32 Years of Environmental Reporting for serious Environmental Professionals
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Groups Highlight Fiscal Cliff Impact On Great Lakes Programs
32 Years of Environmental Reporting for serious Environmental Professionals
Grants Focus On Adapting To Climate Change In Great Lakes
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."
32 Years of Environmental Reporting for serious Environmental Professionals
New York Sea Grant Restoration Initiative Projects
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."
32 Years of Environmental Reporting for serious Environmental Professionals
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Patty Birkholz Appointed To Great Lakes Protection Fund Board
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).
32 Years of Environmental Reporting for serious Environmental Professionals
Friday, November 9, 2012
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).
32 Years of Environmental Reporting for serious Environmental Professionals
Deepwater Ciscoes to be Re-Introduced Into Lake Ontario
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.
32 Years of Environmental Reporting for serious Environmental Professionals
Friday, November 2, 2012
Great Lakes Green Chemistry Conference
32 Years of Environmental Reporting for serious Environmental Professionals