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Significant Activities Report:
December 2001
International Activities
Montreal Meeting on Great Lakes Protection
|
IJC Montreal 2001 Logo |
On October 19th and 20th, over 300 Great Lakes stakeholders attended the International Joint Commission's Biennial Public Forum on Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Water Quality held in Montreal, Quebec Canada. The main purpose of these biennial international meetings is to assess progress in Great Lakes protection and restoration programs as measured against the provisions of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between the United States and Canada. USEPA Assistant Administrator for Water, Tracy Mehan, delivered a keynote address on United States Great Lakes environmental policy. Outlining U.S. and binational Great Lakes environmental programs, he emphasized that our measure of success is whether we can answer "yes" to the fundamental questions that the public have regarding the Great Lakes:
- Are Great Lakes fish safe to eat?
- Are the beaches safe for swimming?
- Do the Lakes provide a healthy natural environment for people and wildlife?
- Do the Lakes continue to provide a safe source of drinking water?
Gary Gulezian, the Director of USEPA's Great Lakes National Program Office, and John Mills, Environment Canada's Regional Director General for the Ontario Region, reported on binational activities to protect and restore the Great Lakes ecosystem over the last two years. The theme of their report was how Great Lakes stakeholders work in partnership to achieve results.
Transcripts of these presentations and others from the Biennial Public Forum are available on the IJC's web site at:
http://www.ijc.org/montreal/postmonte.html
Contact: Tony Kizlauskas, USEPA - GLNPO (312) 353-8773
Group Examines Indicators for Societal Responsibility
In conjunction with the IJC biennial meeting in Montreal, the IJC
and the organizers of the State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference (a
U.S.-Canada biennial effort) sponsored a workshop on October 19th to
explore possible Indicators for Societal Responsibility in the Great
Lakes basin. Indicators for Societal Responsibility measure the
response of various parts of society to environmental stress.
Indicators are being developed for three parts of society: the
community or individual, industry, and institutions. Examples of
indicators for these three sectors include:
The community or individual – Time, money, attendance, group participation, environmental education, hours, public awareness, community-based governance.
Industry – Pollution reduction initiatives, green technology, and research and development, sharing and partnerships, efficiency, conservation.
Institutions – Responses by multiple levels of government, non-governmental organizations and other agencies.
Approximately 50 people participated in the half-day event, contributing lively and constructive discussions on potential societal indicators. A record of discussions and findings is being prepared by Environment Canada. A transcript of the workshop is available at:
http://www.ijc.org/montreal/indage.html
Future work will include further review and discussions with other stakeholders, pilot data collection and testing of indicators by a grantee, and presentation of proposed indicators at SOLEC 2002, to be held in Cleveland, Ohio on October 16-18, 2002.
Contact: Paul Bertram, USEPA - GLNPO (312) 353-0153
International Forum Tackles Mercury Pollution
More than 400 researchers participated in the 6th International
Conference on Mercury as a Global Pollutant which was held from
October 14th to 17th. GLNPO's Frank Anscombe delivered a plenary
session talk at the Conference. The conference was held from in
Minamata, Japan, site of an infamous organic mercury poisoning that
took place during the 1950's. Some victims of that environmental
disaster testified during the conference. Frank discussed the
likelihood that organic mercury compounds were formed within a local
chemical factory that used mercuric catalysts; contrasted this
creation of organic mercury with natural processes which may have
natural tempering; and outlined a broad sweep of actions underway to
reduce environmental releases of mercury within the United States,
including voluntary initiatives by several manufacturing sectors.
Additional information on the Conference is available at: http://www.icmgp2001.org
.
Contact: Frank Anscombe, USEPA - GLNPO (312) 353-0201
 Korean Radio satelite station in Seoul |
Korean Radio Visits Great Lakes to Learn from USEPA Experience
On November 13th, Mr. Kyoung-Min Yoo from Korean Radio Station MBC
Radio in Seoul visited USEPA's Great Lakes National Program Office and
Region 5 Water Division to learn how we protect water quality. Korea
is facing a severe future water supply shortage and is trying to
develop a program to safeguard both the quality and quantity of
drinking water. Mr. Yoo is one of several reporters interviewing
successful water pollution control and drinking water protection
programs around the world. Tony Kizlauskas of GLNPO related the story
of the recovery of the Great Lakes over the last 30 years, outlining
the successful Great Lakes U.S. and binational programs, while
describing the problems the Lakes face today. Mr. Yoo related that,
the water quality of Korean lakes and rivers today is about the same
as was that of the Great Lakes in the early 70's, so they have much
work ahead of them. Rich Zdanowicz of Region 5's Water Division spoke
about the success of EPA's water enforcement and construction grants
programs in reversing the effects of decades of pollution. He also
answered Mr. Yoo's questions about EPA's drinking water protection
program. Mr. Yoo was accompanied by Mr. Kwon Heonyol of Southern
Illinois University's Environmental Science Program, who assisted with
translation.
