakes ecosystems and public health in Wisconsin. Read more about Gavin's work here: https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/sea-grant-hires-new-emerging-contaminants-staff-scientist/
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant
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Great Lakes climate and tourism: Natalie Chin
Outdoor recreation and tourism opportunities are important to Wisconsin life and economy. These activities are inextricably tied to the climate of the Great Lakes region. Natalie Chin, Wisconsin Sea Grant's Climate and Tourism Outreach Specialist, uses science and data to identify challenges posed by climate change and ways we can care for our natural resources into the future.
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant
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Mapping and the environment: David Hart
Wisconsin's Great Lakes coastal areas are dynamic and beautiful, but they can also be hazardous. David Hart, Wisconsin Sea Grant's Extension Program Leader, uses geographic information systems to make sense of coastal data in order to help communities develop in a resilient way.
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant
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Water quality and behavior change: Julia Noordyk
Julia has always wanted to solve environmental problems with communities, and that's exactly what she gets to do as Wisconsin Sea Grant's Water Quality and Coastal Communities Outreach Specialist. Hear about how Julia has witnessed first-hand the benefits of remediation of the bay of Green Bay and the Fox River, and how she makes it her mission to help communities change their behavior toward the water.
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant
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Adapting to the power of the Great Lakes: Adam Bechle
Compared to Wisconsin's inland lakes, Lake Superior and Lake Michigan are prone to powerful, and sometimes dangerous, conditions. Adam Bechle, Wisconsin Sea Grant's coastal engineering outreach specialist, helps Wisconsin's communities and residents prepare for and respond to coastal hazards.
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant
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Preserving Wisconsin's way of life: Tim Campbell
Hear about Wisconsin's aquatic invasive species, how they could change our way of life, and how Tim Campbell stays positive while fighting against new invasions.
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant
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Educating our future water leaders: Anne Moser
Hear about why Anne Moser, Wisconsin Sea Grant's Senior Special Librarian, compares working with kids to having dessert every day.
Find more information about the Wisconsin Water Library at https://waterlibrary.aqua.wisc.edu/
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Great Lakes fisheries and family businesses: Titus Seilheimer
Titus, Wisconsin Sea Grant's Fisheries Outreach Specialist, is passionate about using science to help Lake Michigan fisheries, small business owners and coastal community members - in other words, he's passionate about getting Friday fish fry on tables throughout Wisconsin.
Special thanks to Susie-Q Fish Market in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, and to Jessica Johnsrud, Education Coordinator/Asst. Director at the Woodland Dunes Nature Center and Preserve.
To learn more about Titus' work with Wisconsin Sea Grant, visit seagrant.wisc.edu.
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Equity, Milwaukee and water education: Deidre Peroff
Diedre, Wisconsin Sea Grant's Social Science Outreach Specialist, finds great importance in working with people to solve environmental issues. In this video, Deidre talks about Milwaukee, environmental justice, and teaching kids how to be safe around the water.
days in her office crunching numbers, and out working with kids
teaching kids how to be safe around the water
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Sea Grant: Science Serving America's Coasts
A quick look at the work of NOAA's National Sea Grant College Program.
-
Education for the future: Ginny Carlton
In interacting with youth on a daily basis, teachers have an important opportunity to shape the future. Dr. Ginny Carlton, Wisconsin Sea Grant's Education Outreach Specialist, works with teachers on Great Lakes literacy and water science programming.
Find more about Wisconsin Sea Grant education at: seagrant.wisc.edu/our-work/focus-areas/education/
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant -
Hands-on Aquaculture: Emma Hauser
Aquaculture is the fastest growing segment of agriculture globally, and every day, Emma uses her passion for fish and research to share aquaculture with Wisconsin's communities.
She and Greg Fischer are based at the UWSP Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility, where their mission is to promote public education and advance the discovery, dissemination and application of knowledge for sustainable aquaculture in a northern climate.
Find more information on UWSP NADF at aquaculture.uwsp.edu
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant -
Emerging contaminants and ecosystems: Gavin Dehnert
Wisconsin Sea Grant's Gavin Dehnert uses science and outreach to address contaminants of emerging concern that pose threats to Great Lakes ecosystems and public health in Wisconsin. Read more about Gavin's work here: https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/sea-grant-hires-new-emerging-contaminants-staff-scientist/
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant -
Great Lakes climate and tourism: Natalie Chin
Outdoor recreation and tourism opportunities are important to Wisconsin life and economy. These activities are inextricably tied to the climate of the Great Lakes region. Natalie Chin, Wisconsin Sea Grant's Climate and Tourism Outreach Specialist, uses science and data to identify challenges posed by climate change and ways we can care for our natural resources into the future.
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant -
Mapping and the environment: David Hart
Wisconsin's Great Lakes coastal areas are dynamic and beautiful, but they can also be hazardous. David Hart, Wisconsin Sea Grant's Extension Program Leader, uses geographic information systems to make sense of coastal data in order to help communities develop in a resilient way.
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant -
Water quality and behavior change: Julia Noordyk
Julia has always wanted to solve environmental problems with communities, and that's exactly what she gets to do as Wisconsin Sea Grant's Water Quality and Coastal Communities Outreach Specialist. Hear about how Julia has witnessed first-hand the benefits of remediation of the bay of Green Bay and the Fox River, and how she makes it her mission to help communities change their behavior toward the water.
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant -
Adapting to the power of the Great Lakes: Adam Bechle
Compared to Wisconsin's inland lakes, Lake Superior and Lake Michigan are prone to powerful, and sometimes dangerous, conditions. Adam Bechle, Wisconsin Sea Grant's coastal engineering outreach specialist, helps Wisconsin's communities and residents prepare for and respond to coastal hazards.
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant -
Preserving Wisconsin's way of life: Tim Campbell
Hear about Wisconsin's aquatic invasive species, how they could change our way of life, and how Tim Campbell stays positive while fighting against new invasions.
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant -
Educating our future water leaders: Anne Moser
Hear about why Anne Moser, Wisconsin Sea Grant's Senior Special Librarian, compares working with kids to having dessert every day.
Find more information about the Wisconsin Water Library at https://waterlibrary.aqua.wisc.edu/ -
Great Lakes fisheries and family businesses: Titus Seilheimer
Titus, Wisconsin Sea Grant's Fisheries Outreach Specialist, is passionate about using science to help Lake Michigan fisheries, small business owners and coastal community members - in other words, he's passionate about getting Friday fish fry on tables throughout Wisconsin.
Special thanks to Susie-Q Fish Market in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, and to Jessica Johnsrud, Education Coordinator/Asst. Director at the Woodland Dunes Nature Center and Preserve.
To learn more about Titus' work with Wisconsin Sea Grant, visit seagrant.wisc.edu. -
Equity, Milwaukee and water education: Deidre Peroff
Diedre, Wisconsin Sea Grant's Social Science Outreach Specialist, finds great importance in working with people to solve environmental issues. In this video, Deidre talks about Milwaukee, environmental justice, and teaching kids how to be safe around the water.
days in her office crunching numbers, and out working with kids
teaching kids how to be safe around the water -
Sea Grant: Science Serving America's Coasts
A quick look at the work of NOAA's National Sea Grant College Program.
Voices of the Coast
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Voices of the Coast: Deb Deluca
Deb DeLuca leads the bustling Duluth Seaway Port Authority, the Great Lakes’ largest port, as its executive director—the first woman in that role in the port authority’s 60-year history. As an advocate for Great Lakes sustainability, DeLuca is a member of the Wisconsin Sea Grant Advisory Council, a 15-member body that provides input and direction for the statewide program that promotes the sustainable use of the Great Lakes through research, education and outreach.
Duluth Seaway Port Authority: https://duluthport.com/
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant
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Geo Rutherford (@geodesaurus): Voices of the Coast
Geo Rutherford's artwork explores the unseen in the Great Lakes, from the multiplication of invasive species beneath the surface to plastic that is chewed up and spit out by the waves. Geo, also known as @geodesaurus on TikTok, is a powerful and inspiring force for Great Lakes education.
Find Geo Rutherford at:
Website: https://www.georutherford.com/
Instagram: @someprintlife
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@geodesaurus
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant
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Voices of the Coast: Brandon Gottsacker of Superior Fresh
Brandon Gottsacker's passion for fish developed well before he became the president of Superior Fresh, the world's largest aquaponics facility located in Hixton, Wisconsin. Now, Brandon's company supplies local, high-quality fish and organic leafy greens to the Midwest, and partners with Wisconsin Sea Grant on ground-breaking aquaculture research projects.
For more Superior Fresh, visit superiorfresh.com
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant
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Voices of the Coast: Tamara and Caitlin, Wisconsin's underwater archaeologists
Wisconsin's Great Lakes shipwrecks can tell a story of immigration, transportation, and development along our shores. Tamara Thomsen and Caitlin Zant, maritime archaeologists with the Wisconsin Historical Society, explore history up close and personal when they dive and catalog wrecks. Wisconsin Sea Grant is proud to partner with Tami and Caitlin to support the important Great Lakes cultural resources that lie under our waters.
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant
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Voices of the Coast: Al House
Great Lakes sportfishing brought Al House to his passion for Lake Superior. During his time living in Bayview, WI, he has organized sportfishermen and advocated for the equal balance of all Lake Superior stakeholders. Al was also pivotal in the preservation of the beautiful Houghton Falls State Natural Area.
Voices of the Coast is a Wisconsin Sea Grant series that highlights people who have shaped, and have been shaped by, Wisconsin's coasts.
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant
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Voices of the Coast: Brenda and Kirsten of Milwaukee Water Commons
At the confluence of three rivers and Lake Michigan, Milwaukee has always been a water-centric city. Brenda Coley and Kirsten Shead, co-executive directors of Milwaukee Water Commons, have made it their mission to bring underprivileged people into the conversation about water. Through events like the Cream City Classic and We Are Water, they help to make Milwaukee a true model Water City, where everyone has a stake in the health of our waters. Wisconsin Sea Grant is proud to support Milwaukee Water Commons events and mission.
Find more about Milwaukee Water Commons here: https://www.milwaukeewatercommons.org/
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant
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Voices of the Coast: Mary Lou Schneider
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Voices of the Coast: Bruce Deadman
Bruce feels a very strong connection to the bay of Green Bay, where he grew up and still lives today. That's why Bruce took the opportunity to join Ducks Unlimited, the world's largest wetlands conservation organization, and he never looked back. He rose through the ranks, eventually ending up on the national board of directors. Bruce and his family have been heavily involved in restoring the natural habitats unique to Green Bay.
Voices of the Coast is a Wisconsin Sea Grant series that highlights people who have shaped, and have been shaped by, Wisconsin's coasts.
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant
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Voices of the Coast: George Schmidt
We talked to George Schmidt, renowned sturgeon decoy carver, about his craft.
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant
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Voices of the Coast: Deb Deluca
Deb DeLuca leads the bustling Duluth Seaway Port Authority, the Great Lakes’ largest port, as its executive director—the first woman in that role in the port authority’s 60-year history. As an advocate for Great Lakes sustainability, DeLuca is a member of the Wisconsin Sea Grant Advisory Council, a 15-member body that provides input and direction for the statewide program that promotes the sustainable use of the Great Lakes through research, education and outreach.
Duluth Seaway Port Authority: https://duluthport.com/
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant -
Geo Rutherford (@geodesaurus): Voices of the Coast
Geo Rutherford's artwork explores the unseen in the Great Lakes, from the multiplication of invasive species beneath the surface to plastic that is chewed up and spit out by the waves. Geo, also known as @geodesaurus on TikTok, is a powerful and inspiring force for Great Lakes education.
Find Geo Rutherford at:
Website: https://www.georutherford.com/
Instagram: @someprintlife
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@geodesaurus
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant -
Voices of the Coast: Brandon Gottsacker of Superior Fresh
Brandon Gottsacker's passion for fish developed well before he became the president of Superior Fresh, the world's largest aquaponics facility located in Hixton, Wisconsin. Now, Brandon's company supplies local, high-quality fish and organic leafy greens to the Midwest, and partners with Wisconsin Sea Grant on ground-breaking aquaculture research projects.
