Projects will focus on harmful algal bloom, invasive species, mercury, fish microbiome, endangered plovers, and emerging contaminants

Albany, Syracuse, NY. - The Great Lakes Research Consortium, in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Great Lakes Program, announces the award of $136,591 for six research projects that address priority areas in the Great Lakes Action Agenda for New York State. Funding for the grants is provided by the state's Environmental Protection Fund to the Great Lakes Research Consortium via an agreement with the College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

'Our Great Lakes ecosystems are very complex, highly treasured and ever-changing,' said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos. 'It is imperative we continue to expand our scientific knowledge of these waters and evaluate what management actions are needed to sustain the unique quality of the Great Lakes, its watersheds and its communities.'

'The 2017 Great Lakes Research Consortium grant awards represent critical projects that will advance the science-based understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing the Great Lakes system as a dynamic and essential resource supporting human, fishery, and wildlife populations,' said Great Lakes Research Consortium Executive Director Gregory L. Boyer, Ph.D., a chemistry and biochemistry professor at the College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

The 2017 small research grants are as follow; details of each project are posted on the Consortium website at www.esf.edu/glrc:

Assessing the Role of Nitrogen in Harmful Algal Blooms in the Great Lakes Basin (Honeoye Lake): $25,000, Finger Lakes Institute at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY; collaborator: Wright State University, Dayton, OH;

Economic Value of Controlling Aquatic Invasive Species in New York State: $22,500, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY;

Mercury Mobilization from Wetlands Along the Upper St. Lawrence River in Support of Ecosystem-Based Management: $20,338.00, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY; collaborators: St. Lawrence University, Canton, NY; New York Power Authority, Massena; St. Lawrence River Institute of Environmental Sciences, Cornwall, Ontario, Canada;

Influence of Spawning and Nursery Habitat in Shaping the Northern Pike Gut Microbiome, $22,500, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY; Thousand Islands Biological Station, Clayton, NY;

Informing Restoration of the Endangered Piping Plover to Lake Ontario, $21,751.00, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY; collaborators: Audubon New York, Troy, NY; New York State Department of Environmental Conservation; New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; Onondaga Audubon Society, Syracuse, NY; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Screening and Risk Assessment of Contaminants of Emerging Concern in the Onondaga Lake-Three Rivers System: $24,502.00, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY; collaborator: Upstate Freshwater Institute, Syracuse, NY.

The Great Lakes Small Grants Research Program is administered by the Great Lakes Research Consortium in cooperation with the DEC and New York Great Lakes Basin Advisory Council. The GLRC, based at SUNY ESF, is a consortium representing 18 colleges and universities in New York State plus nine affiliates campuses in Ontario, Canada. The goal of this small grant research program is to provide seed funding for new, cooperative projects that improve our understanding and management of New York's Great Lakes resources. EPF funding is allocated for the New York Ocean-Great Lakes Ecosystem Conservation Act and New York Great Lakes Action Agenda.

FOR MORE INFO
See the link at www.esf.edu/glrc for more information on each grant project. Learn:
. why Honeoye Lake was selected as the site for the harmful algal bloom research funding,
. which project will dig into how aquatic invasive species impact waterfront property value,
. why the piping plover might serve as a sensitive indicator of beach ecosystem response to Plan 2014,
. what high resolution technology will help researchers map contaminants associated with Onondaga Lake,
. how research will determine how much mercury could be released in the St. Lawrence River in future years, and
. what may be influencing the decline and possible restoration of Northern Pike populations in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River system.

Contacts: Great Lakes Research Consortium Director Dr. Gregory L. Boyer, 315.470.6825
DEC: Megan Gollwitzer, 716.851.7201, region9@dec.ny.gov
GLRC Publicist Kara Lynn Dunn, 315.465.7578, karalynn@gisco.net