Great
Lakes
National
Program
&EPA
On the Web at:
www.epa.gov/greatlakes
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO)
Significant Activities Report
March 2009
In This Issue:
GREAT LAKES REGIONAL COLLABO-
RATION
• Botulism Workshop Journal Article
• Habitat Initiative Tribal Workshop
LAKEWIDE MANAGEMENT PLANS
• Outreach to Illinois Stakeholders
• Huron-Erie Corridor Meeting
• Workshop on Impacts of the Shipping
Industry and Global Climate Change
• Lake Superior Aquatic Invasive Species
Prevention Plan - Call and Status
• Landowner's/Realtor's Binder for Pro-
tection of Lake Superior
CONTAMINATED SEDIMENTS
• Ashtabula River Habitat Restoration
Sampling Complete
GREAT LAKES REGIONAL COLLABO-
RATION
Botulism Workshop Journal Article
A journal submission summarizing the Great
Lakes Basinwide Botulism Coordination
Workshop and resulting options for next-
steps in addressing botulism outbreaks was
accepted for publication by The Botulinum
Journal (http://www.inderscience.com/tbj).
The article will be published in the journal's
next quarterly edition.
(Contacts: Elizabeth Murphy, 312-353-4227,
murphy.elizabeth@epa.gov, or Bill Bolen,
312-353-6316, bolen.bill@epa.gov)
• Kinnickinnic River Sediment Remedia-
tion Project Progress
• International Conference on Remedia-
tion of Contaminated Sediments
• Scott Ireland Gets 2008 Scientific and
Technological Achievement Award
POLL UTION PREVENTION
• Unwanted Medicines Toolkits Get Wide
Distribution
HABITA T RESTORA TION
• Lake Superior Coastal Wetland and
Stream Monitoring Project
• Conserving Lake Ontario and Upper St.
Lawrence River Bald Eagle Habitats:
Phase 2
Habitat Initiative Tribal Workshop
GLNPO staff attended the February 19th,
2009, Great Lakes Regional Collaboration
(GLRC) Habitat/Wetlands Initiative Work-
shop held in Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin.
Sixteen Tribes and Tribal organizations at-
tended the Workshop presented jointly by the
Great Lakes Commission (GLC) and the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers (Corps). The Corps
gave an overview of the GLRC Habitat/
Wetlands Initiative project and funding data-
bases. The GLC demonstrated the project da-
tabase. Questions from the Tribes included:
How often is the database being updated with
current projects? What is the mechanism that
will improve collaboration among organiza-
tions that submit projects to the database?
What kinds of information or support will we
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March 2009
Significant Activities Report
receive by entering our projects in this data-
base to make it valuable to us? How effec-
tively is the program being administered?
Tribes stated that because their base funding
is not protected, it is difficult to participate in
a labor-intensive activity such as filling in the
database. Tribes often only have one or two
staff people who apply for grants, implement
grant activities and other Tribal natural re-
source projects, and fill out all paperwork,
making adding an extra database to the work-
load infeasible.
(Contacts: John Haugland, 312-886-9853,
haugland.john@epa.gov, or Karen Rodriguez,
312-353-2690, rodriguez.karen@epa.gov)
LAKEWIDE MANAGEMENT PLANS
Outreach to Illinois Stakeholders
The Illinois Park District Association held
their annual conference Soaring to New
Heights in Chicago, Illinois from January 29th
through 31st, 2009. Lake Michigan Lakewide
Management Plan (LaMP) Manger Judy Beck
organized multiple sessions for the event in
order to educate Illinois stakeholders on solu-
tions to non-point source pollution that affect
the Great Lakes. One session on landscaping
with native species featured GLNPO staff
member Danielle Green. As part of the panel
Climate Change, Turf grass and the Environ-
ment, Melissa Simon (ORISE Fellow) deliv-
ered a presentation on the projected ecologi-
cal affects of global climate change and criti-
cal adaptation strategies. Turfgrass expert
Derek Settle of the Chicago District Golf As-
sociation presented different techniques for
managing pests and stormwater at golf
courses. Judy Beck spoke on regional plans
and resources for fostering "green" infrastruc-
ture. An engaging discussion with park dis-
trict staff and managers concluded the ses-
sion.