For more Superior Fresh, visit superiorfresh.com
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant -
Voices of the Coast: Tamara and Caitlin, Wisconsin's underwater archaeologists
Wisconsin's Great Lakes shipwrecks can tell a story of immigration, transportation, and development along our shores. Tamara Thomsen and Caitlin Zant, maritime archaeologists with the Wisconsin Historical Society, explore history up close and personal when they dive and catalog wrecks. Wisconsin Sea Grant is proud to partner with Tami and Caitlin to support the important Great Lakes cultural resources that lie under our waters.
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant -
Voices of the Coast: Al House
Great Lakes sportfishing brought Al House to his passion for Lake Superior. During his time living in Bayview, WI, he has organized sportfishermen and advocated for the equal balance of all Lake Superior stakeholders. Al was also pivotal in the preservation of the beautiful Houghton Falls State Natural Area.
Voices of the Coast is a Wisconsin Sea Grant series that highlights people who have shaped, and have been shaped by, Wisconsin's coasts.
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant -
Voices of the Coast: Brenda and Kirsten of Milwaukee Water Commons
At the confluence of three rivers and Lake Michigan, Milwaukee has always been a water-centric city. Brenda Coley and Kirsten Shead, co-executive directors of Milwaukee Water Commons, have made it their mission to bring underprivileged people into the conversation about water. Through events like the Cream City Classic and We Are Water, they help to make Milwaukee a true model Water City, where everyone has a stake in the health of our waters. Wisconsin Sea Grant is proud to support Milwaukee Water Commons events and mission.
Find more about Milwaukee Water Commons here: https://www.milwaukeewatercommons.org/
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant -
Voices of the Coast: Mary Lou Schneider
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Voices of the Coast: Bruce Deadman
Bruce feels a very strong connection to the bay of Green Bay, where he grew up and still lives today. That's why Bruce took the opportunity to join Ducks Unlimited, the world's largest wetlands conservation organization, and he never looked back. He rose through the ranks, eventually ending up on the national board of directors. Bruce and his family have been heavily involved in restoring the natural habitats unique to Green Bay.
Voices of the Coast is a Wisconsin Sea Grant series that highlights people who have shaped, and have been shaped by, Wisconsin's coasts.
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant -
Voices of the Coast: George Schmidt
We talked to George Schmidt, renowned sturgeon decoy carver, about his craft.
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Aquaculture
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Hands-on Aquaculture: Emma Hauser
Aquaculture is the fastest growing segment of agriculture globally, and every day, Emma uses her passion for fish and research to share aquaculture with Wisconsin's communities.
She and Greg Fischer are based at the UWSP Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility, where their mission is to promote public education and advance the discovery, dissemination and application of knowledge for sustainable aquaculture in a northern climate.
Find more information on UWSP NADF at aquaculture.uwsp.edu
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant
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Branch River Trout Hatchery: Great Lakes Aquaculture Tours 2021
Tour video of Branch River Trout Hatchery in Greenleaf, Wisconsin with owner Steve Debaker. Learn about the ins and outs of farming fish and making wine. The video was part of the Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative’s 2021 Great Lakes Aquaculture Days.
Branch River Trout Hatchery: https://www.troutspringswinery.com/trout-farm.html
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Eat Wisconsin Fish: Salmon BLT
Tim Campbell is an aquatic invasive species outreach specialist at Wisconsin Sea Grant. In this video produced for Eat Wisconsin Fish, he prepares a simple yet tasty salmon BLT, which makes a great weeknight dinner. Says Tim, “This is an easy spin on a classic BLT that makes it a bit heartier and dinner-worthy. I first tried a salmon BLT at a restaurant and knew I had to try to copy it at home.”
For more information or to print this recipe, visit https://eatwisconsinfish.org/recipes/tims-salmon-blt/
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Eat Wisconsin Fish: Quick Pan-fried Fish with Lemon Butter Sauce
Titus Seilheimer is a fisheries outreach specialist at Wisconsin Sea Grant. In this video produced for Eat Wisconsin Fish, he prepares a quick and versatile fish recipe. Says Titus, “With a few basic ingredients and tools, you can make a great fish dinner. I use the same basic preparation for different types of fish, and then adjust my cooking method depending on what I have available. The stovetop, oven and grill are all different sources of heat. Just put the fillets in there and then cook to temperature!”
For more information or to print this recipe, visit eatwisconsinfish.org/recipes/titus-quick-pan-fried-fish-with-lemon-butter-sauce/
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Fred Binkowski: Wisconsin Sea Grant Aquaculture Specialist
Fred Binkowski tells us about his work as the aquaculture specialist for the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute.
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Growing Fish in Greenhouses
Milwaukee's Growing Power, a community-based urban food center, is using plants as natural water filters for raising yellow perch. Fred Binkowski, an aquaculture specialist with the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute, provides technical advice on the experimental effort.
www.growingpower.org
www.seagrant.wisc.edu
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Increasing the Efficiency of Yellow Perch Aquaculture
A project funded by Wisconsin Sea Grant is attempting to overcome some of the difficulties that have challenged the yellow perch aquaculture industry.
(Previous version had 110 views.)
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Yellow Perch for the Hungry
On February 16, 2010 (Fat Tuesday), the aquaculture lab of Fred Binkowski donated over 500 pounds of yellow perch to the Hunger Task Force. Binkowski is the aquaculture specialist at the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute, and his lab is at the Great Lakes WATER Institute in Milwaukee. This second annual donation was an opportunity to benefit a local shelter for the homeless with more than 200 fresh perch dinners.
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Hands-on Aquaculture: Emma Hauser
Aquaculture is the fastest growing segment of agriculture globally, and every day, Emma uses her passion for fish and research to share aquaculture with Wisconsin's communities.
She and Greg Fischer are based at the UWSP Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility, where their mission is to promote public education and advance the discovery, dissemination and application of knowledge for sustainable aquaculture in a northern climate.
Find more information on UWSP NADF at aquaculture.uwsp.edu
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant -
Branch River Trout Hatchery: Great Lakes Aquaculture Tours 2021
Tour video of Branch River Trout Hatchery in Greenleaf, Wisconsin with owner Steve Debaker. Learn about the ins and outs of farming fish and making wine. The video was part of the Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative’s 2021 Great Lakes Aquaculture Days.
Branch River Trout Hatchery: https://www.troutspringswinery.com/trout-farm.html -
Eat Wisconsin Fish: Salmon BLT
Tim Campbell is an aquatic invasive species outreach specialist at Wisconsin Sea Grant. In this video produced for Eat Wisconsin Fish, he prepares a simple yet tasty salmon BLT, which makes a great weeknight dinner. Says Tim, “This is an easy spin on a classic BLT that makes it a bit heartier and dinner-worthy. I first tried a salmon BLT at a restaurant and knew I had to try to copy it at home.”
For more information or to print this recipe, visit https://eatwisconsinfish.org/recipes/tims-salmon-blt/ -
Eat Wisconsin Fish: Quick Pan-fried Fish with Lemon Butter Sauce
Titus Seilheimer is a fisheries outreach specialist at Wisconsin Sea Grant. In this video produced for Eat Wisconsin Fish, he prepares a quick and versatile fish recipe. Says Titus, “With a few basic ingredients and tools, you can make a great fish dinner. I use the same basic preparation for different types of fish, and then adjust my cooking method depending on what I have available. The stovetop, oven and grill are all different sources of heat. Just put the fillets in there and then cook to temperature!”
For more information or to print this recipe, visit eatwisconsinfish.org/recipes/titus-quick-pan-fried-fish-with-lemon-butter-sauce/ -
Fred Binkowski: Wisconsin Sea Grant Aquaculture Specialist
Fred Binkowski tells us about his work as the aquaculture specialist for the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute. -
Growing Fish in Greenhouses
Milwaukee's Growing Power, a community-based urban food center, is using plants as natural water filters for raising yellow perch. Fred Binkowski, an aquaculture specialist with the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute, provides technical advice on the experimental effort.
www.growingpower.org
www.seagrant.wisc.edu -
Increasing the Efficiency of Yellow Perch Aquaculture
A project funded by Wisconsin Sea Grant is attempting to overcome some of the difficulties that have challenged the yellow perch aquaculture industry.
(Previous version had 110 views.) -
Yellow Perch for the Hungry
On February 16, 2010 (Fat Tuesday), the aquaculture lab of Fred Binkowski donated over 500 pounds of yellow perch to the Hunger Task Force. Binkowski is the aquaculture specialist at the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute, and his lab is at the Great Lakes WATER Institute in Milwaukee. This second annual donation was an opportunity to benefit a local shelter for the homeless with more than 200 fresh perch dinners.
Aquatic Invasive Species
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Preserving Wisconsin's way of life: Tim Campbell
Hear about Wisconsin's aquatic invasive species, how they could change our way of life, and how Tim Campbell stays positive while fighting against new invasions.
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant
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Measuring the Pulse of Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan, the world’s fifth largest lake, has undergone many changes through the generations. Its current conditions are heavily influenced by the arrival of nonnative Dreissenid mussels known as zebra and quagga mussels. These filter feeders are altering the amount of phosphorus available for phytoplankton throughout the lake, which has an effect all the way up the food chain. Research aboard the Lake Express Ferry is taking the pulse of the lake and informing management decisions.
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Beauty Contained: Preventing Invasive Species from Escaping Water Gardens
If you build water gardens or sell plants and animals for them, please watch this video. It will help you operate an environmentally sound business.
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12 Days of AIS Christmas
A little holiday cheer from the many faces of Wisconsin Sea Grant. Check out Great Lakes Takes for the full annotated version: http://tmblr.co/ZIe3Sx11b9e2E.
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What Will Round Gobies Do to Great Lakes Streams?
To look at it, the round goby doesn't seem like much. A small fish the approximate size of an average pickle, it seems like the sort of creature that'd be the dominated in the aquatic universe, not the dominator.
But like an ecological David in reverse, the voracious goby has used strength of numbers to wreak serious damage on the gentle Goliath that is the Great Lakes food web. Sometimes found in groups of several hundred or more, round gobies have made short work of the key food sources that sustain the young of a lengthy list of Great Lakes sport fish: bass, walleye, and yellow perch. Round gobies also dine on sport fish eggs when the opportunity arises. These species are fighting back, feeding heavily on gobies, but goby populations are usually too large to be affected.
Worse, in what some researchers have dubbed a "classic ecological surprise," the gobies haven't limited their invasive ways to the Great Lakes: Over the past decade, they've also migrated to Wisconsin's streams and rivers, where researchers are very concerned they could have a similar devastating effect on the ecosystem.
Beginning in 2007, using funding provided by University of Wisconsin Sea Grant, UW-Madison ecologist Jake Vander Zanden and UW graduate student Matt Kornis set out to discover just what kind of impact the gobies might be having. Using nets and a portable electro-fishing system, Kornis and a team of student researchers sampled and analyzed goby populations at 150 different stream locations along Wiscosins' Lake Michigan coast.
"When we discovered round goby in some small streams in Wisconsin, it made us start to ask the question, what kind of impacts are they going to have?" stated Vander Zanden, the project's principal investigator. "How many miles of stream in Wisconsin are going to be invaded, and is this something we need to be concerned about?"
Kornis and his team spent several months sampling from a variety of stream habitats—sandy, temperate and rocky—as well as areas where goby populations were either absent, low or prevalent. Of the 75 streams Kornis's team sampled, 26 contained gobies. In more than 80 percent of those sample sites, the goby population was deemed small, with the remaining 10 percent described as "superabundant."
The most surprising finding? At most of the sites, gobies have yet to devastate the ecosystem the way they have in the Great Lakes.
"Over the last three years, at most of our sites and streams, we haven't seen the population level declines in the native species we would have expected based on what we know from the Great Lakes," said Kornis.
That doesn't mean it couldn't eventually occur. Kornis and Vander Zanden remain focused on tracking the inevitable progress of the goby. They've identified and mapped 1300 kilometers of Wisconsin streams that are at risk for goby invasion, based on habitat suitability and natural migration projections from areas where the fish have already become established. Both researchers caution that if fishermen and boaters aren't cautious about preventing the spread of invasive species like the goby, the number of invaded streams in the Lake Michigan basin could expand dramatically.
"Streams are different enough from lakes in terms of the amount of habitat and type of food available that maybe round gobies can't reach the same densities as in the Great Lakes," said Kornis. "Nonetheless, goby populations are growing in most streams. Since 2007, we've observed at least a doubling of round goby abundance at 65 percent of our sites."
