A unique group of librarians is holding its first conference in the Great Lakes region next week. They are librarians who specialize in marine and freshwater science topics and who belong to a regional branch of the International Association of Aquatic and Marine Science Libraries and Information Centers. Their conference, “Great Lakes, Great Libraries,” is being held in Madison, May 16-19.

She’s been on the job for over a year now, and Wisconsin Sea Grant’s social scientist located in Milwaukee, Deidre Peroff, has found plenty of ways to put her skills to use. One major project she’s working on is designed to collaborate with several stormwater awareness campaigns for people living along Lake Michigan’s Wisconsin shoreline.

UW-Madison Undergraduate Research Scholar Edgar Reyes is creating story map modules based on marine heritage near Manitowoc–and re-mapping his own future in the process.

The River Talk series wraps up for the season with a talk about mercury research in the St. Louis River Estuary. On Wed. April 12, 7 p.m. at Barker’s Waterfront Grille (Barker’s Island Inn, 300 Marina Dr., Superior, Wis.), Nate Johnson, University of Minnesota Duluth, will present, “Why do Fish in Some Lakes and Streams Have Unsafe Levels of Mercury and Fish in Others Don’t?”

A collaborative research project about the impacts of quagga mussels in Lake Michigan has led to more than $1 million in funding for the issue from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Wisconsin Sea Grant social scientist Deidre Peroff ups her involvement with a group looking to engage citizens on water issues.

The River Talk for March will be held in conjunction with the St. Louis River Summit. Five community members who were featured on the award-winning St. Louis River Stories and Science website will share their stories about how the river has changed during their lifetimes. Mike Anderson, Dorothy Anway, Bob Cragin, Kenny Danelski and Amy Eliot will speak on Tuesday, March 14, 6:30 p.m. in the Yellowjacket Union Great Room on the University of Wisconsin-Superior Campus (1605 Catlin Ave., Superior, Wis.).

From underneath the waves to the heights of outer space, six organizations in Wisconsin receive NOAA funding and support and touch many environments in the state. They do so in a way that complements and strengthens the other programs, not duplicating efforts or competing. Read on to discover more about Wisconsin’s six NOAA programs — how they work together, and how Wisconsin Sea Grant fits into each.

Wisconsin Sea Grant teams up with Milwaukee-based Ex Fabula to connect communities through the power of storytelling.

Sea Grant has contributed to a major new statewide project that will help people with memory loss–through shipwrecks.