Elementary, middle school and high school students from around the Great Lakes Basin are invited to participate in a Student Congress during the International Joint Commission's (IJC) 1999 Great Lakes Water Quality Forum being held at the Midwest Express Center in downtown Milwaukee on Saturday, September 25, 1999.

The IJC was created by the governments of the United States and Canada by the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 to help the governments manage their shared waters, including the Great Lakes. Every two years, the IJC assesses progress toward restoring the Great Lakes under the two nations' Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. The IJC recognizes the restoration and continued health of the Great Lakes ecosystem is only possible with the commitment of both government and private groups. The meeting theme, Partnerships for Progress, reflects that vision and encourages partnerships with local leadership, educators, businesses and concerned citizens. The Water Quality Forum brings together these groups for a variety of events, including reports from the IJC's advisory boards, public hearings, the governments' report on their progress in restoring the Great Lakes ecosystem and more than 20 workshops.

The Forum, which is free and open to the public, will also feature tours of Great Lakes research vessels. Check out the Schedule of Events and fill out the Student Congress Registration Form today!

  The Student Congress offers students the opportunity to learn about Great Lakes water quality issues and policies affecting the basin. Students can participate in a number of ways.

ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS: Create a "Get to Know the Great Lakes" poster exhibit or art project that describes the Great Lake closest to your home. The posters may focus on the lake's history, geography, cities, people, wildlife, plant life, art, culture or businesses. Use your imagination! To exhibit, just submit a completed student congress registration form.

MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS: Create a presentation regarding policies related to water quality on any of the following topics:

Brownfields	Clean Technology	Exotic Species
Fish Decline	Lake Levels	Remedial Action Plan
Open Session on Water Quality

Students who aren't able to travel to attend the Forum are encouraged to send their videos/poster exhibits. WE WILL PAY FOR SHIPPING and return the exhibit to you, upon request.

Limited travel scholarships for educators and students may be available.

HAVE FUN ON A BOAT TOUR: Join us Saturday morning aboard the Grand Valley State University Research Vessel, the W.G. Jackson, for an hour tour of Milwaukee Harbor and Lake Michigan.

• Define a community or neighborhood. Within that community, identify an environmental issue of concern, then research what the actual practice is versus the stated policy. A policy is a principle, plan or course of action pursued by a government, organization or individual. Students are encouraged to focus on an issue within their local watershed as long as their local watershed is within the Great Lakes basin. Just make sure to address a water quality issue.
• Identify business, community or governmental partners who have a stake in the environmental issue. These are our Partners in Progress. Contact them to learn their views.
• Presentations should focus on explaining where the problem occurs by following this outline:
  • Is there a policy? If so, explain the policy including a description as to whether it is a federal, state, city or local policy.
  • Is the policy inadequate? (if so explain why); or
  • Is the policy adequate, but the practice does not match the policy (explain rationale)?
  • In your opinion, what steps need to be taken to make the situation better?
  • What Partners in Progress need to be involved to change either the policy or the practice?

Involvement with the community is strongly encouraged. Students should encourage their Partners in Progress to attend and participate in the Student Congress.

BROWNFIELDS: Brownfields are polluted and abandoned lands within cities that are no longer useable in their present condition. We need land to build on for businesses, schools, houses and parks but we also want to slow or halt urban sprawl.

ISSUE: Brownfields can't be built on or redeveloped until they are cleaned up or the pollution may make people sick. It is expensive to clean up land - so expensive that many companies choose to move to rural areas instead. In moving to rural areas, forests are cut down, meadows are paved over and animals and birds lose their habitat (a place to live). This is commonly called "urban sprawl." More roads are built and people drive more/ This results in both increased air and water pollution.

PROJECT: In your opinion, how do we create a reason for companies to choose to clean up a brownfield (an old polluted site) instead of moving to rural areas and destroying pristine countryside?

CLEAN TECHNOLOGY - Urban & Rural Uses of Pesticides: Pesticides are substances that are used to kill bugs and weeds near our fruits and vegetables, on lawns and in parks, golf courses, schools, hospitals, day care centers and homes.

ISSUE: Wildlife and humans accumulate certain chemicals from pesticides in their bodies and these can be harmful to human and ecosystem health.

PROJECT: From your point of view, what are the costs and benefits of pesticides? What are alternatives to chemical use? What are policies and solutions to lessen our exposure to these poisons? What can be done in your community to inform people about the use of pesticides?

EXOTIC SPECIES: Many experts consider invasions of foreign species a major cause of native species decline and endangerment, second only to changes to natural habitat. Exotic species - also called biological pollution - may be plants, terristrial and lacustrine (fish or animals that live in lakes). This is a problem because some invading species multiply rapidly, crowding out or out-competing with native species. The costs to control the damages due to "invaders" like sea lamprey and zebra mussel within the Great Lakes ecosystem is expected to rise into the billions of dollars in the next 10 years. This makes prevention a very important strategy in avoiding additional foreign invaders.

