USACE Releases Eagle Marsh ANS Controls Report

Nov 16: The Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) released the Eagle Marsh Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) Controls Report for public review and comment. Eagle Marsh, which is located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, has been identified as a potential pathway where ANS may spread between the Mississippi River and Great Lakes basins. This potential pathway was identified in the report titled Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study Other Pathways Preliminary Risk Characterization released in 2010. A 60-day public comment period begins on November 16, 2012 and ends January 14, 2013.

    The purpose of the Eagle Marsh ANS Controls Report is to identify a permanent means to prevent the spread of Asian carp and other aquatic nuisance species across Eagle Marsh as efficiently and effectively as possible. In the report, nine structural alternatives are compared and at least three were determined to have a "high" likelihood of preventing interbasin spread of ANS across Eagle Marsh. A range of non-structural alternatives are also described that could complement any structural solution.

    USACE actively coordinated with the Indiana DNR, U.S. Geological Survey, Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. EPA, Council on Environmental Quality, Little River Wetlands Project, Maumee River Basin Commission, Allen County Soil and Water Conservation District and Allen County Surveyor's Office throughout development of the report. Their contributions significantly improved the quality of the report and reflect significant interest and capabilities that may be applied toward long-term prevention of the spread of ANS across Eagle Marsh.

    Access a release from USACE (click here). [#GLakes]

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Groups Highlight Fiscal Cliff Impact On Great Lakes Programs

Nov 14: Drawing attention as to why the so-called "Fiscal Cliff" issue [See WIMS 11/8/12] is important to environmental programs, a number of Great Lakes advocates are urging the nation's leaders to hold the line against cuts to successful programs that are restoring the Lakes, the source of drinking water for 30 million people.

 

    Jeff Skelding, campaign director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition (HOW) said, "President Obama's support for Great Lakes programs has been invaluable, and we challenge him to maintain his commitment to the Lakes. Congressional support has been equally important. Our message to Congress: Do not let up now. Restoration projects are producing results -- but there's more to do. We look forward to working with leaders of both parties to maintain the nation's commitment to the Great Lakes to protect our drinking water, jobs, public health and way of life."

 

    The groups, which also include Alliance for the Great Lakes and the National Parks Conservation Association indicate that unless the U.S. Congress and Obama Administration forge a budget deal by January 1, key Great Lakes programs face mandatory 8.2 percent cuts through a process called "sequestration." The reductions due to sequestration are on top of other potential budget cuts, threatening core clean water programs. They point out that based on fiscal year 2012 levels, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative would be cut by $25 million, from $300 million to $275 million. The Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund -- which helps communities fix old sewers -- would be cut by $120 million, from $1.47 billion to $1.35 billion. By formula, the Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin would lose approximately $44 million.

 

    Access a release from HOW with more information (click here). Access a fact sheet on the impact of sequestration on Great Lakes programs (click here).

 

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Grants Focus On Adapting To Climate Change In Great Lakes

Nov 15: University of Michigan (U-M) scientists and their colleagues at Michigan State University (MSU) have awarded six grants to organizations across the region for projects that will help decision-makers adapt to climate change and variability in the Great Lakes basin. The grants were awarded by the Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments Center (GLISA), a Federally funded collaboration between U-M and MSU. GLISA researchers study issues related to climate change and variability in the Great Lakes basin and how the region can respond to climate-related risks, such as potential damages from changes in long-term temperature and precipitation patterns.

    GLISA program manager David Bidwell, a research fellow at U-M's Graham Sustainability Institute said, "Climate change is expected to have significant impacts on the Great Lakes region, and it's important for us to understand and prepare for them. These projects are laboratories for learning best practices for making decisions informed by climate science."

    In addition to the grant awards, GLISA researchers recently posted a new set of white papers focused on potential impacts, vulnerabilities and adaptation options related to climate change and variability in the Midwest. Donald Scavia, GLISA co-leader and special counsel to the U-M president for sustainability said, "These papers were prepared at the request of the U.S. Global Change Research Program and examine how climate change could affect water resources, forestry, biodiversity, transportation, energy, agriculture, tourism and recreation, and the region's coastal systems. These assessments are critical, not only to the U.S. national climate assessment, but also to aid regional adaptation planning."

 

    Access a release with summaries of the projects and link to  more information on the grants and GLISA (click here). Access white papers (click here).

 

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New York Sea Grant Restoration Initiative Projects

Nov 14: The New York Sea Grant (NYSG) announced that it will collaborate on four Great Lakes Restoration Initiative projects. Award-winning educators David MacNeill, a fisheries specialist, and coastal education specialist Helen Domske will be key partners in efforts to: evaluate the status of Lake Ontario's food web; develop resources for North American scientists on high-risk aquatic invasive species currently most well-known in Russian waters and where they may be found should they invade North America; extend successful aquatic invasive species (AIS) education to new target audiences; and educate a wide variety of stakeholders about the proper disposal of personal care products to help reduce unwanted chemicals in the Great Lakes system.
 
    New York Sea Grant Associate Director and Cornell Cooperative Extension Assistant Director Dr. Katherine Bunting-Howarth said, "New York Sea Grant Extension is pleased to partner with our Sea Grant colleagues, educational institutions, the National Geographic Society and others who share an interest in the Great Lakes to pursue critical research and educational opportunities in 2013 on behalf of the Great Lakes' unique environmental system."

 

    Access a release from NYSG and link to more information (click here).

