The Inland Seas Education Association (ISEA) will present a seminar that focuses on the work of the Schoolship
Inland Seas and the current ecological status of Grand Traverse Bay at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, December 12th, at the Inland Seas Education Center in Suttons Bay. The program will be presented by Tom Kelly, Executive Director of ISEA. This seminar is free and open to the public.
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| Advanced Invasive Spieces Field Course Students (teachers) in the Straits of Mackinac |
During the 2012 navigation season, ISEA’s 77 foot schooner
Inland Seas sailed the waters of Grand Traverse Bay and northern Lake Michigan, visiting 13 ports with students from all across the state of Michigan. Together with the schooner
Manitou, ISEA provided shipboard science programs for 4,175 students in 2012. Since its founding in 1989, ISEA has sailed with 94,609 students and teachers.
The major findings this year relate mainly to the continued impact of invasive species on the lower food web in Grand Traverse Bay and Lake Michigan. The round goby, an invasive fish, dominated the forage fish community in the near shore waters. Water clarity continued to increase, largely due to particle filtering by quagga mussels, which have largely replaced zebra mussels in Lake Michigan. Kelly will also discuss the recent lowering of lake levels and the prognosis for 2013.
Hope to see you there!
