November/December 1997
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November/December 1997 |
In the 1995-97 Priorities and Progress under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, advisory boards to the International Joint Commission make 40 recommendations aimed at further implementing this 1978 Agreement between the United States and Canada. Priority topics include the monitoring, reduction and elimination of persistent toxic substances in the Great Lakes environment, pesticide usage, radioactivity in the Great Lakes and improving the effectiveness of Great Lakes research. Chapters in the Priorities Report are by the Great Lakes Water Quality Board, Great lakes Science Advisory Board, Council of Great Lakes Research Managers, International Air Quality Advisory Board and temporary task forces. Copies of the Priorities Report are available from the Commission's Washington, Ottawa and Windsor Offices and from our website at www.ijc.org(.)
Linking Local Watershed Management Efforts Across the Lake Ontario Basin is a report on the October 1996 conference cosponsored by the Finger Lakes-Lake Ontario Watershed Protection Alliance and the IJC's Great Lakes Water Quality Board. The conference brought together people working on water quality and watershed management from local to basinwide levels. Participants shared perspectives on making watershed programs reinforcing and complementary across the Lake Ontario basin and developed strategies to overcome obstacles to cooperative watershed management. The many ideas presented in the conference report can be used to make watershed management processes more effective and efficient.
For more information, or a copy the conference report, contact John Hartig, Secretary, Great Lakes Water Quality Board, International Joint Commission, 100 Ouellette Avenue, Suite 800, Windsor, ON N9A 6T3. (519)257-6711. Or P.O. Box 32869, Detroit, MI 48232. (313)226-2170, extension 6711. Fax (519)257-6740; email hartigj@ijc.wincom.net(.) Or, contact Betsy Landre, Water Resources Board, 309 Lake Street, Penn Yan, NY 14527. (315)536-7488; fax (315)536-1237; email wrb@eznet.net(.) The report is available at http://www.ijc.org/php/publications/html/llwme.html(.)
Bring the beauty of the Great Lakes to your computer screen with 25 Years of Great Lakes Protection! This screen saver, which includes views of the lakes in different seasons, was created by Pranas Pranckevicius of the U.S. Environmental Protections Agency's Great Lakes National Program Office. It is available on IBM-compatible diskette (1 megabyte in size) from the International Joint Commission's Great Lakes Regional Office.
In September, Canadian Environment Minister Christine Stewart, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Carol M. Browner released the 1997 State of the Great Lakes Report. The report focuses on the relatively warm and shallow waters near the shore, coastal wetlands and the land areas directly affected by the lake. The report concludes that land use is the most significant stressor on the nearshore ecosystem as habitat for rare plants and animals rapidly disappears to construction of new homes and marinas and other human uses.
Biennial SOLEC conferences, sponsored by the governments of Canada and the United States, address the status of the Great Lakes ecosystem, current issues and future challenges. SOLEC 98 will be held in Buffalo, NY on October 21-23, 1998. The goal of this conference will be to develop a set environmental and socioeconomic indicators for the Great Lakes basin, as well as to review progress on the investment to preserve environmentally important nearshore areas. For further information, or a copy of the report, contact Daniel Brock, Press Secretary, Minister of the Environment (819)997-1441, Harvey Shear, SOLEC co-chair, Environment Canada (416)739-4704, Phillippa Cannon, Media Contact, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (312)353-6218, or Paul Horvatin, SOLEC co-chair, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (312)353-3612.
Ontario Environment and Energy Minister Norm Sterling has released Ontario's Progress in Pollution Prevention, a report detailing voluntary pollution prevention achievements in the province. Copies of the report are available from the ministry's Public Information Centre (416)325-4000 or toll free (800)565-4923. For more information, contact Ingrid Thomson, Minister's Office (416)323-4443, Gerry Merchant, Communications Branch (416)323-4333, John Hewings, Pollution Prevention (416)314-7918, or visit the ministry's website at http://www.ene.gov.on.ca(.)