ISSUE: Very little spending goes into prevention programs. Federal and state governments are still struggling with exotic species management.

PROJECT: What would you recommend as viable prevention policies to implement?

FISH DECLINE: The populations of some species of fish, such as Yellow Perch in Lake Michigan, have declined. This raises the price of fish, affects sportsfishers and potentially puts commercial fishermen out of work. This also changes the diversity and alters the stability of the overall lake ecosystem.

ISSUE: Although a lot of research is going on, scientists don't yet know what has caused the decline of some fish species. Until there is agreement on the probable causes of the decline, government agencies are unable to effectively manage the fish population and try to help these fish populations recover.

PROJECT: Research some of the possible reasons for the drop in a fish population. In your opinion, which is the best explanation and what are your reasons for supporting this explanation?

LAKE LEVELS: The height of the water in the Great Lakes changes from year to year, depending on the amount of rain and/or hot sunny weather we experience. In some years, storms and high water levels have caused major flooding, shoreline erosion and severe damage to homes and docks on the lakeshore. In other years, the water level in the Great Lakes has fallen, leaving docks far above the water!

ISSUE: Both the Canadian and United States governments are concerned that their existing management and conservation measures may not be adequate to ensure future sustainable use of our shared waters.

PROJECT: Research some of the recommendations made by the International Joint Commission in their "Levels Reference Study of 1993." In your opinion, how can activities in your community reduce damages due to high water levels. What are the pros and cons of these activities?

REMEDIAL ACTION PLANS: Clean-up plans (known as Remedial Action Plans or RAP's), for Great Lakes harbors and tributaries have been in existence for over 10 years in some places. These plans were designed to fix a variety of water related problems, including contaminated bottom muds, poor water quality and degraded aquatic habitat. Improvements in some areas have contributed to reduced threats to human health and aquatic life, the economic renewal of depressed areas and revitalization of some of the waterfronts within the Great Lakes basin. However, there are some locations where the sources of persistent toxic substances have not yet been cleaned up and these continue to threaten human health and aquatic life. Individuals, communities and governments can incur serious, although frequently hidden, economic costs because of health effects from Great Lakes air and water pollution.

ISSUE: The level of success of Remedial Action Plans in improving harbors and tributaries has varied throughout the Great Lakes.

PROJECT: Investigate water related problems in your community, actions called for by RAPs and what has been done about them. In your opinion, what are the barriers to achieving further improvements? What can/should be done to make progress?

OPEN SESSION ON WATER QUALITY: Research and address issues related to water quality such as: Non-point pollution sources from land use; Communicating and achieving "fishable and swimmable waters; Connecting recreational water users such as boaters, swimmers and sports fishing organizations to watershed land use decisions in communities far upstream; Ways to manage a watershed that crosses many political boundaries (such as cities, counties or state lines).

• Write your paper in advance so your ideas are logically organized and clear.
• Rehearse. If possible, give your talk to a class before hand and ask them for suggestions. If the talk runs too long, cut out the least essential material and rehearse again.
• Give an opening statement to acquaint the audience with the nature and purpose of the study.
• Speak slowly and clearly. Choose simple words. Use active words, short sentences.
• Stay within your allotted time so everyone has a chance to speak.
• Speak into the microphone and towards the audience at all times.
• Slides and power point presentations must be well designed, simple and readable by everyone.
• Devote each slide to a single fact, idea or finding.
• Use the absolute minimum number of words in title, subtitles, and captions. Standard abbreviations are acceptable.
• Illustrations should be large enough for everyone to see.

Friday 9/24	9:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.	Educator Workshops
Saturday 9/25	8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.	Set up displays in Environmental Expo area Attend Government presentations with time for questions & answers
	10:30 - 12:30 p.m.	Board shuttle buses for an optional tour of The Jackson, The Grand Valley State University Research Vessel. Enjoy a tour of the Milwaukee harbor
	1:30 - 4:30 p.m.	Student Presentations
	9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.	Teacher workshops
	7:00 - 10:00 p.m.	Shipyard Shindig $25 at Wisconsin Lake Schooner Education Association Dinner must be paid in advance - reserve your space by completing the forum registration form.

The Midwest Express Center is located in downtown Milwaukee just off Interstate 94 at 400 W. Wisconsin Avenue. Maps and information about Milwaukee and lodging.

RESOURCE KIT: Information will be available soon!

EDUCATORS: Educator workshops will be offered on Friday and Saturday September, 24-25 during the Water Quality Forum. University credit and Milwaukee Public School teacher in-service credits have been applied for. If taken for university credit, fees will apply. Request further information using the registration form. Correlations to Wisconsin Model Academic Standards are included.