Vander Zanden agrees that further vigilance is critical to goby containment and habitat preservation. "This species is on the move, their inland spread is really rapid, and there is a lot of suitable habitat for them," he said. "We're worried about them making their way into inland lakes all around the state. We expect that they will have big impacts in these systems. Anglers and boaters need to be aware and not transport these fish into new waters."
By Aaron R. Conklin
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How Many Sport Fish Can Lake Michigan Support?
An environmental food web is an intricate, organic and delicate thing. Eliminate a strand here or introduce a new one there, and the entire structure can collapse. That's why researchers have paid such close attention to the food webs in Lake Michigan, where the appearance of several aquatic invasive species has threatened to upset the natural balance.
Harvey Bootsma and John Janssen, Wisconsin Sea Grant-funded professors at UW--Milwaukee's School of Freshwater Sciences, have their sights on the waters close to shore.
"A lot of our work has focused on what role round gobies may be playing," Bootsma said. "Up until now, the near shore has been neglected. From what we're seeing, there are some unique things going on. We've had a lot of changes in the last five years."
He's referring to a massive influx of round gobies, one of several aquatic invasive species that have set up shop in Lake Michigan's waters. In the case of the goby, the impact seems tied to strength of numbers. In short—they're legion. And they eat copiously.
"When we dive to do our research, there are at least a hundred swimming around us, watching us work," said Bootsma. "Numerically, they're clearly dominant in the nearshore zone."
Bootsma and Janssen are performing their research in conjunction with similar research teams in Indiana and Illinois, to see if conditions in one state are being replicated in others.
Existing research suggests that one of the round goby's preferred entrees is the quagga mussel, which is not the first case of one aquatic invasive species noshing on another.
However, Bootsma and Jansen's research is revealing that round gobies don't actually feed on quagga mussels until they grow larger—between two to four inches long. By conducting a chemical analysis of stable isotopes and fatty acids found in the gobies' body tissue, they're able to determine what the gobies are really eating.
"The mussels are actually a side dish," said Bootsma. "Most gobies, and especially the younger ones, are actually subsisting on other types of food."
Those other types include oligochaetes and chironomids, tiny benthic organisms that live in the Cladophora algae that have come to clog the shallow shorelines of Lake Michigan.
The question then becomes whether the round gobies' trips to the invertebrates section of the Cladophora buffet are, in effect, swiping sustenance from other nearshore fish, including yellow perch and spot-tail shiner. It's also unclear whether other Lake Michigan species like trout and salmon may be able to use the plentiful gobies as a food source to replace offshore food web components that have been affected by other invaders.
"We know that lake trout and brown trout are eating lots of round gobies," says Janssen. "But we also know that more pelagic species, like Chinooks, cohos and steelhead are not."
After spending months analyzing data collected from hundreds of samples, Bootsma and Janssen (as well as the research teams in Indiana and Illinois) are ready to head back out onto Lake Michigan and begin examining other sites.
"We're interested in learning if the patterns around Milwaukee County are typical of the whole lake," explained Bootsma.
If they are, their work could help to determine how the carrying capacity of Lake Michigan may have changed, which would affect decisions related to fish stocking and nutrient management. Stay tuned.
By Aaron R. Conklin
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Jumping Carp
This video, courtesy of the Illinois Natural History Survey, shows Asian carp, primarily silver carp on the Illinois River near Havana, Illinois. The fish jump in response to the noise of the motor or where the crew is shown on a boat with nets, the charge from the electrofishing boat.
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Quagga Mussels Feeding--Sped Up 10x
Sped up 10 times, this video emphasizes that quagga mussels are active animals--much more active than washed up shells on a beach would suggest.
Quagga mussels and zebra mussels feed by filtering tiny plant and animal plankton out of the water and extracting the nutrients they need. Material they don't digest is wrapped in mucus and expelled. This "pseudofeces" is rich in nutrients like phosphorus.
Each tiny mussel filters a quart of water each day. That vigorous activity, abetted by circulating water, has effectively filtered the entire volume of water in Lake Michigan and other Great Lakes.
In the Great Lakes, invasive quagga and zebra mussels deposit their waste in the relatively narrow bottom areas near shore, where the mussels live. This has caused two profound changes to the lakes: It has dramatically cleared the water, and it has concentrated nutrients like phosphorus near shore. As a result, phosphorus concentrations have decreased off-shore and increased near shore, and sunlight penetrates deeper into the water.
Among the many consequences to the lake's food web are a major shift of energy sources (phytoplankton) away from open waters, where they would ultimately support trout, salmon, and whitefish, and an increase in nutrients like phosphorus available to algae growing near shore.
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Part 2: All Washed Up, Lake Michigan's Algae Challenge
The second part of the full Cladophora video.
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Part 1: All Washed Up, Lake Michigan's Algae Challenge
The first part of the full Cladophora video.
-
All Washed Up (short version)
This video is an abbreviated version. The full version is in two parts, each roughly nine minutes long.
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Preserving Wisconsin's way of life: Tim Campbell
Hear about Wisconsin's aquatic invasive species, how they could change our way of life, and how Tim Campbell stays positive while fighting against new invasions.
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant -
Measuring the Pulse of Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan, the world’s fifth largest lake, has undergone many changes through the generations. Its current conditions are heavily influenced by the arrival of nonnative Dreissenid mussels known as zebra and quagga mussels. These filter feeders are altering the amount of phosphorus available for phytoplankton throughout the lake, which has an effect all the way up the food chain. Research aboard the Lake Express Ferry is taking the pulse of the lake and informing management decisions. -
Beauty Contained: Preventing Invasive Species from Escaping Water Gardens
If you build water gardens or sell plants and animals for them, please watch this video. It will help you operate an environmentally sound business. -
12 Days of AIS Christmas
A little holiday cheer from the many faces of Wisconsin Sea Grant. Check out Great Lakes Takes for the full annotated version: http://tmblr.co/ZIe3Sx11b9e2E. -
What Will Round Gobies Do to Great Lakes Streams?
To look at it, the round goby doesn't seem like much. A small fish the approximate size of an average pickle, it seems like the sort of creature that'd be the dominated in the aquatic universe, not the dominator.
But like an ecological David in reverse, the voracious goby has used strength of numbers to wreak serious damage on the gentle Goliath that is the Great Lakes food web. Sometimes found in groups of several hundred or more, round gobies have made short work of the key food sources that sustain the young of a lengthy list of Great Lakes sport fish: bass, walleye, and yellow perch. Round gobies also dine on sport fish eggs when the opportunity arises. These species are fighting back, feeding heavily on gobies, but goby populations are usually too large to be affected.
Worse, in what some researchers have dubbed a "classic ecological surprise," the gobies haven't limited their invasive ways to the Great Lakes: Over the past decade, they've also migrated to Wisconsin's streams and rivers, where researchers are very concerned they could have a similar devastating effect on the ecosystem.
Beginning in 2007, using funding provided by University of Wisconsin Sea Grant, UW-Madison ecologist Jake Vander Zanden and UW graduate student Matt Kornis set out to discover just what kind of impact the gobies might be having. Using nets and a portable electro-fishing system, Kornis and a team of student researchers sampled and analyzed goby populations at 150 different stream locations along Wiscosins' Lake Michigan coast.
"When we discovered round goby in some small streams in Wisconsin, it made us start to ask the question, what kind of impacts are they going to have?" stated Vander Zanden, the project's principal investigator. "How many miles of stream in Wisconsin are going to be invaded, and is this something we need to be concerned about?"
Kornis and his team spent several months sampling from a variety of stream habitats—sandy, temperate and rocky—as well as areas where goby populations were either absent, low or prevalent. Of the 75 streams Kornis's team sampled, 26 contained gobies. In more than 80 percent of those sample sites, the goby population was deemed small, with the remaining 10 percent described as "superabundant."
The most surprising finding? At most of the sites, gobies have yet to devastate the ecosystem the way they have in the Great Lakes.
"Over the last three years, at most of our sites and streams, we haven't seen the population level declines in the native species we would have expected based on what we know from the Great Lakes," said Kornis.
That doesn't mean it couldn't eventually occur. Kornis and Vander Zanden remain focused on tracking the inevitable progress of the goby. They've identified and mapped 1300 kilometers of Wisconsin streams that are at risk for goby invasion, based on habitat suitability and natural migration projections from areas where the fish have already become established. Both researchers caution that if fishermen and boaters aren't cautious about preventing the spread of invasive species like the goby, the number of invaded streams in the Lake Michigan basin could expand dramatically.
"Streams are different enough from lakes in terms of the amount of habitat and type of food available that maybe round gobies can't reach the same densities as in the Great Lakes," said Kornis. "Nonetheless, goby populations are growing in most streams. Since 2007, we've observed at least a doubling of round goby abundance at 65 percent of our sites."
Vander Zanden agrees that further vigilance is critical to goby containment and habitat preservation. "This species is on the move, their inland spread is really rapid, and there is a lot of suitable habitat for them," he said. "We're worried about them making their way into inland lakes all around the state. We expect that they will have big impacts in these systems. Anglers and boaters need to be aware and not transport these fish into new waters."
By Aaron R. Conklin -
How Many Sport Fish Can Lake Michigan Support?
An environmental food web is an intricate, organic and delicate thing. Eliminate a strand here or introduce a new one there, and the entire structure can collapse. That's why researchers have paid such close attention to the food webs in Lake Michigan, where the appearance of several aquatic invasive species has threatened to upset the natural balance.
Harvey Bootsma and John Janssen, Wisconsin Sea Grant-funded professors at UW--Milwaukee's School of Freshwater Sciences, have their sights on the waters close to shore.
"A lot of our work has focused on what role round gobies may be playing," Bootsma said. "Up until now, the near shore has been neglected. From what we're seeing, there are some unique things going on. We've had a lot of changes in the last five years."
He's referring to a massive influx of round gobies, one of several aquatic invasive species that have set up shop in Lake Michigan's waters. In the case of the goby, the impact seems tied to strength of numbers. In short—they're legion. And they eat copiously.
"When we dive to do our research, there are at least a hundred swimming around us, watching us work," said Bootsma. "Numerically, they're clearly dominant in the nearshore zone."
Bootsma and Janssen are performing their research in conjunction with similar research teams in Indiana and Illinois, to see if conditions in one state are being replicated in others.
Existing research suggests that one of the round goby's preferred entrees is the quagga mussel, which is not the first case of one aquatic invasive species noshing on another.
However, Bootsma and Jansen's research is revealing that round gobies don't actually feed on quagga mussels until they grow larger—between two to four inches long. By conducting a chemical analysis of stable isotopes and fatty acids found in the gobies' body tissue, they're able to determine what the gobies are really eating.
"The mussels are actually a side dish," said Bootsma. "Most gobies, and especially the younger ones, are actually subsisting on other types of food."
Those other types include oligochaetes and chironomids, tiny benthic organisms that live in the Cladophora algae that have come to clog the shallow shorelines of Lake Michigan.
The question then becomes whether the round gobies' trips to the invertebrates section of the Cladophora buffet are, in effect, swiping sustenance from other nearshore fish, including yellow perch and spot-tail shiner. It's also unclear whether other Lake Michigan species like trout and salmon may be able to use the plentiful gobies as a food source to replace offshore food web components that have been affected by other invaders.
"We know that lake trout and brown trout are eating lots of round gobies," says Janssen. "But we also know that more pelagic species, like Chinooks, cohos and steelhead are not."
After spending months analyzing data collected from hundreds of samples, Bootsma and Janssen (as well as the research teams in Indiana and Illinois) are ready to head back out onto Lake Michigan and begin examining other sites.
"We're interested in learning if the patterns around Milwaukee County are typical of the whole lake," explained Bootsma.
If they are, their work could help to determine how the carrying capacity of Lake Michigan may have changed, which would affect decisions related to fish stocking and nutrient management. Stay tuned.
By Aaron R. Conklin -
Jumping Carp
This video, courtesy of the Illinois Natural History Survey, shows Asian carp, primarily silver carp on the Illinois River near Havana, Illinois. The fish jump in response to the noise of the motor or where the crew is shown on a boat with nets, the charge from the electrofishing boat. -
Quagga Mussels Feeding--Sped Up 10x
Sped up 10 times, this video emphasizes that quagga mussels are active animals--much more active than washed up shells on a beach would suggest.
