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Previous Significant Activity Reports
| 2007 |
July 2007
Lake Superior Day Celebration
The third annual Lake Superior Day was celebrated around the basin on
Sunday, July 15, 2007. The Lake Superior Binational Forum distributed
educational materials and helped support approximately 20 events in
12 communities in Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Ontario.
April-June 2007
10th
Anniversary of Binational Toxics Reduction Effort
A Ten Year Anniversary
Great Lakes Binational
Toxics Strategy (GLBTS) Stakeholder Forum was held in Chicago on
May 23, 2007. Presentations were made by U.S. and Canadian Substance
Workgroup Chairs, alongside stakeholders from industry, environmental
non-governmental organizations and States, for mercury, PCBs, dioxin, HCB
and PAHs.
January-March 2007
Conserving Bald Eagle Habitats
In January 2007, the St. Lawrence Bald Eagle Working Group, at the
request of the United States-Canada Lake Ontario Lakewide Management
Plan (LaMP), released the report, “Conserving Lake Ontario and Upper
St. Lawrence River Bald Eagle Habitats,” to promote conservation of
bald eagles through monitoring, research, management, information
exchange, assistance on bald eagle-related projects, and scientific
review/consultation regarding bald eagles.
| 2006 |
June
2006
Long-Awaited Ashtabula River Cleanup Begins
On June 5th, USEPA Administrator Steve Johnson joined
Ohio Governor Bob Taft, U.S. Rep. Steven C. LaTourette, other
government officials and local partners in Ashtabula, Ohio, to
celebrate the beginning of a $50 million project to clean up
contaminated sediment from the Ashtabula River, a tributary to Lake
Erie and an Area of Concern.
Read more...
May 2006
Legacy Act Update: Ruddiman
Creek Cleanup Done
On Monday, May 15th, the Muskegon community
celebrated the completion of the Great Lakes Legacy sediment
cleanup project at Ruddiman Creek and Pond in Muskegon
Michigan. The event was attended by many local residents,
representatives from the Michigan Department of
Environmental Quality; USEPA staff including Bharat Mathur,
Acting Regional Administrator; the mayor of Muskegon and
state and national legislators including U.S. Congressman
Pete Hoekstra.
Read more...
April 2006
Great Lakes Water
Quality Agreement Review Underway
On April 28th, the Governments of the U.S.
and Canada, launched the one every six year review of the
operation and effectiveness of the Great Lakes Water Quality
Agreement. The kick-off meeting was held at USEPA Region 5
Headquarters in Chicago, Illinois.
Read more...
February-March 2006
Toward Wildlife-Friendly Wind Power
The new U.S. Energy Bill incentives for alternative
energy development are set to expire at the end of 2007.
Read more...
January 2006
Great Lakes Conservation
Blueprint
The Nature Conservancy has just released the
“Conservation
Blueprint for the Great Lakes”. Jointly funded by GLNPO, the Ontario
Ministry of Natural Resources, the Gund Foundation, the Charles
Stewart Mott Foundation, the Richard Ivey Foundation, and the Living
Legacy Trust, the blueprint was a binational, collaborative effort
to identify areas of biodiversity significance throughout the Great
Lakes basin.
Read more...
| 2005 |
December 2005
Great Lakes Restoration Strategy
The final Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy to
Restore and Protect the Great Lakes was released at “Summit II”
on Monday, December 12th at the John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago,
Illinois.
Read more...
November 2005
Legacy Act Making A
Difference: Two Cleanups Completed, Another Underway
Two sediment cleanup projects in
Great Lakes Areas of Concern were completed in November using
GLNPO’s new Legacy Act authority and funding, and another project is
well underway.
Read more...
October 2005
Wisconsin Automobile Mercury
Switch Collection Project
In September 2001, USEPA’s Great Lakes National Program
Office awarded the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR)
a $65,000 grant to establish an Automotive Mercury Switch
Collection Project (Project) with the auto and scrap
re-cycling industry.
Read more...
September 2005
Protecting Riparian Areas and
Wetlands
“Community Riparian and Wetland Guidance” is a newly
released publication funded by GLNPO and developed by USEPA’s
Cleveland Office along with the Cuyahoga Soil and Water
Conservation District, the Natural Resources Conservation
Service, the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, and
the Ohio EPA.
Read more...