The Sierra Club and a coalition of local environmental groups recently released a joint report criticizing Detroit-area manufacturers for dumping hundreds of tons of cancer-causing chemicals into the air and water each year. Southeastern Michigan: America's New Cancer Alley is based on data given voluntarily to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency by industries. The report charges southeastern Michigan companies with dumping 330,000 kilograms of cancer-causing chemicals such as benzene and toluene into the air in 1995. Water pollutants include benzene, toluene, mercury, lead and arsenic. For more information, visit the Sierra Club's website at http://www.sierraclub.org or contact project director Alison C. Horton, Sierra Club Mackinac Chapter, 300 North Washington Square, Suite 411, Lansing, MI 48933 (517)484-2372; fax (517)484-3108; internet mackinac.chapter@sierraclub.org(.)
Earth Systems - Education Activities for Great Lakes Schools are designed to take a concept or an idea from existing school curriculum and develop it in a Great Lakes context, using teaching approaches and materials appropriate for middle and high school students. The activities are compatible with existing curriculum topics, last from one to three classes and require minimal preparation and equipment. Titles available at $8 (US) each include: Land & Water Interactions in the Great Lakes (EP-082); Great Lakes Climate & Water Movement (EP-083); Great Lakes Shipping (EP-084); Life in the Great Lakes (EP-085); and Great Lakes Environmental Issues (EP-086). To order, or for more information and a listing of other materials, contact Ohio Sea Grant Publications, The Ohio State University, 1314 Kinnear Road, Columbus, OH 43212. (614)292-8949.
Lawn management practices as alternatives to using pesticides and chemical-based fertilizers are highlighted in a new video and guidebook entitled Great Lakes-Great Lawns, recently made available through the Green Thumb Project. The project works with groundskeepers, homeowners, businesses, schools and churches to increase awareness of the impact of pesticides and fertilizers on the Great Lakes ecosystem, while demonstrating innovative and alternative lawn/turf management practices. The video and guidebook are available for $15 (US) plus shipping. To order, or for more information on the project along with free handouts, contact Green Thumb Project, c/o EAGLE, 394 Lake Avenue South, #308, Duluth, MN 55802. (218)726-1828; email lakes@cp.duluth.mn.us(.)
The Water Resources Institute has joined WGVU-WGVK TV to produce Muddy Waters, Clear Choices, a 30-minute video focused on nonpoint source pollution and its impact on local water quality. This mini-documentary uses case studies in western Michigan and offers a series of structural and managerial options for improving and protecting water quality. To purchase a copy of the video, contact Water Resources Institute, Grand Valley State University, One Campus Drive, Allendale, MI 49401-9403. (616)895-3749; toll free 1(800)442-2771. Cost is $19.95 (US) plus $3 (US) shipping and handling.
Mercury Pollution Prevention in Healthcare: A Prescription for Success, published by the National Wildlife Federation, offers guidance to healthcare facilities striving to become mercury-free. It provides information on mercury and its effects on people and the environment, the healthcare industry's role in preventing mercury pollution, how to become mercury-free and success stories. It also includes a resource list with contacts and materials to assistance anyone interested in developing mercury pollution prevention strategies. Copies are available for $6 (US) by contacting National Wildlife Federation, Great Lakes Natural Resource Center, 506 East Liberty, Second Floor, Ann Arbor, MI 48104-2210. (313)769-3351. This report and other National Wildlife Federation publications are available free of charge on the Great Lakes Natural Resource Center Home Page (.)
Lake Superior: Story and Spirit is a holistic telling of the story of one of the planet's most magnificent ecosystems -- Lake Superior, with its surrounding forests and wetlands -- a surprising microcosm of the best and worst of our past and present world. Universal themes are woven throughout the story and spirit of this freshwater ecosystem. Information and references are presented on natural history and human history, as well as environmental, economic and ethical issues, along with reason for cautious optimism that we can halt the march toward a world resembling that depicted in Rachel Carson's Silent Spring.