Quagga mussels and zebra mussels feed by filtering tiny plant and animal plankton out of the water and extracting the nutrients they need. Material they don't digest is wrapped in mucus and expelled. This "pseudofeces" is rich in nutrients like phosphorus.
Each tiny mussel filters a quart of water each day. That vigorous activity, abetted by circulating water, has effectively filtered the entire volume of water in Lake Michigan and other Great Lakes.
In the Great Lakes, invasive quagga and zebra mussels deposit their waste in the relatively narrow bottom areas near shore, where the mussels live. This has caused two profound changes to the lakes: It has dramatically cleared the water, and it has concentrated nutrients like phosphorus near shore. As a result, phosphorus concentrations have decreased off-shore and increased near shore, and sunlight penetrates deeper into the water.
Among the many consequences to the lake's food web are a major shift of energy sources (phytoplankton) away from open waters, where they would ultimately support trout, salmon, and whitefish, and an increase in nutrients like phosphorus available to algae growing near shore. -
Part 2: All Washed Up, Lake Michigan's Algae Challenge
The second part of the full Cladophora video. -
Part 1: All Washed Up, Lake Michigan's Algae Challenge
The first part of the full Cladophora video. -
All Washed Up (short version)
This video is an abbreviated version. The full version is in two parts, each roughly nine minutes long.
Coastal Processes and Engineering
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WI Shoreline Inventory & Oblique Photo Viewer
The Wisconsin Shoreline Inventory and Oblique Photo Viewer is a web-based, interactive map of Wisconsin coastal data that enables users to visualize the temporal changes to Wisconsin’s shorelines. A key feature of this map is that it contains measurements of bluff recession data obtained from 1956 to 2015 and visuals and photos up through 2020. This provides both a qualitative and quantitative inventory of shoreline conditions on Wisconsin’s Great Lakes coasts. Geolocated aerial photos and shoreline condition inventories allow users to view images from different years side-by-side to visualize coastal change.
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Swallow nests at Kenosha Dunes
Video Credit: John Janssen
This is a video of the northern rough-winged swallow birds, their nests and sand bank at Kenosha Dunes.
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Kenosha Dunes underwater shoreline: Jetty – Sept 19, 2019
Video credit: John Janssen and Jeff Houghton
The groin/jetty is located 0.4 miles north of the north end of the Kenosha Dunes on a public beach. The deepest end is at about 12 feet. It is composed of concrete and large stones and is in the process of collapsing. Adjacent areas are composed of scoured stiff clay.
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Kenosha Dunes underwater shoreline: Armor stone – Sept 25, 2019
Video credit: John Janssen and Jeff Houghton
This video shows the armor stone that you see above water, but from an underwater view. The conditions were wavy, which created a lot of surge as the water pushed between the rocks. We tried to capture that in the video but it was hard to film as we were being tossed around.
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Kenosha Dunes underwater shoreline – Sept 19, 2019
Video credit: John Janssen, Jeff Houghton and Erik Carlson
This video shows the Trident Underwater Drone at 20 ft. deep, straight off the Kenosha Dunes. The environment is a grooved very still clay with small quagga mussels, embedded pebbles and some cobble. The algae (Cladophora) attaches to these mussels, pebbles and cobble. The grooves are likely initiated by cracks in the clay, and then the sand "sands" the grooves deeper every time there's sufficient wave action.
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CHAOS – Summer Water Levels and Impacts on Lake Superior
Recording from the first meeting for the Coastal Hazards of Superior (CHAOS) Community of Practice (CoP) on April 29, 2020. Featuring an introduction to the new CHAOS CoP, a summer water levels update, and a discussion of lakeshore flooding. Guest speaker Deanna Apps, Physical Scientist from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, provided an overview of historic and recent water levels on Lake Superior and explained projections for the summer of 2020. Guest speaker Dr. Joseph Moore, Warning Coordination Meteorologist with the National Weather Service - Duluth Office, explained forecasting for lakeshore flood events and the need for reports of storm damages to improve modeling.
This meeting was co-hosted by the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve, Minnesota’s Lake Superior Coastal Program, Minnesota Sea Grant, the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, and Wisconsin Sea Grant.
CHAOS is a CoP for sharing knowledge and resources about natural hazards that affect Lake Superior coastal communities in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
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Great Lakes Water Level Informational Webinar – March 18, 2020
An informational webinar on Great Lakes water levels held on March 18, 2020 covering.
Meeting Agenda and Shortcut Links
0:00 Welcome and opening comments - Jason Peters, Village of Somers, & Congressman Bryan Steil, Wisconsin 1st Congressional District
8:46 Great Lakes Water Levels
Dee Apps, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Detroit District
34:59 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Assistance
Krystle Walker, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Detroit District
46:11 Lake Michigan Weather and Climate
Sarah Marquardt, National Weather Service in Milwaukee/Sullivan
58:41 Coastal Hazards, Adaptation Options, and Educational Resources
Adam Bechle, Wisconsin Sea Grant
1:29:41 Emergency Riprap Authorization Process
Sarah Szabo and Theresa Szabelski, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
1:37:29 Questions and Answers
Useful Links and Handouts in the Presentations
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Great Lakes Water Levels Webpage - https://www.lre.usace.army.mil/About/Great-Lakes-High-Water/
- Living on the Coast - https://publications.aqua.wisc.edu/product/living-on-the-coast-protecting-investments-in-shore-property-on-the-great-lakes/
- Resources for Great Lakes Coastal Property Owners – Wisconsin Sea Grant Handout - https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/GLWaterLevelMtg_resources_2020.pdf
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources - Placing Erosion Control Structures on Great Lakes -https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Waterways/shoreline/GreatLakesErosionControl.html
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Mapping and the environment: David Hart
Wisconsin's Great Lakes coastal areas are dynamic and beautiful, but they can also be hazardous. David Hart, Wisconsin Sea Grant's Extension Program Leader, uses geographic information systems to make sense of coastal data in order to help communities develop in a resilient way.
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant
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Adapting to the power of the Great Lakes: Adam Bechle
Compared to Wisconsin's inland lakes, Lake Superior and Lake Michigan are prone to powerful, and sometimes dangerous, conditions. Adam Bechle, Wisconsin Sea Grant's coastal engineering outreach specialist, helps Wisconsin's communities and residents prepare for and respond to coastal hazards.
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant
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Measuring Bluff Erosion on the Great Lakes
New technical approaches help people understand how and why bluffs erode and slide away, threatening property and endangering lives. The work is supported by the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute.
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Increasing Safety at Sea Caves
The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore has become a world-class destination for sea kayaking, but some of the most popular attractions can also be treacherous. Under certain conditions, the sea caves can quickly change from awe-inspiring to terrifying. As waves roll into and reflect off of the cave walls, they can intensify and capsize even experienced kayakers. Once out of their boats, paddlers face the threat of hypothermia in water temperatures that hover in the mid-40s for most of the summer and rarely exceed 60 degrees. In addition, the surrounding steep cliffs make seeking safety on shore nearly impossible.
Conditions at Meyers Beach, where kayakers launch their boats, may seem easily manageable. However, after rounding a bend to approach the sea caves, paddlers can face significantly larger waves.
With support from the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, Wisconsin Sea Grant Coastal Engineer Gene Clark teamed up with Chin Wu, a UW-Madison civil and environmental engineer, to find out if there was some way to measure the waves near the sea caves in real-time and transfer that information back to kayakers, outfitters, and park service staff.
Clark, Wu, and two graduate students tested some of the wave monitoring equipment in February 2009, when a thick layer of ice allowed foot travel from Meyers Beach to the sea caves. They also began working with the City of Bayfield, Inland Sea Society, local outfitters, Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, and park staff to determine the best format for presenting the real-time data from the wave sensor so that its most useful for kayakers.
The system may take some time to develop fully, but initial testing suggests it will ultimately help kayakers make safe decisions about when to explore the caves.
Read the full story:
http://aqua.wisc.edu/Chronicle/Default.aspx?tabid=377
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WI Shoreline Inventory & Oblique Photo Viewer
The Wisconsin Shoreline Inventory and Oblique Photo Viewer is a web-based, interactive map of Wisconsin coastal data that enables users to visualize the temporal changes to Wisconsin’s shorelines. A key feature of this map is that it contains measurements of bluff recession data obtained from 1956 to 2015 and visuals and photos up through 2020. This provides both a qualitative and quantitative inventory of shoreline conditions on Wisconsin’s Great Lakes coasts. Geolocated aerial photos and shoreline condition inventories allow users to view images from different years side-by-side to visualize coastal change. -
Swallow nests at Kenosha Dunes
Video Credit: John Janssen
This is a video of the northern rough-winged swallow birds, their nests and sand bank at Kenosha Dunes. -
Kenosha Dunes underwater shoreline: Jetty – Sept 19, 2019
Video credit: John Janssen and Jeff Houghton
The groin/jetty is located 0.4 miles north of the north end of the Kenosha Dunes on a public beach. The deepest end is at about 12 feet. It is composed of concrete and large stones and is in the process of collapsing. Adjacent areas are composed of scoured stiff clay. -
Kenosha Dunes underwater shoreline: Armor stone – Sept 25, 2019
Video credit: John Janssen and Jeff Houghton
This video shows the armor stone that you see above water, but from an underwater view. The conditions were wavy, which created a lot of surge as the water pushed between the rocks. We tried to capture that in the video but it was hard to film as we were being tossed around. -
Kenosha Dunes underwater shoreline – Sept 19, 2019
Video credit: John Janssen, Jeff Houghton and Erik Carlson
This video shows the Trident Underwater Drone at 20 ft. deep, straight off the Kenosha Dunes. The environment is a grooved very still clay with small quagga mussels, embedded pebbles and some cobble. The algae (Cladophora) attaches to these mussels, pebbles and cobble. The grooves are likely initiated by cracks in the clay, and then the sand "sands" the grooves deeper every time there's sufficient wave action. -
CHAOS – Summer Water Levels and Impacts on Lake Superior
Recording from the first meeting for the Coastal Hazards of Superior (CHAOS) Community of Practice (CoP) on April 29, 2020. Featuring an introduction to the new CHAOS CoP, a summer water levels update, and a discussion of lakeshore flooding. Guest speaker Deanna Apps, Physical Scientist from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, provided an overview of historic and recent water levels on Lake Superior and explained projections for the summer of 2020. Guest speaker Dr. Joseph Moore, Warning Coordination Meteorologist with the National Weather Service - Duluth Office, explained forecasting for lakeshore flood events and the need for reports of storm damages to improve modeling.
This meeting was co-hosted by the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve, Minnesota’s Lake Superior Coastal Program, Minnesota Sea Grant, the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, and Wisconsin Sea Grant.
CHAOS is a CoP for sharing knowledge and resources about natural hazards that affect Lake Superior coastal communities in Minnesota and Wisconsin. -
Great Lakes Water Level Informational Webinar – March 18, 2020
An informational webinar on Great Lakes water levels held on March 18, 2020 covering.
Meeting Agenda and Shortcut Links
0:00 Welcome and opening comments - Jason Peters, Village of Somers, & Congressman Bryan Steil, Wisconsin 1st Congressional District
8:46 Great Lakes Water Levels
Dee Apps, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Detroit District
34:59 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Assistance
Krystle Walker, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Detroit District
46:11 Lake Michigan Weather and Climate
Sarah Marquardt, National Weather Service in Milwaukee/Sullivan
58:41 Coastal Hazards, Adaptation Options, and Educational Resources
Adam Bechle, Wisconsin Sea Grant
1:29:41 Emergency Riprap Authorization Process
Sarah Szabo and Theresa Szabelski, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
1:37:29 Questions and Answers
Useful Links and Handouts in the Presentations
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Great Lakes Water Levels Webpage - https://www.lre.usace.army.mil/About/Great-Lakes-High-Water/
- Living on the Coast - https://publications.aqua.wisc.edu/product/living-on-the-coast-protecting-investments-in-shore-property-on-the-great-lakes/
- Resources for Great Lakes Coastal Property Owners – Wisconsin Sea Grant Handout - https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/GLWaterLevelMtg_resources_2020.pdf
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources - Placing Erosion Control Structures on Great Lakes -https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Waterways/shoreline/GreatLakesErosionControl.html -
Mapping and the environment: David Hart
Wisconsin's Great Lakes coastal areas are dynamic and beautiful, but they can also be hazardous. David Hart, Wisconsin Sea Grant's Extension Program Leader, uses geographic information systems to make sense of coastal data in order to help communities develop in a resilient way.