August 2005
Ruddiman Creek Legacy Act Project Begins
On August 8th the Ruddiman Creek Great Lakes Legacy Act
project got underway. This is the third remediation project
started under the Great Lakes Legacy Program.
Read more...
July 2005
GLRC Summit I
Senior representatives of the Great Lakes Regional
Collaboration officially released for public comment “A
Strategy to Restore and Protect the Great Lakes” on July 7th
in Duluth, Minnesota at a ceremonial event entitled, “Summit
I.”
Read more...
June 2005
FY2005
Funding Guidance
GLNPO issued its annual request for Great Lakes project
submissions through the USEPA Great Lakes National Program
Office FY2005- 2006 Funding Guidance on April 12th.
Read more...
May 2005
2004 Toxics
Reduction Report Online
The 2004 Annual Report of the Canada-U.S. Great Lakes Binational
Toxics Strategy (GLBTS), “A beyond compliance Strategy to virtually
eliminate persistent toxic substances from the Great Lakes”, is now
available on the web.
Read more...
April 2005
Earth Keeper Clean Sweep a Tremendous Success
A Clean Sweep (hazardous waste collection) event in Michigan’s Upper
Peninsula under the Earth Keeper initiative was an unprecedented
success. A total of 45.7 tons of toxic materials were collected in
the event held on Earth Day, April 23rd in the parking
lots of 25 Upper Peninsula churches, temples, and other houses of
worship.
March 2005
Project Submissions Sought
USEPA’s Great Lakes National Program Office is seeking project
submissions in this year’s Funding Guidance competition. Up to $4.7
million may be awarded under this announcement for furthering
protection and cleanup of the Great Lakes ecosystem. The deadline
for all project submissions is 8:00 AM Central time, Tuesday
morning, May 31, 2005.
Read more...
February 2005
Fish
Monitoring Program Reviewed
GLNPO held a program review for the Great Lakes Fish Monitoring
Program in Chicago on February 7th and 8th. About 40
representatives including government and university scientists,
federal and State government managers, and Tribal representatives
met to discuss the program's successes and problems.
Read more...
January 2005
Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Rolls Ahead
The Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Conveners met in Chicago
on December 3rd, 2004 in Chicago, Illinois. At that meeting, the
Conveners signed the "Great Lakes Declaration" and "Framework"
documents affirming the commitment to the Great Lakes Regional
Collaboration process and the development of a comprehensive
strategy to further protect and restore the Great Lakes
Read more...
| 2004 |
October-December 2004
In May 2004, President Bush signed a Presidential Executive
Order recognizing the Great Lakes as a national treasure, calling
for the creation of a “Regional Collaboration of National
Significance” and a cabinet-level interagency Task Force. After
extensive discussions, the federal Great Lakes Interagency Task
Force, the Council of Great Lakes Governors, the Great Lakes Cities
Initiative, Great Lakes Tribes, and the Great Lakes Congressional
Task Force moved to convene a collaboration.
Read more...
September 2004
About Mercury
Every year, an estimated 60,000 children are born at risk of
developmental deficits, including decreased school performance, as
the result of exposure to methylmercury in the womb, usually
stemming from their mother’s consumption of contaminated fish.
Read more...
August 2004
Board the Northbound Train
On July 15th, USEPA Administrator Mike Leavitt spoke before the
International Association of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Mayors
Conference in Chicago to report progress on the Great Lakes
Executive Order.
Read more...
July 2004
Lake Superior
Day
The second annual Lake Superior Day was held at Wisconsin
Point (Duluth-Superior Harbor) on Sunday, July 18th. Copies of Lake
Superior Day proclamations were displayed at the ceremony.
Read more...
June 2004
Mudpuppy in High Gear
The Great Lakes National Program Office’s 32-foot sediment
sampling boat, the
R/V Mudpuppy,
swung into high gear for the 2004 sampling season, working at three
sites in June.
Read more...
May 2004
Great Lakes Executive Order
On May 18th, President Bush signed Executive Order 13340 creating
the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force. Under USEPA’s leadership,
the Task Force brings together ten Agency and Cabinet officers to
provide strategic direction on federal policy, priorities and
programs for restoring the Great Lakes.
Read more...
