Great Lakes

Sea Lampreys In Detroit

One student from William Thorne Elementary in Dearborn Heights, Michigan had a funny reaction to seeing the sea lamprey in her school.  "They look gross!" she said.

It was neat for me to connect with these 4th and 5th grade students about the Great Lakes and invasive species.  These students where knowledgeable and interested in how they could help protect our lakes against invasive species.  As I see it, they are our future scientists and protectors of the Great Lakes so its wonderful to see that these students are willing to take action.

Posted by Eve, Fishes

Toast to Water Conservation!

The Great Lakes team is heading to Discovery World In Milwaukee, Wisconsin for the Great Lakes Craft Brewers & Water Conservation Conference.  Monday, October 26 is SPLASH!: a public event for audiences to sample craft beer and cheese tastings, plus a buffet dinner catered by Bartolotta’s.  Best of all you will learn about the water saving measures craft brewers are implementing and water conservation measures you can make at home!  Come hear keynote speakers Jake Leinenkugel, president of the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co. and Marc Smith Great Lakes program Director of the National Wildlife Federation.

Find out more information or purchase tickets online here. 

Beach Sweep with Chicago RedEye

Special thanks to the RedEye Staff including green blogger Supriya Doshi and our dedicated volunteers for participating in last Saturday's beach sweep at North Avenue Beach.  We had beautiful crisp fall weather up until the last 20 minutes when the rain started pouring!

With about 55 volunteers we cleaned up 79 pounds of garbage and 79 pounds of recyclables!  We scoured the beach to find more than 3,400 cigarette butts and a variety trash: 82 plastic bags, 565 plastic bottle lids, 3 batteries, 216 food wrappers, 33 balloons and other random items. 

After the sweep, a volunteer wrote back that she now notices every cigarette butt on the sidewalk while walking to work downtown.  "It's tempting to pick up every one of those cigarettes because I know they might end up in the lake!"  It's true that beach sweeps are a great way to recognize the connection between our actions and the lakes!

Sign up for our last beach sweep of the season on Friday October 23rd by emailing Listentoyourlakes@sheddaquarium.org.

-Posted by Elizabeth

Coastal Clean Up Results

THANK YOU to the 275 volunteers who came out to 12th Street Beach last Saturday to help clean the beach for the International Coastal Clean Up.  The results were amazing!  Check it out:

• Total number of cigarette butts collected and properly disposed - 2,003
• Total number of plastic bags collected and properly disposed - 305
• Total number of food wrappers collected and properly disposed - 670
• Total number of beverage caps collected and properly disposed - 447
• Total number of plastic bottles collected and properly disposed - 86
• Total number of lighters collected and properly disposed - 22
• Total number of batteries collected and properly disposed - 7
• Total weight of recyclable items recovered from the beach - 120 pounds
• Total weight of garbage recovered from the beach - 234 pounds
• Total weight of items collected from the beach - 354!!

After each beach sweep it becomes clear that the simple things you do can make a difference.  Always recycle bottles and cans, never throw your picnic garbage in the sand and remember that the beach is not an ash tray. 

The last two beach sweep dates are Saturday October 3 and Friday October 23.  To join us email Listentoyourlakes@sheddaquarium.org. 

Rainfall Means Higher Lake Levels

Above average precipitation this year has resulted in higher lake levels in the Great Lakes region.  But just two years ago the Great Lakes were just three inches short of an all time low set in 1964.  Learn more about this by watching our interview on Fox TV.

When talking about lake levels it's important to recognize that the lakes are not a limitless resource.  We have 20 percent of the world's freshwater in our region but need to protect it in order to sustain the resource well into our future.  Water conservation is still very important no matter if the lakes are at an all time high or an all time low. 

--Posted by Kurt, fishes

World Ocean's Day

Last year, the United Nations designated June 8 World Ocean’s Day, creating an annual opportunity to raise global awareness of the challenges facing our oceans today and to instill a sense of duty in all of us to care for the world’s water.  Appropriately, the theme of World Ocean’s Day this year is “our oceans, our responsibility,” calling on residents living in the Midwest, Southwest, Great Lakes region or anywhere around the world. 

Shedd Aquarium’s Great Lakes conservation team generally finds more than 650 pounds of garbage and recycling plus an additional 2,100 cigarette butts in a summer season on the beaches of Lake Michigan.  According to the Ocean Conservancy, volunteers around the world collected 11,077 diapers in the Philippines, more than 19,504 fishing nets in the United Kingdom and more than 1.4 million cigarette butts in the United States during the 2008 International Coastal Clean Up.  Near and far these statistics tell us it is time to take action for a cleaner tomorrow.

Whether you live near Lake Michigan or a prairie in Kansas, please properly dispose of wrappers, cigarette butts, bottles and any debris that can blow into our waterways.  Your small actions have large consequences; make them positive.

Posted by Cheryl Mell, Conservation

Native Gardening Tips

Planting season has begun! If you are planning your garden this year here are four good water conservation tips to keep in mind:

• Conserve water – a healthy lawn only needs one to two inches of water per week.

• Minimize evaporation by watering your lawn or garden during the early morning hours, when temperatures are cooler and winds are lighter.

• Disconnect your downspout and direct it toward landscaped areas.  Or try catching rain in a rain barrel or cistern for later use.

• Consider a porous design for your garden path.  This allows water to reach the underlying soil and replenish groundwater.

Christine, horticulture 

Protect your pastime

At Shedd, we have a special relationship with the creatures inhabiting the Earth’s waters. Even the smallest amount of mercury can be deadly to fish – and anything that eats them. In 1996, we took a first step in eliminating mercury through a lighting retrofit. By changing the kind of fluorescent tube lights that we use, we eliminated more than 61 grams of mercury, or the equivalent of 87 thermometers’ worth of the toxic substance, building-wide. The current tubes that we use, although ecofriendly, still contain trace amounts of mercury, so we dispose of burned-out lights through a company that recycles them within our specifications. Since 2002, we’ve prevented a further 11 thermometers’ worth of mercury from contaminating a landfill or as much as 16 acres of water.

I grew up in a small town and used to walk to a pond to go fishing. I just caught little sunfish and bluegills, but for a kid, it was a thrill. Wouldn’t it be a shame if kids today were deprived of this childhood ritual because the water or the aquatic life in their local pond was contaminated? By recycling these fluorescent tubes – and getting others around me to participate as well – I feel that I’m looking out for the future of our environment and for the future of those kids, wherever they may go fishing!

-- Posted by Susan, facilities

My Quick Energy Fix

I noticed that I was wasting lots of energy by allowing my electronics to go into "sleep mode" when I didn't need them so the easiest thing I did to green my home was purchase three surge protectors for all of my electronics.  Every item that requires an outlet is hooked up to a surge protector so that I can turn everything off when not in use.   

My motivation was sparked by global warming and my desire to slow our dependence on fossil fuels but a lower energy bill has been a nice side benefit!

Posted by Nicole, conservation

Zero to Sixty...

...eventually. 

One simple thing I will do this year is drive slower.  I will be easier on the gas pedal when the traffic light turns and obey the speed limits on the highway.  This simple action will reduce the carbon emissions I create and allow me to stay away from the gas station longer.  I encourage everyone to give it a shot!

Posted by Sandy, conservation