Great Lakes Fish & Wildlife Restoration RFP

Oct 18: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS or Service) has issued request for proposal (RFP) from interested entities for restoration, research and Regional Project proposals for the restoration of the Great Lakes Basin fish and wildlife resources, as authorized under the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act (16 USC 941c). The purpose of the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act (GLFWRA) is to provide assistance to States, Indian Tribes, and other interested entities to encourage cooperative conservation, restoration and management of the fish and wildlife resources and their habitats in the Great Lakes Basin. Regional Projects are authorized activities of the Service related to fish and wildlife resource protection, restoration, maintenance, and enhancement impacting the resources of multiple States or Indian Tribes with fish and wildlife management authority in the Great Lakes Basin.

 

    The Service will be responsible for accomplishing Regional Projects on behalf of the State and/or Tribal agencies submitting the Regional Project proposal. Supported in part by President Obama's Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), a total of $2 million will be available to support projects this fiscal year. Available funding and project awards are subject to final Congressional appropriations for Fiscal Year 2012. Up to 33% of the total Congressional appropriation to the GLFWRA is eligible to fund Regional Projects.

 

    Restoration and research projects require a 25% non-federal match. Regional projects selected shall be exempt from cost sharing if the Service Director determines that the authorization for the project does not require a non-Federal cost-share. The two page pre-proposals and Regional Project proposals are submitted to the Service for review. Successful restoration and research applicants are invited to submit full proposals, which are reviewed and ranked. Successful restoration and research projects have ranged from $2,300 to $2,000,000 with the average project at $102,908. Pre-proposals and Regional Project proposals are due on Monday, December 12, 2011, by 10:00 PM EST.

 

    Access links to the complete RFP, Pre-Proposal and Regional Project application (click here).

 

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IJC Report On Great Lakes Water Quality Since 1987

Oct 14: The International Joint Commission (IJC) released a draft report that is a preliminary effort to describe changes in the health of the Great Lakes over the past quarter century. The report, released during the IJC's Biennial Meeting on Great Lakes Water Quality at Great Lakes Week in Detroit, measures some of the progress made by the U.S. and Canada in fulfilling their respective commitments to protect and restore their shared waters under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA), first signed in 1972 and amended in 1987. At present, the governments of Canada and the United States are working to renew this Agreement to better meet current challenges facing the Great Lakes. IJC is accepting comments on the report until November 30, 2011.

    Canadian Section Chair Joseph Comuzzi said, "Our two countries have made major investments to restore and maintain Great Lakes water quality over the decades. We need to take stock of the results as we set goals for the coming decades. Although the results are mixed, they show that there has been progress and there is a clear need to update the Agreement to better address emerging threats." U.S. Section Chair Lana Pollack said, "The Great Lakes are at the heart of our economy and quality of life. We need good up-to-date-science based information to assess how well Canada and the United States are protecting these waters. This draft report is an important step toward understanding the larger picture."

    The draft report indicates that levels of many older chemicals have decreased in herring gulls, fish and sediments, especially from 1987-2000. However, results differ for some newer chemicals, such as PBDE (flame retardants) levels in fish increased considerably from 1987 to 2000. In addition, 34 non-native aquatic species were introduced into the Great Lakes, but none have become established since 2006. The burrowing mayfly and lake sturgeon have started to return, but lake trout populations have not changed measurably. Diporeia, a small shrimp-like crustacean that is a key part of the aquatic food web has almost disappeared.

    The draft report uses seven measures of biological integrity, six measures of chemical integrity, and one measure of physical integrity, to assess changes in the Great Lakes basin ecosystem. It draws on the best indicators of ecosystem trends available from government agencies and the academic research community. The Commission plans to publish a report in 2012 based on comments received and subsequent research.   

    One observation of the report is that while the Commission reviewed the 2009 SOLEC (State of the Lake Ecosystem Conference) indicators to see to what degree they can be used to evaluate progress since 1987 and to see how well they address the Commission's Task Force recommendations to address swimmability, fishability and drinkability. The Commission found only several of the 80 indicators were useful for evaluating progress since 1987. Several of the sources for this report came from outside of SOLEC. The Commission continues to be concerned that excessive effort is expended on too many indicators that have limited utility. Selecting and reporting on a smaller and continued set of core indicators should be the priority. The core set should include some with historical data back to 1987, some on the nearshore and some on human health. The indicators and a report assessing progress based on those indicators should be provided by the governments in the next reporting period.

