Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Cities Initiative Meeting

May 22: The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative (GLSLCI) will be holding its 10th Anniversary Conference in Marquette, Michigan June 19 - 21. Agenda items include: Accelerating Climate Adaptation, Innovations in Great Lakes Tourism, Sustainable Water Management, Mining, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Shoreline Protection, Recent Impacts of Low Lake Levels and more. Special Keynote Speaker is former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. The event is being hosted by the Superior Watershed Partnership in cooperation with the City of Marquette.

 

    GLSLCI is an organization of over 100 US and Canadian cities that meet annually to address Great Lakes protection, restoration, sustainable economic development and other emerging issues.

 

    Access the Conference website (click here). Access more information on GLSLCI (click here). [GLakes, MIGLakes]

 

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U-M Water Center Awards 12 Research Grants

May 21: The new University of Michigan Water Center announced the award of 12 research grants, totaling nearly $570,000, to support Great Lakes restoration and protection efforts. The two-year grants of up to $50,000 will support diverse projects, including efforts to track the remediation of harmful algae blooms; assess the effectiveness of techniques to control non-native weedy plant invasions; study chromosomal damage in tree swallow nestlings; and monitor fish responses to restoration activities. The grants were awarded to multidisciplinary teams led by researchers at universities across the Great Lakes region and beyond. Fifty-four proposals were submitted for the first round of Water Center research grants. A second round of larger grants, of up to $500,000 each, will be awarded later this year. Water Center Director Allen Burton said, "These initial grants are to an exceptional few projects that really addressed our goals and clearly identified outcomes that matter to the region's resource management community. They are going to fill key gaps in our restoration knowledge."

    The $9 million U-M Water Center was formed last October with an initial focus on providing a solid scientific framework for more efficient and effective Great Lakes restoration. As a center of U-M's Graham Sustainability Institute, the Water Center was made possible by a $4.5 million, three-year grant from the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation and additional funds from the university. Foundation President John Erb said, "The Erb Family Foundation is pleased to support the important work of U-M's new Water Center to demonstrate the effectiveness of investments in Great Lakes restoration. The lakes are a unique and precious ecosystem that we must steward for the benefit of current and future generations."

    During its first three years, the center will focus on identifying and filling critical science gaps in the four focus areas of the federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI): removing toxic contamination and restoring regions of environmental degradation known as areas of concern; combating invasive species; protecting and restoring wildlife and their habitats; and ridding nearshore waters of polluted runoff. In selecting the first 12 grants, special emphasis was given to proposals that integrated one or more GLRI focus areas or that evaluated the potential effects of climate change on Great Lakes restoration efforts. In all cases, the U-M funding will be used to support existing restoration and protection efforts in the Great Lakes, not to establish new projects.

    Access a release from the Water Center with a listing of the projects (click here). Access the U-M Water Center (click here). [GLakes/GLRI]

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IJC's 16th Biennial Report On Great Lakes Water Quality

May 14: The International Joint Commission (IJC) released a report on how the health of the Great Lakes has changed over the past 25 years. While sustained governmental and public efforts have measurably improved Great Lakes water quality, rapid reduction in ice cover and the resurgence of some pollutants like excess nutrients are among the indicators currently raising concerns. Based on contributions from a wide range of U.S. and Canadian experts, the report reveals a mix of achievements and challenges.

    Joe Comuzzi, Canadian Chair of the IJC said, "With the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement just revised in 2012, both Canada and the U.S. have renewed and strengthened their commitment to protect and restore the Great Lakes. Tight budgets on both sides of the border mean that cooperation and coordination of clean-up efforts are even more important, and the recommendations in this report can help." Lana Pollack, IJC U.S. Chair said, "The data show some significant progress. However, the evidence equally indicates that more investments are needed. Protecting and restoring the Great Lakes is a job that is never done."

    Established by treaty in 1909, the IJC's six commissioners are charged with advising the governments of Canada and the United States on matters relating to the thousands of miles of shared boundary waters.  Last year both governments signed a revised Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and once again asked the IJC to report regularly on the health of the lakes and on how well the governments are meeting their obligations under the Agreement. The new IJC report is based on 16 measures of Great Lakes health that indicate the status of the chemical, physical and biological health of the Lakes.  Additionally, IJC also released a longer Technical Report with more supporting information. 