(Contact: Judy Beck, 312-353-3849,
Landsat Image of Chicago Lake Michigan Shoreline
(photo courtesy of NASA)
beck.judy@epa.gov)
Huron-Erie Corridor Meeting
On February 11th, 2009, GLNPO's Rose Elli-
son participated in the 5th annual Huron-Erie
Corridor meeting: a binational meeting of
habitat researchers throughout the Lake
Huron-Lake Erie Corridor. The meeting cov-
ered updates on research over the past year,
including: construction of a sturgeon spawn-
ing reef in the Detroit River; the U.S. Geo-
logical Survey (USGS)/U.S. EPA's historic
Corridor mapping and habitation restoration
target siting project; the Michigan Depart-
ment of Natural Resources' (MDNR) coastal
wetland fish assessment; the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service's (USFWS) sturgeon sur-
veys; the Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Canada (DFO) fish habitat research and mod-
eling; research on the Northern Madtom (an
endangered fish) in the Detroit River; and
USGS's emphasis on connectivity between
larval fish and nursery areas. Participants dis-
cussed habitat restoration and research col-
laboration opportunities for the coming year.
The meeting was sponsored by USGS and
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March 2009
Michigan Sea Grant, and hosted by U.S.
EPA's Great Lakes National Program Office
and Office of Research and Development.
Representatives from U.S. EPA, USGS,
USFWS, MDNR, DFO, Ohio Department of
Natural Resources, Walpole First Nations,
and Detroit River Riverkeeper participated in
the meeting.
(Contact: Rosanne Ellison, 734-692-7689,
ellison.rosanne@epa.gov)
Workshop on Impacts of the Shipping In-
dustry and Global Climate Change
On Friday, January 30th, 2009, approximately
110 people attended the Lake Superior Bina-
tional Forum's workshop on "The Economic
and Environmental Impacts of the Shipping
Industry and Global Climate Change " in Su-
perior, Wisconsin. The speakers and their top-
ics were as follows:
• Sustainable Superior: What is the City of
Superior Doing to Protect Lake Supe-
rior?—Mary Morgan, Director of Parks
and Recreation, City of Superior
• Treating Aquatic Invasive Species in Bal-
last Water and the Great Ships Initiative—
Dr. Mary Balcer, Director and Research
Scientist at the Lake Superior Research
Institute, University of Wisconsin-
Superior
• Climate Change Impacts on the Great
Lakes Shipping Industry—Dr. Richard
Stewart, Co-Chair of Great Lakes Mari-
time Research Institute, UW-Superior
• A Local Success Story: Twin Ports Inter-
faith Initiative on Global Warming—5/77
Mittlefehldt, Interfaith group organizer,
and Northeast Minnesota CERT
The Binational Forum also gave Lake Supe-
rior Binational Program Environmental Stew-
ardship awards to two U.S. recipients: Duane
Lahti of Oulu, Wisconsin, the former Lake
Ice-Covered Ship Enters Duluth Harbor
(photo courtesy of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)
Superior basin water leader for the Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources, who served
as a strong advocate for Lake Superior for 30
years; and the SMDC Health Systems of Du-
luth, Minnesota, for building the first Gold-
level Leadership in Energy and Environ-
mental Design (LEED) Green Building Rat-
ing System certified building in Duluth, and
the largest and one of the first Gold-level
health facilities in the United States. The
Stewardship Awards are given annually to
American and Canadian young people, adults,
businesses and industries, and communities or
organizations that take outstanding actions
that protect or restore the Lake Superior ba-
sin. This input session was also broadcast live
on an EPA web site, making the information
available to those who couldn't attend the
U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office
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March 2009
Significant Activities Report
A Beach on Lake Superior's South Shore
meeting in person.
