Another busy season on the research and education vessels D.J. Angus and W.G. Jackson

AWRI’s 65-foot W. G. Jackson vessel and the 45-foot D. J. Angus began their 2016 research and education seasons on April 25^th.  There will be students (4^th grade and up) onboard both vessels almost every week day through mid-June.  During the first week alone, there were classes from Kent, Ottawa, and Allegan counties on the D. J. Angus and classes from Muskegon and Kent counties on the W. G. Jackson.  Each class has the opportunity to compare and contrast water quality at two different sites in the 2.5 hour hands-on science experience.  Over 161,000 people have participated in AWRI’s onboard education program since1986.

Programs in AWRI’s R. B. Annis Educational Foundation classroom are offered to groups who use the W. G. Jackson, as well as those who want just a hands-on science experience or a program about what happens at AWRI.  Sherry Claflin, an earth science teacher, is heading up the classroom this year along with Rebecca Soll, AWRI intern. 

In preparation for the 2016 season, there have been numerous projects on both vessels during the winter.  Of note is the upgrade of the electronics and control panel in the W. G. Jackson’s pilot house. A similar upgrade is planned for the D. J. Angus in 2017. This is part of Fleet Captain Tony Fiore’s 5-year plan for the vessels. Also, there will be some new staff on both vessels this season. Michele Svoboda, a retired earth science teacher, will be joining the instructional staff on the D. J. Angus. Three new deckhands and a summer intern will be part of the crew this year.

During the summer, the W. G. Jackson will be used for Dr. Mark Luttenton’s four-year research project funded by the National Institutes for Health. Fungi will be collected from Lake Michigan sediment in a number of sites. Researchers at the University of Oklahoma will be screening the fungi for selected compounds that could be part of a treatment for pediatric cancer. Monitoring of Muskegon Lake continues with sampling in spring, summer and fall.

Although funding from the Great Lakes Restorative Initiative has ended, the Making Lake Michigan Great public outreach tour will likely continue in a limited way this summer with trips to Indiana and White Lake. The tour has reached thirty-three ports of call in Lake Michigan since 1998.

Reservations for fall trips on the D. J. Angus and W. G. Jackson will be taken starting May 9^th. Those wanting to reserve a trip will need to contact Roxana Taylor via email ([email protected]) no earlier than May 9^th.   

Janet Vail is the author of the unit and an advisor for the project, which is funded by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

Bopi Biddanda served as a Marshal representing the GVSU Graduate School at the spring commencement ceremonies on April 30.

Travis Ellens, graduate student working with Carl Ruetz, attended a Sturgeon meeting held in Fennville on April 12.  Participants discussed Sturgeon projects happening from the Kalamazoo River and north to the Manistee River.

Ann Hesselsweet represented AWRI at the Earth Fair in Grand Haven on April 16.

Dave Kraff and Al Steinman hosted a meeting to review the Integrated Watershed Commission Challenge Framework on April 15 at the Seidman College of Business on GVSU’s downtown campus.

Michele Smith and Cheri Gerhart hosted the AWRI booth at the Muskegon County Earth Fair in Montague on April 23.

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

Bopi Biddanda had an article published in the GVSU Regional Math & Science publication InterChange:
Biddanda, B.  2016.  The Anthropocene: defining a human-dominated earth.  InterChange, Connections to the STEM Classroom, Volume 23, Number 3.  https://www.gvsu.edu/rmsc/interchange/connections-for-the-stem-classroom-299.htm

Presentations

(Presenter listed first)

Brittany Jacobs, 2015 summer intern with the Steinman Lab, presented her research at the annual Student Scholarship Day event in Allendale on April 13.

Brittany Jacobs also presented at the Association of American Geographers in San Francisco, California on March 30.  The title of her poster was “Using nutrient bioassays to assess the impact of land use practices on urbanized lakes:  Muskegon Lake Area of Concern”. Co-authors included Al Steinman, Mary Ogdahl, and Maggie Oudsema.

Rick Rediske gave a guest lecture about the Flint Water Crisis for Introduction to Regional & Urban Planning, GPY 209, on April 7.

Rajesh Sigdel, graduate student working with Rick Rediske, gave a presentation related to his graduate project on Indian Mill Creek water quality at the kickoff meeting for the Indian Mill Creek Stakeholders, held at West Catholic High School in Grand Rapids.  Rick also attended this meeting.

Al Steinman was a plenary speaker at the National Conference on Ecosystem Restoration held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida from April 17 – 21.