    IJC indicates that the seven indicators of chemical integrity show mostly favorable or stable results since 1987, reflecting the success of policy changes implemented in both countries after the original 1972 Agreement. However, some data also reveal a leveling off or even a reversal of reductions in toxic chemicals such as mercury and nutrient loadings in the past decade and earlier.

    The five biological indicators reveal mixed results. For example, the small, bottom-dwelling shrimp-like organism, Diporeia, an important part of the food chain, was once abundant in cold, offshore regions of the Great Lakes but is now completely absent from large areas of Lakes Michigan, Huron, Ontario and Erie. Also, from 1987 to 2006, 34 new non-native species became established in the Great Lakes, causing extensive and costly damage to the ecosystem. However, no new invasive species are known to have been introduced through ballast water since modifications in ballast water management regulations were implemented in 2006, though two species were established via other routes.

    The two physical indicators show rising surface water temperatures and reduced ice cover, likely signals of climate change. Warming Great Lakes raise concerns about maintenance of native coldwater fish species and an increase in algae blooms, among other effects. The indicators are also relevant to the IJC's responsibilities for managing water levels and flows. Concerns about global climate change prompted the IJC to support further inquiry into adaptive management practices that might be essential to minimize future damage to many Great Lakes interests.

    According to a release, under the revised Agreement, the parties and the IJC will be convening the Great Lakes Public Forum, to be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, September 9-10. In conjunction with Great Lakes Week, the Forum is an opportunity for the public to receive updates from governments regarding the state of the lakes and future plans for science and action. At the Forum, the IJC will provide information and solicit public input regarding ecosystem and human health indicators and how it plans to assess progress towards restoration. The final report of the IJC's Lake Erie Ecosystem Priority will also be published in advance of the Forum.

    Access a release from IJC (click here). Access the complete 46-page 16th Biennial Report (click here). Access the 231-page Technical Report (click here). Access links to previous Biennial Reports (click here). Access further information on the upcoming September Forum (click here). Access more information on the Lake Erie Ecosystem Priority report (click here). [GLakes]

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Great Lakes Nuclear Hot Spots Map

May 6: Great Lakes United (GLU) and the International Institute of Concern for Public Health (IICPH) released the Great Lakes Nuclear Hot Spots Map, providing a detailed regional, binational view of nuclear facilities in the Great Lakes Region. The map indicates that, with the exception of Lake Superior, each of the Great Lakes has numerous nuclear sites related to nuclear power generation, most of which are located within one kilometer of the Lakes. The groups said, "This raises concerns about the cumulative impacts of radioactive releases over the years from so many sites. It also shows the numerous places where a serious nuclear accident could occur in the region."

 

    The map marks the first comprehensive update of the information in 15 years and highlights the lack of information about radioactive releases from these facilities. In 1998, the International Joint Commission's (IJC) Task Force on Inventory of Radionuclides released an assessment of nuclear facilities around the basin. At the time, the Task Force concluded that releases from nuclear facilities were substantial, but that the extent of knowledge about the releases and their impacts was "limited." Additionally, the map includes all aspects of nuclear power production in the Great Lakes region, including the 38 operating nuclear power plants, 12 closed plants, and four new plants proposed in Canada. It also includes the facilities that process uranium ore and manufacture the pellets, as well as tailings sites from uranium mining from mining, and facilities that store, and dispose of radioactive waste. Every site on the map is a radioactive waste site, whether operating or not.

