Got Nature? Blog

The 2025 issue of Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant’s magazine, The Helm, is now available. This annual publication is a collection of program research, outreach and education success stories, as well as ongoing activities to address coastal concerns. This issue covers this year’s Shipboard Science Immersion that took place on Lake Michigan, our long-standing team engaged in AIS prevention outreach, our new specialists diving into coastal resilience issues, and past and present program leadership.

Highlights from the newsletter include:

• Educators engage with Great Lakes scientists aboard the Lake Guardian
  Teachers joined researchers on Lake Michigan aboard the R/V Lake Guardian, collecting samples, learning new field techniques, and bringing Great Lakes science back to their students.
• Scientists and educators investigate Lake Michigan biological hotspots
  Every year when a group of Great Lakes educators spend 6–7 days aboard the Lake Guardian as part of the Shipboard Science Immersion, they work side-by-side with scientists engaging in real monitoring work.
• IISG looks back on 30 years of AIS outreach
  Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant is in the midst of its 30th year of dedicated outreach to address the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS) in Great Lakes waters.
• Coastal communities face challenges in managing beach sand and structures
  Beginning in 2025, IISD has not one, but two coastal resilience specialists who are providing support for communities along the southern Lake Michigan shore.
• Shaping the Shoreline: Video Series
  Explore how natural and engineered structures shape our Great Lakes coastlines.
• Stuart Carlton is the new IISG director
  Stuart Carlton, longtime Sea Grant communicator and leader, steps into the director role—continuing IISG’s mission of connecting research, education, and outreach.
• Tomas Höök reflects on his Sea Grant legacy
  After more than a decade as director, Tomas Höök looks back on milestones that shaped IISG’s growth and lasting partnerships.

To view the full newsletter visit: The Helm.

More Resources:
Prescription For Safety: How to Dispose of Unwanted Household Medicine, IISG Publications
A Guide to Marketing for Small-Scale Aquaculture Producers, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center
A Guide to Small-Scale Fish Processing Using Local Kitchen Facilities, The Education Store
Marine Shrimp Biofloc Systems: Basic Management Practices, The Education Store
Sustainable Aquaculture: What does it mean to you?, The Education Store
The Benefits of Seafood Consumption The Education Store
Walleye Farmed Fish Fact Sheet: A Guide for Seafood Consumers, The Education Store
Fish Muscle Hydrolysate, The Education Store
Fish Cleaning with Purdue Extension County Extension Director, Got Nature? Blog, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources
Aquatics & Fisheries, Playlist, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources
Eat Midwest Fish, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant online resource hub
Conservation Through Community Leadership, Sustainable Communities Extension Program (SCEP)
Climate Change and Sustainable Development, The Education Store
Climate Change: Are you preparing for it?, The Education Store

Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG)

Diana Evans, Extension & Web Communications Specialist
Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resources