Contact: Tony Kizlauskas, USEPA - GLNPO (312) 353-8773
Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy Brochure (partial showing) |
Pollution Prevent Scores Big Against Toxics
The latest progress report from the Great Lakes Binational (U.S. and
Canada) Toxics Strategy reports big reductions in the worst of the
toxic chemicals polluting the Great Lakes:
- An 80% reduction in high level PCBs in use in Canada and about 90% reduction in the U.S.,
- Approximately 60 to 90% reduction of hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and 30 to 40% reduction of benzo(a)pyrene [B(a)P] in Canada. In the U.S., reductions are estimated to be about 90% for HCB and 65% for B(a)P;
- An 81% reduction in mercury emissions from a 1988 baseline in Canada and for the U.S., a 50% reduction will be achieved by 2006.
In a series of meetings held on November 14th to 16th in Chicago, Illinois, Great Lakes stakeholders met to mark progress under the Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy (GLBTS) in reducing persistent bioaccumulative toxics in the Great Lakes. The GLBTS is an agreement between the United States and Canada to achieve specific reduction goals for the worst of the Great Lakes toxics, including PCBs, dioxins, mercury, and PAHs.
On November 14th, a Stakeholder Forum was attended by approximately 90 individuals from Canada and the U.S., including government, industry and non-governmental organizations.
Invited speakers and their topics included:
- George Meyer of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources on "The Role of Eco-Partnerships and State Activities with respect to the Wisconsin Mercury Program"
- Joe Stearns of Chlorine Chemistry Council (CCC), Bob Bailey, a consultant to CCC, and Steve Risotto of Halogenated Solvents Alliance on "The Chemical Industry HCB Review"
- Leah Hagreen of Lourie and Love Inc. on the "Mercury Switch Out Program," which is partially funded by Environment Canada being undertaken in Ontario
- Joe Stepun of the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District on "Burn Barrels"
Following these presentations, the substance-specific work group chairpersons from Environment Canada and USEPA provided updates of toxic reduction activities for specific pollutants.
On November 15th, the GLBTS Integration Workgroup met to address toxics reduction implementation issues. Approximately 75 basin-wide participants from Canada and the U.S. attended including government, industry and non-governmental Organizations. Some of the key issues discussed were the need for an integrated Communications Strategy and how to promote broader awareness of and increase participation in the GLBTS activities. Presentations were given on the Toronto Sustainable Development & Pollution Prevention Project; the GLBTS Sector Pilot Project; and Long-Range Transport of Strategy Substances monitoring, trends and modeling. An agreement was reached on the need for an event in 2002 to coincide with the fifth anniversary of the signing of the GLBTS.
On November 16, 2001 a workshop was held to discuss how the GLBTS and Lakewide Management Plan (LaMP) programs could assist each other in reaching toxics reduction goals. Staff from the USEPA and Environment Canada who were GLBTS substance-specific work group chairs and LaMP mangers participated in the workshop. Some of the discussion topics included:
- How the two processes could mutually support the pollutant reduction needs and efforts of each program synergistically;
- How to better coordinate efforts and actions during the implementation phase of both programs;
- How to promote mutual education and relationship building; and
- How to establish and maintain a path forward for ongoing dialogue.
The group agreed that it would be preferable to look at ways to collaborate on a more regular basis. Senior managers of the LaMP and GLBTS will consult on a number of options that were put forward for consideration.
