From plants to microplastics and more – Ohio Educator leverages strengths in new role as Extension Specialist
Story by Mark Warman
Mark Warman has been an active natural resources professional for the past 12 years. His pathway includes work as a program manager on the Cuyahoga River Area of Concern, as a Naturalist at the Watershed Stewardship Center at Cleveland Metroparks, and for the past eight years on a grant-funded project to survey and manage aquatic invasive plants in Ohio’s Lake Erie Basin.
As nuisance plants began to colonize more waterbodies, Mark and his summer crew’s efforts were needed in the Ohio River drainage as well. Much time and effort were spent on one of the states’ worst water weeds, Hydrilla verticillata. Mark and his team developed management plans, coordinated vegetation surveys to measure efficacy of treatments, and created plant inventories for over 500 waterbodies.
Mark recommends that anyone working on the water learn how to identify and report a few of the most burdensome aquatic plants: Hydrilla, European frogbit, yellow floating heart, water chestnut, and water soldier are in the Great Lakes Region. “These plants have super cool adaptations and reproductive strategies which, unfortunately, can make them great hitchhikers on boats and recreational or hunting equipment. They can also be a nightmare to manage in natural areas” Warman says.
While leading Ohio’s aquatic plant program, Mark collaborated across states and internationally. “We worked with different Army Corps Districts to make our management plans, coordinated with Michigan, Indiana, and Pennsylvania on early detection and new management strategies, and recently with Ontario natural resources staff on the new Hydrilla detection near Lake Erie.”
For Mark, a new position with Ohio Sea Grant plays to his strengths of collaboration on emerging concerns. He joined Ohio Sea Grant in December 2024 and works on Lake Erie ecology and emerging contaminants such as marine debris/microplastics, PFAS, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products.
“It is a similar set of decisions on different topics; things that do not belong in our water and how we respond to them.” Solutions to these complicated topics will require stakeholder engagement and ideas from diverse communities, he believes. Mark looks forward to meeting with the professionals working on emerging contaminants in the North Central Region. He is excited to broaden his knowledge of aquatic resources and emerging issues at the intersection of human and ecological health. Please reach out to Mark to collaborate as he gets settled into his new role!
Mark Warman, Ohio Sea Grant
Mark Warman is the Extension Specialist focused on Emerging Contaminants at Ohio Sea Grant. Before he started this position, he worked on an aquatic invasive plant project at Cleveland Metroparks with grant funding through the Ohio Department of Natural Resources via the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Mark developed management approaches to leading edge and outlier populations of plants and collaborated with professionals across state and international borders. He has a particular interest in providing hands-on learning opportunities to help people understand their connections to the environment. Outside of his work he enjoys spending time with his wife, two sons, and staying active outdoors. Mark is interested in community engagement, collaborating across borders and boundaries, and aquatic ecology. He will talk to anyone about emerging concerns in our waters – from plants to PFAS, to microplastics and more.