Ballasts: Tank-like compartments within a boat or ship that  hold water.
Ships carrying large cargo use ballast water for proper stability.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation; in the case of the Blue Crew, their emphasis is on environmental CSI.

Giant Hogweed: Once immortalized in song by the rock group Genesis, this plant produces a sap that can cause severe skin inflammation and, if it gets in the eyes, can lead to temporary or even permanent blindness.

Invasive Species: There are more than 180 non-native fish, mussels, plants and other aquatic forms of life that don’t belong in the Great Lakes.

MC: In the world of hip-hop, a musical artist of note (e.g. MC Hammer), with the letters being the abbreviation for master of ceremonies. MC Sirius is one of the members of the Blue Crew, who is known as the dapper rapper in the dog-earred hat.

Menacing Mollusks: Zebra mussels are small but prolific mollusks thought to have been carried from the Caspian Sea to the Great Lakes; they are menacing in the threat they pose. Quagga mussels are widely regarded as an even more destructive force.

Navy SEAL: An elite special force of the U.S. Navy known for dangerous missions. SEAL is short for Sea, Air and Land.

Philanthropist: A person who donates money, goods, services and/or time to support a cause.

Purple Loosestrife: A pretty flowering plant that has become a pretty big problem in North America, as it crowds out native plant species. A single plant may produce up to three million tiny seeds annually.

Quagga Mussels: Scientists estimate there are 950 trillion quagga mussels in the Great Lakes. There are about 500 million pounds of quagga mussels in Lake Michigan alone, or roughly four times the weight of all prey fish species combined.

Ramsay: In addition to being a member of the Blue Crew, Ramsay is also the name of a small town in the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The name is also a nod to Ripley, the heroine of the “Alien” movie series.

Round Goby: A small, soft-bodied fish that looks cute to many, but is downright ugly to fisherman because its aggressiveness allows it to outcompete native species for food

Rust Buckets: Slang for aging ships that have seen better days.

Sea Lamprey: A parasitic, snake-like creature that uses its teeth to penetrate the skin and scales of fish in its quest for food.

Semper Fi-Do: “Semper Fidelis,” which is Latin for “Always Faithful,” is often shortened to Semper Fi. Often associated with the U.S. Marines, the reference in “Sooper Yooper: Environmental Defender” plays off a common nickname for dogs (Fido).

Sirius: A play on the word serious, Sirius is often called the “Dog Star” and is regarded as the brightest star in the night sky

Soo Locks: Site that allows ships to travel between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes.

Tributary: A stream or river that flows into a primary body of water.

Water Diversion: The concept of taking water resources from the Great Lakes to other locations, with potentially negative impact on the region.

Wege Foundation: Wege, which rhymes with peggy, is the namesake of Peter Wege, who has dedicated his life (and in turn, his foundation) to promoting education, the environment, arts and culture, health care and human services.

Yooper: A resident of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Zooplankton: Tiny animals that eat the organisms known as plankton and drift in the water columns of oceans and seas as well as bodies of fresh water.