Contact: E.Marie Phillips, USEPA - GLNPO (312) 886-6034
Sediments
 The R/V Mudpuppy |
Study Seeks to Measure Sediment Cleanup Results
From October 15th to
23rd, USEPA's Great Lakes National Program Office and the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers collected sediment samples from the River Raisin in
Monroe, Michigan using GLNPO's specially-outfitted sediment sampling
boat, the R/V Mudpuppy. The sampling was a follow-up to assess the
effectiveness of a major sediment cleanup that had been conducted in
1997. A total of 15 sediment core samples and 13 surface sediment grab
samples were collected. The samples will be tested for chemistry,
toxicity, benthic community, and bioaccumulation potential. In
addition, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality will
conduct caged-fish studies in the river in 2002 to determine the
potential for uptake of PCBs into the food web. Results of this
sampling effort will be compared to data taken prior to the cleanup to
determine how the area is recovering. Future assessments of the area
may also be conducted to track recovery of the aquatic system.
Contact: Demaree Collier, USEPA - GLNPO (312) 886-0214
Releases of Volatile Pollutants from Dredged Material Disposal Sites
On November 9th, approximately 35 people attended a technical forum in
Whiting, Indiana on the potential for volatile contaminant releases
from dredged material and soils. The forum was presented in
coordination between USEPA GLNPO, USEPA Region 5, the Grand Cal Task
Force, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the East Chicago Waterways
Management District, and the Indiana Department of Environmental
Management and featured Dr. Louis Thibodeaux, a nationally renowned
expert in the field of contaminant transport. Dr. Thibodeaux discussed
the major findings of his literature review on the subject. The major
findings include:
- Flux of volatile contaminants from dredged material starts high but falls rapidly. Within days to one week, the flux is very low and near zero,
- The "weathered-out" surface layer creates a barrier that retards the escape of volatile contaminants in deeper layers of the CDF,
- Reworking dredged material will return the flux to values approaching that of fresh material, and Re-wetting or increasing humidity in the air produces only minor flux increases.
Results of the literature review will be incorporated into the supplemental risk assessment work that USEPA Region 5 is performing for the Indiana Harbor Canal CDF.
Contact: Scott Cieniawski, USEPA - GLNPO (312) 353-9184
Ecosystems
Ephemeral pond in deciduous forest |
Tallying Ecological Restoration Progress
USEPA's Great Lakes
National Program Office (GLNPO) is analyzing 105 final grant reports
from ecological protection and restoration projects funded by GLNPO
and completed between 1992 and 2001. As part of the analysis, projects
are being analyzed for environmental, stewardship, and economic
results. Out of a total of 106 projects funded during that time, 47
projects (43.3%) began the process of restoring more than 7,300 Great
Lakes basin acres. Ecological restoration is the process of assisting
the recovery and management of ecological integrity. Ecological
integrity includes a critical range of variability in biodiversity,
ecological processes and structures, regional and historical context,
and sustainable cultural practices.
Ecological restoration techniques were demonstrated at a variety of ecosystem types across the Great Lakes basin. Examples of ecological restoration projects include:
- On 77 acres of the Sandy Pond Peninsula in New York, 15,500 clumps of leeward dune beach grass were planted, plus one extra acre of beach grass was restored on a dune; the beach is a model for conservation.
- Eighteen restoration projects in the Toledo, Ohio Metroparks have begun: 140 acres have been restored and 110 acres are in the process of being restored.
- A total of 735 acres of Ohio prairie is being restored by planting grasses at 50 different sites.
- Riparian habitat was reconstructed at four sites along the Cuyahoga River in Ohio using bioengineering techniques.
- Twenty-five different wetland projects spanning 58 acres were begun in the Saginaw Bay Watershed, Michigan.
A wide variety of practical restoration techniques were tested in these projects. Examples include:
- Best Management Practices: Established on site treatment technologies and best management practices and incorporated technologies to mitigate thermal and nutrient impacts of urban and suburban storm water on the 22,400 acre Genessee River and Irondequoit Bay, New York drainage basin.
- Improvements to Wildlife Habitat: A coaster brook trout broodstock rearing facility was built on the Red Cliff Reservation in Wisconsin.
- Invasive Species Control: Invasive plant species were successfully removed from a selected area of Presque Isle State Park, Pennsylvania.
- Physical Site Improvements: 11,000 cubic yards of waste and woody debris were removed from an old lumber mill at Grassy Point in Duluth, Minnesota.
