Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Jo Latimore @jolatimore.bsky.social · 7d

Goldfish don't belong in Michigan lakes and ponds. RIPPLE helps pet stores and hobbyists promote sustainable handling of aquatic pets and plants - check it out!

MSU Extension Center for Lakes and Streams @msue-lakes-streams.bsky.social · 8d

Learn more about the Reduce Invasive Pet and Plant Escapes (RIPPLE) program, a partnership between MSU Extension and the Michigan Departments of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy; Natural Resources; and Agriculture and Rural Development.

www.canr.msu.edu/news/prevent...

#InvasiveSpecies #fish

An orange goldfish in a clear water-filled bag is held in the hands of a person.

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Jo Latimore @jolatimore.bsky.social · 11d

Join us in January-March to talk inland lake ecology and conservation!

MSU Extension Center for Lakes and Streams @msue-lakes-streams.bsky.social · 12d

Curious about lakes? It's never too late to go back to school! Enrollment is now open for our 🏅award-winning🏅 Introduction to Lakes Online course! Class starts at the end of January.

www.canr.msu.edu/courses/intr...

A line drawing of a school of fish that reads, "Introduction to Lakes Online Course - It's never too late to go back to school." Visit canr.msu.edu/lakesonline to learn more.

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Jo Latimore @jolatimore.bsky.social · 11d

lol

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Jo Latimore @jolatimore.bsky.social · 12d

Join us this winter to learn how lakes work, and how we can protect them!

MSU Extension Center for Lakes and Streams @msue-lakes-streams.bsky.social · 12d

Curious about lakes? It's never too late to go back to school! Enrollment is now open for our 🏅award-winning🏅 Introduction to Lakes Online course! Class starts at the end of January.

www.canr.msu.edu/courses/intr...

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Jo Latimore @jolatimore.bsky.social · 13d

I love hanging out with botanists. You wouldn't believe* how long a dozen of us spent admiring every detail of this goldenrod on a northern Michigan beach last weekend.

*Unless you are, in fact, a botanist.

A goldenrod plant blooms in front of the trunk of a very large fallen tree on a sandy beach, with tall white pines in the background.

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Jo Latimore @jolatimore.bsky.social · 14d

Definitely of interest! We've been leading a few natural shoreline workshops for waterfront property owners and this is a great format for guiding their dreams and plans - a step up from our blank sheets of paper! Thanks for sharing.

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Reposted by Jo Latimore

MSU Extension Center for Lakes and Streams @msue-lakes-streams.bsky.social · 14d

New lake and stream webinars announced! Learn about...
👻 TOMORROW! Local invasive species assistance
🦅 NEW! Birds, wetlands, and conservation collaboration
🌾 Wild rice
🐢 Herps
🔥 Wildfire impacts
🎣 Walleye stocking
...and more! Check out the full list: www.canr.msu.edu/michiganlake...

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Jo Latimore @jolatimore.bsky.social · 18d

Perfect!

And thanks for teaching in our Conservation Stewards Program!

Jo Latimore @jolatimore.bsky.social · 18d

Not yet - thankfully - but we really don't want them here, and we'd want to catch them early if they do appear! They occasionally show up in the pet trade, but they are federally and state-regulated.

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Jo Latimore @jolatimore.bsky.social · 19d

Wow!

Jo Latimore @jolatimore.bsky.social · 19d

The Great Lakes Almanac to Invasive Crayfish is one of our team's most noteworthy accomplishments - and collaborations - this year. Check it out!

MSU Extension Center for Lakes and Streams @msue-lakes-streams.bsky.social · 19d

Not all claws are created equal - meet the invasive crayfish crew of Michigan. 📣 Check out our Great Lakes Almanac to Invasive Crayfish and learn how to tell these invaders apart from our friendlier native crawdads. 👉 bit.ly/crayfishalma...

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Reposted by Jo Latimore

MSU Extension Center for Lakes and Streams @msue-lakes-streams.bsky.social · 21d

New lake and stream webinars announced! Learn about...
👻 Local invasive species assistance
🌾 Wild rice
🐢 Herps
🔥 Wildfire impacts
🎣 Walleye stocking
🦠 Harmful algal blooms
🗺️ GIS for conservation
☠️ Microplastics
🧊 Glacial wetlands
...and more! Check out the full list: www.canr.msu.edu/michiganlake...

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Jo Latimore @jolatimore.bsky.social · 21d

To be clear, I'm all about the "power colon" - you can be clever, just clarify after the colon...

"The honk heard across the Great Lakes: The comeback story of the giant Canada goose"

www.canr.msu.edu/news/the-hon...

The honk heard across the Great Lakes

Learn more about the comeback story of the giant Canada goose and how to coexist with them.

www.canr.msu.edu

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Jo Latimore @jolatimore.bsky.social · 21d

I curate a list of science webinars. I beg of you, please use clear titles. There's one org in particular that has decided to get so clever (🤔) with titles that one has absolutely no idea what the webinar is about from the title alone.

