WHAT'S NEW

Freshwater Future strives to keep grassroots activists informed about the latest events and projects to protect aquatic habitats in the Great Lakes Basin. Please check this page for the latest news about Freshwater Future and opportunities for you to get involved in preserving your local aquatic habitat resources!

Data sought for the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Research Inventory
The International Joint Commission is inviting Great Lakes researchers to submit or update information on their projects for the online Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Research Inventory. The Inventory depends for the most part on voluntary participation from scientists and agencies willing to share some time and information in a spirit of collaboration serving the best interests of the Great Lakes ecosystem. With information on approximately 1,200 projects, 1,000 principal investigators and 300 funding organizations, the database represents a valuable information resource for Great Lakes researchers, managers and policy makers.
http://ri.ijc.org.

BP petitions spread to Chicago beaches
July 22, 2007: A petition drive to halt BP's dumping of additional pollution into Lake Michigan spread to Chicago on Saturday. The Alliance for the Great Lakes partnered with the Chicago Parks District to gain petition signatures at Chicago beaches Saturday. The petition drive continues today in the Windy City. "If Chicago gets involved, along with Michigan and Wisconsin, hopefully, maybe something will happen," Miller resident Karin Kirulis said.
http://www.post-trib.com/news/478808,bppetition.article

Indiana leaders must fight for clean water
July 20, 2007: When it comes to swaying public opinion over BP's plan to dump more pollution into Lake Michigan, a few numbers pose major stumbling blocks for the oil giant. They start with the 1,584 additional pounds of ammonia and 4,925 pounds of other waste the company wants to add to its discharge every day. Following closely is the company's $22.3 billion it made in profit last year alone. Not least of all is BP's claim that it can't find 12,000 square feet to build the necessary treatment plant on its sprawling 1,400-acre refinery. There comes a time when Northwest Indiana residents must question why we should risk Lake Michigan's future to enrich the owners of a British company who do not drink our water or bathe along our shores. And there comes a time when we expect our own elected officials to lead the way.
http://www.post-trib.com/news/opinion/476107,edit.article

Lawmakers, ODNR, OEC team up to pull the plug on invasive species and tainted ballast water in Lake Erie
July 19, 2007: Alewife. Round Goby. Spiny Waterflea. Zebra mussels. None of these exotic-sounding species are native to Lake Erie. These exotic species have been hitch hiking their way up the St. Lawrence River via the ballast water of ocean going vessels for decades. Since then there’s been no getting rid of them. More than 180 invasive species of algae, fish, invertebrates, and plants have become established in the Great Lakes.
http://www.healthylakes.org/uncategorized/2007/07/20/lawmakers-odnr-oec-
team-up-to-pull-the-plug-on-invasive-species-%e2%80%93tainted-
ballast-water-in-lake-erie#more-359

Detroit Free Press Outdoor Writer: “You can make a difference”
July 19, 2007: Eric Sharp, outdoor writer for the Detroit Free Press, has been an unwavering and outspoken advocate for saving the Great Lakes from the onslaught of invasive species, and he should be commended. In today’s column, Sharp hits the nail on the head: “You can make a difference. Stay on your congressmen with letters and e-mails and phone calls. Don’t believe that your voice isn’t important. One call about an issue probably won’t get their attention. Twenty probably won’t get them worried. But 200 could get them looking into it, and 2,000 could get them writing legislation.”
http://www.healthylakes.org/great-lakes-congressional-watch/
quote-of-the-week/2007/07/19/detroit-free-press-outdoor-writer-
you-can-make-a-difference

Chicago Fights Indiana Oil Refinery Dumping Plan
July 18, 2007: The City of Chicago is fighting back against a plan that allows an oil refinery in Whiting, Ind., to dump significantly more sludge into Lake Michigan. State regulators in Indiana recently exempted the huge BP refinery in Whiting from state environmental laws in order to clear the way for an expansion of the plant.
http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/local_story_199142733.html