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant -
Adapting to the power of the Great Lakes: Adam Bechle
Compared to Wisconsin's inland lakes, Lake Superior and Lake Michigan are prone to powerful, and sometimes dangerous, conditions. Adam Bechle, Wisconsin Sea Grant's coastal engineering outreach specialist, helps Wisconsin's communities and residents prepare for and respond to coastal hazards.
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant -
Measuring Bluff Erosion on the Great Lakes
New technical approaches help people understand how and why bluffs erode and slide away, threatening property and endangering lives. The work is supported by the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute. -
Increasing Safety at Sea Caves
The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore has become a world-class destination for sea kayaking, but some of the most popular attractions can also be treacherous. Under certain conditions, the sea caves can quickly change from awe-inspiring to terrifying. As waves roll into and reflect off of the cave walls, they can intensify and capsize even experienced kayakers. Once out of their boats, paddlers face the threat of hypothermia in water temperatures that hover in the mid-40s for most of the summer and rarely exceed 60 degrees. In addition, the surrounding steep cliffs make seeking safety on shore nearly impossible.
Conditions at Meyers Beach, where kayakers launch their boats, may seem easily manageable. However, after rounding a bend to approach the sea caves, paddlers can face significantly larger waves.
With support from the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, Wisconsin Sea Grant Coastal Engineer Gene Clark teamed up with Chin Wu, a UW-Madison civil and environmental engineer, to find out if there was some way to measure the waves near the sea caves in real-time and transfer that information back to kayakers, outfitters, and park service staff.
Clark, Wu, and two graduate students tested some of the wave monitoring equipment in February 2009, when a thick layer of ice allowed foot travel from Meyers Beach to the sea caves. They also began working with the City of Bayfield, Inland Sea Society, local outfitters, Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, and park staff to determine the best format for presenting the real-time data from the wave sensor so that its most useful for kayakers.
The system may take some time to develop fully, but initial testing suggests it will ultimately help kayakers make safe decisions about when to explore the caves.
Read the full story:
http://aqua.wisc.edu/Chronicle/Default.aspx?tabid=377
Education, Students and Fellows
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Education for the future: Ginny Carlton
In interacting with youth on a daily basis, teachers have an important opportunity to shape the future. Dr. Ginny Carlton, Wisconsin Sea Grant's Education Outreach Specialist, works with teachers on Great Lakes literacy and water science programming.
Find more about Wisconsin Sea Grant education at: seagrant.wisc.edu/our-work/focus-areas/education/
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant
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Scientists to Students: A Discussion of Life and Death in the Lake by Dr John Berges
Dr. John Berges, Professor at the University of Milwaukee Department of Biological Sciences and the School of Freshwater Sciences highlights the life and death of diatoms in Lake Michigan. Students from Mark O'Neil's Bayfield High School class pose and answer questions.
Topics include the size of diatoms, factors that imperil diatoms and lead to death, and an overview of research being conducted in Dr. Berges' lab. Student under-graduate researcher, and McNair Scholar, Loretha Jack demonstrates staining and observing diatoms under the microscope. Former Ph.D. student Chang Jae Choi (now with the U. Texas' Marine Science Institute) demonstrates use of a flow cytometer used to identify living and dying diatoms.
The presentation begins at 5:00.
Dr. John Berges: https://uwm.edu/biology/people/berges-john/
Loretha Jack: https://uwm.edu/biology/loretha-jack-undergraduate-research-profile/
Chang Jae Choi: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Chang-Jae-Choi
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Scientists to Students: A Discussion of Aquaculture by Emma Wiermaa
Emma Wiermaa, Aquaculture Outreach Specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility in Bayfield Wisconsin describes the facility and the research that occurs there. Students from Olivia Dachel's Merrill High School class pose questions.
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Dissecting a Lake Sturgeon
Educators, parents, and students- find a worksheet to accompany this video here: go.wisc.edu/5g4c4e
John Lyons, Wisconsin fish expert and Curator of Fishes at the UW-Madison Zoology Museum, joins Anne Moser and Titus Seilheimer to dissect a lake sturgeon.
Sturgeon spawning is a yearly event triggered by water temperature—about 54 degrees Fahrenheit—and it in turn triggers a migration of spectators, researchers, wardens, and volunteer guards. They gather on the banks of Wisconsin’s Wolf River and its tributaries where the fish journey to spawn on the rocky banks from where they themselves hatched years before. It's truly a sight to behold, and parents and grandparents bring children of all ages to witness the event, flocking to viewing areas constructed just for that purpose. Many of the fish are older than the parents, and some are contemporaries of the grandparents. All of the sturgeon look like the ancient creatures they are—nearly unchanged for one hundred fifty million years.
For more information about Winnebago sturgeon spawning, see http://dnr.wi.gov/fish/sturgeon/sturgeon_spawning.html
For more information about the book People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin’s Love Affair with an Ancient Fish, a book sponsored by the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute, see www.winnebagosturgeon.org
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant
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Education officer: Maritime Careers
Alex Rytel, Education officer on the S/V Denis Sullivan, talks about his maritime career.
-
Senior Deck Hand: Maritime Careers
James Fiztgerald, senior deck hand on the S/V Denis Sullivan, talks about his career in the maritime industry.
-
Third Mate: Maritime Careers
Stefan Santiago, third mate on the S/V Denis Sullivan, talks about his career in the maritime industry.
-
Captain of the S/V Denis Sullivan: Maritime Careers
Tiffany Krihwan, captain of the S/V Denis Sullivan, talks about her career in the maritime industry.
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Connecting Water Work at UW-Madison
Meet Carolyn Voter, a project assistant for Water@UW-Madison. Water@UW-Madison is an umbrella organization that connects the numerous faculty, staff, and students with water interests on the UW-Madison campus. Voter also tells us a bit about her work as a Ph.D. student in civil and environmental engineering. For fun, she blows.
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Meet Maddie Mathews
Mathews tells us how she came to be a graduate student at UW-Madison, looking into ways to pump water from the ground while avoiding the radium that it may contain.
-
More Shipboard Science on the S/V Denis Sullivan
In the name of Great Lakes science literacy, a group of educators had a firsthand experience with water-quality sampling, lake ecology, geology and geography, and weather.
-
Shipboard Science on the S/V Denis Sullivan
Mentoring and exploration were the hallmarks of a teacher cruise aboard a replica historic schooner on Lake Michigan. More effective classroom skills were the result.
-
Education for the future: Ginny Carlton
In interacting with youth on a daily basis, teachers have an important opportunity to shape the future. Dr. Ginny Carlton, Wisconsin Sea Grant's Education Outreach Specialist, works with teachers on Great Lakes literacy and water science programming.
Find more about Wisconsin Sea Grant education at: seagrant.wisc.edu/our-work/focus-areas/education/
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant -
Scientists to Students: A Discussion of Life and Death in the Lake by Dr John Berges
Dr. John Berges, Professor at the University of Milwaukee Department of Biological Sciences and the School of Freshwater Sciences highlights the life and death of diatoms in Lake Michigan. Students from Mark O'Neil's Bayfield High School class pose and answer questions.
Topics include the size of diatoms, factors that imperil diatoms and lead to death, and an overview of research being conducted in Dr. Berges' lab. Student under-graduate researcher, and McNair Scholar, Loretha Jack demonstrates staining and observing diatoms under the microscope. Former Ph.D. student Chang Jae Choi (now with the U. Texas' Marine Science Institute) demonstrates use of a flow cytometer used to identify living and dying diatoms.
The presentation begins at 5:00.
Dr. John Berges: https://uwm.edu/biology/people/berges-john/
Loretha Jack: https://uwm.edu/biology/loretha-jack-undergraduate-research-profile/
Chang Jae Choi: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Chang-Jae-Choi -
Scientists to Students: A Discussion of Aquaculture by Emma Wiermaa
Emma Wiermaa, Aquaculture Outreach Specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility in Bayfield Wisconsin describes the facility and the research that occurs there. Students from Olivia Dachel's Merrill High School class pose questions. -
Dissecting a Lake Sturgeon
Educators, parents, and students- find a worksheet to accompany this video here: go.wisc.edu/5g4c4e
John Lyons, Wisconsin fish expert and Curator of Fishes at the UW-Madison Zoology Museum, joins Anne Moser and Titus Seilheimer to dissect a lake sturgeon.
Sturgeon spawning is a yearly event triggered by water temperature—about 54 degrees Fahrenheit—and it in turn triggers a migration of spectators, researchers, wardens, and volunteer guards. They gather on the banks of Wisconsin’s Wolf River and its tributaries where the fish journey to spawn on the rocky banks from where they themselves hatched years before. It's truly a sight to behold, and parents and grandparents bring children of all ages to witness the event, flocking to viewing areas constructed just for that purpose. Many of the fish are older than the parents, and some are contemporaries of the grandparents. All of the sturgeon look like the ancient creatures they are—nearly unchanged for one hundred fifty million years.
For more information about Winnebago sturgeon spawning, see http://dnr.wi.gov/fish/sturgeon/sturgeon_spawning.html
For more information about the book People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin’s Love Affair with an Ancient Fish, a book sponsored by the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute, see www.winnebagosturgeon.org
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant -
Education officer: Maritime Careers
Alex Rytel, Education officer on the S/V Denis Sullivan, talks about his maritime career. -
Senior Deck Hand: Maritime Careers
James Fiztgerald, senior deck hand on the S/V Denis Sullivan, talks about his career in the maritime industry. -
Third Mate: Maritime Careers
Stefan Santiago, third mate on the S/V Denis Sullivan, talks about his career in the maritime industry. -
Captain of the S/V Denis Sullivan: Maritime Careers
Tiffany Krihwan, captain of the S/V Denis Sullivan, talks about her career in the maritime industry. -
Connecting Water Work at UW-Madison
Meet Carolyn Voter, a project assistant for Water@UW-Madison. Water@UW-Madison is an umbrella organization that connects the numerous faculty, staff, and students with water interests on the UW-Madison campus. Voter also tells us a bit about her work as a Ph.D. student in civil and environmental engineering. For fun, she blows. -
Meet Maddie Mathews
Mathews tells us how she came to be a graduate student at UW-Madison, looking into ways to pump water from the ground while avoiding the radium that it may contain. -
More Shipboard Science on the S/V Denis Sullivan
In the name of Great Lakes science literacy, a group of educators had a firsthand experience with water-quality sampling, lake ecology, geology and geography, and weather. -
Shipboard Science on the S/V Denis Sullivan
Mentoring and exploration were the hallmarks of a teacher cruise aboard a replica historic schooner on Lake Michigan. More effective classroom skills were the result.
Fish and Fisheries
-
Dissecting a Lake Sturgeon
Educators, parents, and students- find a worksheet to accompany this video here: go.wisc.edu/5g4c4e
John Lyons, Wisconsin fish expert and Curator of Fishes at the UW-Madison Zoology Museum, joins Anne Moser and Titus Seilheimer to dissect a lake sturgeon.
Sturgeon spawning is a yearly event triggered by water temperature—about 54 degrees Fahrenheit—and it in turn triggers a migration of spectators, researchers, wardens, and volunteer guards. They gather on the banks of Wisconsin’s Wolf River and its tributaries where the fish journey to spawn on the rocky banks from where they themselves hatched years before. It's truly a sight to behold, and parents and grandparents bring children of all ages to witness the event, flocking to viewing areas constructed just for that purpose. Many of the fish are older than the parents, and some are contemporaries of the grandparents. All of the sturgeon look like the ancient creatures they are—nearly unchanged for one hundred fifty million years.
For more information about Winnebago sturgeon spawning, see http://dnr.wi.gov/fish/sturgeon/sturgeon_spawning.html
For more information about the book People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin’s Love Affair with an Ancient Fish, a book sponsored by the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute, see www.winnebagosturgeon.org
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant
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Lake Michigan Fisheries Forum – April 2, 2020
Virtual meeting of the Lake Michigan Fisheries Forum.