Examples of some of the projects that restored habitats at particular sites, supported protection or reintroduction of specific species include:
- A template of preferred conditions to guide mussel habitat restoration was produced in the St. Joseph Watershed of Indiana and Ohio.
- 14 Trumpeter Swans were introduced on the Bad River Reservation., Wisconsin.
- Northern pike habitat was restored at three sites on the western shore of Green Bay, Wisconsin.
The original goal of funding on-the-ground ecological restoration projects in order to demonstrate ecological restoration at a variety of ecosystems using a variety of techniques was met. Since the beginning of GLNPO's protection and restoration program, additional funding for small projects has become available through a variety of agency and foundation sources. GLNPO's ecological restoration grants aim to assist projects that are innovative, to support existing partnerships, and to produce tangible environmental benefits.
Contact: Karen Rodriguez, USEPA - GLNPO (312) 353-2690
New Grant Reports Available
The final report is available on the "Boreal Forest Restoration
Project." This project was carried out by the Bad River Band of
Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians, funded by USEPA's Great Lakes
National Program Office. The Boreal Forest Restoration Project
scientifically qualified parts of the Tribe's Integrated Resources
Management Plan. The Plan focuses on riparian buffers and slope
protection to abate quality problems arising from present logging
practices, provide travel corridors for species with large territorial
and emigration needs, restore characteristics of traditional forest
vegetation communities, increase thermal cover for resident wildlife
species in winter, lessen the impacts of herbivorous mammals, maintain
nesting cover for neo-tropical migrant birds, and protect critical
habitats for endangered and threatened species within the Reservation
and the Bad River watershed. This project addressed these issues and
piloted a long-term terrestrial monitoring project that was
institutionalized by the Bad River Natural Resources Department. The
project further ensured that a system of reserves, buffers, timber
production areas will protect water quality, enhance biological
integrity, provide restoration opportunities, preserve natural
processes crucial to proper ecosystem functioning, and promote
sustainable use of resources well into the future.
Contact: Karen Rodriguez, USEPA - GLNPO (312) 353-2690
The results of the "Cuyahoga River RAP Stream Restoration and Education Project" were also made available. This project was carried out by the Cuyahoga River Community Planning Organization and was funded by USEPA's Great Lakes National Program Office. The goal of this project was to develop a homeowner education/backyard stewardship program to educate and encourage local municipalities and residents about stream restoration techniques. Educational signs were posted at existing streambank restoration project sites. A color brochure, A Life at the Water's Edge: Living in Harmony with Your Backyard Stream, was published and 30,000 copies distributed. A series of workshops for target audiences regarding stream restoration and bioengineering techniques were held. Site tours and technical assistance were offered to municipal officials, engineers and consultants. The project provided a significant opportunity for education of community and watershed organization personnel and citizens on the issues and methods of stream restoration in the Cuyahoga River watershed. The Cuyahoga River RAP has seen numerous spin off projects based on this project.
Contact: Karen Rodriguez, USEPA - GLNPO (312) 353-2690
Finally, a report is available on the "Lake Superior Highlands Inventory and Community Initiative." This project was carried out by The Nature Conservancy of Minnesota with funding from USEPA's Great Lakes National Program Office. This project helped launch a major new conservation program for the nearshore region along Minnesota's Great Lakes shoreline. This work included an inventory of biological diversity of the North Shore Highlands, and working with numerous scientists, land managers, community leaders, and landowners to communicate the results of the inventory so the inventory data could begin to achieve conservation objectives. Resulting accomplishments included development of the St. Louis River Habitat Plan, identification and protection of 3,000 acres of ecologically- significant forest areas within the Manitou Landscape Area, establishment of a collaborative partnership in the Manitou Landscape to manage lands and waters within ecological parameters, initiation of agreements to protect significant aquatic features along the Pigeon River, and development of a memorandum of understanding between The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the City of Duluth to use inventory data to develop a scientific and natural area designation for ecologically significant city-owned lands. This work formed the basis for the Minnesota portion of TNC's Great Lakes Ecoregion Plan, which is the first comprehensive plan for the conservation of the native species and natural communities of the Great Lakes.
