FOCUS - Volume 21, Issue 1, 1996

Volume 21, Issue 1, 1996
March/April 1996

BRIEFS

The International Joint Commission welcomes new members it has recently appointed to its boards and thanks those who have completed their service for the time and talent they contributed. David Bates, University of British Columbia, has been appointed to the International Air Quality Advisory Board.
La Commission mixte internationale accueille les nouveaux membres qu'elle a récemment nommés à ses conseils et témoigne sa gratitude aux membres sortants. David Bates, de l`Université de la Colombie Britannique, a été nommé au Conseil consultatif international de la qualité de l`air.
Helle Tosine, Ontario Ministry of Environment and Energy, has been appointed to the Great Lakes Water Quality Board. Denis Davis, Joyce McLean, Gerald Rees and E.Tony Wagner have recently completed their service. Helle Tosine, du ministère de l`environnement et de l`énergie de l`Ontario a été nommée au Conseil de la qualité de l`eau des Grands Lacs. Denis Davis, Joyce McLean, Gerald Rees et E. Tony Wagner viennent de compléter leurs mandats.
Michel Fournier, University of Quebec at Montreal, and Donald Dewees, University of Toronto, have been appointed to the Great Lakes Science Advisory Board. Rosalie Bertell, Michel Slivitzky, Ian Rutherford and Paul Muldoon have finished their terms. Michel Fournier de l`Université du Québec à Montréal, et Donald Dewees, de l`Universtié de Toronto ont été nommés au Conseil consultatif scientifique des Grands Lacs. Ils succèdent à Rosalie Vertell, Michel Slivitzky, Ian Ruherford et Paul Muldoon.
Newly appointed members to the Council of Great Lakes Research Managers include Renata Claudi, Ontario Hydro; Susan Haseltine, U.S. National Biological Service; Russell Van Herik, Great Lakes Protection Fund; Joseph DePinto, State University of New York at Buffalo; George Peace, private consultant; and Christopher DeRosa, U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Those who have concluded their assignment to the coucil include Robert Werner, Judith Stockdale, Jon Stanley, John Laflen and Barry Johnson. Les nouveaux membres qui ont été nommés au Conseil des directeurs de recherche des Grands Lacs sont Renat Claudi, de Hydro Ontario; Susan Haseltine, de la U.S. National Biological Service; Russell Van Herik ,de la Great Lakes Protection Fund; Joseph DePinto, de l Université de New York à Buffalo; George Peace, consultant dans le secteur privé et Christopher DeRosa, de la U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Ceux qui viennent de terminer leurs mandats auprès du Conseil sont Robert Werner, Judith Stockdale, John Stanley, John Laflen et Barry Johnson.

In January, the International Joint Commission approved the International Rainy Lake Board of Control's plan of study to review the Commission's order for Rainy and Namakan Lakes. The order sets forth rule curves for the regulation of water levels on the two lakes, located on the Minnesota-Ontario boundary, to avoid emergency high or low levels. Under the plan of study, the board of control will direct an independent review of existing information on the fisheries of the two lakes. The review will be performed by two experts, Gordon Koshinsky, retired fisheries research manager from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and James Mitchell, professor of zoology and associate director of the Center for Limnology at the University of Wisconsin. Preliminary activities in other plan of study areas have also begun. For example, the board of control is currently setting up a consultative group of stakeholders in the basin to oversee forecasting of water inflows and is also carrying out hydrologic modeling work. The board's work under the plan of study is expected to be complete in the spring of 1998.

The National Wildlife Federation presented International Joint Commission U.S. Section Secretary David LaRoche with its prestigious National Conservation Achievement Award. Since 1965, the award has been presented to individuals and organizations that provide leadership in spreading the conservation message and protecting natural resources. The award to LaRoche in the Administration/Leadership category recognizes his leadership in working to improve the environment today so that generations to come can have a better tomorrow. "Under Mr. LaRoche's insight and guidance, the International Joint Commission is helping citizens understand how chemicals can affect the behavioral and mental development of children and what can be done about it," according to federation President Bill Howard. LaRoche will retire from the Commission this spring after 17 years of service.

Fishery management officials from the eight Great Lakes states, the Province of Ontario, and two intertribal agencies developed a unified strategy to deal with the impending widespread movement of the ruffe to the lower Great Lakes. At a special meeting of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission's Council of Lake Committees in November 1995, fishery management officials agreed to recommend changes to the U.S. Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force's Ruffe Control Program. The committee recommended specific action related to these three broad objectives: first, prevent invasions of new species into the Great Lakes; second, contain ruffe to the Great Lakes (i.e. protect inland and adjoining waters); and third, continue to slow the spread of ruffe within the Great Lakes. For more information on the unified ruffe control strategy, contact Marc Gaden, Great Lakes Fishery Commission, 2100 Commonwealth Blvd., Suite 209, Ann Arbor, MI 48105-1563. (313)662-3209; fax (313)741-2010.

Canadian Deputy Prime Minister and former Environment Minister Sheila Copps officially opened Canada's first environmentally friendly "dry cleaning" facility last November in Hamilton, Ontario. The Langley Parisian Green Clean facility uses a process totally dedicated to water and detergent in technologically advanced machines as an alternative to the current practice of using perchloroethylene (perc). Perc is a designated toxic chemical under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act and is also a suspected carcinogen. It is one of several toxic chemical substances targeted for immediate action under the Canadian Federal Chlorinated Action Plan. Governments in Canada, the United States and around the world continue to study the health and environmental impacts of this solvent.

