LAKE SUPERIOR BINATIONAL PROGRAM Cover photo: Cypress Bay on Lake Superior's north shore. Photo credit: Tim Leblanc, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Printed on recycled paper with soy ink. Lake Superior Lakewide Management Plan (LaMP) 2008 Lake Superior Binational Program Lake Superior LaMP 2008 Acknowledgements Lake Superior Lakewide Management Plan The Lake Superior Lakewide Management Plan 2008 was prepared by the Binational Program’s Superior Work Group with input from various other agencies and organizations including the Lake Superior Binational Forum. We would like to thank the committees of the Superior Work Group for their efforts in completing this document. Member agencies of the Lake Superior Binational Program are: 1854 Authority Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Chippewa-Ottawa Resource Authority Environment Canada Fisheries and Oceans Canada Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission Health Canada Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Michigan Department of Natural Resources Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Minnesota Department of Health Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Ontario Ministry of the Environment Parks Canada Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa U.S. Environmental Protection Agency U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service U.S. Forest Service U.S. Geological Survey U.S. National Park Service Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources April 2008 i Lake Superior LaMP 2008 Lake Superior LaMP 2008 Guide to Changes – New files included in LaMP 2008 are bolded. File name Contents How to update your LaMP 2006 binder LS LaMP 2008 Executive Summary Replaces LaMP 2006 Executive Executive Summary Summary LS LaMP 2008 Introduction and Purpose of the Lake Replaces LaMP 2006 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Superior Lakewide Management Plan LS LaMP 2008 Public Outreach and Education Replaces LaMP 2006 Chapter 2 Chapter 2 LS LaMP 2008 Ecosystem Goals, Indicators, and Replaces LaMP 2006 Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Monitoring LS LaMP 2008 Lake Superior Critical Pollutants Replaces LaMP 2006 update at Chapter 4 Progress Report beginning of Chapter 4 Update LS Chapter 4 Lake Superior Critical Pollutants No change 2000 LS LaMP 2008 Human Health Information Replaces LaMP 2006 update at Chapter 5 beginning of Chapter 5 Update LS Chapter 5 Human Health No change 2000 LS LaMP 2008 Habitat, Terrestrial Wildlife, and Replaces LaMP 2006 update at Chapter 6 Aquatic Communities Progress beginning of Chapter 6 Update Reports LS Chapter 6 Status of Aquatic and Terrestrial No change 2006 Communities and Habitat in the Lake Superior Basin LS LaMP 2008 Developing Sustainability in the Lake Replaces LaMP 2006 update at Chapter 7 Superior Basin: 2008 Progress Report beginning of Chapter 7 Update LS Chapter 7 Developing Sustainability in the Lake No change 2004 Superior Basin LS LaMP 2008 Collaborative Efforts Replaces LaMP 2006 Chapter 8 Chapter 8 LS LaMP 2008 Climate Change New. Insert after LaMP 2008 Chapter 9 Chapter 8 LS LaMP 2008 Lake Superior Areas of Replaces LaMP 2006 Appendix A Appendix A Concern/Remedial Action Plan Summary Matrix and Fact Sheets April 2008 ii Lake Superior LaMP 2008 File name Contents How to update your LaMP 2006 binder LS Appendix B Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) No change 2000 Development Strategy for Lake Superior LS Appendix C The Lake Superior Zero Discharge No change 2006 Demonstration Program and Relationship to Chemical Contaminants in Lake Superior LS Appendix D Mercury Reduction for Lake Superior: No change 2006 A Mercury Reduction Assistance Project for Lake Superior Region Facilities LS LaMP 2008 Proceedings from Making a Great New. Insert after Appendix D Appendix E Lake Superior 2007: A Conference Linking Research, Education and Management LS LaMP 2008 Making A Great Lake Superior New. Insert after Appendix E Appendix F Conference 2007 Evaluation Findings LS glossary Glossary No change 2000 LS acronyms Acronyms and Abbreviations No change 2006 April 2008 iii Lake Superior LaMP 2008 Contents Lake Superior Lakewide Management Plan Acknowledgements Executive Summary Chapter 1 Introduction and Purpose of the Lake Superior Lakewide Management Plan Chapter 2 Public Outreach and Education Chapter 3 Ecosystem Goals, Indicators, and Monitoring Chapter 4 Lake Superior Critical Pollutants Progress Report Chapter 5 Human Health Information Chapter 6 Habitat, Terrestrial Wildlife, and Aquatic Communities Progress Reports Chapter 7 Developing Sustainability in the Lake Superior Basin: 2008 Progress Report Chapter 8 Collaborative Efforts Chapter 9 Climate Change Appendix A Lake Superior Areas of Concern/Remedial Action Plan Summary Matrix and Fact Sheets Appendix E Proceedings from Making a Great Lake Superior 2007: A Conference Linking Research, Education and Management Appendix F Making A Great Lake Superior Conference 2007 Evaluation Findings Note: Appendices B through D are not included in this update – they appear in LaMP 2006. April 2008 iv Lake Superior LaMP 2008 Executive Summary View of Copper Harbor, Michigan, at sunset, June 2007. Photo credit: Roger Eberhardt, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. Lake Superior Lakewide Management Plan 2008 April 2008 i Lake Superior LaMP 2008 April 2008 ii Lake Superior LaMP 2008 Executive Summary BACKGROUND Since 1991, as called for in the Canada-U.S. Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, the Lake Superior Lakewide Management Plan (LaMP) has provided an assessment of the state of the Lake Superior ecosystem, including its ecological impairments, emerging issues and their causes, and gaps in knowledge which require further research and monitoring. The LaMP has also identified additional actions required to achieve LaMP goals and targets. The Lake Superior Binational Program partners are continuing to develop and implement the LaMP. As will be documented in this chapter and throughout the entire LaMP 2008 document, the many accomplishments of both the Zero Discharge Demonstration Program (ZDDP) and the Broader Program (the two components of the Binational Program) reinforce the concept of the Lake Superior LaMP as an exemplary model for binational cooperative ecosystem management of the Great Lakes. Affirmation of the Lake Superior LaMP as a Model for Ecosystem Management With the release and publication of LaMP 2008, the U.S., Canada, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ontario, Tribal/First Nation and other Binational Program partners renew their commitment to a strong, active, vigorous LaMP document and process, and continue to affirm that the LaMP is uniquely positioned to serve as the most effective ecosystem management model for the Lake Superior basin. The partners affirm that the Lake Superior LaMP should continue to provide, in partnership with other binational programs, the guiding framework for the management interventions needed to maintain and restore the “physical, chemical and biological” integrity of the lake, as well as the place to define and harmonize agency and partner commitments to those actions. Furthermore, as the Lake Superior and Great Lakes ecosystems face increasingly serious environmental threats, the LaMP must evolve and adapt to remain the best model to address these challenges. The LaMP will do so through an “adaptive management” approach. Although there are several new Great Lakes basinwide restoration and protection initiatives, we must resist efforts to completely redo the existing successful “governance” structure of the Lake Superior LaMP. We must coordinate priorities but recognize the comparative advantage of the Lake Superior LaMP. The partners that have created and implemented the LaMP have, among other functions, committed to a process that provides an arena for discussions, recommendations, and decisions among governments; identifies and addresses current high priority issues; facilitates initiation and implementation of joint commitments in a way that minimizes the duplication of effort; identifies funding priorities; pools and leverages resources; documents actions and projects undertaken by Binational Program partners; provides outreach and education on these projects April 2008 iii Lake Superior LaMP 2008 and the ecosystem status of the Lake; facilitates coordinated research and monitoring; provides opportunities for stakeholder input; and provides a venue for discussion of lake resource issues. In sum, the governmental partners that have committed to building and sustaining the Binational Program, and thereby the LaMP 2008, reaffirm their support for, and commitment to, the LaMP process and the LaMP document itself. The Lake Superior Binational Program – Background The LaMP contains ecosystem goals and targets and funded and proposed (non-funded) actions for restoration and protection of the Lake Superior ecosystem. Actions include commitments by the government partners as well as suggested voluntary actions that could be taken by non- governmental partners. The first LaMP document, published in 2000, identified these actions in six ecosystem themes: critical pollutants, aquatic communities, terrestrial wildlife communities, habitat, human health and sustainability. Since then, each biennial LaMP update has reported accomplishments, status toward goals, challenges and next steps. LaMP 2008 LaMP 2008 builds on the previous LaMP documents although many of the original LaMP 2000 chapters have been revised,