Crayfish burrows are not just homes for crayfish. 🦞 Vulnerable species like the Hine’s emerald dragonfly and the crawfish frog depend on them for shelter, water, and survival. Protecting crayfish means protecting an entire ecosystem beneath our feet. #CrayWeek #Crayfish #HinesEmerald

Welcome to CrayWeek 2026! 🦞 Around 400 crayfish species across the US. Nearly half threatened by development, pollution, or human activity. This week we are celebrating their outsized role in freshwater ecosystems. Follow along!

Educators got hands-on with water science this spring at our Project WET Make-and-Take Workshops! Participants explored engaging ways to connect students with water systems and the Great Lakes. 🌊 Read more: cgll.org/resource/bri... #TeachingTuesday

Bringing Water Education to Life in Chicago

Chicagoland educators explore water in Hands-on H2O: Project WET Make-and-Take Workshops hosted by Illinois–Indiana Sea Grant.

cgll.org

Last week our education team partnered with C-PASA at Purdue to give high school students a day of Forestry and Natural Resources career experiences. (All bird handling was performed by licensed professionals.)

This summer our team spent an afternoon with the young women of Sail Her Dreams at Montrose Harbor in Chicago exploring Great Lakes food webs, aquatic invasive species, and round goby fishing.

Join us for an evening of science, history, and conversation this Wednesday, July 22 at Sketchbook Brewing Company. Learn how Chicago’s waterways were built, what researchers are discovering about fish in the Chicago River today, and test your Great Lakes knowledge with trivia and prizes.

New hands-on activity from GLANSIS for educators: learners kayak or paddle to collect floating species cards, identify aquatic nonindigenous species, and explore their ecological impacts. Fieldwork-style learning that actually gets students on the water. 🛶🌊 Resource: cgll.org/resource/les...

Lesson: Paddling for Preservation: Searching for Aquatic Invasive Species

Paddling For Preservation introduces learners to identifying aquatic nonindigenous species and using paddling vessels for research.

cgll.org

Free virtual career panel for anyone interested in environmental and natural resources careers. July 22 at 10 AM CT / 11 AM ET. Five panelists across fisheries, aquatic ecology, environmental management, education, and volunteer engagement. Register: purdue-edu.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Educators: registration closes tomorrow (July 8) for the Earth Systems: A Great Lakes Perspective workshop at Indiana Dunes. Two days of hands-on Project WET activities focused on water and the Great Lakes. Great for PD hours. Register today: www.simpletix.com/e/earth-syst...

Earth Systems: A Great Lakes Perspective Tickets | Dunes Learning Center

Dunes Learning Center, Indiana Department of Natural Resources/Division of Fish & Wildlife, National Great Rivers, and Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant have teamed up to offer a two-day, water-themed worksh...

simpletix.com

4th of July weekend water safety reminder: designate one person in your group as the water watcher to keep their eyes on the kids and elderly at all times. It is a simple thing that makes a real difference. More tips: www.lakemichigansafety.org

Last month, we visited the Wild Mile with Cook County’s Illinois Master Naturalist trainees! From testing water quality to sampling zooplankton, we got hands-on with the river and explored its connection to the Great Lakes Basin. #teachingtuesday

Call for proposals: IISG's 2026 Seed Grant Research Competition is open. Up to $150,000 total for pilot studies on southern Lake Michigan. $10,000 to $50,000 per project, 50% match required. Applications due August 17, 2026. Info webinars July 2 and July 21. Details: iiseagrant.org/illinois-ind...

Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant seeks proposals for Seed Grant research projects in southern Lake Michigan - Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant

The Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant College Program (IISG) is accepting proposals for its 2026 Seed Grant Research Competition, which will provide funding for pilot studies and initial investigations that ...

iiseagrant.org

This month, 4-H youth joined us at Martell Forest to explore careers in natural resources! Over three days, participants created scent traps, dissected owl pellets, climbed trees, and went birding while learning about the many career paths available in natural resources.

Call for proposals: IISG's 2026 Seed Grant Research Competition is open. Up to $150,000 total for pilot studies on southern Lake Michigan. $10,000 to $50,000 per project, 50% match required. Applications due August 17, 2026. Info webinars July 2 and July 21. Details: iiseagrant.org/illinois-ind...

Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant seeks proposals for Seed Grant research projects in southern Lake Michigan - Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant

The Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant College Program (IISG) is accepting proposals for its 2026 Seed Grant Research Competition, which will provide funding for pilot studies and initial investigations that ...

iiseagrant.org

Add a Great Lakes twist to your summer reading! Discover stories inspired by our region with Great Lakes Great Reads. Check out reading lists perfect for beach days or quiet evenings. greatlakesgreatread.org

Real-time coastlines, real-world insights. Check out the LIVE feed of Lake Michigan at Indiana Dunes State Park Beach – supporting recreationalists, researchers, and the broader public, linked here: www.webcoos.org/cameras/indu...

Meet IISG Scholar Diana Alejandra Narvaez (Purdue) She is developing a soft material wave energy harvester for freshwater environments using WPU piezoresistive sensing and flexible piezoelectric elements embedded in 3D printed TPU structures. Full story: iiseagrant.org/meet-our-gra...

Meet our Grad Student Scholars: Diana Alejandra Narvaez - Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant

Meet Our Grad Student Scholars is a series from Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) celebrating the students and research funded by our scholars program. To learn more about our faculty and graduate stu...

iiseagrant.org

Science Sips is back in Evanston. 🌊 July 22 at Sketchbook Brewing: the engineering history of the Calumet and Chicago waterways from author Dick Lanyon, plus a Chicago River fish community update from Shedd Aquarium's Austin Happel. Details: www.facebook.com/share/18SoXc...

Good resource for educators: @NAAEE's Plastics eeResearch collection: 6 studies on plastic pollution education, covering PK through middle school. Goes beyond reduce/reuse/recycle into research-backed approaches for meaningful engagement. Free to access: eepro.naaee.org/community/re... 📷 NOAA

IISG Buoy Specialist Les Warren deployed the Wilmette & Chicago Lake Michigan buoys on Saturday providing real-time water temp, wave height, wind speed, & atmospheric data is back online & open to all. Michigan City coming soon. Wilmette: iiseagrant.org/wilmettebuoy/ Chicago: iiseagrant.org/45198/

May is Water Safety Month 🌊 Dangerous currents near Lake Michigan piers and breakwalls catch swimmers by surprise every year. The key move if caught: swim to the side, not against the current, then to shore. More Lake Michigan-specific safety resources: www.lakemichigansafety.org

Lake Michigan Water Safety

Safety Signs and Posters for Beaches, Piers, and Other Locations

lakemichigansafety.org

📣 Call for proposals: the 2026 State of Lake Michigan Meeting (Nov. 4–6, Michigan City, IN) is accepting symposia and workshop submissions. If you have a timely Great Lakes topic worth a dedicated session, proposals are due June 1 at 1 PM ET. Submit: iiseagrant.org/solm

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week. 🍎 A genuine thank-you to every educator building Great Lakes literacy in their classroom! The students who learn to understand and value these waters will be the ones who protect them. We appreciate every thing you do, seen and unseen, appreciated and overlooked. ❤️

Recap: we talked trash about Chicago waterways at a brewery on Earth Day and it was genuinely great. Tim Hoellein (@loyolachicago.bsky.social) and Sarah Zack (IISG) shared what the research actually says about litter in Lake Michigan followed by Great Lakes trivia and great conversation.

Located in D.C., the Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship provides a unique educational and professional experience to graduate students who have an interest in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources, & in the national policy decisions affecting those resources. Learn more: iiseagrant.org/apply-now-fo...

Educators: IISG has 5 Great Lakes professional learning workshops this spring/summer: birds & watersheds, Project WET, coastal science, earth systems, & engineering design. PD hrs included. Hands-on throughout May 3, June 10, July 16, July 31–Aug 1, Aug 18 Register: iiseagrant.org/education/pr...

We took Great Lakes science to C2E2 in Chicago and used Subnautica to explain food webs, invasive species, and aquaponics to thousands of comic con attendees. Freshwater ecology is just as wild as surviving an alien ocean. 🌊🎮

Invasive Crayfish Collaborative lightning talks are coming up! Rapid-fire updates from researchers & managers on crayfish impacts, distribution, management & policy. 💻 Mon Apr 27 | 3pm ET: illinois.zoom.us/meeting/regi... 💻 Tue Apr 28 | 12pm ET: illinois.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Did you know unused meds can end up in our lakes, rivers, and drinking water? This Saturday (April 25, 10am–2pm), safely dispose of them during National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Find a drop-off site: unwantedmeds.org/how-to-dispose/find-a-drop-off-location

Happy Earth Day 🌎 Protecting our water starts with all of us. Every action, big or small, helps keep the Great Lakes healthy for the future.