Day 17 of the Great Lakes Odyssey: LiveStream #5 from Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore!

What an awesome, windy day for our LiveStream, exploring the wonders of Lake Michigan with Rangers Dave and Vincent and Dr. Erin. Lake Michigan really showed off its beautiful blue hues today!

We kicked off with a warm welcome and dove right into our Engineering Design Challenge: Build an Aquatic Food Web Model for Sleeping Bear Dunes. We explored how invasive species like quagga mussels disrupt the delicate food web and what we can do to help.

Ranger Erin shared some eye-opening insights on how quagga mussels have rapidly spread through the Great Lakes, creating dangerous conditions for avian botulism. Thank you, Erin, for all your amazing contributions throughout the Odyssey!

Ranger Dave took us deeper into how quagga mussels contribute to avian botulism outbreaks. We learned how these tiny invaders create the perfect conditions for algae growth, leading to botulism outbreaks that affect birds and other wildlife.

Next, we launched into our Engineering Design Challenge! Students learned how to build a model of the aquatic food web, identify disruptions caused by quagga mussels, and consider solutions for managing these invasive species. Should we remove the quagga mussels or leave them alone? Students were challenged to make decisions based on their research. Our team even recreated an aquatic food web in order to better understand it.

Ranger Vince highlighted the lasting impact of these invasive species on the ecosystem—everything from the fish to the birds, right down to how it affects local communities and the park economy. We explored how park staff and volunteers are actively working to monitor and protect Sleeping Bear Dunes. Dr. Erin even became an honorary member of the "Bot Squad".

To wrap up, we discussed the importance of stewardship and simple actions that everyone can take to help protect these incredible ecosystems. From cleaning boats to being mindful when visiting the beaches, there’s so much we can do to make a positive impact!

We couldn’t miss out on sharing our Piping Plover dance with you all—it was so much fun; however, I don’t believe “Dancing with the Stars” will be calling any of us anytime soon!

A special thanks to Laurie and Tonya for joining us behind the scenes today. Your help made everything run smoothly, and we appreciate you both so much!

Today was also bittersweet as we said goodbye to Dr. Erin, who has been an integral part of this Odyssey. She’s heading back to the Great Lakes Research and Education Center, but her influence will stay with us. We’ll miss her at Voyageurs (VOYA), but we’re excited for future adventures together!

Speaking of VOYA... we’re hitting the road now! Only a 12-hour drive ahead!

#GreatLakesOdyssey #SleepingBearDunes #InvasiveSpecies
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