Western officials press for changes to Clean Water Act
July 18th, 2007: Western officials and legal experts yesterday urged House lawmakers to support legislation that would expand the range of waters protected by the federal government. Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D) told a House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee his state is suffering from the effects of drought and climate change and called for increasing federal Clean Water Act protections over creeks, small streams and seasonal wetlands. The governor used the word “ludicrous” to describe how he feels about protecting only navigable waterways fed by smaller rivers and streams, including those that flow intermittently.
http://www.earthportal.org/news/?p=301

Tools for Protecting Wetlands
July 17, 2007: Wisconsin Wetlands Association wants to help wetland enthusiasts turn their love of wetlands into informed and effective action for wetland protection. Every week WWA receives calls and emails from concerned citizens seeking advice on how to stop or reduce the wetland impacts of proposed construction projects. To improve the quality of the assistance WWA provides, and to build our capacity to support more community-based wetland protection efforts, we recently launched a new Protecting Wetlands section on WWA's website.
http://www.wisconsinwetlands.org/regulation.htm

A former Engler aide is fired in boundary dispute
July 12, 2007: A veteran Republican operative from Michigan, who was appointed by President George W. Bush in 2001 to direct border relations with Canada, was fired this week after losing a power struggle with other administration officials over his handling of a border security dispute. Dennis Schornack, 56, of Williamston, who worked two decades for former Gov. John Engler, said Wednesday he intends to challenge the president's authority to remove him as U.S. boundary commissioner, an unpaid post he held along with a parallel post as the U.S. co-chair of the International Joint Commission.

BP gets break on dumping in lake - Refinery expansion entices Indiana
7/15/07: The massive BP oil refinery in Whiting, Ind., is planning to dump significantly more ammonia and industrial sludge into Lake Michigan, running counter to years of efforts to clean up the Great Lakes. Indiana regulators exempted BP from state environmental laws to clear the way for a $3.8 billion expansion that will allow the company to refine heavier Canadian crude oil. They justified the move in part by noting the project will create 80 new jobs.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/services/newspaper/premium/printedition/Sunday/
chi-pollute_15jul15,0,4311731.story?track=mostemailedlink

Birds blamed for bad beaches
7/13/2007: Kingston Frontenac Lennox and Addington Public Health has posted three beaches as unsafe for swimming in the past month. And the reason our water is so foul is, well, waterfowl. http://www.kingstonthisweek.com/webapp/sitepages/content.asp?
contentid=609678&catname=Local%20News&classif=News%20-%20Local

Forbidden shore could go public
7/13/2007: The nearly two miles of off-limits waterfront property at Selfridge Air National Guard Base along Lake St. Clair's Anchor Bay could be opened to fishing, biking and other recreational uses under a proposal announced Thursday by U.S. Sen. Carl Levin. Under Levin's proposal, recreational users could not take cars or other vehicles onto the property. Air National Guard officials at the base said they saw Levin's letter to Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne and are considering adding it to a plan for property at the base no longer needed for military uses. http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070713/NEWS06/707130391

Researchers urge Great Lakes help
7/13/2007: Ships carrying invasive fish and other species in from the ocean need tougher rules, study says. U.S. and Canadian researchers yesterday urged tougher rules for ships plying the Great Lakes in an effort to reduce the invasion of damaging foreign species. Oceangoing ships are blamed for introducing diseases, aggressive fish and other unwanted organisms into the Great Lakes, threatening both the commercial and sport fishing industries. http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/News/National/2007/07/13/4336046-sun.html

Scientists urge saltwater flush
7/12/2007: A new report proposes a simple way to prevent invasive species from sneaking into the Great Lakes aboard oceangoing cargo ships: Just add salt water. In a study released this week, scientists said vessels should be required to flush their ballast tanks with full-strength seawater before entering the St. Lawrence Seaway, the passage to the lakes. Doing so would kill many organisms that were scooped up in foreign ports where salinity levels are low, the study said. Even those that survive might be swept into the ocean instead of winding up in the Great Lakes, said Thomas Johengen, a University of Michigan nutrient chemist and one of the study's leaders. "This isn't a foolproof method," Johengen said in a phone interview. "We look at it as an easy, interim approach until we have more of a technology-based treatment solution." http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20070712/News01/707120375/1052/News01