 

    Access a release from GLC and link to the121-page, 1997-98 IJC report (click here). Access the nuclear hot spots map (click here). [GLakes/Nuclear]

Webinars & Meetings On GLRI Action Plan Development

May 3: Cameron Davis, Senior Advisor to the Administrator U.S. EPA on Great Lakes Issues announced that the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force (IATF) will be holding a series of webinars and meeting in May and June to receive comments on the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Action Plan covering FY2010-2014. The IATF is seeking comments on how the FY10-14 Action Plan may be refined to increase the effectiveness of these investments during the FY15-19 Action Plan phase. The Action Plan identified the goals, objectives, measurable ecological targets, and specific actions to help rehabilitate the Great Lakes. The Action Plan is used by federal agencies to target investments to reduce toxic contamination, recover fish and wildlife habitat, increase nearshore health through the reduction of nutrient and other land-based pollution, prevent invasive species, and promote accountability, education and collaboration. The events are scheduled for: Thursday, May 23, 2-4 pm CDT - Webinar; Tuesday, May 28, 6-8 pm EDT - Buffalo, NY; Thursday, May 30, 6-8 pm CDT, Milwaukee, WI. Monday, June 3, 5-7 pm CDT - Webinar; Wednesday, June 5, 6-8 pm EDT - Cleveland, OH. 

 

    Access the complete notice with details on the meetings and webinars (click here). Access the FY10-14 Action Plan (click here). Access an FY11 GLRI Report to Congress and the President (click here). Access the GLRI website (click here). [GLakes/GLRI]

 

NWF Suit To Stop Ballast Water Invaders

May 2: The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is asking a Federal judge to stop U.S. EPA from implementing a rule that would prohibit the State of New York from strengthening protections again non-native species introduced by ballast water discharges. The motion was filed on May 1, in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Marc Smith, senior policy manager at NWF's Great Lakes Regional Center said, "The people, businesses and communities that have paid a steep price from aquatic invasive species deserve strong protections that shut the door on ballast water invaders once and for all. Our action today seeks to stop the EPA from blocking efforts to get the State of New York to do enough to prevent the introduction of more aquatic invasive species."

 

    According to an NWF release, the stakes are high in the effort to protect the Great Lakes. Ballast water invaders have altered the Great Lakes ecosystem from top to bottom and cause at least $200 million per year in damages and control costs. Despite the damage from aquatic invasive species, the Federal government failed for decades to put in place protections from non-native hitchhikers stowed away in ballast tanks of foreign ships. The lack of protections have been devastating, as non-native invaders such as the zebra mussel, round goby and spiny water flea have colonized Great Lakes waters -- and spread as far west as California.

 

    Conservation groups successfully sued EPA, mandating the Agency protect U.S. waters from ballast water invaders. EPA issued a permit that the National Wildlife Federation and other conservation groups argued was insufficient to protect U.S. waters from non-native invaders. As the EPA was revising its permit, states had the opportunity to strengthen the permit. The State of New York improved protections -- but did not go far enough to protect its waters. NWF sued the State of New York to strengthen ballast water protections.

Before that lawsuit was concluded, EPA finalized its permit on April 26 [See WIMS 3/29/13].  The latest NWF legal action seeks to ensure that New York can nevertheless add measures necessary to protect its waters once the New York lawsuit is resolved. NWF said that the outcome of the New York case is important because New York, in effect, is a gatekeeper for the Great Lakes, as all foreign ships entering the Lakes must journey up the St. Lawrence Seaway and through New York waters.

 

    Access a release from NWF (click here). Access the NWF Great Lakes Regional Center website for more information (click here). [GLakes/ANS]

 

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Great Lakes Compact Bodies To Meet

May 2: The Council of Great Lakes Governors (CGLG), which serves as serves as Secretariat to the Regional Body and the Compact Council, announced that the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Water Resources Regional Body (Regional Body) will meet on Saturday, June 1, 2013, at 2:15 PM EDT in the Theatre of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. The meeting will be open to the public and will include an opportunity for public comments for those who attend in person. The meeting will also be open via conference call in listen only mode and webcast (details to be provided later). An agenda, materials to be discussed and call-in information for those wishing to participate are available on the Regional Body website. Additionally, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Council (Compact Council) will meet the same day in the same place. The meeting will begin immediately following the adjournment of the Regional Body, expected at approximately 3:15 PM EDT. The meeting will also be open to the public and will include an opportunity for public comments, and will be open via conference call in listen only mode and webcast.

 

Access the Regional Body website for details (click here). Access the Compact Council website for details (click here). Access the CGLG website for more information (click here). [GLakes/Compact]

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