A very interesting and eventful second day of the Lake Michigan Exploration began with an overview of the opportunities available at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, provided by Laura Nitanda, Manager of Teacher Professional Development. Educators then gathered in grade-level groups for a brainstorming session of lesson planning ideas before loading the bus and heading to Milwaukee. COSEE team member, Jim Lubner, shared information about the Lake Michigan shoreline as they traveled up the coast. A stop at Northpoint and Prairie Harbor Marinas along the Illinois-Wisconsin border allowed participants to discuss topics such as PCB levels in lake sediment, beach closings due to E. coli contamination from large gull populations,
and recreational pressures that affect the shoreline. Questions regarding similarities and differences between Lake Michigan and ocean ecosystems also were addressed. Continuing north, the next stop was at the Chiwaukee Prairie,
a rich ecosystem that Jim Lubner stated has never been “plowed, planted, or successfully drained.” Among a vast diversity of plant life are 27 rare plants, ten of which are either threatened or endangered. After multiple attempts to develop the land over the years, efforts to protect the prairie continue today. “It’s a blooming example of what used to dominate Eastern Wisconsin,” Jim explained. The next stop along the trip was at Grant Park in Milwaukee County to observe the bluffs and examine bluff recession.

Participants witnessed the struggle of the bluff’s tendency to establish a stable angle of repose while being undercut by Lake Michigan wave action. Then it was off to the Great Lakes Water Institute where Jim Lubner provided an overview of COSEE and the Great Lakes. Russell Cuhel and Carmen Aguilar, researchers at the facility, followed with considerations for field research on the Great Lakes. Websites tracking water temperatures and wave action were shared as tomorrow’s cruise was planned. Since seasonal mixing is vital to the distribution of phytoplankton in the water column, the presenters provided demonstrations illustrating hypo-, meso-, and epilimnion layers using salt water solutions to represent the thermal gradient. Then they created a model of El Niño and upwelling through the use of hot and cold water movement.

After a day packed with new experiences and knowledge, educators and team leaders checked into the dorms at UW-Milwaukee before capping off the night with a delicious dinner at Oakland Tratorria.

WHAT WE’VE LEARNED

Cindi Wallendal: Today I learned that the word “fetch” does not always mean that my yellow lab, Abby, needs to go get her ball and bring it back, but rather it can also mean the distance the wind travels across the lake without being impeded. Lake Superior has a larger fetch than Lake Michigan.

Shara Fata: Learned something new…hot water rises to the top and sand is a stone.

MEMORABLE MOMENTS

Terri Hallesey’s memory of a conversation between Jim Lubner and the bus driver Jim Robinson overheard on the ride to Milwaukee:

Jim L.: “You’re doing a great job managing this bus. I promised you I wouldn’t take you anywhere you’d get stuck.”
Jim R.: “It ain’t over yet!”

While presenting an overview of the Great Lakes, Jim Lubner asked educators what Lake St. Clair was called in relationship to the Great Lakes. Participant Lindsay Knippenberg, who hails from the shores of the lake, responded, “The toilet of the Great Lakes!” Jim was looking for “the heart.”

MUSINGS

Richard Tripp of Georgia pointed out that on Great Lakes he sees a lot more bird droppings and feathers on the beaches and birds on the water than he does on the ocean. In the ocean, he thinks that bird and animal droppings and body parts get washed out by the tide. Also, few birds rest on the water due the the sharks and other predatory fish.

Stephanie Crook did some reflecting on Jim’s talk at Grant Park. He talked about: bluff erosion, isostatic rebound, and evidence of a recent blowout such as water paths from clay layers, live tree limbs in the water and relatively recent new growth. Stephanie asked about succession around the blowout area because the plant life there was different than the surrounding area. The blowout triggers secondary succession. From there, Stephanie analyzed the relationship between succession and isostatic rebound. She came up with the following: 1) Glaciers cause primary succession but does isostatic rebound indicate that a climax community was never really achieved? 2) The eventual climax community is moving toward a pre glacial land. 3) Succession on a grand scale can be seen here due not only to time but also to the fact that the underlying substrate is composed of two distinct types (clay and sand).

The first day of the Lake Michigan Exploration Workshop is complete. What a success! After meeting up at the Belden-Stratford Hotel, coordinators and participants walked to the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum to start the week. Ice breaker activities that included an animal themed version of “Hot Potato”, affectionately named “Hot Fox”
and a fun game of “Look Up”
helped everyone get familiar with names and share personal connections to the Great Lakes. Returning teachers, Jen and Anne-Marie,
from last year’s Lake Huron Exploration shared ways they incorporated last year’s Great Lakes experience in their classrooms, and Howard Walters introduced the idea of concept mapping.
Participants will be developing a stronger understanding of concept mapping from Howard throughout the week. Workshop leader, Robin Goettel,

reviewed the week’s agenda and introduced other COSEE Great Lakes leaders. The first day concluded with a nice meal at COSI restaurant and time to get acquainted with Chicago in the summertime. It was a great beginning to an exciting week!

TODAY’S IDEAS TO TAKE BACK TO THE CLASSROOM

“Sally Made Harry Eat Onions,” was shared by Stephanie Crook as a mnemonic for remembering the size of the Great Lakes. Lake Superior is the largest, followed by: Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario.

Wendy Smith will be putting all of her photos on Flickr for us. In addition to sharing her memories with us, she has taken the time to do things such as label the parts of a zebra mussel, so this will be an excellent educational resource as well!