Reconnecting Rivers & Invasive Species

Maybe it’s only natural that us humans rarely think about how our actions today might impact others or the environment 100 years later. That was especially true back in the late 1800s when a fledgling America roared into the 20th Century. We needed lumber, electricity, transportation, and fossil fuels to feed the growth spurt of our young nation.

So we built dams. Lots of dams on lots of rivers, both big and small. We built some to last for centuries, others just using dirt and wood. They generated electricity, created backwaters, and we used the power (weight) of elevated water to drive grain and lumber mills (thus the word “mill pond” – a reservoir of water behind a dam that’s used for driving a mill-wheel).

Despite all the dam-good intentions, (mostly to make someone money), over time the dams grew older, backwaters filled with silt, they became idle and failed to generate enough power to bake a pizza or grind a loaf of bread. One solution was to simply walk away and let some later generation deal with it. Besides, what harm would it do just leaving it alone?

Sadly, the fact is, nothing lasts forever. And communities began discovering two things about old dams: 1) old dams can become hazardous and fail, endangering property and lives downstream, 2) old dams prevent aquatic and related ecosystems from functioning as they had evolved to do over millennium. In short, dams created a stagnated ecosystem that restricted healthy movement of nutrients and species within a watershed. Not cool!

Well then, let’s just blow those old dams and make the world right again! Ooops not so fast, partner. While all the dam building was going on, something else happened as us humans also built new waterways to “help” our expanding society. And in some places, such at the Great Lakes region, we unwittingly allowed invaders to enter those huge ecosystems with devastating results. Watch the video here and read the Learn More section below to get the bigger picture of this invasive species story and its impact on our Great Lakes. To wade into the latest information and research on our Great Lakes and invaders, explore the Great Lakes Fishery Commission’s website.

But if you really want to explore the world of invasive species, and wrestle with the challenges of reconnecting rivers around the Great Lakes, have your teacher and classroom download the free lesson activities below and watch the Sea Lamprey and Connectivity Conundrum classroom videos here (thumbnails in the upper right) so you can share in the peer-driven learning about the “de-evolution” of our Great Lakes and how scientists try to restore ecosystems while controlling invasive species.

    Full Video

    Classroom Videos

    Connectivity in the Classroom

    The Sea Lamprey – Parasite of Predator?

    Classroom Assets

    Connectivity Full Lesson Package

    Sea Lamprey Lesson Plan

    RElated Content

    Protecting Forests, Enhancing Lives

    In Protecting Forests, Enhancing Lives two girls examine the perception that clear cutting forests is destroying the natural environment by visiting forests and...

    Sustainable Ecosystems: Restoring Walleyes in Native Lakes

    Dive into this "tail" of walleye conservation, as our Into the Outdoors Adventure Team member, Zach, discovers the significance of this species culturally and...

    Into Bowfishing – Fish That Fly: Silver Carp

    On this episode of Into the Outdoors, our Adventure Team discovers the wild world of bowfishing for silver carp. Hang on to your hats as we learn how to catch these...

    Into Taking Aim With Shooting Sports

    When you hear conservation, you may think research, improving habitat and protecting wildlife, but shooting sports also are a driving force behind funding. Archery,...

    Soybean Sustainability

    Sometimes, we think that the food we eat just pops out of the ground or appears magically at our supermarkets, but the truth is much different. Jacob and Gianna, our...

    Crazy for Crappies

    Okay, so there's several great ways to enjoy and share the fishing fun and education in this show. First, you can kick back with family or friends to watch this entire...

    CLIMATE ADAPTATION AND FOREST STEWARDSHIP

    Explore how sustainable forest management helps forests adapt to climate change while maintaining biodiversity and supporting local communities. Join the adventure team...

    Into Bringing Back Wisconsin’s Elk

    Join us in this Into the Outdoors episode as we welcome the elk back to Wisconsin! But wait...maybe you didn’t even know they left?  Elk were completely eliminated in...

    Positive Impact: Embracing Renewable Energy

    In this episode of Into the Outdoors, Adventure Team members Zach, Aubrey, Chloe and Charlie explore the changing energy industry and how some organizations are leading...

    Shooting Sports Challenge

    Welcome to the Shooting Sports Challenge television show that's part of our America’s Conservation & Hunting Heritage Series airing nationally on 5 digital networks...

    Thank you, Partners!