        Access an announcement with commenting instructions and link to the complete 173-page report (click here).

Groups Push For Great Lakes Commons & Public Trust Status

Oct 12: Flow for Water, a coalition of several national and state organizations, Council of Canadians, and On the Commons are presenting their proposals at the at the International Joint Commission's (IJC) Biennial Meeting being held in Detroit at Great Lakes Week regarding overarching principles for integrating water pollution concerns from the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement with the Boundary Water Treaty's treatment of flows, levels, and quantities. They said this is one step in the campaign to address the need for providing lasting protection of our waters in the form of a public trust.

    According to a release, a Great Lakes Basin commons would reject the view that the primary function of the Great Lakes is to promote the interests of industry and give them preferential access to the Lakes' boundaries. Jim Olson, a leading U.S. water law expert and Chair of Flow for Water said, "We need overarching twenty-first century principles to address massive twenty-first century threats that transcend an obsolete twentieth century legal framework. The International Joint Commission took the lead when it addressed pockets of pollution in its landmark 1972 Water Quality Agreement. It can take the lead again by looking to adopt a broad framework of principles, like commons and the public trust, which will assure rights of shared use and duties of shared respect for the Great Lakes for generations to come."

 

    As part of the overall effort to save the Great Lakes from the myriad threats from the past and this century, the groups are asking that the IJC to consider the Great Lakes a commons and public trust and in doing so, acknowledge the threats facing the Great Lakes and its ecosystem and take steps to reenvision the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement as was done when it was enacted as a landmark step in 1972. They said, "The public trust principles are about a broader picture for the health of our waters and citizens and the IJC has an opportunity to acknowledge that."

 

    Access a posted release from the organizations (click here). Access the Flow for Water website for background and more information (click here).

 

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Great Lakes Still Has A Significant Mercury Pollution Problem

Oct 6: The Biodiversity Research Institute has announced it will release a report entitled, Great Lakes Mercury Connections: The Extent and Effects of Mercury Pollution in the Great Lakes Region, a synthesis of new research by 170+ scientists based on 35 peer-reviewed papers published this month in the journal Ecotoxicology and soon to be published in Environmental Pollution. According to an announcement, despite decades of progress, the Great Lakes region still has a significant mercury pollution problem.

 

   The report is a collaboration of the Biodiversity Research Institute in Gorham, Maine, the Great Lakes Commission based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. The report is the product of a binational, scientific synthesis sponsored by the Great Lakes Commission through its Great Lakes Air Deposition Program, funded by the U.S. EPA.

 

    On October 11, during Great Lakes Week in Detroit, and in a webinar, scientists will present new policy-relevant research, as the deadline nears for U.S. EPA Utility Air Toxics Rule, including: new information on the severity of the mercury problem in the Great Lakes region; new research on the wildlife effects of mercury; and new analysis of progress made by pollution control efforts to date and the contribution of emissions sources in the Great Lakes region. Speakers will include: Tim Eder – Executive Director, Great Lakes Commission; James Wiener, Ph.D. – Wisconsin Distinguished Professor, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse; David C. Evers, Ph.D. – Executive Director, Biodiversity Research Institute; and Charles T. Driscoll, Ph.D. – University Professor and National Academy Member, Syracuse University.

