Back to Staff Pages
Patrice Charlebois
Aquatic Invasives Specialist
Kristin TePas
Aquatic Invasives Extension Associate
Pat Charlebois and Kristin TePas specialize in aquatic invasive species (AIS). Pat’s background includes work on benthic communities of aquatic systems, including graduate work on the effects of the invading rusty crayfish in streams. She has worked on invasive species issues for 13 years; for
9 of those years she has focused on AIS in the Great Lakes as the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant
aquatic invasive specialist. Kristin’s background is in coastal environmental management with a focus on the Great Lakes. Her graduate work included an evaluation of the proposed bloater re-introduction into Lake Ontario. She has worked for Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant on invasive species issues for 5 years, the last
4 as our aquatic invasives extension associate. Together, Pat and Kristin work with various user groups and their associations to provide outreach on AIS issues, including ways that these user groups can prevent the introduction and spread of AIS. These user groups include recreational water users, inland lake management associations, the state departments of natural resources, the state environmental management and protection agencies, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council.
Program Highlights
To Dump or Not to Dump?
The answer seems obvious; many anglers, aquarium hobbyists and water gardeners, however, don’t realize that the contents of their bait buckets, aquaria and water gardens can be harmful to lakes and streams. Because AIS such as zebra mussel veligers and small fragments of Eurasian watermilfoil can be easily spread in bait buckets and infest new waters, Sea Grant staff have developed and distributed bait bucket stickers that remind anglers to dispose of bait on land or in the trash. Through a national information campaign, Sea Grant is also reminding aquarium and backyard pond owners to maintain “Aqualibrium” by not releasing plants and animals into natural waterways. This message will be printed on bags and other products that consumers take home, and will be distributed through retail outlets and trade shows. Additionally, through Sea Grant’s Invasive Aquatic Plants brochure, water gardeners can learn how to prevent the spread of garden plants and animals by choosing 1) the best locations for their garden, 2) plants that are least likely to cause problems and 3) proper disposal of unwanted plants.
Creating Barriers Can Be a Good Thing
The Chicago waterways provide a route for AIS to travel both into and out of southern Lake Michigan, and therefore into and out of the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins. Two species that are currently making their way from the Mississippi River toward the Great Lakes are the Asian bighead and silver carp. These fish have voracious appetites for phyto and zooplankton, which form the base of the aquatic food chain. Thus, Asian carp have the potential to adversely affect every species of fish in the Great Lakes, and therefore to negatively impact its $4.5 billion commercial and sportfishing industry. To help restrict this exchange of species between the two basins, Sea Grant and local, state and federal agencies, worked to design and implement an experimental electrical barrier for the Chicago waterways in 2002; plans are now underway for a second, more permanent barrier. As members of the Dispersal Barrier Advisory Panel, Sea Grant outreach specialists and researchers are working together to provide design and operation recommendations for these barriers that will help stop the Asian carp and other such invaders in their tracks. Sea Grant staff also helped develop a rapid response plan for Asian carp in the Chicago waterways, and helped plan the Aquatic Invasive Species Summit, which brought together 70 top scientists to find the ultimate solution for stopping this unwanted exchange of AIS.
Time for a Change
Inland lakes and rivers continue to be invaded by new aquatic species, most frequently with the assistance of humans. Sea Grant says, “It’s time for a change.” Outreach staff is working through several avenues to try and affect change in people’s attitudes and actions, and thus prevent new infestations. Through workshops, Sea Grant describes the potential impacts of AIS, helps people learn how to identify these species, and informs boaters and anglers how they can help stop the spread. On exotic species advisory signs posted at boat ramps throughout both states, this message is delivered to thousands of recreationists, many of whom travel from lake to lake. In addition to teaching boaters how they can inspect and clean their vessels to remove AIS, staff is also using Sea Grant-funded research to provide the latest information, such as the most likely species to be the next invader. By educating the public on best management practices, we hope people will agree it is indeed time for a change
Awards
|
|
National Sea Grant Blue Ribbon Award for “Exotics to Go” CD-ROM. This CD-ROM is a compilation of AIS materials, including seven presentations, twenty-two publications, and a contact list of Sea Grant’s AIS specialists. |
|
|
Bronze Award for Educational Project, Agricultural Communicators for "Arrest that Invader!” Education Project. This project is an interactive display that invites the public to positively identify the invaders in a plant line-up. |
|
|
Great Lakes Sea Grant Network Program Leader Outstanding Program Award for “ANS-HACCP.” The ANS-HACCP program enables the aquaculture and baitfish industry to systematically reduce the potential for AIS contamination of their products.
|
|
|
Pat Charlebois -
Curriculum
vita EDUCATION
- M.S., 1994. Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame,
Notre Dame, IN.