Kevin Strychar was a guest lecturer for “Big History” at the GVSU Honors College on March 29.  He spoke about GMOs and Climate Change.

AWRI received the Educational Organization Award from the Michigan Environmental Hall of Fame at an event held in Grand Rapids on April 7.  Rick Rediske was the Emcee for the event.

John Koches received the GVSU Sustainability Champion Award in Allendale on April 1.

Brian Zuber, graduate student who worked with Rick Rediske, was selected for the Graduate Dean’s Citation for Academic Excellence for Outstanding Final Project in the Winter 2016 semester.

Susanna LaGory, graduate student working with Carl Ruetz, has been awarded a $2000 George L. Disborough Research Grant, through the Kalamazoo Community Foundation, to be used for her research project.  She is studying the ecology of west Michigan stream fishes.

Carl Ruetz received the first year of his 5 year sub-award from CMU’s USEPA funded grant “Coastal Wetland Monitoring – continued implementation” in the amount of $47,564.

Al Steinman received an $110,000 award from the West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission for “Lower Muskegon River Wetland Pre-restoration Monitoring”.  Funding for this is federal pass-through from NOAA.

AWRI In the News

“Research may influence regulations of yellow perch in Michigan waters”
Grand Valley Magazine, Winter 2016, page 30
Carl Ruetz was quoted in an article about yellow perch research.

“Presidential Ponderings”
Michigan Chapter North American Lake Management Society, Spring 2016
Emily Kindervater received funding from McNALMS to support her thesis work.

WZZM 13 News, April 7, 2016
AWRI was inducted into the Environmental Hall of Fame on April 7.

“Inductions today for state’s Environmental Hall of Fame 2016”
Muskegon Chronicle, April 7, 2016
AWRI will be inducted into the Michigan Environmental Hall of Fame on April 7 at an event at DeVos Center.

“Waukesha’s request and Great Lakes Compact policy”
WGVU, April 12, 2016
Al Steinman was interviewed regarding water withdrawal from the Great Lakes.

“Au Sable River takes center stage on fish farming”
WZZM 13 News, April 14, 2016
Mark Luttenton was interviewed regarding a fish farm and possible impacts to the Au Sable fishery.

“Let’s get outdoors, Northern Michigan: almost trout time”
Patrick W. C. Bevier (freelance outdoor writer), [email protected], or Patrick Bevier on Facebook, April 21, 2016
The brown trout telemetry project recently completed by GVSU biologists and graduate students was mentioned in this article.

LMC Events

April 8
Seminar Speaker: Dr. Eric Anderson, Physical Scientist-Oceanographer at NOAA GLERL (Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory), presented: "Developing the Next-Generation Great Lakes Hydrodynamic Models for Extreme Storm Prediction and Ecological Forecasting" 

April 12
The Oakridge School District (Muskegon County) Girl Scouts Troop visited the Annis Educational Foundation Classroom for hands-on activities.

April 14
Students from Pennsylvania Elementary (Muskegon County) visited the Annis Educational Foundation Classroom for hands-on activities.

April 15
Special Seminar Speaker: Dr. Judith Klatt, Geomicrobiology Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Michigan Earth & Environmental Sciences, presented: "Photosynthesis and sulfur oxidation in microbial mats: role of versatile cyanobacteria in ancient ocean analogues”

April 22
AWRI held its annual “Multi-Cultural Potluck” at the LMC.

April 22
Special Seminar Speaker: Dr. Charles Madenjian, Research Fishery Biologist at the USGS Great Lakes Science Center, presented: “Sex and contaminants in fish: “hot spots”, big testes, and high-activity males”   

April 25 & 26
Students from Ada Vista Elementary (Kent County) visited the Annis Educational Foundation Classroom for hands-on activities.

April 27
Delilah Clement, graduate student working with Al Steinman, successfully defended her master’s thesis at the LMC with a presentation titled:  “Does Phosphorus from Agricultural Tile Drains Fuel Algal Blooms?”

April 29
Special Seminar Speaker: Noah Hall J.D., Associate Professor of Law at Wayne State University Law School, and Founder and Scholarship Director of the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center, presented:  “The Law of the Great Lakes”

April 30
A taping of the Michigan Environmental Education Curriculum Support (MEECS) Air Quality Unit took place in the Annis Educational Foundation Classroom.  Former intern, Rachel Kent taught lessons to some of her students, and Amanda Syers, former AWRI education assistant, helped to produce the video.  Janet Vail is the author of the unit and an advisor for the project, which is funded by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.