Great Lakes: Connecting Communities Summer 2007 Volume 15 Issue 2 In This Issue: GLAHNF Spring Awards . 2 Water Conservation on the Move . 4 Shipping Moratorium . 5 Tackling Purple Loosestrife Lakes Erie - Canada Side . 5 City Park Houses Stormwater Solution Lake Superior . 6 IL & MN Protect Great Lakes Water Lake Michigan . 7 John Richter, President Friends of the Jordan River shares an update on the proposed injection well A Call to Action on Water Levels at a meeting and his concerns about the potential risks, social injustice, and need for a longterm Lake Huron . 8 solution to address the contamination. Photos by Lucien Joubert and Jack Moran, courtesy Friends of the Jordan River Watershed. Pesticide Free Lake Lake Huron - Canada Side . .9 Contaminated Leachate Disposal A Fully Funded Farm Bill Lake Erie - U.S. Side . 10 A proposal to dispose of contaminated There was overwhelming concern “Alternative” Fuels Project leachate from the exclusive Bay Harbor expressed at the June 13, 2007 Alba Lake Ontario . 11 Resort in an underground injection well public hearing, demonstrating the need 30 miles away is causing concern among to take additional time to ensure the Inspiration Gallery . 12 area residents. The proposal calls for proper information has been gathered, Fall Symposium . 13 locating the injection well in the small studies have been done, and that the rural community of Alba, MI. Friends of people in the surrounding area are given GLAHNF Needs You! . 14 the Jordan River Watershed and Alba time to fully understand the proposal citizens are raising many questions and and have their concerns addressed. demanding answers. Alba is a valuable groundwater recharge Save a Tree CMS Energy, the landowner responsible area for many area trout streams, for the cleanup at the Bay Harbor Resort, and groundwater is a source of drinking Subscription has been working on the proposal with water. The area’s geology, hundreds of information: the U.S. Environmental Protection shallow gas wells, and service as a Agency and Michigan Department of groundwater source for many trout Please e-mail Sandy Environmental Quality since October streams do not sound like ideal qualities at [email protected] 2006. But residents only learned about for the location of an injection well to if you have any the proposal this April. The Friends of dispose of contaminated water. changes to your contact information. the Jordan River Watershed requested a If you wish to 30-day extension for public input from receive GLAHNF both agencies. At the time of printing, correspondence electronically, please the extension for comments was include your email address and be sure granted by the EPA with a new deadline to note “electronic subscription”in of July 27. the subject of your e-mail. continued on page 13 Published four times a year by the Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat Network & Fund • PO Box 2479 • Petoskey, MI 49770 Director’s Notes Taking a Breath GLAHNF Awards! Our lives are so packed with activi- Announcing GLAHNF Spring Awards! ties and "must dos" these days I have We are excited to announce trouble finding time the projects most recently to step back, take a funded by the Great Lakes deep breath and Aquatic Habitat Network and Jill Ryan consider the big Fund. Of 35 worthy applications picture. Sometimes received for the Spring 2007 I feel like a tennis ball bouncing from task grant cycle, 11 projects were to task and activity to activity. This is of funded, totalling $34,167. course true not only of our personal time but our work and activist time. It is not In the Lake Erie Basin, that we intend to take on more than we EarthWatch Ohio will use its can handle, we simply take things on newspaper to promote aware- because we want to see change or action ness of and involvement in Great in things important to us. Visitors and residents enjoy the beach at Jean Klock Park Lakes issues. Articles will in Benton Harbor, MI. The City is trying to move forward highlight the work that with plans to develop the park as a private golf course. Because I know the stress and seemingly Ohio-based environmental Photo courtesy of Friends of Jean Klock Park. endless list of things that "must be done" groups are doing to protect the when running a grassroots advocacy Great Lakes and encourage readers to shorelines of both parks are threatened. campaign, I am guessing that you might take an active role. The newspaper will be Natural Areas designations for the parks feel this same stress to press on and get free at libraries, coffee shops, health will help ensure protection of their things done. I hope that this summer you food stores, retail shops, colleges & uni- natural features and prohibit intensive will remember that break in the action versities, medical & office buildings, etc. development. almost always helps the situation and makes us more effective and efficient. The East Michigan Environmental Action On Lake Michigan, the Friends of Jean Council will organize meetings with Klock Park in Benton Harbor, MI are Whether we are spending time getting