April 2004
R/V
Lake Guardian Springs Into Action
In its first cruise of the year, the Great Lakes National Program
Office’s 180-foot research ship, the
R/V Lake Guardian,
departed its berth in Milwaukee Harbor, Wisconsin on April 3rd
for the Spring Water Quality Survey of the Great Lakes.
Read more...
January - March 2004
Spill Planning for Sensitive Areas
Staff from the Great Lakes National Program Office
attended the “Net Environmental Benefit Analysis of Isle Royale National
Park” meeting held in Duluth, Minnesota on January 6th
to 8th
Read more...
| 2003 |
November/December 2003
Consider Conservation Easements
With funding from GLNPO, USEPA’s Cleveland Office assisted Lake Erie
basin partners in producing a new brochure, “Consider Conservation
Easements.”
Read more...
October 2003
GLNPO Navy Wraps Up 2003
R/V Lake Guardian leaves Chicago on last voyage of
2003 sampling season
Read more...
September 2003
What's a Cleanup Worth?
The costs of cleaning up contaminated sediments can run into
multi-millions of dollars. Learn how costly it is.
Read more...
August 2003
The View from Space
Two projects for monitoring Great Lakes ecology using remote sensing
data from satellites orbiting high above the earth recently produced
preliminary data.
Read more...
June-July 2003
Wetlands Efforts On Track
The goal of the Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands Consortium is to develop
indicators and a long-term coastal wetland monitoring program. The
Consortium is funded through a cooperative agreement between GLNPO and the Great Lakes Commission, in partnership with a
binational group of agencies and organizations.
Read more...
April-May 2003
R/V Lake Guardian at Work
After a delay of nearly two weeks, due to extensive ice on the Great
Lakes, the Spring Water Quality Survey began on April 9th and was
completed on May 5th. Samples were taken for investigation of water
chemistry and biology. This is the latest survey in a long-term
monitoring program that began in 1983.
Read more...
March 2003
Toxics Continue Downward Trend
A just-released report by the USEPA and Environment Canada shows
that levels of the most critical, persistent pollutants around the
Great Lakes — including mercury, dioxin, benzo(a)pyrene, and
hexachlorobenzene — continued to go down in 2002.
Read more...
February 2003
Big Boost for Sediment Cleanup!
On January 30th, EPA Administrator Whitman announced that the
President’s FY 2004 budget request will include nearly $34 million
to improve Great Lakes water quality.
Read more...
January 2003
SOLEC Online!
Presentations from the 2002 State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference
(SOLEC) are now available online
Read more...
| 2002 |
December 2002
Presque Isle On the Mend
Significant improvements in the environmental health of the Presque
Isle Bay, Pennsylvania Area of Concern (AOC) on Lake Erie has
prompted the USEPA to upgrade the bay to an "AOC in recovery stage"
from the previous designation of simply "AOC."
Read more...
November 2002
Assessing the State of the
Lakes
The fifth biennial
State of the Lakes Ecosystem
Conference (SOLEC) was held in Cleveland, Ohio from October 16th to
18th. The theme for this year's conference was “Biological
Integrity of the Great Lakes.”
Read more...
September - October 2002
R/V Lake Guardian Back Home
GLNPO’s 180-foot research vessel, the R/V Lake Guardian,
concluded a very busy year of research and monitoring on the Great
Lakes. In addition to its routine annual monitoring program on the
Great Lakes, the R/V Lake Guardian conducted special studies
on Lake Michigan, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario.
Read
more...
August 2002
The Great Lakes Atlas: An Environmental Atlas and Resource Book,
published through a partnership of USEPA GLNPO and Environment Canada,
continues to be an extremely popular publication. The Atlas is now in
its third re-printing.
Read
more...
July 2002
Lake Erie Checkup Continues
The
U.S. and Canadian special study of Lake Erie, the "Lake Erie
Supplemental Study of Trophic Status" continued with a five-day
scientific cruise of the lake. The 180-foot USEPA research ship, the R/V Lake
Guardian departed Cleveland, Ohio on July 17th with a full
complement of scientists aboard.
Read
more...
June 2002
Mid-Point in Toxics Initiative
USEPA and Environment Canada held a 5-Year Great Lakes Binational
Toxics Strategy Anniversary Stakeholder Forum and Dinner on May 29th
in Windsor, Canada. Presentations at the Stakeholder Forum included a
retrospective of Substance Workgroup accomplishments and progress
toward the goals of the Strategy.