(Contact: Elizabeth LaPlante, 312-353-2694,
laplante.elizabeth@epa.gov)
Lake Superior Aquatic Invasive Species
Prevention Plan - Call and Status
A plan for prevention of new introductions of
aquatic invasive species (AIS) to Lake Supe-
rior is under development under the auspices
of the Lake Superior LaMP. The plan will
identify vectors and the associated pathways
available to AIS for dispersal to the lake and
will include recommendations for closing
pathways that are open. The Plan builds on a
number of existing AIS prevention and con-
trol plans, as well as regulatory programs in
the Great Lakes states, Canadian provinces,
and U.S. and Canadian federal governments.
These include programs documented in previ-
ous Lake Superior LaMP reports; the Great
Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy to Re-
store and Protect the Great Lakes; state, pro-
vincial, federal, and tribal management plans;
and international, national, state, provincial,
and local regulations.
Lake Superior has been the focus of special
protection and restoration initiatives for many
years, in recognition of its unique status
among freshwater lakes in the world. This
special status has been emphasized in the
Lake Superior LaMP and the Lake Superior
Binational Program since their inception.
Canada and the U.S. share responsibility for
protecting Lake Superior from the introduc-
tion of new AIS. The Lake Superior Aquatic
Invasive Species Prevention Plan has been
developed to outline actions that need to be
newly implemented, in addition to existing
efforts, in order to close existing pathways on
both sides of the border and to prevent new
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Highway in Rural Wisconsin
(photo courtesy of Wisconsin DOT)
invasions from entering and becoming estab-
lished in the Lake Superior ecosystem.
A concept map for vector and pathways pre-
pared by a project team will show the routes
AIS can take to get to Lake Superior. The
draft Plan under development examines each
of these and makes recommendations to close
gaps in open pathways.
Representatives from the subgroup will be
presenting the draft Plan at upcoming meet-
ings including the Great Lakes Fishery Com-
mission Spring meeting and the 2009 Meeting
of the International Association for Great
Lakes Research. Opportunities for input to the
plan will be available in 2009.
(Contact: Elizabeth LaPlante, 312-353-2694,
laplante.elizabeth@epa.gov)
Landowner's/Realtor's Binder for Protec-
tion of Lake Superior
The Lake Superior Work Group has prepared
educational binders to help landowners pro-
tect the waters of Lake Superior and its water-
shed. The binders will help landowners find
resources on the steps they can take to man-
age their property in ways that are in compli-
ance with local regulations as well as being
environmentally friendly. The binders will be
distributed to each major city/jurisdiction in
the Lake Superior basin. The binders are not
compilations of existing materials, but pro-
vide guidance on where to find those materi-
als.
The binders specifically focus on rural prop-
erty owners since they have larger pieces of
land and often have wells, septic systems and
access to wetlands and water bodies. They
also more frequently use backyard burn bar-
rels for trash disposal because of inadequate
information or perceived lack of other op-
tions. The binder will be available on the EPA
web site in the near future. Copies may be
obtained by contacting Lynelle Hanson of
Wisconsin Extension Service, Ihan-
sol4@uwsuper.edu.
(Contact: Elizabeth LaPlante, 312-353-2694,
laplante.elizabeth@epa.gov)
CONTAMINATED SEDIMENTS
Ashtabula River Habitat Restoration Sam-
pling Complete
On February 3rd through 6th, 2009, GLNPO
and the Ohio EPA collected soil samples on
the banks of the Ashtabula River to aid in the
design of habitat mitigation plans for the Ash-
tabula River Great Legacy Act (GLLA) sedi-
ment remediation project. Utilizing the Ohio
EPA's drilling equipment, GLNPO's contrac-
tor and the Ohio EPA collected a total of 39
U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office
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Significant Activities Report
Bridge Lifts for Sailboat Passage on the Kinnickinnic River
(photo courtesy of Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources)
soil borings along a peninsula adjacent to the
Ashtabula River that is being considered for
habitat restoration efforts to restore shallow
water habitat in areas disrupted by the GLLA
dredging project completed in 2007. The soils
are being tested for heavy metal, PAH, and
PCB contamination, as well as engineering
properties to aid in designing restoration
plans and estimate project costs. Results are
expected in March 2009 with final habitat res-
toration designs due in June 2009. Construc-
tion work is expected to start in September or
October 2009, and be completed by the end of
the year.
