Last week, the O'Brien Fellowship team of Dan Egan, Monique Collins, Erin Caughey, Ti Lavers, Herbert Lowe and myself headed for the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel to attend a projects meeting to discuss Egan's work. The meeting was lead by Greg Borowski, the projects and investigations editor at the Journal-Sentinel. About a dozen others also attended the meeting and included staff from various departments including photography, multimedia, social media and editing. 

First, Egan reintroduced his topic and research to the meeting and discussing the upcoming events regarding his topic. Then, Erin, Monique and I presented our ideas for how we thought the timeline regarding Egan's work would be illustrated. Emily Yount, an interactive designer and developer at the Journal-Sentinel provided us with examples of other publications' timelines and how the Journal-Sentinel could replicate similar models. Following our presentation, the meeting continued to look at other projects in the works.

Meg Kissinger was working on a solutions journalism project that looked at how the mental health system in Milwaukee could be improved. 

It was an overall great experience to witness real-world journalism being done and the meticulous decisions that go into every detail. Now, we are recharged and excited to taking our abstract idea and making it concrete for potential publication

What Journal-Sentinel reporter Dan Egan does well and what I believe he is aiming to do, is to bring a seemingly local issue to the national forefront. He makes it very clear that this issue of invasive species is not just a Great Lakes region problem. It is a national problem.

For this reason, I find it surprising that this story has not reached mainstream audience. It is not a sexy news story, but it affects millions of people of all walks of life. Even if not at a mainstream level, I'm surprised that publications like National Geogrphic haven't pushed on this issue. It is a story that has so many factors and players: politicians, business leaders, blue-collar workers and a national reach. 

Investing the time to read these articles have helped me realize that this is not an issue to be put on the back burner. In this week's reading, Egan writes about an oblivious public out west. Hopefully, more writing from journalist's like Egan can help push this issue as a priority.

Once more, our assignment for this week is to continue to immerse ourselves in the work and subject matter that fellow Dan Egan has written on by reading his published stories. This week's articles focused on the chronic environmental disaster of the Chicago Sanitary Ship Canal and the cost estimates for a system to reverse Chicago's 1900 project that changed the flow of the Chicago River from towards Lake Michigan to away from the Great Lake. 

Both articles explain and expand on the consequences of the reversal of flow of the Chicago River in 1900. One of the unintended consequences is the tampering of the continental divide that determines whether a rain drop in Chicago ends up in the north Atlantic or in the Gulf of Mexico.  

While some projects aren't planned for completion until 2029, there still seems to be a sense of urgency among those involved. 

What is impressive about Egan's writing is that he only inserts himself in the story as an observer. From describing scenes of dirty rivers to painting the portraits of the people most heavily involved in the issue to displaying the massive numbers included in the various costs, Egan simply presents the information for the reader to absorb it and react. 

The second part of our assignment this week was to find and share three infographics. I was introduced to the National Post on Tumblr. The popular blogging site is extremely image-driven. The National Post, a national Canadian newspaper, consistently provides spectacular photography and visually inviting infographics. The infographic shown right clearly and effectively presents information about an abnormally warm winter throughout the country. 

Two other infographics I found intriguing also focused on environmental issues.  One focuses on a drought in the Peru Asparagus Valley and the other on species in Antarctica. Both present a vast amount of information in a creative, easily comprehensive presentation. I believe following a similar model to these infographics can help a journalist like Dan Egan compile a great amount of data and make it easy to understand.

Chicago is my home. No matter where life leads me, my heart will always belong to the crown jewel of the Great Lakes. While Chicago has a rich history, there are some pieces of its past that are not so grand. 

In my first readings of Dan Egan's work on the Great Lakes, I discovered the history of Chicago's disruption of the Lake Michigan environment. Egan details the reversal of the Chicago River's flow from towards Lake Michigan to towards the Mississippi River Basin. Using the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, Chicago was able to send its waste south towards St. Louis. Their sanitation problems were not solved, but with advances in sewage and filtration technology, the issue was far less severe.

Fast forward to the 1960s and the dispersement of a foreign invader: Asian Carp. This unwelcome species made its way up towards the Great Lakes and now all hands are on deck to get rid of the fish.

Egan talks about the combative nature of trying to defeat the Asian Carp. I have grown up hearing about the Asian Carp invasion through the Chicago media and so this story hits on a personal note.

What the future holds for the Asian Carp and Great Lakes is unknown. What is known is that a mix of science and politics is needed to combat this.