Dr. Kelly Robinson – Michigan State University Quantitative Fisheries Center
Updating the Predator-Prey Ratio for Salmon and Trout Stocking
Brad Eggold – Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Charter Boat Program Updates
Scott Hansen - Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Wisconsin Lake Whitefish Stock assessment Models
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Great Lakes fisheries and family businesses: Titus Seilheimer
Titus, Wisconsin Sea Grant's Fisheries Outreach Specialist, is passionate about using science to help Lake Michigan fisheries, small business owners and coastal community members - in other words, he's passionate about getting Friday fish fry on tables throughout Wisconsin.
Special thanks to Susie-Q Fish Market in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, and to Jessica Johnsrud, Education Coordinator/Asst. Director at the Woodland Dunes Nature Center and Preserve.
To learn more about Titus' work with Wisconsin Sea Grant, visit seagrant.wisc.edu.
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Measuring the Pulse of Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan, the world’s fifth largest lake, has undergone many changes through the generations. Its current conditions are heavily influenced by the arrival of nonnative Dreissenid mussels known as zebra and quagga mussels. These filter feeders are altering the amount of phosphorus available for phytoplankton throughout the lake, which has an effect all the way up the food chain. Research aboard the Lake Express Ferry is taking the pulse of the lake and informing management decisions.
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The View from a Lake Michigan Trawler
Wisconsin Sea Grant's Titus Seilheimer spent many months counting and measuring bycatch on a trawler on Lake Michigan. using his GoPro camera, he caught some breathtaking whitefish footage.
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Avoid the Trap: What Anglers Should Know about Commercial Fishing Nets
A fishermen's guide to avoiding trap nets and gill nets in the Great Lakes -- and what to do if you get caught in a drifting net.
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A Cold Shoot on Lake Superior
Here are a few clips from a video we are producing about fishing nets that break free from their anchors. These "ghost nets" continue to catch fish, interfere with boating and navigation, and are expensive and time-consuming to recover.
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Fred Binkowski: Wisconsin Sea Grant Aquaculture Specialist
Fred Binkowski tells us about his work as the aquaculture specialist for the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute.
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Visualizing the Effects of Dioxin on Fish
Some beautiful images convey the deadly effects of dioxin in zebra fish -- and possibly other species, like the very sensitive lake trout.
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What Will Round Gobies Do to Great Lakes Streams?
To look at it, the round goby doesn't seem like much. A small fish the approximate size of an average pickle, it seems like the sort of creature that'd be the dominated in the aquatic universe, not the dominator.
But like an ecological David in reverse, the voracious goby has used strength of numbers to wreak serious damage on the gentle Goliath that is the Great Lakes food web. Sometimes found in groups of several hundred or more, round gobies have made short work of the key food sources that sustain the young of a lengthy list of Great Lakes sport fish: bass, walleye, and yellow perch. Round gobies also dine on sport fish eggs when the opportunity arises. These species are fighting back, feeding heavily on gobies, but goby populations are usually too large to be affected.
Worse, in what some researchers have dubbed a "classic ecological surprise," the gobies haven't limited their invasive ways to the Great Lakes: Over the past decade, they've also migrated to Wisconsin's streams and rivers, where researchers are very concerned they could have a similar devastating effect on the ecosystem.
Beginning in 2007, using funding provided by University of Wisconsin Sea Grant, UW-Madison ecologist Jake Vander Zanden and UW graduate student Matt Kornis set out to discover just what kind of impact the gobies might be having. Using nets and a portable electro-fishing system, Kornis and a team of student researchers sampled and analyzed goby populations at 150 different stream locations along Wiscosins' Lake Michigan coast.
"When we discovered round goby in some small streams in Wisconsin, it made us start to ask the question, what kind of impacts are they going to have?" stated Vander Zanden, the project's principal investigator. "How many miles of stream in Wisconsin are going to be invaded, and is this something we need to be concerned about?"
Kornis and his team spent several months sampling from a variety of stream habitats—sandy, temperate and rocky—as well as areas where goby populations were either absent, low or prevalent. Of the 75 streams Kornis's team sampled, 26 contained gobies. In more than 80 percent of those sample sites, the goby population was deemed small, with the remaining 10 percent described as "superabundant."
The most surprising finding? At most of the sites, gobies have yet to devastate the ecosystem the way they have in the Great Lakes.
"Over the last three years, at most of our sites and streams, we haven't seen the population level declines in the native species we would have expected based on what we know from the Great Lakes," said Kornis.
That doesn't mean it couldn't eventually occur. Kornis and Vander Zanden remain focused on tracking the inevitable progress of the goby. They've identified and mapped 1300 kilometers of Wisconsin streams that are at risk for goby invasion, based on habitat suitability and natural migration projections from areas where the fish have already become established. Both researchers caution that if fishermen and boaters aren't cautious about preventing the spread of invasive species like the goby, the number of invaded streams in the Lake Michigan basin could expand dramatically.
"Streams are different enough from lakes in terms of the amount of habitat and type of food available that maybe round gobies can't reach the same densities as in the Great Lakes," said Kornis. "Nonetheless, goby populations are growing in most streams. Since 2007, we've observed at least a doubling of round goby abundance at 65 percent of our sites."
Vander Zanden agrees that further vigilance is critical to goby containment and habitat preservation. "This species is on the move, their inland spread is really rapid, and there is a lot of suitable habitat for them," he said. "We're worried about them making their way into inland lakes all around the state. We expect that they will have big impacts in these systems. Anglers and boaters need to be aware and not transport these fish into new waters."
By Aaron R. Conklin
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How Many Sport Fish Can Lake Michigan Support?
An environmental food web is an intricate, organic and delicate thing. Eliminate a strand here or introduce a new one there, and the entire structure can collapse. That's why researchers have paid such close attention to the food webs in Lake Michigan, where the appearance of several aquatic invasive species has threatened to upset the natural balance.
Harvey Bootsma and John Janssen, Wisconsin Sea Grant-funded professors at UW--Milwaukee's School of Freshwater Sciences, have their sights on the waters close to shore.
"A lot of our work has focused on what role round gobies may be playing," Bootsma said. "Up until now, the near shore has been neglected. From what we're seeing, there are some unique things going on. We've had a lot of changes in the last five years."
He's referring to a massive influx of round gobies, one of several aquatic invasive species that have set up shop in Lake Michigan's waters. In the case of the goby, the impact seems tied to strength of numbers. In short—they're legion. And they eat copiously.
"When we dive to do our research, there are at least a hundred swimming around us, watching us work," said Bootsma. "Numerically, they're clearly dominant in the nearshore zone."
Bootsma and Janssen are performing their research in conjunction with similar research teams in Indiana and Illinois, to see if conditions in one state are being replicated in others.
Existing research suggests that one of the round goby's preferred entrees is the quagga mussel, which is not the first case of one aquatic invasive species noshing on another.
However, Bootsma and Jansen's research is revealing that round gobies don't actually feed on quagga mussels until they grow larger—between two to four inches long. By conducting a chemical analysis of stable isotopes and fatty acids found in the gobies' body tissue, they're able to determine what the gobies are really eating.
"The mussels are actually a side dish," said Bootsma. "Most gobies, and especially the younger ones, are actually subsisting on other types of food."
Those other types include oligochaetes and chironomids, tiny benthic organisms that live in the Cladophora algae that have come to clog the shallow shorelines of Lake Michigan.
The question then becomes whether the round gobies' trips to the invertebrates section of the Cladophora buffet are, in effect, swiping sustenance from other nearshore fish, including yellow perch and spot-tail shiner. It's also unclear whether other Lake Michigan species like trout and salmon may be able to use the plentiful gobies as a food source to replace offshore food web components that have been affected by other invaders.
"We know that lake trout and brown trout are eating lots of round gobies," says Janssen. "But we also know that more pelagic species, like Chinooks, cohos and steelhead are not."
After spending months analyzing data collected from hundreds of samples, Bootsma and Janssen (as well as the research teams in Indiana and Illinois) are ready to head back out onto Lake Michigan and begin examining other sites.
"We're interested in learning if the patterns around Milwaukee County are typical of the whole lake," explained Bootsma.
If they are, their work could help to determine how the carrying capacity of Lake Michigan may have changed, which would affect decisions related to fish stocking and nutrient management. Stay tuned.
By Aaron R. Conklin
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Jumping Carp
This video, courtesy of the Illinois Natural History Survey, shows Asian carp, primarily silver carp on the Illinois River near Havana, Illinois. The fish jump in response to the noise of the motor or where the crew is shown on a boat with nets, the charge from the electrofishing boat.
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Dissecting a Lake Sturgeon
Educators, parents, and students- find a worksheet to accompany this video here: go.wisc.edu/5g4c4e
John Lyons, Wisconsin fish expert and Curator of Fishes at the UW-Madison Zoology Museum, joins Anne Moser and Titus Seilheimer to dissect a lake sturgeon.
Sturgeon spawning is a yearly event triggered by water temperature—about 54 degrees Fahrenheit—and it in turn triggers a migration of spectators, researchers, wardens, and volunteer guards. They gather on the banks of Wisconsin’s Wolf River and its tributaries where the fish journey to spawn on the rocky banks from where they themselves hatched years before. It's truly a sight to behold, and parents and grandparents bring children of all ages to witness the event, flocking to viewing areas constructed just for that purpose. Many of the fish are older than the parents, and some are contemporaries of the grandparents. All of the sturgeon look like the ancient creatures they are—nearly unchanged for one hundred fifty million years.
For more information about Winnebago sturgeon spawning, see http://dnr.wi.gov/fish/sturgeon/sturgeon_spawning.html
For more information about the book People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin’s Love Affair with an Ancient Fish, a book sponsored by the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute, see www.winnebagosturgeon.org
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant -
Lake Michigan Fisheries Forum – April 2, 2020
Virtual meeting of the Lake Michigan Fisheries Forum.
Dr. Kelly Robinson – Michigan State University Quantitative Fisheries Center
Updating the Predator-Prey Ratio for Salmon and Trout Stocking
Brad Eggold – Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Charter Boat Program Updates
Scott Hansen - Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Wisconsin Lake Whitefish Stock assessment Models -
Great Lakes fisheries and family businesses: Titus Seilheimer
Titus, Wisconsin Sea Grant's Fisheries Outreach Specialist, is passionate about using science to help Lake Michigan fisheries, small business owners and coastal community members - in other words, he's passionate about getting Friday fish fry on tables throughout Wisconsin.
Special thanks to Susie-Q Fish Market in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, and to Jessica Johnsrud, Education Coordinator/Asst. Director at the Woodland Dunes Nature Center and Preserve.
To learn more about Titus' work with Wisconsin Sea Grant, visit seagrant.wisc.edu. -
Measuring the Pulse of Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan, the world’s fifth largest lake, has undergone many changes through the generations. Its current conditions are heavily influenced by the arrival of nonnative Dreissenid mussels known as zebra and quagga mussels. These filter feeders are altering the amount of phosphorus available for phytoplankton throughout the lake, which has an effect all the way up the food chain. Research aboard the Lake Express Ferry is taking the pulse of the lake and informing management decisions. -
The View from a Lake Michigan Trawler
Wisconsin Sea Grant's Titus Seilheimer spent many months counting and measuring bycatch on a trawler on Lake Michigan. using his GoPro camera, he caught some breathtaking whitefish footage. -
Avoid the Trap: What Anglers Should Know about Commercial Fishing Nets
A fishermen's guide to avoiding trap nets and gill nets in the Great Lakes -- and what to do if you get caught in a drifting net. -
A Cold Shoot on Lake Superior
Here are a few clips from a video we are producing about fishing nets that break free from their anchors. These "ghost nets" continue to catch fish, interfere with boating and navigation, and are expensive and time-consuming to recover. -
Fred Binkowski: Wisconsin Sea Grant Aquaculture Specialist
Fred Binkowski tells us about his work as the aquaculture specialist for the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute. -
Visualizing the Effects of Dioxin on Fish
Some beautiful images convey the deadly effects of dioxin in zebra fish -- and possibly other species, like the very sensitive lake trout. -
What Will Round Gobies Do to Great Lakes Streams?
To look at it, the round goby doesn't seem like much. A small fish the approximate size of an average pickle, it seems like the sort of creature that'd be the dominated in the aquatic universe, not the dominator.
But like an ecological David in reverse, the voracious goby has used strength of numbers to wreak serious damage on the gentle Goliath that is the Great Lakes food web. Sometimes found in groups of several hundred or more, round gobies have made short work of the key food sources that sustain the young of a lengthy list of Great Lakes sport fish: bass, walleye, and yellow perch. Round gobies also dine on sport fish eggs when the opportunity arises. These species are fighting back, feeding heavily on gobies, but goby populations are usually too large to be affected.