 

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Patty Birkholz Appointed To Great Lakes Protection Fund Board

Nov 9: Michigan Governor Rick Snyder announced the appointment of Patty Birkholz, of Saugatuck, to the Great Lakes Protection Fund Board of Directors. Established in 1989, the Great Lakes Protection Fund (GLPF) is a private, nonprofit corporation and permanent environmental endowment that supports collaborative actions to improve the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem. The fund's board of directors meets quarterly and governs fund operations. The Governor said, "Patty is a well-known and highly regarded advocate for Michigan and its lakes. I am confident she will do great work to promote and enhance the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem."

 

    Birkholz most recently served as director of the Michigan Office of the Great Lakes. Previously, she served five terms in the Michigan Legislature, including three in the House and two in the Senate. She was the first woman in State history elected president pro-tempore. Birkholz's legislative work focused on protecting the Great Lakes and Michigan's groundwater; she championed the adoption of the historic Great Lakes Water Compact and spearheaded passage of the nation's first scientifically-based water withdrawal legislation. Birkholz holds a bachelor's degree in speech pathology from Western Michigan University, where she also completed graduate work in speech pathology and public administration. She replaces Rich Baird. Birkholz will serve a two-year term that expires October 11, 2014, and her appointment is not subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.

 

    The GLPF recently released its draft version of the Fund's 2011 Annual Report which until the close of business on Monday, November 26, 2012. In 1989, the Governors of the Great Lakes states created the Protection Fund to help them protect and restore their shared natural resources. The Fund is the first private endowment created to benefit a specific ecosystem. It is designed to support the creative work of collaborative teams that test new ideas, take risks, and share what they have learned. It is a source of financial support for groups that value innovation and entrepreneurship, focus on tangible benefits for the Great Lakes ecosystem, and learn by doing. Seven Great Lakes states contributed $81 million to the Fund's permanent endowment.

 

    Access a release from the Governor (click here). Access the GLPF website for more information (click here). Access the announcement of the draft report with commenting instructions and link to the complete 36-page report (click here).

 

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Comments On Indiana Aquatic Nuisance Species Pathway Reports

Nov 9: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) released for public comment three draft Aquatic Pathway Assessment Reports for the State of Indiana: Eagle Marsh, Loomis Lake and Parker-Cobb Ditch. The purpose of each report is to evaluate key evidence to estimate the likelihood of an aquatic pathway forming and the possibility of aquatic nuisance species (ANS) using it to reach the adjacent basin, as part of the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study (GLMRIS).

    In 2010, a temporary barrier was built to prevent adult Asian carp transfer at Eagle Marsh. However, the Eagle Marsh assessment report found that Eagle Marsh remains a high risk potential pathway due to the probability that viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHS) could spread across the basin divide. USACE GLMRIS Program Manager Jack Drolet said, "There has been significant progress on Eagle Marsh. Because this was identified early on as a potential Asian carp transfer site, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources built a temporary barrier, and the GLMRIS Team began to evaluate potential permanent control options. That report will be available soon and will provide opportunity for stakeholder input."

    The ANS Controls Report that identifies options and technologies that may be available to permanently prevent the inter-basin transfer of ANS during flooding events at the Wabash – Maumee basins connection at Eagle Marsh near Fort Wayne, IN will be released for a 60-day comment period November 16. Comments for the three draft Indiana reports will be accepted beginning Nov. 9, 2012 and will close Dec. 7, 2012.

    Access a release from USACE with commenting instructions and link to the three reports and background information (click here).

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Deepwater Ciscoes to be Re-Introduced Into Lake Ontario

Nov 9: The "bloater" fish, a deepwater cisco, was re-introduced into Lake Ontario offshore of Oswego, bringing the fish back to the lake for the first time in nearly thirty years, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and partner agencies announced today. This historic action is the first of its kind in the Great Lakes and is the culmination of several years of collaborative laboratory, hatchery and field research conducted by federal, state, and provincial agencies. The last known fish was collected in 1983.

 

    DEC Commissioner Joe Martens said, "Lake Ontario's sport fisheries are a significant economic driver in New York State, and were valued at more than $113 million in 2007. Re-establishing bloaters in Lake Ontario will diversify the fish community, adding stability to the lake's ecosystem and sport fisheries." According to a release from DEC, re-establishing self-sustaining populations of bloater in Lake Ontario is the focus of a cooperative, international effort between DEC, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Great Lakes Fishery Commission to restore native fish populations in Lake Ontario.  This program will improve food web stability and mitigate negative impacts of invasive species; however, it will require a long-term stocking program. 

 

    Russ Strach, Director of the USGS Great Lakes Science Center, said, "The capital investment in the new research vessel demonstrates USGS' commitment to cutting-edge deepwater science in Lake Ontario.  The new vessel greatly enhances our ability to conduct ecosystem-based fishery research to address management questions important to our partner agencies.  I'm proud to see the platform used by the partnership working to restore this important native species."

 

    Deepwater ciscoes, a diverse group of species including bloater, kiyi, blackfin cisco, and shortnose cisco, were once the most abundant prey fish in the lake and supported important commercial fisheries.  Members of the whitefish family, bloaters feed primarily on invertebrates in water depths from 180 feet to 650 feet, spawning in winter at great depth, and were an important food source for native lake trout and burbot. 
 
    By the mid-20th century, populations declined dramatically in association with over-harvest and expanding populations of invasive alewife and rainbow smelt. Re-introducing bloaters will provide more food choices for predators, such as lake trout and salmon, and diversify the Lake Ontario fish community.  Lake trout and salmon that feed primarily on alewife can experience reproductive failure due to a vitamin B deficiency.  Predators that feed on native species like bloater are less likely to experience reproductive failure.

 

    Access the release from NY DEC (click here).

 

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