Read more...
May 2002
Lake
Guardian on a Roll
The
Great Lakes National Program Office's 180-foot research vessel, the
R/V Lake Guardian
has continued its busy Spring schedule, supporting a number of research
and monitoring activities on the Great Lakes.
Read
more...
April 2002
Great Lakes Plan Released
Great Lakes Strategy 2002: A Plan for the New Millennium was
officially released on April 2, 2002. USEPA Administrator Christie
Whitman announced the Strategy in Muskegon, Michigan on behalf of the
U.S. Policy Committee. She was joined by several U.S. Policy Committee
members.
Read more...
March 2002
New Lake Erie Study
Great Lake scientists have become concerned over an increasing Lake
Erie “dead zone,” essentially devoid of oxygen in the Summer. See
how GLNPO is responding.
Read more...
February 2002
Milwaukee River and Harbor Cleanup Projects Are Center of
Attention
On January 31st, 2002 GLNPO's Scott Cieniawski attended a meeting
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to discuss a variety of sediment assessment,
remediation, and beneficial reuse projects recently completed, or
scheduled for the Milwaukee Area of Concern.
Read more...
January 2002
Lake Erie Scientists Discuss Disturbing Lake Erie Trend
Scientists currently
active in studying the Lake Erie basin met in Chicago, Illinois, on
December 13th, 2001 to present information on the lake and its
processes.
Read more...
| 2001 |
December
Pollution Prevent Scores Big Against Toxics
The latest progress report from the Great Lakes Binational (U.S. and
Canada) Toxics Strategy reports big reductions in the worst of the
toxic chemicals polluting the Great Lakes. Read more...
October
Binational Great Lakes Web Site
Launched
The U.S. and Canada launched a new
Web Site, binational.net. The binational.net Web Site is a cooperative
project with Environment Canada. Read more...
August
Dramatic Results of Ecological
Protection Grants
The Great Lakes National Program
Office is analyzing 105 final grant reports from ecological protection
and restoration projects funded by GLNPO and completed between 1992 and
2001. Read more...
July
Scientific Papers Zero In On Latest Great
Lakes Invader
This year, four papers have been
published on GLNPO's open lake Biological Monitoring Program in the
Journal of Great Lakes Research. This is a peer-reviewed Journal dedicated
to publishing scientific work on the Great Lakes. Read more...
June
Binational Toxics Strategy Reports on Progress
On May 17th and 18th, GLNPO and Environment
Canada hosted a two-day Great
Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy (GLBTS) Stakeholders meeting. Approximately 150 people participated in the
stakeholders forum and in mercury, PCB HCB/B(a)P and dioxin workgroup
meetings which were held the first day. Read more...
May
Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands
Monitoring
In November 2000, the Great
Lakes National Program Office awarded a $400,000 Cooperative Agreement to
the Great
Lakes Commission on behalf of a
binational consortium of Great
Lakes Coastal Wetland
scientists and resource managers. Read more...
March
Office of Research and Development and GLNPO Collaboration
In two meetings, in Chicago, Illinois on February 15th and 16th,
and in Duluth, Minnesota on March 8th and 9th, USEPA's Office of Research and
Development (ORD) and GLNPO have collaborated to ensure coordination
between Science to Achieve Results (STAR)
grantees and the Great Lakes
Coastal Wetland Consortium assistance agreement recipient. Read more...
February
Binational Toxics Strategy 2000
Progress Report Issued
The Great
Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy 2000 Progress Report was released on
February 20th. Read more...
January
Report on St. Clair River Lakeplain Prairie and Oak Savanna Ecosystem
Project
Lakeplain prairie and oak
savanna ecosystems are considered globally imperiled. Read more...
| 2000 |
September - December
State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference 2000
The results of 31 indicators of Great Lakes basin health were
presented at the State
of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference (SOLEC) 2000, held October 17th
to 19th, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Read more...
June - August
Gulf of Maine Conference
On June 19th, Gary Gulezian was part of a panel at a conference on
"Exploring Transboundary Arrangements for Management of the Gulf
of Maine Ecosystem." Read more...
April
LaMPs 2000 CD Available
In order to fulfill all the requests GLNPO has been receiving for
copies of the LaMPs 2000 documents, a LaMPs 2000 CD was assembled and
published. Read more...