Worse, in what some researchers have dubbed a "classic ecological surprise," the gobies haven't limited their invasive ways to the Great Lakes: Over the past decade, they've also migrated to Wisconsin's streams and rivers, where researchers are very concerned they could have a similar devastating effect on the ecosystem.
Beginning in 2007, using funding provided by University of Wisconsin Sea Grant, UW-Madison ecologist Jake Vander Zanden and UW graduate student Matt Kornis set out to discover just what kind of impact the gobies might be having. Using nets and a portable electro-fishing system, Kornis and a team of student researchers sampled and analyzed goby populations at 150 different stream locations along Wiscosins' Lake Michigan coast.
"When we discovered round goby in some small streams in Wisconsin, it made us start to ask the question, what kind of impacts are they going to have?" stated Vander Zanden, the project's principal investigator. "How many miles of stream in Wisconsin are going to be invaded, and is this something we need to be concerned about?"
Kornis and his team spent several months sampling from a variety of stream habitats—sandy, temperate and rocky—as well as areas where goby populations were either absent, low or prevalent. Of the 75 streams Kornis's team sampled, 26 contained gobies. In more than 80 percent of those sample sites, the goby population was deemed small, with the remaining 10 percent described as "superabundant."
The most surprising finding? At most of the sites, gobies have yet to devastate the ecosystem the way they have in the Great Lakes.
"Over the last three years, at most of our sites and streams, we haven't seen the population level declines in the native species we would have expected based on what we know from the Great Lakes," said Kornis.
That doesn't mean it couldn't eventually occur. Kornis and Vander Zanden remain focused on tracking the inevitable progress of the goby. They've identified and mapped 1300 kilometers of Wisconsin streams that are at risk for goby invasion, based on habitat suitability and natural migration projections from areas where the fish have already become established. Both researchers caution that if fishermen and boaters aren't cautious about preventing the spread of invasive species like the goby, the number of invaded streams in the Lake Michigan basin could expand dramatically.
"Streams are different enough from lakes in terms of the amount of habitat and type of food available that maybe round gobies can't reach the same densities as in the Great Lakes," said Kornis. "Nonetheless, goby populations are growing in most streams. Since 2007, we've observed at least a doubling of round goby abundance at 65 percent of our sites."
Vander Zanden agrees that further vigilance is critical to goby containment and habitat preservation. "This species is on the move, their inland spread is really rapid, and there is a lot of suitable habitat for them," he said. "We're worried about them making their way into inland lakes all around the state. We expect that they will have big impacts in these systems. Anglers and boaters need to be aware and not transport these fish into new waters."
By Aaron R. Conklin -
How Many Sport Fish Can Lake Michigan Support?
An environmental food web is an intricate, organic and delicate thing. Eliminate a strand here or introduce a new one there, and the entire structure can collapse. That's why researchers have paid such close attention to the food webs in Lake Michigan, where the appearance of several aquatic invasive species has threatened to upset the natural balance.
Harvey Bootsma and John Janssen, Wisconsin Sea Grant-funded professors at UW--Milwaukee's School of Freshwater Sciences, have their sights on the waters close to shore.
"A lot of our work has focused on what role round gobies may be playing," Bootsma said. "Up until now, the near shore has been neglected. From what we're seeing, there are some unique things going on. We've had a lot of changes in the last five years."
He's referring to a massive influx of round gobies, one of several aquatic invasive species that have set up shop in Lake Michigan's waters. In the case of the goby, the impact seems tied to strength of numbers. In short—they're legion. And they eat copiously.
"When we dive to do our research, there are at least a hundred swimming around us, watching us work," said Bootsma. "Numerically, they're clearly dominant in the nearshore zone."
Bootsma and Janssen are performing their research in conjunction with similar research teams in Indiana and Illinois, to see if conditions in one state are being replicated in others.
Existing research suggests that one of the round goby's preferred entrees is the quagga mussel, which is not the first case of one aquatic invasive species noshing on another.
However, Bootsma and Jansen's research is revealing that round gobies don't actually feed on quagga mussels until they grow larger—between two to four inches long. By conducting a chemical analysis of stable isotopes and fatty acids found in the gobies' body tissue, they're able to determine what the gobies are really eating.
"The mussels are actually a side dish," said Bootsma. "Most gobies, and especially the younger ones, are actually subsisting on other types of food."
Those other types include oligochaetes and chironomids, tiny benthic organisms that live in the Cladophora algae that have come to clog the shallow shorelines of Lake Michigan.
The question then becomes whether the round gobies' trips to the invertebrates section of the Cladophora buffet are, in effect, swiping sustenance from other nearshore fish, including yellow perch and spot-tail shiner. It's also unclear whether other Lake Michigan species like trout and salmon may be able to use the plentiful gobies as a food source to replace offshore food web components that have been affected by other invaders.
"We know that lake trout and brown trout are eating lots of round gobies," says Janssen. "But we also know that more pelagic species, like Chinooks, cohos and steelhead are not."
After spending months analyzing data collected from hundreds of samples, Bootsma and Janssen (as well as the research teams in Indiana and Illinois) are ready to head back out onto Lake Michigan and begin examining other sites.
"We're interested in learning if the patterns around Milwaukee County are typical of the whole lake," explained Bootsma.
If they are, their work could help to determine how the carrying capacity of Lake Michigan may have changed, which would affect decisions related to fish stocking and nutrient management. Stay tuned.
By Aaron R. Conklin -
Jumping Carp
This video, courtesy of the Illinois Natural History Survey, shows Asian carp, primarily silver carp on the Illinois River near Havana, Illinois. The fish jump in response to the noise of the motor or where the crew is shown on a boat with nets, the charge from the electrofishing boat.
Groundwater
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Wisconsin's Groundwater Coordinating Council
The Groundwater Coordinating Council (GCC) is an interagency group that protects Wisconsin's vast groundwater resources and funds cutting-edge groundwater research. No other state relies on groundwater more heavily, and no other state has an interdisciplinary group like the GCC.
For more information and to read the latest Report to the Legislature, visit go.wisc.edu/vbo82t
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Removing Radium from Groundwater
Madeleine Matthews and Matt Ginder-Vogel tell us how they are determining the source of radium in Wisconsin's groundwater.
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What's a Spring?
A brief video of a spring in Wisconsin's Kettle Moraine State Forest. Springs are groundwater bubbling up to the surface.
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Streams Neutralize Nitrate in Groundwater
Nitrate is a widespread contaminant of groundwater -- the water that 70 percent of Wisconsin's people drink. The University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute is funding a project looking at how some of the nitrate in groundwater may be neutralized by bacteria in stream sediments.
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Testing Well Water for Microorganisms
Leaking septic systems or manure from adjacent rural properties are the two most common sources of fecal contamination of a well. The University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute is funding a new research project to refine a methodology to determine the source of well water contamination.
About ten one-gallon jugs of water line the shelves in Wayne Stefan's garage, waiting to be used for drinking, cooking or mixing up a pitcher of lemonade. The water from his rural Fond du Lac well is contaminated with coliform bacteria, and he has to buy the family's water elsewhere. Their water has been considered unsafe to drink since the floods of 2008.
Sam Sibley, a UW-Madison post-doctoral research associate, attaches a series of hoses and a filter to the outside spigot connected to the Stefans' well, one of six wells with known contamination problems he is sampling around the state. Thirty gallons of water are run through Sibley's filtration system, which employs the same kind of dialysis device used for people with failing kidneys. The filter contains thousands of tiny straws that are capable of simultaneously trapping the three types of microorganisms that may contaminate groundwater—bacteria, viruses and parasites. After about 70 minutes, the filter, now potentially containing pathogens, is disconnected from the hose, the hose from the tap, and Sibley is on to the next home to start the process again.
Back at the State Laboratory of Hygiene, Sibley washes the microorganisms from the filter and pelletizes them for DNA purification and analysis. He is looking for the presence of adenoviruses and polyomaviruses, viruses that are considered source-specific fecal indicator organisms.
The technology of finding the source of fecal contamination has evolved rapidly over the past decade. Microbial source tracking has been used to identify the sources of bacterial contamination for several years. Now, viral source tracking is being used to differentiate human from bovine viral contaminants. Bacteria and viruses may both be present in the well, and they may have entered the system at different times.
Steve Ales is the regional manager for the drinking and groundwater program at the Department of Natural Resources' south central region office and has done field work with Sibley. "Once a well is contaminated with E. coli," said Ales, "you need to figure out why, because unless you know how the E. coli got into the well, the well is always going to be vulnerable to E. coli contamination in the future."
Long-term solutions can be implemented once the source is known. Analytical techniques used by Sibley revealed human viruses in a sample he took at a home in Rock County. Further investigation by Ales disclosed that the source was a break in a pipe between one of three homes that had contaminated water and the mound septic system. When the pipe was replaced, the bacteria numbers declined.
When the source is manure, it may be difficult to assess if it is from improperly spread manure on a nearby field, fractured bedrock, or poor casing in the well. Qualified homeowners may be compensated through Wisconsin's Well Compensation Fund for clean-up measures if it is demonstrated that the contamination is from manure.
Homeowners with private wells are encouraged to test their water for bacteria annually. The water may smell, look and taste fine but still be contaminated and pose a health risk.
--Written by Carolyn Betz
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A New Measure of Groundwater Flow
In a project funded by the University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute, researchers are experimenting with pumping hot water into a well in order to measure flow of groundwater through the well. The hot water disperses into the surrounding aquifers at varying rates, depending on the water flow. A special instrument can measure the water along the full length of an optical cable simultaneously. The faster the flow of groundwater, the quicker the hot water will disperse. This is a complementary tool that can be combined with other geophysical methods of determining groundwater flow in aquifers.
-
Wisconsin's Groundwater Coordinating Council
The Groundwater Coordinating Council (GCC) is an interagency group that protects Wisconsin's vast groundwater resources and funds cutting-edge groundwater research. No other state relies on groundwater more heavily, and no other state has an interdisciplinary group like the GCC.
For more information and to read the latest Report to the Legislature, visit go.wisc.edu/vbo82t -
Removing Radium from Groundwater
Madeleine Matthews and Matt Ginder-Vogel tell us how they are determining the source of radium in Wisconsin's groundwater. -
What's a Spring?
A brief video of a spring in Wisconsin's Kettle Moraine State Forest. Springs are groundwater bubbling up to the surface. -
Streams Neutralize Nitrate in Groundwater
Nitrate is a widespread contaminant of groundwater -- the water that 70 percent of Wisconsin's people drink. The University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute is funding a project looking at how some of the nitrate in groundwater may be neutralized by bacteria in stream sediments. -
Testing Well Water for Microorganisms
Leaking septic systems or manure from adjacent rural properties are the two most common sources of fecal contamination of a well. The University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute is funding a new research project to refine a methodology to determine the source of well water contamination.
About ten one-gallon jugs of water line the shelves in Wayne Stefan's garage, waiting to be used for drinking, cooking or mixing up a pitcher of lemonade. The water from his rural Fond du Lac well is contaminated with coliform bacteria, and he has to buy the family's water elsewhere. Their water has been considered unsafe to drink since the floods of 2008.
Sam Sibley, a UW-Madison post-doctoral research associate, attaches a series of hoses and a filter to the outside spigot connected to the Stefans' well, one of six wells with known contamination problems he is sampling around the state. Thirty gallons of water are run through Sibley's filtration system, which employs the same kind of dialysis device used for people with failing kidneys. The filter contains thousands of tiny straws that are capable of simultaneously trapping the three types of microorganisms that may contaminate groundwater—bacteria, viruses and parasites. After about 70 minutes, the filter, now potentially containing pathogens, is disconnected from the hose, the hose from the tap, and Sibley is on to the next home to start the process again.
Back at the State Laboratory of Hygiene, Sibley washes the microorganisms from the filter and pelletizes them for DNA purification and analysis. He is looking for the presence of adenoviruses and polyomaviruses, viruses that are considered source-specific fecal indicator organisms.
The technology of finding the source of fecal contamination has evolved rapidly over the past decade. Microbial source tracking has been used to identify the sources of bacterial contamination for several years. Now, viral source tracking is being used to differentiate human from bovine viral contaminants. Bacteria and viruses may both be present in the well, and they may have entered the system at different times.