- B.S., 1988. Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame,
Notre Dame, IN.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
- Aquatic Invasives Specialist, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant
Program, 1996 to present.
- Biologist, U.S. Forest Service, Ottawa National Forest (MI),
1995.
- Instructor, Escuela Juan Ponce de Leon (Guaynabo, PR),
1994-1995.
- Macroinvertebrate Taxonomist, Normandeau Associates,
1988-1989.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
- Charlebois, P. M. and K. M. TePas. 2005. Got aquatic pets and
plants? Get Habitattitude. Fact sheet. Illinois-Indiana Sea
Grant College Program, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and
US Fish and Wildlife Service.
- Charlebois, P. M., K. M. TePas, and R. Grigoletti. 2003. Asian
Carp WATCH. Identification card. Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant
College Program, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and US
Fish and Wildlife Service.
- Charlebois, P. M., R. Grigoletti, and L. Dorworth. 2002. The
ABCs of PCBs: know your catch. Brochure. Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant
College Program.
- Charlebois, P. M., L. D. Corkum, D. J. Jude, and C. Knight.
2001. The round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) invasion;
current research and future needs. Journal of Great Lakes Research.
27:263-266.
- Charlebois, P. M. 2001. Zebra Mussels: questions and answers for
inland lake managers. Fact sheet. Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant College
Program.
- Charlebois, P. M., B. K., Miller, and T. H. Luba. 1998. Zebra
mussel lessons learned in the Great Lakes. Video series. llinois-Indiana
Sea Grant College Program.
SELECTED CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS, AND PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS
- AIS HACCP training. 2005.
Workshop. Indiana Lakes Management Society Conference. South Bend,
Indiana.
- ANS training for USFWS hatchery
personnel using the HACCP approach. 2002. Workshop. Natchitoches,
Louisiana.
- Southern Lake Michigan
Fisheries Forum. Conference. 2001. Chicago, Illinois.
- Invasive species in the Great
Lakes. Presentation. 2000. National Conference of State
Legislatures. Chicago, Illinois
- 4-H Purple Loosestrife Project.
Workshop, 2000. Niles, Michigan.
- Zebra mussel conference for
inland water users. Conference. 1996. St. Louis, Missouri.
HONORS AND AWARDS
- "Find 7 Ways Invasive Species are Spread" display. Bronze Award
for Exhibits. Association for Communications Excellence.
- "Exotics to Go" CD-ROM. National Sea Grant Blue Ribbon Award.
- "Arrest that Invader!" Education Project. Bronze Award for
Educational Project. Agricultural Communicators.
- "ANS-HACCP." Outstanding Program Award. Great Lakes Sea Grant
Network Program.
- Exotic Species Day Camp education project. Bronze Award,
Agricultural Communicators in Education.
|
|
Kristin TePas - Curriculum vita
EDUCATION
-
M.E.M., 2000. Coastal Environmental
Management, Duke University, Durham, NC.
-
B.A., 1993. Psychology, University of
Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
-
Aquatic Invasives Extension Associate.
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant College Program, Illinois Natural
History Survey. 2001-present.
-
Outreach Assistant. Illinois Natural
History Survey, IL-IN Sea Grant. 2000-2001.
-
Research Assistant. Duke University
Marine Laboratory. 2000.
-
Fisheries Technician. Illinois Natural
History Survey. 1998.
-
Conservation and Water Quality Intern.
John G. Shedd Aquarium. 1997.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATION
SELECTED OUTREACH MATERIALS AND PUBLICATIONS
TePas,
K. M. and P. M. Charlebois. 2002. Hop on
board: stop exotic exotics. Banner.
TePas,
K. M. and P. M. Charlebois. 2001. Invasive
aquatic plants: what every plant enthusiast needs to
know. Fact Sheet.
Charlebois,
P. M. and K. M. TePas. 2001. Dispose of bait on
land or in the trash. Sticker. Charlebois,
P., K. TePas, J. Ryan, and N. Haller. 2001. An
angler survey on the nonindigenous round goby (Neogobius
melanstomus): highlighting the need for outreach
assessment. Poster. 49th Annual Meeting of the North
American Benthological Society.
Charlebois,
P. M., M. B. Berg, J. Janssen, and K. M. TePas.
1998. Test your fish IQ: identifying the round goby
and mottled sculpin. Display.
Charlebois,
P.M., M. B. Berg, J. Janssen, and K. M. TePas.
1998. Exotic species advisory. Sign.
|
