Invitation: Fall 2025 Crayfish Monitoring Trainings

[IISG ICC]

Hello Invasive Crayfish Collaborators,

Apologies for any cross-postings. Michigan State University and Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant are excited to offer four crayfish monitoring trainings for natural resource agencies and conservation groups in the Great Lakes region this Fall 2025. You'll find the full invitation with workshop details and a registration link below. Note that registration for the New York training closes on Aug 22.

Please help us spread the word by sharing these training opportunities with relevant partners in your region!

Invitation: Great Lakes Crayfish Monitoring Trainings

About: To increase crayfish monitoring capacity across the Great Lakes basin, Michigan State University and Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant are partnering to offer four full-day workshops designed for natural resource management agencies and conservation professionals located throughout the Great Lakes states. These workshops aim to strengthen regional coordination and improve crayfish identification in both wild populations and the live trade. Workshops will be led by expert aquatic ecologists and crayfish professionals. 

Participants will learn:

1. How to identify high-priority crayfish species through hands-on activities
2. Crayfish introduction pathways and regulations
3. State-specific reporting lines and rapid response efforts
4. Common crayfish sampling techniques, with the option to practice in the field at a nearby waterbody

REGISTER TODAY! https://forms.gle/oFdmKnSuWHQzbZfEA 

Each of the four workshops is designed to bring together participants from two neighboring states: (1) New York and Pennsylvania, (2) Illinois and Indiana, (3) Michigan and Ohio, and (4) Minnesota and Wisconsin. 

Workshop Dates & Locations:

• Friday, September 5 (Buffalo, NY)

Buffalo State Great Lakes Center Field Station

196 Porter Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14201 - 25 spots

• Wednesday, October 1 (St. Charles, IL)

Creek Bend Nature Center

37W700 Dean St, Saint Charles, IL 60175 - 35 spots

• Thursday, October 2 (Jackson, MI)

Cascades Manor

1970 Kibby Rd, Jackson, MI 49203 - 35 spots

• Tuesday, October 7 (Lanesboro, MN)

Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center

28097 Goodview Dr, Lanesboro, MN 55949 - 35 spots

Cost: Free–Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Registration Deadline: Two weeks before each workshop date.

Open to Great Lakes natural resource agency staff and conservation professionals.

What to bring: Please bring a laptop, notebook, and water. If you plan on participating in the optional crayfish sampling, please dress for the weather and bring your own waders/knee boots/shoes you don't mind getting wet. 

Michigan State University Extension and Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant provide programs that are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, religion, age, height, weight, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, or veteran status. If you need reasonable accommodation to participate in programming, please contact Natalia Szklaruk at szkl...@illinois.edu or by phone at 217-265-4021.

Feel free to share this opportunity with any relevant partners.