Great Lakes cities vow to cut water use by 2015
7/12/2007: A coalition of U.S. and Canadian cities along the Great Lakes and St Lawrence River, including Toronto and Chicago, vowed on Thursday to cut water consumption 15 percent by 2015. The 20 Canadian and nine U.S. communities, members of Great Lakes St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, have agreed to cut water consumption by 15 percent below their 2000 level and to then set a target for further reductions by 2025. http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?
id=69c976e9-fb27-4ce2-ae51-49d7ba3c134e&k=81624

New York City promotes tap water
7/10/2007: The City of New York is trying to persuade its people to give up bottled drinks and consume tap water instead to help protect the environment. It has launched an advertising campaign to promote the cause, with local restaurants encouraged to join in. City officials say their campaign will save people money, and reduce waste.

U-M-led study concludes that current rules to protect Great Lakes from ship-borne organisms are inadequate; stronger measures advocated
July 10, 2007: Current rules aimed at minimizing the number of nonnative species that hitchhike into the Great Lakes on oceangoing ships are inadequate and often impractical, a University of Michigan researcher and colleagues from five other U.S. and Canadian institutions have concluded. The authors of a three-year study recommend that "saltwater flushing," the practice of rinsing a ship's ballast tanks with deep-ocean water before it enters the St. Lawrence Seaway, be added to a set of requirements called the Code of Best Practices for Ballast Water Management. In 2002, the St. Lawrence Seaway corporations in the United States and Canada adopted rules making compliance with the code mandatory for entry into the seaway. For a link to the full report, Identifying, Verifying, and Establishing Options for Best Management Practices for NOBOB Vessels, published by NOAA and Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab, go to: http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/Task_rpts/2004/aisreid04-1.html
For further information, visit: U-M School of Natural Resources and Environment: http://www.snre.umich.edu/

OH: Leroy wetlands project under way
7/9/2007: Lake Metroparks is keeping a close eye on a developing wetlands mitigation project in Leroy Township. The agency is expected to assume management responsibilities of the 340-acre wetlands tract once the entire project is completed. Those wetlands will encompass a dozen or so individual pockets of shallow water totaling 67 acres. The project is bounded by Route 86 on the south, Brakeman Road to the west and Leroy Center Road on the north. On the project's immediate northeast corner is Lake Metroparks' $1.4 million Outdoors Skills Center. The project stretches for nearly 11/2 miles, and the working title for the property is the Leroy Center Wetlands. For full article, visit here.

MI: Michigan's New Surface Water Information Management System
7/6/2007: The state of Michigan has developed a new online tool for water managers and the general public to track the water quality of the state's rivers, lakes, and streams. The Michigan Surface Water Information Management, MiSWIM, system was introduced in late June by the Department of Environmental Quality, in cooperation with the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Information Technology. The MiSWIM system is a new, state-of-the-art Internet mapping application designed to provide the public easy access to biological, chemical, and physical data and other information that has been obtained for Michigan's waterbodies. "MiSWIM will provide a great tool for natural resource managers and citizens interested in natural resource issues to see how a water resource has been managed," said Department of Natural Resources Director Rebecca Humphries. For full article, visit:
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jul2007/2007-07-06-09.asp#anchor7

Riverkeeper files legal action
Moncton 7/6/2007: Today, Petitcodiac Riverkeeper filed an application in Federal Court demanding that the Federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans take all necessary measures to force the owner of the Petitcodiac causeway, the Province of New Brunswick, to allow for the unimpeded passage of fish in accordance with Article 20 of the Fisheries Act. "Our patience has finally run out. We wanted to file by June 10th, but there were rumors that the Province had chosen one of the options and was in negotiation with the federal government, we decided to give them a little leeway. Well today the hourglass is empty and their time is up," announced Petitcodiac Riverkeeper Chairman, Michel Desjardins.