 

    According to an abstract of a paper in Ecotoxicology, "This special issue examines bioaccumulation and risks of methylmercury in food webs, fish and wildlife in the Laurentian Great Lakes region of North America, and explores mercury policy in the region and elsewhere in the United States and Canada. A total of 35 papers emanated from a bi-national synthesis of multi-media data from monitoring programs and research investigations on mercury in aquatic and terrestrial biota, a 3-year effort

involving more than 170 scientists and decision-makers from 55 different universities, non-governmental organizations, and governmental agencies. Over 290,000 fish mercury data points were compiled from monitoring programs and research investigations. The findings from this scientific synthesis indicate that (1) mercury remains a pollutant of major concern in the Great Lakes region, (2) that the scope and intensity of the problem is greater than previously recognized and (3) that after decades of declining mercury levels in fish and wildlife concentrations are now increasing in some species and areas. While the reasons behind these shifting trends require further study, they also underscore the need to identify information gaps and expand monitoring efforts to better track progress. This will be particularly important as new pollution prevention measures are implemented, as global sources increase, and as the region faces changing environmental conditions."

 

    Access the announcement from Biodiversity Research Institute with further details and contacts (click here). Access the Special Issue of Ecotoxicology on Mercury in the Great Lakes to access various papers (click here).

 

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2011 GLRI Quality Technical Conference: Dec. 6-8

Oct 5: The 2011 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Quality Technical Conference will be held in Chicago, on December 6-8, 2011. The primary purpose of this year's conference is to facilitate implementation of quality practices for projects being conducted under the GLRI by providing training, tools, resources, and a forum for communication among GLRI collaborators as they implement their projects. The 2011 GLRI Quality Technical Conference will provide an opportunity to work together to improve quality practices for GLRI projects and ultimately, the environment.

    The first conference day will include the meeting welcome, and plenary and technical sessions. Day two will offer a choice of two concurrent sessions: Session I will include training sessions and Session II will include a series of technical sessions on implementation of quality. The morning of conference day three will be dedicated to presentations by GLRI collaborators. The Quality Program Lead for each GLRI collaborator will present the status of quality implementation for their GLRI projects.

    Access complete conference information including registration details, agenda and contacts (click here).

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IJC Great Lakes Priority Issue Reports For Comment

Oct 4: For the past two years, experts from the International Joint Commission (IJC) Water Quality Board, Science Advisory Board, Council of Great Lakes Research Managers, Health Professionals Task Force and International Air Quality Advisory Board (and other experts) have been developing findings and recommendations regarding six key research areas: the Nearshore Framework; Chemicals of Emerging Concern, Harmful/Nuisance Algae; Aquatic Invasive Species; Benefits and Risks of Fish Consumption; and Beaches Recreational Water Quality. Most draft reports are now posted (or will be soon) and available for public comment. Following the IJC Biennial Meeting (October 12-14) and the incorporation of comments received, the reports will become the foundation for the 16th Biennial Report, to be released in 2012.

 

    Access the reports, related information and commenting instructions by clicking on the links above. Access complete information on the IJC Biennial Meeting and Great Lakes Week in Detroit (click here).

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Mining Association Sues To Stop Cross-State Air Pollution Rule
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$2.4 Million For Lake Erie GLRI Projects

U.S. EPA announced funding for three Toledo-area Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) projects totaling nearly $2.4 million. The projects will help to restore Lake Erie and put people back to work, using a conservation corps model to hire unemployed workers to improve habitat and clean up shoreline. The three Toledo-area projects were selected from 44 proposals totaling almost $25 million, which were submitted in response to a $6 million challenge that EPA issued in August to encourage Federal agencies to sign up unemployed workers to implement restoration projects in federally-protected areas, on tribal lands and in Areas of Concern (AOCs) in the Great Lakes Basin. To qualify for funding, each project is required to provide jobs for at least 20 unemployed people.

    Susan Hedman, EPA Great Lakes National Program Manager said, "The tremendous response to EPA's challenge underscores the large backlog of Great Lakes restoration projects that are ready to be implemented and the strong support that exists for using a conservation corps model to get the job done. Over the next week, EPA will be announcing a total of eight restoration projects worth $6.6 million as part of this challenge. Each project will produce immediate, direct ecological benefits and will help to put unemployed people back to work." The announcement in the Toledo area includes: $1 million to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to control invasive plants in the Lower Black River; another $811,252 to restore habitat in the Maumee River AOC; and $480,000 to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for conservation, restoration and outreach at the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge on the southwest shore of Lake Erie.

 

    Access a release from EPA Region 5 (click here, posted soon). Access more information on GLRI (click here).

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