Contact: Duane Heaton, USEPA - GLNPO (312) 886-6399
Monitoring and Research Activities
Great Lakes Environmental Database Imitated by Others
The Great Lakes Environmental Database (GLENDA) system, developed by
USEPA's Great Lakes National Program Office, is having an impact on
national and other regional environmental data system. USEPA
Headquarters Office of Water's portion of the Central Data Exchange
program is using reference codes developed for GLENDA. (The Central
Data Exchange will become the point of entry for nearly all
environmental data submissions to the USEPA. It will also improve
collection, management and sharing of environmental information among
States, Tribes and EPA.) This means that States and other Federal
agencies that transfer water monitoring data via the Central Data
Exchange will be using a system whose allowable reference codes were
originally developed for Great Lakes data. This project is still in
the early stages, but the work done on GLENDA is being used to help
develop other systems. On another front, the GLENDA system will be
customized by EPA's contractor, AMS inc., for the State of Kentucky to
store multi-media monitoring data across that state. Finally, the
Corps of Engineers' Jacksonville District is interested in acquiring a
customized version of GLENDA for storing monitoring data associated
with restoration of the Florida Everglades. Further information on
GLENDA can be found at:
http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/glenda
Contact: Ken Klewin, USEPA - GLNPO (312) 886-4794
Council Meets to Coordinate Lake Michigan Monitoring
On November 8th, the Lake Michigan Monitoring Coordination Council met
in Muskegon, Michigan. Several USEPA scientists participated in the
meeting. The group discussed progress in coordination, and in drafting
strategic plans for coordinated monitoring. The Monitoring
Coordinating Council is comprised of all the states bordering Lake
Michigan, the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, USEPA, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
the U.S. Park Service, Tribes and watershed and community groups. An
open lake group, chaired by Paul Horvatin and Glenn Warren of USEPA's
Great Lakes National Program Office, will be contacting state and
local organizations with monitoring data to share, as a next step in
the coordination process.
Contact: Paul
Horvatin, USEPA - GLNPO (312) 353-3612
Glenn Warren, USEPA - GLNPO
(312) 886-2405
Environmental Indicators Paper Published
A scientific paper on environmental indicators was published recently
in the journal Human and Ecological Risk Assessment. This paper
summarizes three keynote presentations at the 5th National Health and
Environmental Effects Laboratory (USEPA Office of Research and
Development) Symposium, "Indicators in Health and Ecological
Risk Assessment," held on June 6-8, 2000, in Research
Triangle Park , North Carolina. The paper includes discussion on what
makes a good indicator, USEPA/Office of Research and Development
Evaluation Guidelines for environmental indicators, and the utility of
indicators to managers and stakeholders. The binational Great Lakes
State of the Great Lakes Ecosystem Conference (SOLEC) and Great Lakes
indicators are included in this latter section. (The full reference
for the paper is: Fisher, William S., Laura E. Jackson, Glenn W. Suter,
and Paul Bertram. 2001. Indicators for Human and Ecological Risk
Assessment: A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Perspective. Human
and Ecological Risk Assessment: Vol. 7, No. 5, pp. 961-970.)
Contact: Paul Bertram, USEPA - GLNPO (312) 353-0153
Outreach
R/V Lake Guardian |
Proposals
Solicited for Educational Use of Research Ship
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Great Lakes National Program
Office, is requesting proposals for use of its 180-foot research ship,
the R/V Lake Guardian during June or July of 2002, to conduct
an educational course on the Great Lakes.
More information on this solicitation is available at:
http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/fund/rfp/guardian2002.html
Contact: Paul
Horvatin, USEPA - GLNPO (312) 353-3612
David Rockwell, USEPA -
GLNPO (312) 353-353-1373
Crerar Library Exhibit |
GLNPO Crerar Library Exhibit Completes Successful Run
The USEPA's Great
Lakes National Program Office's exhibit on the Great Lakes recently
concluded a successful run of over seven months at the University of
Chicago in Chicago, Illinois. The invited exhibit was displayed in the
lobby of the University of Chicago's Crerar Library. The exhibit
featured displays regarding the EPA's Great Lakes monitoring program
and Great Lakes environmental issues, particularly invasive species.
It also served as the centerpiece of an evening of presentations about
the Great Lakes by EPA staff.
Elements of the exhibit will be used in displays that will be set up
in the Metcalfe Federal Building in downtown Chicago, Illinois over
the coming weeks.
Contact: Bob Beltran, USEPA - GLNPO (312) 353-0826