Contacts

Dave White, NY Sea Grant, Recreation and Tourism Specialist, P: 315.312.3042, E: dgw9@cornell.edu

Kara Lynn Dunn, NYSG Great Lakes Publicist, P: 315.465.7578, E: karalynn@gisco.net

Ithaca, NY, September 12, 2017 - New York Sea Grant has posted a series of 20 radio “information bursts” on New York State’s Great Lakes topics developed in partnership with the nonprofit Center for Transformative Action at Cornell University. Topics for the 60-second CurrentCast segments include such topics as protecting pets from algal bloom, Great Lakes rip currents, lakefront landscaping, the Erie Canal, invasive species, microbeads, and coastal education. The series is posted at www.nyseagrant.org/currentcast.

Available to radio stations at no cost, the segments have been distributed via terrestrial AM/FM radio, satellite, internet radio, download, and on CD. The CurrentCast syndicate currently includes more than 50 radio stations throughout the Great Lakes region.

“The CurrentCast segments and podcasts translate scientific data into easily-understood messages and highlight ways diverse audiences of stakeholders can enhance the local environmental quality that drives New York’s coastal economies,” said New York Sea Grant Associate Director Katherine Bunting-Howarth, assistant director of Cornell University Cooperative Extension, Ithaca, NY.

CurrentCast Project Managers Bridget Ennis and Erika Street Hopman developed the segments by interviewing experts in the Great Lakes region. Ennis notes, “CurrentCast wishes to energize stakeholders from sportsmen and recreational water users to environmentalists in an effort to educate the public about water issues, promote an appreciation for the aquatic environment, and encourage an educated discussion about this critical resource.”

Funding to develop this NY Great Lakes information series was provided through the NY Great Lakes Basin Small Grants program in partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future at Cornell University also partnered on the project.

More Info: CurrentCast segments developed with NY Sea Grant Funding

• Another Clean-Up for Mother Nature: Governments might be phasing out the use of microbeads, but nothing but time will remove the problem from the environment.
  
  
• Causes of Erosion: Natural events and human intervention can cause shorelines to shift and shrink.
  
  
• Clean, Drain, and Dry: Boaters should follow these three simple steps to prevent the spread of invasive species.
  
  
• For Pet’s Sake: Avoid the Algae: Not all algae is harmful, but there’s no way to know which is which.
   
• Great Lakes Observing System: A system of buoys provides information to boaters.
  
  
• Great Lakes Water on the Move: When a massive swell of water moves from one end of a lake to another, it’s called a seiche.
  
  
• Greener Ground, Cleaner Water: Trading grey pipes for green spaces is helping cities control storm-water runoff.
  
  
• Hard to Tell the Good Guys from the Bad: There are thousands of different types of blue green algae, and only a few produce harmful toxins.
  
  
• Holding the Invaders at Bay: Plants that don’t belong in our waters can interfere with swimming, fishing, and boating. 
  
  
• An Iconic Waterway: The Erie Canal introduced a new path to the west by connecting Albany to Buffalo.
   
• The Ins and Outs of a Septic System: Proper care and maintenance is key for maintaining private septic systems.
  
  
• Invasive Species in Lake Ontario: Many of the most abundant species in Lake Ontario are non-native.
  
  
• Lake Ontario Drumlins: Gentle slopes that drop off into dramatic cliffs are called drumlins.
      
• Lake Ontario’s Best-Kept Secret - Sand Dunes: Eastern Lake Ontario has some of the most majestic dunes in the Northeast.
  
  
• Less Lawn, More Native Landscaping: Lake-front landscaping is key to water quality.
  
  
• A Super Highway for Aquatic Invaders: The system of locks and canals that allowed ships to bypass Niagara Falls suddenly created a path for invasive species.
  
  
• Too Much and Not Enough Water: Climate change is expected to deal multiple blows to water resources in New York.
  
  
• Try Not to Get Carried Away: The currents and sandy shores of the Great Lakes can create rip currents as dangerous as those in the ocean. 
  
  
• Wetlands, Extreme Rain, and Climate Change: Wetlands slow and absorb water, making them critical for flood control as extreme weather becomes more common.
  
  
• When Sharing is Not Caring: The governors of the Great Lakes states limit the amount of water that can be removed from the Great Lakes Basin.
  
  
• When Teachers Get Hooked on Science: One 7th-grade science teacher is telling his students about the exhilarating week he spent on a research vessel.

More Info: New York Sea Grant

New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York, is one of 33 university-based programs under the National Sea Grant College Program (NSGCP) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The NSGCP engages this network of the nation’s top universities in conducting scientific research, education, training and extension projects designed to foster science-based decisions about the use and conservation of our aquatic resources. Through its statewide network of integrated services, NYSG has been promoting coastal vitality, environmental sustainability, and citizen awareness about the State’s marine and Great Lakes resources since 1971.

New York Sea Grant maintains Great Lakes offices at SUNY Buffalo, the Wayne County Cooperative Extension office in Newark and at SUNY Oswego. In the State's marine waters, NYSG has offices at Stony Brook University and Stony Brook Manhattan, in the Hudson Valley through Cooperative Extension in Kingston and at Brooklyn College. 

For updates on Sea Grant activities: www.nyseagrant.org has RSS, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube links. NYSG produces a monthly e-newsletter, "NOAA Sea Grant's Social Media Review," via its blog, www.nyseagrant.org/blog. Our program also offers a free e-list sign up via www.nyseagrant.org/coastlines for its flagship publication, NY Coastlines/Currents, which is published 1-2 times a year.

More Info: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) was created on July 1, 1970 to combine in a single agency, all-state programs designed to protect and enhance the environment. The agency consists of a Central Office in Albany, NY, and an office in each of its nine regions that serve the communities within that region. The department has 24 divisions and offices and a total of approximately 3,000 staffers working in the central and regional offices. Connect with NYSDEC via www.dec.ny.gov, where you'll also find links to the organization's Facebook, Twitter and YouTube platforms.