Butting out on Ontario beaches unlikely
7/6/07: Some Michigan officials are moving to rid beaches of their most common litter -- cigarette butts -- by pushing to ban smoking on the beach. But Southwestern Ontario authorities aren't on fire about the issue and say they have no plan to follow suit.
http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/CityandRegion/2007/07/06/4317370-sun.html

Legislation seeks restrictions on sewage dumping into lakes
7/6/07: Suggesting that it's time to stop dumping sewage into our drinking water, legislators on Thursday announced a bipartisan bill to protect the Great Lakes from such pollution. Touting the support of a lengthy list of environmental groups, U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk, R-Highland Park, and U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski, D-Western Springs, unveiled the Great Lakes Water Protection Act.
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/news/
457757,5_1_WA06_GREATLAKESSEWAGE_S1.article

After Lobbying, Wetlands Rules Are Narrowed
7/5/07: After a concerted lobbying effort by property developers, mine owners and farm groups, the Bush administration scaled back proposed guidelines for enforcing a key Supreme Court ruling governing protected wetlands and streams. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/06/washington/06wetlands.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Taking notes from a dragonfly larva: Great Lakes environmental journalists soak in their subject
7/5/07: Understanding environmental science and politics in the Great Lakes is like trying to hang on to a writhing sea lamprey. When you finally get a grip, it’s a strangely satisfying but temporary sensation. Last week, I trundled off to northern Michigan with 23 other print and broadcast journalists on a four-day training junket put together by MSU’s Knight Center for Environmental Journalism. Forget the cliché of the jaded, deadpan journalist. All week, we rolled like a pack of overstimulated squirrels in the diverse array of environmental issues facing the Great Lakes region.
http://www.lansingcitypulse.com/index.php?
option=com_content&task=view&id=1170&Itemid=29

Issues at home -- will there be enough and will it be clean?
7/5/07: You don't have to travel around the world to find challenging issues of water quantity and quality. They're right in your own back yard, whether you live in Mundelein or Wilmette. The Great Lakes are being depleted at a faster rate than they are naturally replenished, said Max Muller of Environment Illinois.
http://www.pioneerlocal.com/452415,on-waterfocus-070507-s2.article

Great Lakes fish getting worse: Study
7/5/07: Toxins that once only surfaced in big fish are making their way down the food chain, a sign that the Great Lakes are getting even more polluted, a new report says. In the past two years, smaller sizes of salmon, trout and carp have been slapped with strict consumption warnings - and some with outright bans - in many areas of the Great Lakes and particularly in Lake Ontario.
http://www.thestar.com/sciencetech/Environment/article/232782

Canada reviews waste storage
7/5/07: The Canadian Minister of the Environment announced Friday that a proposal for a deep underground storage of nuclear waste not far from Lake Huron's shore should be studied by a review panel.
http://www.thetimesherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20070705/NEWS01/707050301

Scientists have formula for river cleanup
6/26/07: Environmental scientists are finalizing plans for the first cleanup of the Grand Calumet River in the heart of the city. The project aims to remove more than 130,000 cubic yards of sediment -- considered among the most polluted in the Great Lakes -- and return the waterway between Columbia and Hohman avenues to a more natural ecosystem. An agreement between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources has dedicated up to $1 million to develop final design plans and specifications for the cleanup.
Click here to learn more.

Enter the Great Lakes Forever Photo Contest!
Great Lakes Forever and Budweiser are asking amateur and professional photographers to submit their favorite Great Lakes photos for use on the 2007 Great Lakes Forever beer coasters. One amateur and one professional photographer will see their photos printed on a Budweiser/Great Lakes Forever beer coaster to be distributed to bars and restaurants throughout the Great Lakes region and win special Trek bikes. Four runners-up will see their photos used on a Great Lakes awareness poster and win a deluxe Coleman Cooler or a portable Fire Pit. Photographers can enter the contest with images of the Great Lakes and their natural beauty. The deadline for submitting photos is 5pm CST, Monday *July 2, 2007*. Visit www.greatlakesforever.org to learn more!

