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Conference Updates
Favorite Quotes from the Conference and Great Lakes Week
Great Lakes advocate, Rebecca Hammond, collected her favorite quotes heard at the Great Lakes Restoration Conference and around the Great Lakes events. Her blog is also posted on the Sierra Club Great Lakes blog. “For Native people, caring for the water is not merely a matter of practicality.” Frank Ettawageshik, Native Leader. “We lived as … Continue reading
Coalition Update: News you can use
With winter approaching, it’s time to do a little fall cleaning. Here’s an update of recent activities involving members of the HOW Coalition and new studies that coalition members will find interesting.
Report: Upgrading water infrastructure would stimulate economy, create jobs and improve water quality
Upgrading America’s water infrastructure would create 1.9 million jobs and add $265 billion to the economy, according to a new report. The report, “Water Works: Rebuilding Infrastructure, Creating Jobs and Greening the Environment,” was produced by American Rivers, Green For All and the Economic Policy Institute, It explored the economic benefits of investing $188.4 billion … Continue reading
HOW Coalition update: News you can use
With winter approaching, it’s time to do a little fall cleaning. Here’s an update of recent activities involving members of the HOW Coalition and new studies that coalition members will find interesting. ITEM I: If you weren’t able to make it to the 2011 Great Lakes Restoration Conference in Detroit you can check out much … Continue reading
Cleaning Up Great Lakes Beaches
Where is your favorite place on the Great Lakes? Is it a beach? Many people feel strong connections to Great Lakes beaches – and why wouldn’t they? That’s where most interact with the lakes – they swim, hike, and relax on beaches – and there’s nothing like a sunset or sunrise viewed from a the edge … Continue reading
Feds say they’ve stopped advance of Asian carp toward Lake Michigan
The advance of Asian carp toward Lake Michigan has been stopped about 80 miles below an electric barrier in the Chicago Waterway System, according to the federal government’s Asian carp czar. John Goss said crews working on the Chicago Waterway System have beat back the invasive fish, which were imported to commercial fish farms in … Continue reading
Lake Erie Algae Blooms Deserve System-wide Solutions
Changing land use and changing patterns of precipitation are increasing nutrient delivery to Lake Erie. Strategic and large-scale solutions to help farmers decrease the amount of nutrients and sediment entering waterways are critical. Karen Chapman, Great lakes Regional Director of the Environmental Defense Fund and Carrie Vollmer-Sanders, Western Lake Erie Basin Project Director at the … Continue reading
Detroit area communities cracking down on illicit sewer connections
Several counties in southeast Michigan are waging war on illicit sewer connections, and their efforts have paid huge dividends. Over the past decade, those counties have reduce the amount of untreated sewage flowing into lakes and streams by 599 million gallons annually, according to Annette DeMaria, an environmental consultant for Clinton Township, in suburban Detroit. “That’s … Continue reading
Coalition to hold 2012 Great Lakes Restoration Conference in Cleveland
The Healing Our Waters – Great Lakes Coalition is announcing today that it will hold its 8th annual Great Lakes Restoration conference in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2012. “We’re excited about returning to Cleveland,” said Jeff Skelding, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “Cleveland has been at the center of iconic triumphs and challenges … Continue reading
Session Summary: Restoration Successes: Healthy Beaches, Healthy Perceptions
Great Lakes beaches are vital to our economy, ecology and way of life. Keeping beaches healthy is our responsibility. Great Lakes Restoration funding is critical for improving our beaches by providing dollars for public education, monitoring to pinpoint pollution sources, projects to eliminate pollution sources, and monitoring to ensure restoration success. Lead Organization/Person: Alliance for … Continue reading
Session Summary: Great Lakes 2012 Farm Bill Opportunities and Obstacles
This workshop will highlight current Farm Bill efforts, including GLRI funding and accomplishments from a broad perspective, on-the-ground success stories, and a look at the 2012 Farm Bill with its potential for creative opportunities and fiscal and policy challenges. Participants will hear from regional and national experts, and will have an opportunity to present ideas, … Continue reading
Session Summary: Partnering with America’s Other Great Waters
How can Great Lakes advocates improve the chances of full funding for Great Lakes Restoration Initiative in future years? Let congressional delegations from other Great Waters know that they have your support for their own regional restoration programs. Leaders from America’s Great Waters Coalition will discuss how building political power under a national unification strategy … Continue reading
Session Summary: Reducing Sewage Contamination in Stormwater
In Michigan, Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair and Wayne counties have undertaken aggressive illicit discharge detection and elimination (IDDE) programs to identify and reduce sanitary discharges to their stormwater drainage networks. This presentation will highlight the success of the counties’ IDDE programs and the resulting water quality improvements. Lead Organization/Person: ECT, Inc Presenters: Annette DeMaria, Senior … Continue reading
Better Great Lakes Through Chemistry
What do most of the 37 Great Lakes Areas of Concern have in common? A legacy of toxic chemicals, which are extremely expensive to cleanup. Today at the HOW Conference, we heard from policy professionals about opportunities to use “Green Chemistry” to make the products we use in our daily lives safer for people and … Continue reading
Quebec turns treated sewage discharge into a whitewater kayak course
Apparently, you can make silk out of a sow’s ear. Consider the case of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, a small Quebec city located on an island in the St. Lawrence River, near Montreal. The city has turned the discharge from a sewage treatment facility into a whitewater kayak course on the St. Charles River.
Only International Wildlife Refuge in North America Create NEW Habitat for Wildlife and Recreation
What comes to mind when you think of Detroit? Sports teams? Auto Companies? Eminem? Not many people think of restoring coastal wetlands and creating new habitat for wildlife – but that’s exactly what is happening at the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, only a few miles from downtown Detroit.
U.S. Rep. Gary Peters: ‘Continued federal support for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is so critical’
U.S. Rep. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) penned an op-ed in the Oakland Press this week. Here’s a sampling: “Simply put, the Great Lakes give our region a competitive edge and, to secure a vibrant economy for future generations, we must invest in keeping them clean and healthy.”
NOAA Restoration Project Monitoring: Showing Results!
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration plays a prominent role in Great Lakes Restoration. Not only is NOAA responsible for administering funding under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to implemenent quality restoration projects, but the agency also provides technical staff, fosters partnerships, and makes efforts to engage the local community.
River cleanup fueling Buffalo’s revitalization
The Buffalo Bills aren’t the only thing making a comeback in the community once known as the “Queen City” of the Great Lakes. The Buffalo River is also making a dramatic comeback, thanks to the Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper, community groups, government agencies and local corporations.
Session Summary: Muskegon Lake Restoration: A Success Story
Muskegon Lake, located in Muskegon, Mich., has been listed as a Great Lakes Area of Concern due to a significant loss of wildlife habitat and degraded water quality. This presentation will discuss how an organized grassroots effort has successfully received state and federal funding to implement large-scale ecological restoration projects throughout the lake. Lead Organization/Person: … Continue reading