This hardcover book by authors and photographers John and Ann Mahan has 288 pages, with 140 color photographs, map, timeline, and foreword by Dr. Jack Vallentyne, internationally renowned freshwater ecologist. To order a copy at $56 US (Michigan residents add 6% sales tax) plus $3 shipping ($5 shipping for more than one book), contact Sweetwater Visions, P.O. Box 1774, Gaylord, MI 49735. (517)732-7626.
A biography of Sigurd F. Olsen (1899-1982) by David Backes provides valuable insight into the life and times of the twentieth century environmentalist, conservation activist and popular writer. A Wilderness Within, The Life of Sigurd F. Olsen looks beyond environmental battles to expose the inner forces that drove Sigurd Olson. He served as President of the Wilderness Society and the National Parks Association and as a consultant to the federal government on wilderness preservation and ecological problems. To obtain a copy (cloth) at $24.95 (US), contact Alison Aten, Publicist, (612)627-1932; fax (612)627-1980; email atenx001@tc.umn.edu(.)
Rocks and Water by Chris Rawlings is an audio cassette tape intended for all ages. The tape contains 13 songs exploring earth science themes and featuring rock, country and folk stylings with jazzy and unusual overtones. The songs will give teachers a jumping off point for more intensive studies of wetlands, volcanoes, water and rock cycles. Copies may be purchased for $12 (CAD) from Waterloo Centre for Groundwater Research, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1. (519)888-4567 ext. 2892; fax (519)725-8729; email wcgr@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca(.) Or Peter Russell at the Earth Sciences Museum, (519)888-4567 ext. 2469; email esmuseum@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca(.)
The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), in cooperation with Solar Energy Industries Association and Sandia National Laboratories, has developed a handbook to guide state and local government procurement officials and other users in the specification and purchase of commercially available renewable energy systems. The Procurement Guide for Renewable Energy Systems: A Handbook for State and Local Governments contains information on biomass, photovoltaics, solar domestic water and pool heating and small wind systems. In addition to product descriptions, the guide also includes general information on renewable energy technologies and simple methods for estimating the pollution prevention benefits of any size renewable energy system. To order at $15 (US), contact Interstate Renewable Energy Council Distribution Center, c/o American Solar Energy Society (ASES), 2400 Central Avenue, Suite G-1, Boulder, CO 80301
Understanding, Living With, and Controlling Shoreline Erosion: A Guidebook for Shoreline Property Owners (revised) is a 97-page guidebook to help shoreline property owners on inland lakes and streams better understand erosion processes. It also includes information on environmentally appropriate actions one can use to protect waterfronts. The guidebook costs $5 (US) plus $5 shipping & handling and can be obtained from Tip of the Mitt, Watershed Council, P.O. Box 300, Conway, MI 49722-0300.
The final report of the Mackenzie Basin Impact Study by Environment Canada illustrates how climate change could affect the people, communities, land, waters and economies in Canada's Northwest. The results of the study indicate that the Mackenzie basin may well be going through the beginning of significant changes to its climate as a result of global warming. The region has already experienced a 1.5 degree Celsius warming this century and there is some evidence that this has lowered lake levels, thawed permafrost and increased the frequency and severity of landslides and forest fires. It also suggests a longer growing season and changes to the ecosystem of the boreal forest.
The six-year research project brought together scientists from many disciplines and a variety of stakeholders, including representatives from aboriginal groups, industry, colleges and institutes, as well as municipal, territorial, provincial and federal governments. For copies of a 20-page Summary of Results of the Mackenzie Basin Impact Study, contact Environment Canada's Inquiry Centre at 1(800)668-6767; website http://www.ec.gc.ca/inqry_e.html. For copies of the 372-page report, fax your request to Environment Canada at (416)739-4297.
Revised: 24 December 1997
Maintained by Kevin McGunagle,
mcgunaglek@ijc.wincom.net