New State General Permit for Great Lakes Shoreline Management (Michigan)
7/2007: Starting this summer, shoreline property owners on Michigan’s Great Lakes coast may take advantage of a timelier and lower-cost permitting option for limited types of shoreline management projects. The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is preparing to issue a new state general permit for sand leveling and grooming in areas free of vegetation, establishing paths to the water, limited mowing of vegetation, and controlling Phragmites and other non-native, invasive plants. The new general permit option addresses projects located between the ordinary high watermark of the Great Lakes and the water’s edge – that is, on exposed state-owned bottomlands adjacent to shoreline property. The application fee for a general permit is $100, substantially less than individual permit fees. Also, general permit processing does not include the public notice period or possibility of a public hearing required for individual permit applications. For direct link to this newsletter with this article, go to: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/deq/deq-ess-clm-mcn-summer07_201150_7.pdf

Sustainability Network's Website of the Month: Creative Gallery on Sustainable Communications
7/2007: This exceptional database of ad campaigns is hosted on the United National Environment Program website. With an impressive selection of many environmental issues including conservation, climate change, recycling, energy and biodiversity, visitors can view the print and video advertisements from campaigns around the world and for some projects, read the communications strategy utilized. We chose this website as a valuable communications tool for every environmental organization that is building awareness and is seeking new and fresh ideas. The main page for this Creative Gallery database is: http://www.unep.fr/pc/sustain/advertising/ad/
ad_list.asp?cat=8&cp.

http://sustain.web.ca/Nexus/07-07.htm#6

Porter County, IN revising stormwater rules to focus more on water quality
6/21/07: The rain garden, two-stage ditch and vegetative swales on display at the Porter County Visitor Center might seem cutting edge for this region right now, but the ideas might become more common as the county works to expand its stormwater ordinance.

Precedent-Setting Litigation Against Ocean-Going Shipping Companies Aims to Stop Illegal Ballast Water Discharges
6/21/07: Seeking to force compliance with the Clean Water Act and shut the door on invasive species, the National Wildlife Federation, Alliance for the Great Lakes, and other conservation groups today announced their intent to sue several shipping companies operating in the Great Lakes.

New bill looks at state oversight of large livestock, poultry farms
6/11/07: SHERIDAN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) -- Environmentalists want tougher state oversight for Michigan's largest livestock and poultry farms, but Kent Karnemaat would be happier if the state let the farms take the lead on controlling pollution. Karnemaat's large hog farm is considered a concentrated animal feeding operation, or CAFO. Roughly 250 of the state's 53,000 farms have enough cattle, swine, sheep, horses, turkeys or chickens to be classified as CAFOs.

US Adopts Limits on Clean Water Law Enforcement
6/5/07: WASHINGTON - The landmark US law to fight water pollution will now apply only to bodies of water large enough for boats to use, and their adjacent wetlands, and will not automatically protect streams, the US government said on Tuesday. Environmental groups said they fear the new policy will muddy the purpose of the federal Clean Water Act and put many smaller bodies of water at risk. Democrats in Congress have introduced legislation mandating protection of creeks, estuaries and other watersheds. The Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers wrote the new guidelines after the Supreme Court split a year ago in a case about which waters fall under the Clean Water Act.

Don't miss the Great Lakes Town Hall!
http://www.greatlakestownhall.org

Freshwater Future builds effective community-based citizen action to protect and restore the water quality of the Great Lakes basin. We work toward this goal by providing financial assistance, communications and networking assistance and technical assistance to citizens and grassroots watershed groups throughout the Great Lakes basin. Through these efforts we work with over 1,800 grassroots watershed groups and citizens to protect and restore the rivers, lakes and wetlands in their communities. Freshwater Future, Inc. is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.

For more information, please contact:

info@freshwaterfuture.org
P.O. Box 2479, Petoskey, MI 49770
PH (231) 348-8200