Detroit community social, environmental, defending the park against development the word out about a public meeting, and environmental justice organizations of a private golf course. The Friends collecting information and research, to discuss and promote how the maintain that the City of Benton Harbor's articulating the fine points of an issue or community can be an advocate for urban lease to the developer to build part of the just fighting with a particularly difficult water issues. Workshops will make clear golf course is illegal based on a 2004 computer issue we can always benefit the connections between the struggle for Consent Judgment intended to preserve from stepping back, looking at the access to water, issues of privatization, Jean Klock Park. and larger state and global water problem from different angles and The Watershed Watchers are continuing protection issues. finding new solutions. I hope you can their legal efforts and a media campaign step back this summer both from the The Niagara River Area Property Owners to protect over 100 acres of wetlands from immediate tasks at hand and from the Group is working to prevent development expansion of the West Bend,WI municipal overall "must dos" of life in order to create of a 230-acre significant wetland. The airport. This project will watchdog the new perspective and more fully enjoy this Town of Fort Erie voted to proceed with Environmental Impact Study proceedings great place in which we live. the development of a golf course on the and support a media campaign to site. This project provides support for the highlight the inadequate need for Our lives are not determined by what Group's work to prepare for a final, critical expansion and lack of alternative sites' happens to us but by how we react to Ontario Municipal Board hearing and research, and to remind decision-makers what happens, not by what life brings to judgment. of the expectations for an open, fair, and us, but by the attitude we bring to life. thorough Environmental Impact Study. A positive attitude causes a chain On Lake Huron, The Indian Mission reaction of positive thoughts, events, Conservation Club is pursuing Natural In the Lake Ontario Basin, the Adirondack and outcomes. It is a catalyst, a spark Areas designation for two state parks Communities Advisory League (the that creates extraordinary results. on northeast Michigan's Lake Huron League) of Boonville, New York is continu- shoreline, Negwegon and Thompson's ing a Clean Water Act citizen’s suit against – Anon Harbor, both noted for their undeveloped the Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste shorelines and wide variety of significant Authority (OHSWA) filed in June 2006. and diverse natural communities. The The suit aims to hold OHSWA accountable page 2 GLAHNews: GLAHNF Awards continued Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat News is published four times a year and distributed by the Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat Network and Fund, for allowing excessive sediment to enter watershed vision will be used as a tool to a 501 (c ) (3) nonprofit organization. Moose Creek during landfill construction, foster ecosystem-based decision-making. Funding for the publication is and to ensure that the stream will be provided by reader’s subscriptions, A quarry is proposed on the shore of Lake protected now and in the future. This contributions, and a grant from Superior at Michipicoten Bay. Citizens project will provide for continued legal the C.S. Mott Foundation. Concerned for Michipicoten Bay appealed services for the League during the the municipal re-zoning proposal to the Staff: discovery period of the lawsuit and help Ontario Municipal Board (OMB). To Jill Ryan, Executive Director keep the public informed through the prepare for the OMB hearing, this project [email protected] League’s publications. involves media coverage and advocacy for Ann Baughman, Outreach Specialist Quinte Watershed Cleanup (Bay of the issues, including technical expertise [email protected] Quinte, Belleville, Ontario) is conducting a to assess environmental impacts and campaign to influence property owners help with fundraising and media P.O. Box 2479 and educate the general public on the coverage. Petoskey, MI 49770 importance of naturalized shorelines and (231) 348-8200 Duluth Open Space and Urban the use of native plants when replanting Wilderness is working to counter a Sandy Wilmore, Grant Program shorelines. The campaign will include disturbing trend toward selling public and Publications Manager advocacy to encourage local govern- lands. This project seeks to prevent the [email protected] ments to initiate policy change, a small loss of public lands and the resulting 8733 Pine Avenue public contest to encourage planting and degradation of waterways by designing Gary, IN 46403 acknowledge the property owner that and executing a bottom-up strategy for (219) 939-1655 has made the greatest change in one the protection of public lands and season, and incentives for local nurseries Cheryl Mendoza, Regional Policy watercourses.