The Great Lakes/Baltic Sea Partnership Program
Baltic Fellows Fact Sheet
Background
Together with the U.S. EPA, the Great Lakes Commission is working on
placing Baltic scientists (up to 6 months) with US and Canadian host
institutions conducting environmental research on the Great Lakes.
The objective of the Baltic Fellows Program under the Great
Lakes/Baltic Sea Partnership is to improve the water quality of the Great
Lakes and the Baltic Sea by sharing information, expertise, and management
approaches. The fellowship program will focus on the problems of
persistent toxic substances, the invasion of exotic species, and the
specific impacts of these on the Baltic Sea and Great Lakes ecosystems.
Common environmental threats include: pollution from toxic chemicals,
including pesticides; eutrophication and oxygen depletion (resulting, in
part, from nutrient runoff from agricultural lands); runoff from urban
waste sites; deposition of atmospheric pollution; loss of habitat; and the
introduction of exotic species.
Participants
Proposed participants in the Partnership are the United States, Canada,
Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Russia, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Poland,
Germany, and the governments of the Great Lakes States.
Partnership Goals
- to improve the water quality of the Great Lakes and the Baltic Sea
by sharing information, expertise, and management approaches;
- to strengthen the institutional relationship among scientific
organizations, professional associations, governments, and
non-governmental organizations seeking to address environmental
concerns in the Great Lakes and Baltic Sea regions;
- to improve the capabilities of both sides to more effectively manage
the two watersheds;
- to enhance environmental decision-making through better use of
environmental information.
Fellowship and Exchange Program
The Fellowship and Exchange Program proposes to support the visit of
scientists and government officials from the Baltic Sea countries to the
Great Lakes region to study and conduct a technical exchange on research
with a variety of scientists and professionals in U.S. and Canadian
governmental agencies, U.S. State governments, non-governmental
organizations, and academic and scientific institutions.
US and Canadian host institutions will benefit from hosting Baltic
scientists by increasing their Great Lakes scientific knowledge of
solutions to common environmental problems. Host organizations will be
able to expand their expertise in toxics, exotics and watershed management
research and retain the knowledge gained from the Baltic program by
partnering in field practicums and through publication of a final report
to the project.
Persistent Toxic Substances
The Partnership would promote technical transfer and dissemination of
data, through which the Great Lakes and Baltic Sea communities could
significantly contribute to the reduction of toxic substances and to
improved understanding of the threats they pose to human health and the
natural environment. Joint areas of scientific inquiry on persistent toxic
substances could include identification and inventory of toxic substances,
analysis of mechanisms to prevent and control toxic pollution, and
identification of cost-effective options to achieve this reduction in the
level of toxic substances in the environment.
Exotic Species Invasion
In the Great Lakes, invasions of exotic species have not been
effectively prevented. Because many of the exotic species in the Great
Lakes ecosystem have also found their way to the Baltic Sea -- probably
through similar paths such as ship ballast water -- Great Lakes and Baltic
Sea scientists stand to benefit from sharing experiences and data and by
collaborating on research projects and efforts to develop new
technologies. This increased collaboration can also serve as the basis for
an "early warning system" to detect the presence of new exotic
species. Information on new invasions and probable means of introduction
should be shared immediately to prevent additional infestations.
For further information on applying to this program, either as a
scientist or as a host agency, please contact:
Julie Wagemakers
Great Lakes Commission
Tel: (734) 665-9135
Fax: (734) 665-4370
or Great Lakes/Baltic Sea Partnership website
Great Lakes Commission website
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