Indianapolis Boat, Sport, and Travel Show

Indianapolis, IN

February 15-17, 2013

IISG AIS Outreach Team educates hundreds at the Indianapolis Boat, Sport, and Travel Show

Zebra Mussels

Danielle Hilbrich from the IISG aquatic invasive species (AIS) outreach team attended the Indianapolis Boat, Sport, and Travel Show at the Indiana State Fair Grounds in Indianapolis, IN on February 15-17.  Danielle teamed up with the Indiana DNR to host a booth and educate recreational water users on the dangers of AIS. Danielle talked with 850 people about AIS, and handed out hundreds of Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers!™ stickers and brochures. Many show attendees were very aware of problems that the invasive species like Zebra Mussel, Eurasian Watermilfoil, and Hydrilla can cause on aquatic ecosystems, and regularly boat on lakes infested with these invaders.  Although one young show attendee called zebra mussel shells her “lake treasures,” we know that they are unwanted invaders!

Attendees were educated about the proper techniques to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species.  AIS spread can be slowed by following just a few simple steps: INSPECT and REMOVE any aquatic plants or animals from boats and recreational equipment, DRAIN all water from equipment, DISPOSE of unwanted live bait or fish into the trash, DRY equipment thoroughly, and NEVER release organisms from one waterbody to another.  One show-goer was surprised to find out that dumping bait in the trash was a way to prevent the spread invasive species. Thankfully, Danielle was there to educate this angler!  
 

For more information on aquatic invasive species or the Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers!™ campaign please visit IISG’s Stop Aquatic Hitchhiker’s page at http://iiseagrant.org/ais/SAH.html or www.protectyourwaters.net.

The Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant AIS outreach team is part of the Illinois Natural History Survey Lake Michigan Biological Station, and is housed at the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, IL. 

Let’s Go Fishing Show

January 4-6, 2013

IISG’s AIS Outreach Team starts Out the New Year with a Bang! 

Sarah Zack and Danielle Hilbrich from the Illinois–Indiana Sea Grant’s AIS outreach team attended the Let’s Go Fishing show in Collinsville, IL on January 4-6.  Show attendees were educated about aquatic invasive species and how they can help prevent their spread.  They further discussed the topic of Asian carp and what locals could do to protect themselves while fishing and boating in infested waters.  In addition, Danielle and Sarah encouraged attendees that might accidently catch an Asian carp to cook it up and eat it!  Asian carp have white flakey flesh similar to cod and take up seasoning and marinades very well.  They are also very healthy for you and have as many omega3 as salmon.  The only problem is they can be a little tricky to fillet due to their Y-bones.  Watch Louisiana Sea Grant’s video sponsored by IISG on YouTube to learn how to fillet an Asian carp http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1NVUV8yhmU.

During the course of the show Danielle Hilbrich and Sarah Zack talked with more than 830 individuals about aquatic invasive species.  The booth was very well received by both show attendees and show organizers. 

The booth was even featured on a 92.3 WIL which is a local St. Louis radio station.  Bo Matthews, the radio host, briefly talked with Sarah Zack about aquatic invasive species.  Listeners learned the steps that they can take to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species; Inspect and Remove aquatic plants and animals from boats or other recreation equipment, Drain water from boats, bilges, and live wells, Dispose of water or live bait, Dry boats and other recreational equipment for five days before going to another waterbody, and Never release organisms from one body of water into another.

The IISG AIS team will also be hosting booths at upcoming outdoor and fishing shows including the Illinois Fish and Feather show in Bloomington, IL on January 25-27, 2013, and the Tinley Park Fishing and Outdoor show in Tinley Park, IL on February 9-10, 2013.

For more information on aquatic invasive species or the Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers!™ campaign please visit www.protectyourwaters.net.

The Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant AIS outreach team is part of the Illinois Natural History Survey, and the Lake Michigan Biological Station in Zion, IL.  The AIS outreach team is housed at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Outreach team reaches hundreds at National Science Teacher Association Conference

AIS Specialist Sarah Zack, AIS Assistant Danielle Hilbrich, IISG Associate Director for Education Robin Goettel, and Education Specialist Terri Hallesy, attended the National Science Teacher Association’s 2012 Conference March 29-31, and got a tremendous response to the educational resources, tips, and information they offered to the many teachers in attendance.
Danielle said “Our table was located in the NOAA booth on a very busy corner in their ecosystem section and had an extensive amount of traffic throughout the conference. Our outreach materials included the brand new “Don’t Let It Loose” poster, which promotes the safe disposal of classroom organisms.”

The “Don’t Let It Loose” poster contains helpful information for teachers about properly disposing of any unwanted classroom organisms. In addition, smaller “tip-card” versions of the poster were available, as well as an adoption pledge containing care tips for students and their families to use when adopting a classroom organism. The highlight of the table was the specimens available for teachers to look at, including a zebra mussel-encrusted shoe, which was a great catalyst to engage teachers in conservation about invasive species.

“We had a fabulous turnout of over 5,000 classroom teachers and informal educators at the NOAA-Ecosystems booth,” said Robin Goettel, “which featured our outreach and education resources on Great Lakes aquatic invasive species and marine invaders.”

Visitors learned about how the “Nab the Aquatic Invader” website can be used as an excellent learning tool for grades 4-10, and how the GLRI “Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers” education and outreach initiative informs people what they can do to prevent the spread of aquatic “hitchhikers.” They also distributed brochures on Great Lakes Literacy principles, and CD-ROM copies of the COSEE/Sea Grant “Fresh and Salt” curriculum on important Great Lakes and marine issues.

