Vessel Program Highlights: Basin-wide Collaborations

Participants at a quarterly meeting of the U.S. Environmental Protection’s Lake Michigan Forum in the late 1990s had the opportunity to be on AWRI’s vessel, the W.G. Jackson, for an educational cruise.  It is from that experience that the idea emerged to take the W.G. Jackson to various ports of call in Lake Michigan for public outreach cruises.  As co-chair of the Lake Michigan Forum at that time, Dr. Janet Vail from AWRI took the lead in making this idea a reality.  With initial funding from USEPA and support from the Lake Michigan Forum partners, the Making Lake Michigan Great tour began in 1998 with visits to nine ports of call.

Twenty years later, the W.G. Jackson has now reached 33 ports of call on Lake Michigan with hands-on educational cruises for thousands of passengers. We have developed partnerships in all four of the states surrounding Lake Michigan. 

In June, the W.G. Jackson traveled to Indiana for five days of onboard events that reached over 300 people. Michael Kuss, general manager of the Sanitary District of Michigan City, was our host.  Michigan City’s annual Conference on the Environment was scheduled to coincide with the W.G. Jackson visit.  Three cruises for participants at that conference were held.  Additionally, there were six trips for the general public over two days.  Michelle Caldwell, Beach Program Coordinator at the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, arranged the six W.G. Jackson trips that were held in Hammond, Indiana over the next two days.  There was coverage of our visit in the South Bend Tribune, Northwest Indiana Times and the Chicago Tribune.

In late July, the W.G. Jackson will be at 31^st Street Harbor in Chicago, Illinois for six days. Shedd Aquarium staff will be onboard to deliver programs. This will be our 34^th port of call over the years.  For more information about summer outreach events, contact Janet Vail at [email protected].

The research vessel W.G. Jackson had a successful outreach trip to Indiana in early June.  The Sanitary District of Michigan City hosted three days in Michigan City, IN followed by two days in Hammond, IN hosted by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.  There was press coverage of the trip in the South Bend Tribune, Northwest Indiana Times and the Chicago Tribune.

Kaitlyn (Emelander) Dykstra, graduate student working with Carl Ruetz, successfully defended her master’s thesis on June 21^st.  The title of her presentation was:  “Occupancy and Detection of Yellow Perch in Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands”.

Carl Ruetz and Travis Ellens attended the Veterans Memorial Park Public Information and Education Tour on June 5^th. This event was part the Muskegon River Fish and Wildlife Restoration project.

Carl Ruetz, his summer intern Bert Carey, graduate student Travis Ellens, and technician Maria Scarborough attended a wetland monitoring training at Saginaw Bay (near Bay City) on June 12^th -13^th.  This event is part of the EPA-funded Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Monitoring project.

Kim Oldenborg, graduate student working with Al Steinman, successfully defended her master’s thesis on June 8^th.  The title of her presentation was:  “Impact of Sediment Dredging on Phosphorus Flux in a Restored Wetland”.

Al Steinman attended the annual GVSU Enrichment Dinner on June 5^th.

Al Steinman helped organize and participated in a CIGLR Summit in Ann Arbor from June 27^th – 29^th. The topic was “Identifying a conceptual framework for approaches to restoring and protecting the Great Lakes”.

AWRI staff are bolded, undergraduate students are denoted with a single asterisk*, graduate students are denoted with two asterisks**, and post-doc researchers are donated with three asterisks ***.

Publications

Qianqian Liu, postdoctoral researcher working with Bopi Biddanda, is lead author of an article published in the journal Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science.
Liu, Q.***, E.J. Anderson, Y. Zhang, A.D. Weinke**, K.L. Knapp** and B.A. Biddanda. 2018. Modeling reveals the role of coastal upwelling and hydrologic inputs on biologically distinct water exchanges in a Great Lakes estuary. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 209: 41-55.

Presentations

(Presenter listed first)

Bopi Biddanda attended and presented at the 61^st annual conference of the International Association for Great Lakes Research (IAGLR) held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada from June 18^th – 22^nd.
Biddanda, B., A. Weinke**, S. Kendall, and K. Knapp**.  Oral.  Blooms to hypoxia: Muskegon Lake Observatory tracks ecosystem changes in a model Great Lakes estuary.

Al Steinman gave a presentation at First Lutheran Church in North Muskegon on June 19^th. The topic was Great Lakes challenges and solutions.

Kevin Strychar attended the first three days of the IAGLR Conference held in Toronto, Canada from June 18^th – 22^nd.  On June 18^th he chaired a session titled: “Disease, parasites, and pathogens of the Great Lakes and freshwater ecosystems”.

Kevin Strychar attended the World Summit on Climate Change and Global Warming held in Paris, France from June 21^st – 22^nd.  He chaired a session titled: “Climate change & climatology/evidence of climate changes”, and during the session he also presented:
Strychar, K. Oral. Global warming: quantifying the response of Montastraea cavernosa to heat stress.

Janet Vail hosted a Great Lakes Literacy workshop for teachers at AWRI on June 19^th.  This workshop was funded by the Consumers Energy Foundation through a grant to Cranbrook Institute of Science.  Cranbrook, West Michigan Environmental Action Council (WMEAC) and Janet, all co-presented at the workshop.  Teachers from throughout the state attended.