January - February
Mercury
Emission Study
Between February 14th
and 25th, Frank Anscombe of GLNPO led a study team of 35 people
who made use of about $1 Million worth of mercury monitoring equipment in
a mercury emissions study inside an Olin
Corporation chlor-alkali factory in Georgia. Read more...
January
- February
Mercury
Emission Study
Between February 14th and 25th, Frank Anscombe of GLNPO led a
study team of 35 people who made use of about $1 Million worth of
mercury monitoring equipment in a mercury emissions study inside an
Olin Corporation chlor-alkali factory in Georgia. Read
more...
| 1999 |
November - December
Great Lakes Air Toxics Emissions
Inventory Released
The Great Lakes Commission, in
partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, announced the
release of the updated Great Lakes Air Toxics Emissions Inventory in a
continuing effort to quantify the toxic air emissions that impact the
waters and communities of the Great Lakes basin. Read more...
August - September
IJC Biennial Public Forum
The International Joint Commission’s (U.S. and
Canada) Biennial Forum and Environmental Exposition was held on September 24th to 26th in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The IJC calls this meeting every other year to track progress under
the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, which is the cornerstone of the binational Great
Lakes Program. Read more...
June - July
Baltic Fellow Program Selections Made
The Baltic Sea Partnership aims to improve the water
quality of the Great Lakes and the Baltic Sea by sharing information, expertise, and
management approaches. Read more...
April - May
FRANCIS
X. LYONS Named as Region 5 Regional Administrator
On May 3, 1999 EPA Administrator Carol M. Browner appointed Francis X. Lyons as the
Agency's Administrator for Region 5, headquartered in Chicago. Read more...
January - March
Mercury Cell
Chlor-alkali Sector Voluntary Initiative to Reduce
Mercury Consumption
In February, there was a meeting at Olin
Corporation's factory in Augusta, Georgia, to discuss proposed emissions studies by EPA
grantees (Jerome Nriagu of the University of Michigan and Steve Lindberg of the Oak Ridge
National Laboratory) and by scientists sponsored by the Chlorine Institute (A. J. Baker,
the University of Tennessee). It was agreed that the two projects complimented one another
and should proceed. Read more...
| 1998 |
November - December
New Exotic Species Found in the Great Lakes
Cercopagis pengoi is the
latest exotic crustacean to invade the Great Lakes. This predatory cladoceran was
first identified by Canadian scientists in early August of 1998. Cercopagis
is indigenous to the Caspian, Azov, and Aral seas (Rivier 1998), and was reported to have
invaded the Baltic Sea in 1992 (Ojaveer and Lumberg 1995, Ojaveer 1997).
Read more...
September - October
David Ullrich Addresses IJC Area
of Concern Workshop; Signs Historic Voluntary Agreement to Control Mercury in Steelmaking
in Northwest Indiana
On September 25, 1998, David Ullrich
gave a presentation on "Global
Connections to Local Efforts" at a 2-day
workshop in Hammond, Indiana focusing on sharing information on successful strategies to
address restoration activities in Areas of Concern. Read more...
July - August
Great Lakes Binational
Executive Committee Meeting Held In Chicago
On July 30, the Great Lakes Binational Executive Committee (BEC) met in Chicago
to discuss binational activities being implemented under the terms of the Great Lakes
Water Quality Agreement (the Agreement) Read more...
May - June
SOLEC Draft
Indicators Report Released
On behalf of the State of the Lakes Ecosystem
Conference (SOLEC) organizers, the Indicators Core Group released the first draft of a
"SOLEC Indicators List" on June 11, 1998. Read more...
March - April
EPA Gold Medal
Awarded to Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy Workgroup
EPA's Gold Medal, the Agency's highest honor, was recently
awarded to the U.S.-Canada Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy
Workgroup. The Workgroup was responsible for all stages of the
Strategy, culminating in the April 1997 signing of this historic
agreement by Administrator Browner and then Canadian Minister of the
Environment Sergio Marchi. Read more...
January - February
BEC
Meeting Held in Toronto
On February 11, the Binational Executive Committee (BEC), comprised of
senior level representatives of federal, state, provincial, and tribal
agencies with environmental protection and natural resource management
responsibilities in the Great Lakes Basin, met in Toronto to review
binational activities being implemented under the terms of the Great
Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Read more...