The response and turnout for the event were fantastic, and the event was instrumental in helping spread the word about these important issues and initiatives. The booth at the conference would not have been possible without the invitation from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, and information and products provided and developed by U.S. EPA’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and NOAA Sea Grant’s Aquatic Invasive Species Program.

The Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant AIS outreach team is part of the Illinois Natural History Survey's Lake Michigan Biological Station in Zion.

See also: IISG educators and specialists got the chance to reach hundreds of teachers at the National Science Teachers Associate 2012 Conference 



Want to get involved? check out our part-time opportunities! 
 

Outreach Specialists Team Up to Protect Our Waters!

By Danielle Hilbrich & Sarah Zack

This year, anglers and boaters who attended the “Let’s Go Fishing Show” in Collinsville, IL from January 6–8 got a chance to do more than buy new fishing gear and check out the latest boats. Two outreach specialists joined forces to educate them about ways they can help protect rivers and lakes. Laura Kammin, pollution prevention program specialist with Illinois Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) located at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Sarah Zack, aquatic invasive species specialist with IISG and INHS, co-hosted a booth to highlight some of the problems facing our waters—improper disposal of unwanted medicines and aquatic invasive species. The IISG outreach specialists explained to 236 show attendees how to find local medicine collection programs or how to safely dispose of unwanted medicines if programs are not available in their area. In addition, showgoers were able to explore the display of aquatic invasive species information, including preserved specimens and Asian carp mounts. Over 360 boaters and anglers were informed of the Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers!™ campaign, which explains what steps to take in order to prevent the transport of invasive species.

Show attendees were very impressed with the booth. Several people shared how glad they were to see this information made available. One showgoer even went so far as to say that their booth was the best booth he’d seen, and that it was the most important booth at the show. Laura and Sarah will team up again at the “Rockford Boat, Vacation, and Fishing Expo” from February 17–19.

For more information on how you can safely dispose of medicine contact Laura Kammin (lkammin@illinois.edu).

For more information about aquatic invasive species and the Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers!™ campaign contact Sarah Zack (szack@illinois.edu) or visit www.protectyourwaters.net. The Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant AIS outreach team is part of the Illinois Natural History Survey's Lake Michigan Biological Station in Zion.

The Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant aquatic invasive species outreach team has updated and redesigned the bighead and silver carp WATCH card. In addition to the fresh design, we've changed the card to highlight the term "Asian carp" to match what people are hearing in the media, added pictures of the juvenile fish in comparison with a shad, and included the national STOP Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) phone number.

If you’re interested in ordering these pocket-sized cards, please visit the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant webpage:
http://www.iiseagrant.org/catalog/ais/bigwach.htm

The Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant AIS outreach team is part of the Illinois Natural History Survey's Lake Michigan Biological Station in Zion.

For more information, please contact:
Danielle Hilbrich, Aquatic Invasive Species Assistant
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant College Program &
Illinois Natural History Survey
Prairie Research Institute
University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign
c/o Chicago Botanic Garden
1000 Lake Cook Road
Glencoe, IL 60022
(847)242-6442
hilbrich@illinois.edu

Coastal Plain Division

The 14th Natural Division on the map is the Coastal Plain Division, encompassing most of Alexander, Pulaski and Massac Counties in the southern tip of Illinois. (map)

South of the Shawnee Hills, the land flattens, the drainage is poor, and frequent flooding occurs. Only knolls and ridges of the Cretaceous Hills break the broad plain of alluvium from the Cache, Ohio, and Mississippi River bottoms that make up this division. The coastal plain of Illinois resembles lands that surround the present-day Gulf of Mexico. This division is divided into the Cretaceous Hills and the Bottomlands sections. The Cretaceous Hills extend in a narrow band from the Mississippi to the Ohio rivers. They are low hills made of gravel, sand, and clay and are remnants of the more broadly spread Cretaceous deposits in Kentucky and Tennessee. The hills are low and contain many seep springs. Plants associated with northern bogs can be found here, including sphagnum moss and a profusion of ferns. The Bottomlands Section contains southern swamps of bald cypress and water tupelo at their northern most limits. The trees may be surrounded by a thick green blanket of duckweed, its surface broken only by the ribbon of a swimming cottonmouth. Heron Pond State Natural Area, with its long boardwalk, is an excellent place to discover this division.

Shawnee Hills Division

The 13th Natural Division is the Shawnee Hills Division, encompassing much of Hardin, Pope, Johnson, and Union Counties, as well as the southern parts of Jackson, Williamson, Saline and Gallatin Counties. (map)

Just south of where the Illinoian glacier stopped lie massive escarpments—the backbone of southern Illinois. The landscape is characterized by high, east-west sandstone cliffs that form the Greater Shawnee Hills. Lower hills underlain by limestone and sandstone are known as the Lesser Shawnee Hills. The topography is very rugged, with many bluffs and ravines. Clear, rocky streams widened and deepened the ravines forming canyons, shelves, steps, and shelter bluffs. Where the slopes are steep, bare rock is exposed. Most of this division was forested, yet openings occurred—barrens and glades. Barrens are grassy openings found on rocky, south- facing slopes that have only a thin layer of soil. Vegetation includes small, gnarled, and twisted blackjack and post oaks. Prairie grasses and the occasional blazing star grow here. Glades are open expanses of bedrock on bluff tops, dominated by red cedar. Although prairie grasses such as little bluestem occur, the ground is likely to be covered with moss and lichens. This division is divided into two sections, the Greater Shawnee Hills, of which Ferne Clyffe State Park is a good example, and the Lesser Shawnee Hills. Cave in Rock State Park is found in this section.