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Radhika Shah, Education Department, John G. Shedd Aquarium
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The wonders of Lake Michigan abound: swimmers with scales, critters with claws, and waders with webbed feet — these are just a few of the many hundreds of organisms that make up this freshwater ecosystem. Lake Michigan is also important for the survival of millions of people. Its million billion gallons of water are an essential source of freshwater, a rare commodity in this world in which 99 percent of the water on earth is salty or frozen!
Check a map to find a beach or lakefront park convenient to you. Lakefront beaches are free in Chicago all year round; some of the suburban beaches charge a fee in the summer.
- small aquarium net or
- household strainer
- old jars or plastic
- containers
- bucket
- thick gardening gloves
- garbage and recycling
- bags
- magnifying glass or
- microscopes (optional)
- plankton identification
- guides, bird field
- guide, fish field guide
- paper
- pencil
- imagination!
Take a good look at the massive body of freshwater that lies before you. Perhaps there are objects or animals floating on the surface. But that surface is only a plane that connects two worlds. What lies beneath? Take an imaginary underwater journey through this lake. As a family, create a scavenger hunt of the mind by making a list that includes objects such as ‘something big, something with tiny eyes, or something colorful.’ Use this list to guide your imaginary journey, taking turns to share your findings. Someone in your family who likes to draw can sketch each member’s findings into a journal. Remember, imagination is the key: do not feel limited by prior knowledge or any sort of rationality!
Once you’ve let your imaginations explore the lake, it’s time to check out your predictions. Start small: at the base of the extensive Lake Michigan food web are tiny little critters and plants called plankton. Plankton make their homes near the surface of the water, in the lake weed and algae that may be found near rocks or walls, or hidden in the rocks and sand that form the bottom of the lake. Find a shallow part of the lake with some lake weed and rocks. Collect small samples of the water and scoop up a small amount of the lake bottom using a small aquarium net, a jar, a bucket, or even a household strainer. Be gentle when sampling…try to prevent damage and disturbance to the habitat. A small sample will go a long way!
Explore your findings through a magnifying glass, a hand held microscope, or at a local school or nature center that has microscopes available for your use. Keep a record of the diversity of organisms you identify using a field guide. Phytoplankton are small plants. Zooplankton are small animals or eggs that will grow into larger animals. Nymphs (young stages of some insects) will fly out of the lake after they develop wings. The creatures you’ll find have fascinating ways of surviving that may be just as zany as your imagination might have predicted! Once you’ve identified them, keep your imaginations rolling, and devise your own names for what you find.
Return your lake sample to the lake if possible — for the health of the creatures, but also to keep exotic creatures out of your pipes at home!
Now take a look at the larger forms of life that inhabit the lake. Using a field guide, investigate the different species that swim through this ecosystem. Catfish, sturgeon, salmon, and perch are just a few examples of the fish you’ll find listed.
You can also discover many species of birds that depend upon the lake. Take a bird identification field guide and choose a spot to sit, or walk along the shore. Try to differentiate between the many species of gulls, ducks, and other waterbirds that fly and hunt along the coasts. Make a list of the birds you find — your list will grow on each visit.
Exotic species are plants and animals that have been introduced from other parts of the world. Lake Michigan has many, such as the zebra mussel and sea lamprey. Research how they have upset the balance of the native organisms.
A lot of garbage finds it way into the lake. Animals get caught in plastic bags, fishing line, and six-pack rings. Bring protective gloves and garbage bags to remove garbage. In a 1999 Lake Michigan cleanup, over 5400 pounds of garbage was cleared from the lake’s shores!
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