Steve Ales is the regional manager for the drinking and groundwater program at the Department of Natural Resources' south central region office and has done field work with Sibley. "Once a well is contaminated with E. coli," said Ales, "you need to figure out why, because unless you know how the E. coli got into the well, the well is always going to be vulnerable to E. coli contamination in the future."
Long-term solutions can be implemented once the source is known. Analytical techniques used by Sibley revealed human viruses in a sample he took at a home in Rock County. Further investigation by Ales disclosed that the source was a break in a pipe between one of three homes that had contaminated water and the mound septic system. When the pipe was replaced, the bacteria numbers declined.
When the source is manure, it may be difficult to assess if it is from improperly spread manure on a nearby field, fractured bedrock, or poor casing in the well. Qualified homeowners may be compensated through Wisconsin's Well Compensation Fund for clean-up measures if it is demonstrated that the contamination is from manure.
Homeowners with private wells are encouraged to test their water for bacteria annually. The water may smell, look and taste fine but still be contaminated and pose a health risk.
--Written by Carolyn Betz -
A New Measure of Groundwater Flow
In a project funded by the University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute, researchers are experimenting with pumping hot water into a well in order to measure flow of groundwater through the well. The hot water disperses into the surrounding aquifers at varying rates, depending on the water flow. A special instrument can measure the water along the full length of an optical cable simultaneously. The faster the flow of groundwater, the quicker the hot water will disperse. This is a complementary tool that can be combined with other geophysical methods of determining groundwater flow in aquifers.
Shipwrecks and Maritime History
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Maritime Archaeology and ROVs
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The Antelope: What do you see?
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The Antelope: What does a maritime archaeologist see?
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ROV: The Robert C. Pringle
ROV footage courtesy of Crossman Consulting.
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Maritime Archaeologists Learn Their Trade: Mapping Davidson's Adriatic
Adriatic
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Final Video From Shipwreck Exploration 2012 - June 24, Sunday, Part II
Our last video update from the Australasia shipwreck exploration. Several volunteers describe their work.
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Shipwreck Exploration 2012 - June 24, Sunday
We're getting into the groove now. So much so, that John Karl tackles his first underwater drawing task. It's challenging!
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Shipwreck Exploration 2012 - June 23, Saturday
Day 3 of mapping the Australasia shipwreck. We met some curious little fish -- and we found a shoe!
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Shipwreck Exploration 2012 - June 22, Friday
Our second day diving on the Australasia -- and the first one of drawing some sections. The weather was beautiful, and the visibility much improved over yesterday.
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Shipwreck Exploration 2012 - June 21,Thursday
Day two on the Australasia shipwreck -- but our first day in the water. Things were less than ideal.
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Shipwreck Exploration 2012 - June 20, First Day in Jacksonport
First day on the Australasia project. We check into the hotel, and take a refresher course for Emergency First Responders. Tomorrow, we dive on the wreck, making detailed sketches to record it for history.
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A Tour of the Northerner
Check out a historic Lake Michigan shipwreck without getting wet.
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Maritime Archaeology and ROVs
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The Antelope: What do you see?
-
The Antelope: What does a maritime archaeologist see?
-
ROV: The Robert C. Pringle
ROV footage courtesy of Crossman Consulting. -
Maritime Archaeologists Learn Their Trade: Mapping Davidson's Adriatic
Adriatic -
Final Video From Shipwreck Exploration 2012 - June 24, Sunday, Part II
Our last video update from the Australasia shipwreck exploration. Several volunteers describe their work. -
Shipwreck Exploration 2012 - June 24, Sunday
We're getting into the groove now. So much so, that John Karl tackles his first underwater drawing task. It's challenging! -
Shipwreck Exploration 2012 - June 23, Saturday
Day 3 of mapping the Australasia shipwreck. We met some curious little fish -- and we found a shoe! -
Shipwreck Exploration 2012 - June 22, Friday
Our second day diving on the Australasia -- and the first one of drawing some sections. The weather was beautiful, and the visibility much improved over yesterday. -
Shipwreck Exploration 2012 - June 21,Thursday
Day two on the Australasia shipwreck -- but our first day in the water. Things were less than ideal. -
Shipwreck Exploration 2012 - June 20, First Day in Jacksonport
First day on the Australasia project. We check into the hotel, and take a refresher course for Emergency First Responders. Tomorrow, we dive on the wreck, making detailed sketches to record it for history. -
A Tour of the Northerner
Check out a historic Lake Michigan shipwreck without getting wet.
Water Quality
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What are PFAS and how do they move in the environment?
PFAS are a group of over 5,000 chemical compounds that can contaminate water and soil, and are associated with negative health impacts. Professor Christy Remucal and post-doc Sarah Balgooyen are just getting started on a Wisconsin Sea Grant-funded research project focusing on PFAS in the Marinette area, the "ground zero" for PFAS contamination in Wisconsin. How do PFAS move between land, groundwater, and rivers and lakes? Remucal and Balgooyen aim to find out.
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant
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Winter Salting Guide
In the winter, we apply salt to surfaces such as parking lots, roads, sidewalks. That salt dissolves in water, and runs into storm sewers and directly into our lakes and rivers. Learning when, where, and how to apply salt helps us keep the community safe, while protecting our freshwater resources.
This video is brought to you by the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at UW-Madison, Wisconsin Salt Wise, Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District, UW-Wisconsin Madison, and UW-Madison Water Resources Institute.
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Winter Salting Guide for maintenance professionals
This video is a training resource for winter maintenance professionals. Here, learn the basics of chloride pollution, manual snow removal, de-icers, and correct salt application.
This video is brought to you by the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at UW-Madison, Wisconsin Salt Wise, Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District, UW-Wisconsin Madison, and University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute.
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Water quality and behavior change: Julia Noordyk
Julia has always wanted to solve environmental problems with communities, and that's exactly what she gets to do as Wisconsin Sea Grant's Water Quality and Coastal Communities Outreach Specialist. Hear about how Julia has witnessed first-hand the benefits of remediation of the bay of Green Bay and the Fox River, and how she makes it her mission to help communities change their behavior toward the water.
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant
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Measuring the Pulse of Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan, the world’s fifth largest lake, has undergone many changes through the generations. Its current conditions are heavily influenced by the arrival of nonnative Dreissenid mussels known as zebra and quagga mussels. These filter feeders are altering the amount of phosphorus available for phytoplankton throughout the lake, which has an effect all the way up the food chain. Research aboard the Lake Express Ferry is taking the pulse of the lake and informing management decisions.
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Part 6: Making Nowcast Predictions
A screencast to accompany the final training modules for the Virtual Beach software. This video walks the viewer through the "Making Nowcast Predictions" module, available at virtualbeach.org.
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Part 5: Creating an MLR Model
A screencast to accompany the fifth of six training modules for the Virtual Beach software. This video walks the viewer through the "Building & Evaluating MLR Models" module, available at virtualbeach.org.
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Part 4: Data Preparation for MLR Model
A screencast to accompany the fourth of six training modules for the Virtual Beach software. This video walks the viewer through the "Data Prep - MLR" module, available at virtualbeach.org.
-
Part 3: Creating a GBM Model
A screencast to accompany the third of six training modules for the Virtual Beach software. This video walks the viewer through the "Building & Evaluating Anytime GBM Models" module, available at virtualbeach.org.
-
Part 2: Processing Data to Create a GBM Model
A screencast to accompany the second of six training modules for the Virtual Beach software. This video walks the viewer through the "Data Preparation-GBM" module, available at virtualbeach.org.
-
Part 1: Beach Orientation
A screencast to accompany the first of six training modules for the Virtual Beach software. This video walks the viewer through the "Beach Orientation" module, available at virtualbeach.org.
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Revitalizing Local Waterfront Economies: The Great Lakes Legacy Act
The Great Lakes, a vital asset to 35 million residents, have a legacy of pollution due to our nation's industrial past. The Great Lakes Legacy Act revitalizes rivers, lakes, and harbors, known as Areas of Concern, helping to restore lost benefits. This video outlines the Great Lakes Legacy Act and highlights benefits it brings to communities.
Produced by Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and Wisconsin Sea Grant with funding support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, under Agreement No. DW13923292. Additional thanks to Keith McCoy, Mark Loomis, Legacy Act partners, and all interviewees.
-
What are PFAS and how do they move in the environment?
PFAS are a group of over 5,000 chemical compounds that can contaminate water and soil, and are associated with negative health impacts. Professor Christy Remucal and post-doc Sarah Balgooyen are just getting started on a Wisconsin Sea Grant-funded research project focusing on PFAS in the Marinette area, the "ground zero" for PFAS contamination in Wisconsin. How do PFAS move between land, groundwater, and rivers and lakes? Remucal and Balgooyen aim to find out.
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant -
Winter Salting Guide
In the winter, we apply salt to surfaces such as parking lots, roads, sidewalks. That salt dissolves in water, and runs into storm sewers and directly into our lakes and rivers. Learning when, where, and how to apply salt helps us keep the community safe, while protecting our freshwater resources.
This video is brought to you by the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at UW-Madison, Wisconsin Salt Wise, Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District, UW-Wisconsin Madison, and UW-Madison Water Resources Institute. -
Winter Salting Guide for maintenance professionals
This video is a training resource for winter maintenance professionals. Here, learn the basics of chloride pollution, manual snow removal, de-icers, and correct salt application.
This video is brought to you by the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at UW-Madison, Wisconsin Salt Wise, Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District, UW-Wisconsin Madison, and University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute. -
Water quality and behavior change: Julia Noordyk
Julia has always wanted to solve environmental problems with communities, and that's exactly what she gets to do as Wisconsin Sea Grant's Water Quality and Coastal Communities Outreach Specialist. Hear about how Julia has witnessed first-hand the benefits of remediation of the bay of Green Bay and the Fox River, and how she makes it her mission to help communities change their behavior toward the water.
Find Wisconsin Sea Grant in all of the following places:
Wisconsin Sea Grant: seagrant.wisc.edu
Wisconsin Water Resources Institute: wri.wisc.edu
Facebook: facebook.com/UWiscSeaGrant
Twitter: twitter.com/UWiscSeaGrant -
Measuring the Pulse of Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan, the world’s fifth largest lake, has undergone many changes through the generations. Its current conditions are heavily influenced by the arrival of nonnative Dreissenid mussels known as zebra and quagga mussels. These filter feeders are altering the amount of phosphorus available for phytoplankton throughout the lake, which has an effect all the way up the food chain. Research aboard the Lake Express Ferry is taking the pulse of the lake and informing management decisions. -
Part 6: Making Nowcast Predictions
A screencast to accompany the final training modules for the Virtual Beach software. This video walks the viewer through the "Making Nowcast Predictions" module, available at virtualbeach.org. -
Part 5: Creating an MLR Model
A screencast to accompany the fifth of six training modules for the Virtual Beach software. This video walks the viewer through the "Building & Evaluating MLR Models" module, available at virtualbeach.org. -
Part 4: Data Preparation for MLR Model
A screencast to accompany the fourth of six training modules for the Virtual Beach software. This video walks the viewer through the "Data Prep - MLR" module, available at virtualbeach.org. -
Part 3: Creating a GBM Model
A screencast to accompany the third of six training modules for the Virtual Beach software. This video walks the viewer through the "Building & Evaluating Anytime GBM Models" module, available at virtualbeach.org. -
Part 2: Processing Data to Create a GBM Model
A screencast to accompany the second of six training modules for the Virtual Beach software. This video walks the viewer through the "Data Preparation-GBM" module, available at virtualbeach.org. -
Part 1: Beach Orientation
A screencast to accompany the first of six training modules for the Virtual Beach software. This video walks the viewer through the "Beach Orientation" module, available at virtualbeach.org. -
Revitalizing Local Waterfront Economies: The Great Lakes Legacy Act
The Great Lakes, a vital asset to 35 million residents, have a legacy of pollution due to our nation's industrial past. The Great Lakes Legacy Act revitalizes rivers, lakes, and harbors, known as Areas of Concern, helping to restore lost benefits. This video outlines the Great Lakes Legacy Act and highlights benefits it brings to communities.
Produced by Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and Wisconsin Sea Grant with funding support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, under Agreement No. DW13923292. Additional thanks to Keith McCoy, Mark Loomis, Legacy Act partners, and all interviewees.