The "Green Clean Project" is part of a voluntary pollution prevention initiative by Environment Canada and its partners to reduce and eliminate the use of perc in the dry cleaning industry. A study by Environment Canada estimated that in 1994, dry cleaning in Canada accounted for nearly one-half of the 11,600 tonnes of perc that was imported. Estimates further show about 90 percent of this perc is released to the atmosphere, 10 percent to hazardous waste disposal and less than one percent released to water.

For more information, contact Esther Bobet, Environment Canada, at (416)973-1067, or Ken Adamson, Langley Parisian Cleaners, at (905)522-4651.

The Great Lakes Health Effects Program (GLHEP) has begun a new Great Lakes 2000 program to meet goals established by the 1994 Canada-Ontario Agreement. Under the program, research addresses how humans are exposed to contaminants in the environment and their effects on health. Programs will focus on the following goals:

reduce risks of exposure to environmental contaminants by half in high-risk populations such as fish eaters, pregnant women, young children and the elderly
decrease body pollutant levels by 20 percent
increase awareness of environmental health issues by 70 percent in the Great Lakes region
assist 80 percent of this population in changing behaviors that increase risk to health from environmental contaminants.

For more information about the Great Lakes 2000 program, contact the Bioregional Health Effect Programs Division, Health Canada, Room 1106, Main Statistics Building, Tunney's Pasture, 0301 A1, Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9, attention: Mary Hegan; (613)952-8117; fax (613)954-7612; email Mary_Hegan@isdtcp3.hwc.ca; or Moe Hussain (613)954-4685; fax (613)954-7612; email Moe_Hussain@isdtcp3.hwc.ca".

The National Wildlife Federation announces its new World Wide Web site, Your Guide to Save Lake Superior. This Internet site focuses on upcoming events in Minnesota related to state implementation of the Great Lakes Water Quality Initiative and designation of Lake Superior as federal Outstanding National Resource Water. Voice your comments, learn more about the big lake and test your "Superior" knowledge at: www.great-lakes.net

(note: this URL address is case sensitive)

For more information, contact Rayne Lamey, National Wildlife Federation, Great Lakes Natural Resource Center, 506 East Liberty, Second Floor, Ann Arbor, MI 48104-2210. (313)769-3351; fax (313)769-1449; email rlamey@igc.apc.org.

The Wildlife Habitat Council, a nonprofit, nonlobbying conservation organization has begun a project on the St. Clair River to restore and enhance habitats for a wide variety of plants and wildlife. The once vibrant ecosystem is now a heavily developed river. While over 750,000 waterfowl continue to arrive each year, they are relegated to the remaining three percent of original wetlands. Detroit Edison, the major private landowner on the United States side of the river, will lead a binational corporate effort to manage more effectively for wildlife habitat and to collaborate in an ecosystem protection plan that helps to restore balance to the environment. To inquire about the project or subscribe for membership and the newsletter, call or write to Wildlife Habitat Council, 1010 Wayne Avenue, Suite 920, Silver Spring, MD 20910. (301)588-8994; fax (301)588-4629.

Revised: 28 February 1997
Maintained by Kevin McGunagle, mcgunaglek@ijc.wincom.net

The International Joint Commission welcomes new members it has recently appointed to its boards and thanks those who have completed their service for the time and talent they contributed. David Bates, University of British Columbia, has been appointed to the International Air Quality Advisory Board.	La Commission mixte internationale accueille les nouveaux membres qu'elle a récemment nommés à ses conseils et témoigne sa gratitude aux membres sortants. David Bates, de l`Université de la Colombie Britannique, a été nommé au Conseil consultatif international de la qualité de l`air.
Helle Tosine, Ontario Ministry of Environment and Energy, has been appointed to the Great Lakes Water Quality Board. Denis Davis, Joyce McLean, Gerald Rees and E.Tony Wagner have recently completed their service.	Helle Tosine, du ministère de l`environnement et de l`énergie de l`Ontario a été nommée au Conseil de la qualité de l`eau des Grands Lacs. Denis Davis, Joyce McLean, Gerald Rees et E. Tony Wagner viennent de compléter leurs mandats.
Michel Fournier, University of Quebec at Montreal, and Donald Dewees, University of Toronto, have been appointed to the Great Lakes Science Advisory Board. Rosalie Bertell, Michel Slivitzky, Ian Rutherford and Paul Muldoon have finished their terms.	Michel Fournier de l`Université du Québec à Montréal, et Donald Dewees, de l`Universtié de Toronto ont été nommés au Conseil consultatif scientifique des Grands Lacs. Ils succèdent à Rosalie Vertell, Michel Slivitzky, Ian Ruherford et Paul Muldoon.
Newly appointed members to the Council of Great Lakes Research Managers include Renata Claudi, Ontario Hydro; Susan Haseltine, U.S. National Biological Service; Russell Van Herik, Great Lakes Protection Fund; Joseph DePinto, State University of New York at Buffalo; George Peace, private consultant; and Christopher DeRosa, U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Those who have concluded their assignment to the coucil include Robert Werner, Judith Stockdale, Jon Stanley, John Laflen and Barry Johnson.	Les nouveaux membres qui ont été nommés au Conseil des directeurs de recherche des Grands Lacs sont Renat Claudi, de Hydro Ontario; Susan Haseltine, de la U.S. National Biological Service; Russell Van Herik ,de la Great Lakes Protection Fund; Joseph DePinto, de l Université de New York à Buffalo; George Peace, consultant dans le secteur privé et Christopher DeRosa, de la U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Ceux qui viennent de terminer leurs mandats auprès du Conseil sont Robert Werner, Judith Stockdale, John Stanley, John Laflen et Barry Johnson.