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A summary of issues, activities and events at the Great Lakes Commission |
July 14, 2010 |
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GLC’s Eder testifies at Senate subcommittee on federal response to Asian carp
Great Lakes Commission Executive Director Tim Eder testified today before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Water and Power, on efforts to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes. The hearing, chaired by Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow, comes following the capture of a live Asian carp in Lake Calumet, above the dispersal barrier and just six miles from Lake Michigan. Eder’s testimony emphasized “the clear consensus among the Great Lakes states that the best long-term solution is to permanently sever the artificial hydrologic connection” between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River watersheds. He noted the resolution calling for ecological separation that was adopted unanimously by the Commission’s eight member states in February. Among other recommendations, the testimony also calls on the federal government to immediately reinstate and accelerate the use of eDNA testing to monitor for Asian carp. “The discovery of Asian carp in Lake Calumet and other areas such as the Wabash River should trigger an aggressive effort to document and verify the extent of Asian carp populations in these areas,” he said. Eder concluded by stating: “We haven’t lost the battle against Asian carp, but without accelerated action we could be close. We must not be the generation that allowed Asian carp into the Great Lakes on our watch.” Eder’s complete testimony can be accessed at On July 1, the Great Lakes Commission voiced strong support for legislation introduced by Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Carl Levin (D-MI) and other senators, and a companion bill introduced in the House by Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI). Titled the Permanent Prevention of Asian Carp Act, the bills require the Army Corps of Engineers to expedite studies on separating the Great Lakes from the Mississippi River watershed in Chicago to prevent the introduction of Asian carp and other aquatic invasive species. View this news release at www.glc.org/announce/10/07separation.html. |
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Great Lakes Commission Executive Director Tim Eder testifies before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Water and Power, on efforts to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes. |
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GLAD workshop focuses on mercury impact to the Great Lakes
Over 40 researchers gathered July 13-15 at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor for a three-day workshop to assess conditions and trends of atmospheric mercury contamination to the Great Lakes and their tributary watersheds. The workshop was hosted by the BioDiversity Research Institute at Gorham, Maine, the University of Wisconsin - LaCrosse and the University of Michigan under a 3-year grant from the GLC-managed Great Lakes Air Deposition (GLAD) program, with funding provided from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The workshop reviewed 38 papers to be published in July 2011 in two special issues of international scientific journals. These papers present the most comprehensive understanding of mercury pollution in the freshwater ecosystems of the Great Lakes region. Included were several papers addressing how mercury moves through the environment including from the atmosphere into vegetation, soils, surface waters and sediments and how bioaccumulation occurs in fish, birds, amphibians, invertebrates and mammals. The experts also explored policies that should be promoted to reduce the exposure of mercury in the Great Lakes environment. Contact: Roger Gauthier, gauthier@glc.org. |
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Online survey to provide user input for GLIN 2.0
The Great Lakes Information Network (GLIN) team at the Great Lakes Commission, together with the GLIN Labs advisory team, has begun a needs assessment as part of the planning process for a redesigned, enhanced GLIN 2.0. The needs assessment will look at GLIN’s audience, identify current needs of GLIN users, and determine a focus and direction for GLIN 2.0. As part of the assessment, a short online survey has been added to the GLIN website at http://glin.net/about/survey2010.html and all GLIN users are encouraged to participate. The web survey will provide valuable information on the demographics of GLIN’s audience. The survey complements other components of the strategic planning process, which include market analyses, interviews, and discussions with GLIN partners. Groundwork for the GLIN 2.0 enhancement project began in April 2009 under the auspice of GLIN Labs (labs.glin.net), a virtual center for research and development of information technology tools which provides a network where beta applications can be designed, incubated, tested, and launched. The final phase of the enhancement project is strategic planning for the next generation of GLIN. Contact: Christine Manninen, manninen@glc.org. |
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Great Lakes restoration funding will support large scale soil erosion control projects in key watersheds
President Obama’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) is targeting $5 million to watersheds that are heavily impacted by soil erosion and sedimentation. The grant funding will be made available to local watershed organizations by the Great Lakes Commission (GLC) under its Great Lakes Basin Program for Soil Erosion and Sediment Control. Under the recent GLRI award, watershed projects can receive up to $800,000 to provide technical and financial assistance to install conservation practices in priority watersheds to reduce erosion and sediment entering the Great Lakes. Thirty-two applications were received in response to a pre-proposal request. Five to eight projects are expected to be funded for a three-year effort. The GLRI funding will add to ongoing efforts to reduce soil erosion from tributaries to the Great Lakes. The GLC has already awarded $275,000 this year under the Basin Program for 10 smaller scale projects selected under an ongoing cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). To date, the Basin Program has supported more than 400 projects and invested over $14 million in water quality improvement efforts, with more than $10 million in additional nonfederal matching funds applied to the projects. These projects have prevented an estimated 1.6 million tons of sediment and 6 million pounds of phosphorus from entering the Great Lakes and tributaries. Contact: Gary Overmier, garyo@glc.org. |
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New faces at the Great Lakes Commission
The Great Lakes Commission recently welcomed some new personnel. Joe Bertram was named Financial Services Manager following the retirement of Ron Hasselbring, who held the position for 10 years. Bertram most recently served as accounting director for the Metropolitan Consolidated Association of Realtors (MCAR), a real estate trade organization that promotes education, professional/ethical standards and political advocacy for agents and brokers in Oakland and Macomb Counties in southeast Michigan. He holds a B.A. degree in Accounting from Michigan State University and an MBA in Finance from Oakland University. In the Great Lakes Air Deposition (GLAD) program, Anna Soehl was named project manager and Jennifer Glynn will be working under contract as a research associate. Soehl comes to the Commission after working as an independent contractor on PCB TMDLs for the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin (ICPRB). She previously spent nearly six years at the Maryland Dept. of the Environment's Science Services Administration working for the Total Maximum Daily Load, Fish Consumption Advisory, and Community Right-to-Know programs. Anna holds a B.A. degree in International Relations from Grand Valley State University and an M.S in Environmental Science and Policy from Central European University/Manchester University. In her position, Jennifer Glynn will help define policy directions in the Commission's work to reduce atmospheric toxic loadings. Jennifer worked at U.S. EPA headquarters on the Acid Rain Program and has done consulting work for the Institute for Agricultural and Trade Policy. Laura Florence is working with the GLC-staffed Great Lakes Information Network’s GLIN Labs development project. She previously worked for the University of Michigan’s Cooperative Institute for Limnology and Ecosystems Research at the Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab. Laura holds a B.S. degree in Biology, and an M.S. degree in Natural Resources - Aquatics, both from the University of Michigan. Julie Mida has been named the Great Lakes Commission's Sea Grant Fellow for 2010, in an ongoing cooperative program between the Commission and the Great Lakes Sea Grant Network. Project areas in which she will be working include the Great Lakes Panel on Aquatic Nuisance Species, the Value of Great Lakes Water study, and the Great Lakes Wind Collaborative. Julie holds a B.S. degree in Environmental Science, and an M.S. degree in Aquatic Sciences, both from the University of Michigan. Celia Haven will be working at the GLC this summer as an intern. She recently graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.A. degree in the Environment Program nd will be supporting the Commission work in the energy/water issue area, climate change and wind energy. |
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The Great Lakes Commission welcomes several new faces! Top ( from left to right): Julie Mida, Laura Florence, Anna Soehl. Bottom ( from left to right): Jennifer Glynn, Celia Haven, Joe Bertram. |
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