(This advice applies to conference talks & posters, too.)

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Jo Latimore @jolatimore.bsky.social · 22d

Talking science? Want your audience to trust you? Here's some food for thought.

Association of Science Communicators @sciencetalkorg.bsky.social · Apr 10

🔬 Public trust in scientists is moderately high, but transparency & engagement are key to strengthening it! A global study across 68 countries sheds light on what builds (or erodes) trust.

📖 Read more: bit.ly/3Rsttmd

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Jo Latimore @jolatimore.bsky.social · 28d

Loving the little yellow spider, too!

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Jo Latimore @jolatimore.bsky.social · 29d

Love these clips! Thanks for sharing!

Jo Latimore @jolatimore.bsky.social · 29d

Hey aquatic plant lovers! It's #MacrophyteMonday! Want to learn about the roles that aquatic plants play in lake ecosystems? Enroll in our @msue-lakes-streams.bsky.social Introduction to Lakes Online course! This 6-week class begins in January; enrollment open now!

www.canr.msu.edu/news/everyth...

Enrollment now open: Popular MSU Extension course Introduction to Lakes Online offered January 2026

Register today for this unique opportunity to learn about inland lakes.

www.canr.msu.edu

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Reposted by Jo Latimore

La Toya Kissoon-Charles @aquatoya.bsky.social · Aug 5

Name that macrophyte! Was growing in a neighbor’s tiny pond a few weeks ago. #macrophytemonday #aquaticplants

Large pink flower on a long sturdy stalk

Green seed head surrounded by many yellowish white stamens

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Jo Latimore @jolatimore.bsky.social · Sep 4

Meanwhile, Michigan's House proposes weakening our PFAS rules and cutting over $90M in public health funding in their budget proposal... Sigh.

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Reposted by Jo Latimore

American Fisheries Society @amfisheriessoc.bsky.social · Sep 2

Scientists are adding plastic to a lake. Not reckless—research. The IISD Experimental Lakes Area is uncovering the real impact of plastic pollution on freshwater ecosystems. 🎥 Watch the full film: contentwithpurpose.co.uk/afs/tomorrow... #TomorrowsCatch #PlasticPollution #FutureFisheries

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Jo Latimore @jolatimore.bsky.social · Sep 2

Tawas Lake is a beautiful example of a shallow lake, teeming with life. Read the article to view gorgeous photos and read about how this NE Michigan community is working to balance wild rice/manoomin conservation with recreation and invasive species management.

MSU Extension Center for Lakes and Streams @msue-lakes-streams.bsky.social · Aug 29

Jeremy Hartsock and Erick Elgin from our team recently co-led an educational event on Tawas Lake, highlighting the extraordinary biological richness of this shallow lake. Along with rare birds and diverse wildlife, the lake is home to our largest bed of wild rice.

www.mlive.com/environment/...

Prairie above, forest below: Tawas Lake is home to Michigan’s largest wild rice bed

Tawas Lake is known for fishing, birdwatching, and its aquatic biodiversity.

www.mlive.com

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Reposted by Jo Latimore

MSU Extension Center for Lakes and Streams @msue-lakes-streams.bsky.social · Sep 2

Application deadline: September 5, 2025.

Jana Vamosi @jvamosi.bsky.social · Aug 8

Assistant Professor, Freshwater Ecologist, Faculty of Science, University of Calgary in Canada #academicjob careers.ucalgary.ca/jobs/1652277...

Assistant Professor, Freshwater Ecologist, Faculty of Science, University of Calgary in Calgary, ...

careers.ucalgary.ca

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Jo Latimore @jolatimore.bsky.social · Aug 29

🚨 New shoreline restoration resource just released in Michigan.

MSU Extension Center for Lakes and Streams @msue-lakes-streams.bsky.social · Aug 27

New guidebook! Protecting inland lakes through natural shorelines: An introductory guide to bioengineering techniques. Developed by staff from the Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council and @michiganegle.bsky.social. Free download! www.shorelinepartnership.org/library.html

An image of the cover of the new guidebook: Protecting Inland Lakes through Natural Shorelines: An Introductory Guide to Bioengineering Techniques. The cover is blue with an abstract water design, and includes images of highly modified and natural shorelines, as well as an example of an engineering design for developing a bioengineered shoreline.

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Jo Latimore @jolatimore.bsky.social · Aug 26

If you've been following the debate about wakeboat use on inland lakes, there will be a webinar tonight on some new research on their potential impacts.

MSU Extension Center for Lakes and Streams @msue-lakes-streams.bsky.social · Aug 26

Webinar 7 PM ET tonight: Webinar on new research on wakesurfing boat impacts on inland lakes.

📷: Ben Hovland, @mprnews.org

#wakeboats

umn.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Zoe Zylstra, who has been wakeboarding since she was 6 years old, surfs behind a boat specially designed for wake sports on St. Albans Bay near Excelsior, Minn., on July 22. Credit: Ben Hovland, MPR News

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