Janet Vail hosted and presented a Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) workshop on June 27^th.  This was held in conjunction with the Project WILD (Wildlife in Learning Design) and PLT (Project Learning Tree) workshops that were held at the Muskegon Lake Nature Preserve.  This workshop is also funded through a grant to Cranbrook from the Consumers Energy Foundation.  

Anthony Weinke attended and presented at the summer meeting of the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO), held June 10^th – 15^th in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
Weinke, A.**, K. Knapp**, Q. Liu*** and B. Biddanda. Oral. Complex interactions of seasonal stratification, hypoxia, wind-events, and intrusions may promote late-summer HABs in a Great Lakes estuary.

There were no new awards or recognition for this issue.  Check again next month!

Jim McNair received a sub-award for $54,277 from Montana State University for the first year of a three-year project titled:  “Identifying high-risk hybrid Eurasian watermilfoil genotypes to improve control”.

Al Steinman received $10,700 to monitor water quality at the Bear Creek Habitat Restoration Site, as part of The Muskegon Lake AOC BUI Removal Assessment, Monitoring and Implementation grant, awarded to West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission, from the State of Michigan.

AWRI In the News

“Research vessel docks in Michigan City, teaches about Lake Michigan water quality”
Northwest Indiana Times, June 9, 2018
The article is about the recent trip the research vessel W. G. Jackson took to Michigan City, Indiana from June 8^th – 10^th.  The vessel staff provided scientific cruises, sponsored by the Michigan City Sanitary District.

“IDEM to offer boat tours to showcase Lake Michigan water quality”
Northwest Indiana Times, June 9, 2018
This article is about the tours to be held on the research vessel W. G. Jackson while in Hammond, Indiana on June 11^th and 12^th, sponsored by Indiana Department of Environmental Management.

“Boat tour helps kids ‘frame their brains’ around scientific research”
Post-Tribune, June 12, 2018
Highlights of a vessel cruise on the research vessel W. G. Jackson are given.  Ann Hesselsweet and Janet Vail were interviewed regarding water quality testing on the vessel.

“Boat trip shows how scientists watch Lake Michigan’s health”
Daily Herald, June 17, 2018
Highlights of a vessel cruise on the research vessel W. G. Jackson are given.  Ann Hesselsweet and Janet Vail were interviewed regarding water quality testing on the vessel.
Also carried by Post-Tribune, and the Associated Press.

“Wolverine kept PFAS outdoors at polluted tannery”
MLive, Grand Rapids, June 17, 2018
Rick Rediske is quoted regarding the use and storage of PFAS at the Wolverine World Wide tannery in Rockford.

“PFAS stored outside at tannery”
Grand Rapids Press, June 19, 2018
Rick Rediske is quoted regarding the use and storage of PFAS at the Wolverine World Wide tannery in Rockford.

WOOD-TV8, June 20, 2018
Rick Rediske was interviewed regarding the CDC’s request to the EPA to lower the cutoff for acceptable levels of PFAS in drinking water.

“Beaches at Mona Lake, Wolf Lake closed for E. Coli Contamination”
MLive, Muskegon, June 21, 2018
AWRI’s Analytical Lab does the beach monitoring for these two lakes, and others, for Public Health – Muskegon.  Rick Rediske suggested there was likely human or animal fecal matter in the water, and that people could still go to the beach, but should avoid the water.

“High bacteria count prompts closure of two Muskegon County beaches”
Fox17 News, June 21, 2018 and on June 22, 2018
It was noted in the article that AWRI did the water testing.

“President Trump changes policy on Lakes and Oceans”
WZZM-TV, June 22, 2018
Al Steinman was interviewed regarding President Trump’s Executive Order on Ocean Policy
https://www.wzzm13.com/video/news/local/lakeshore/president-trump-changes-policy-on-lakes-and-oceans/69-8168733

“Beaches at Mona Lake, Wolf Lake closed for E. Coli contamination”
Muskegon Chronicle, June 24, 2018
AWRI’s Analytical Lab does the beach monitoring for these two lakes, and others, for Public Health – Muskegon.  Rick Rediske suggested there was likely human or animal fecal matter in the water, and that people could still go to the beach, but should avoid the water.

“Sunset Park re-opens, Mona Lake Park remains closed due to E. Coli”
MLive, Muskegon, June 25, 2018
AWRI does the E. Coli testing for these lakes.  Rick Rediske stated that the beaches will re-open when the tests meet water quality standards.

WXMI – GR (Fox), June 26 and 27, 2018
The recent beach closures at two Muskegon beaches were discussed.  AWRI is doing that water testing for Public Health – Muskegon.

LMC Events

June 4
Students from New Branches Charter Academy (Kent County) visited the Annis Educational Foundation Classroom for hands-on activities and took a vessel cruise on the W.G. Jackson.

June 5
Students from Ingham Intermediate School District (Ingham County) visited the Annis Educational Foundation Classroom for hands-on activities and took a vessel cruise on the W.G. Jackson.

June 6  
Students from Waukazoo/West Ottawa Elementary Explorers (Ottawa County) visited the Annis Educational Foundation Classroom for hands-on activities.  

June 19
A Great Lakes Literacy Teacher Workshop was held at the Lake Michigan Center, along with a vessel cruise on the W.G. Jackson.

June 27
A Project WET Teacher Workshop was held at the Lake Michigan Center.