(Contact: Scott Cieniawski, 312-353-9184,
cieniawski.scott@epa.gov)
Kinnickinnic River Sediment Remediation
Project Progress
On February 23rd, 2009, the construction of a
sediment offloading platform began adjacent
to the Milwaukee Area Confined Disposal
Facility (CDF). Approximately 170,000 cubic
yards of contaminated sediments from the
Kinnickinnic River will be offloaded for dis-
posal into a specially constructed cell in the
CDF. Construction of the offloading platform
will involve installation of approximately 160
linear feet of sheet piling to form the outside
walls (dimensions are 30 feet long by 50 feet
wide). Approximately 4,000 tons of riprap
and stone will be placed inside of the sheet
piling. The offloading platform will be able to
support a 150-ton crane that will be used to
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transfer sediments from barges to trucks or to
a conveyance system for unloading into the
CDF. Construction of the platform is ex-
pected to be completed at the end of March
2009.
(Contact: Ajit Vaidya, 312-353-5713, vai-
dva.ajit@epa.gov)
International Conference on Remediation
of Contaminated Sediments
Over 900 sediment specialists from around
the world attended the Fifth International
Conference on Contaminated Sediments in
Jacksonville, Florida on February 2nd to 5th,
2009. The Great Lakes Legacy Act (GLLA)
sediment remediation program had a very
high profile with at least 12 presentations/
posters presented. From GLNPO, GLLA
presentations were provided by Scott
Cieniawski (Ashtabula River), Brenda Jones
(monitoring for remedial effectiveness), Ajit
Vaidya (Kinnickinnic River), Louis Blume
(Trenton Channel), and Marc Tuchman
(GLLA Program overview). Additionally,
Scott Ireland, Scott Cieniawski, Brenda Jones
and Marc Tuchman chaired technical sessions
during the conference.
(Contact: Marc Tuchman, 312-353-1369,
tuchman.marc@epa.gov)
Scott Ireland Gets 2008 Scientific and
Technological Achievement Award
Scott Ireland of the Great Lakes National Pro-
gram Office received a Level III Scientific
and Technological Achievement Award
(STAA) for his work on a document entitled,
"Interlaboratory evaluation ofHyalella azteca
and Chironomus tentans short-term and long-
term sediment toxicity tests." This document
was published in the Environmental Toxicol-
ogy and Chemistry journal of the Society of
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
(SETAC).
The EPA's Science and Technological
Achievement Awards (STAA) program pro-
motes and recognizes scientific and techno-
logical achievement by EPA employees.
STAA is among the most prestigious of
EPA's scientific awards programs. The
STAA program is an agency-wide competi-
tion sponsored by the Office of Research and
Development (ORD) that recognizes out-
standing scientific and technological papers
published by EPA employees. EPA scientists
and engineers submit their publications to be
evaluated by a panel convened by EPA's Sci-
ence Advisory Board (SAB). The SAB con-
venes an experienced group of scientists and
engineers who review and evaluate the nomi-
nations. The SAB review panel then produces
a set of recommendations that ORD uses to
select the actual awards.
Level III awards are for those who have ac-
complished an unusually notable research or
technological effort. The awards are for a
substantial revision or modification of a sci-
entific/technological principle or procedure,
or an important improvement to the value of a
device, activity, program, or service to the
public. Awarded research relates to a mission
or organizational component of the EPA, or
significantly affects a relevant area of sci-
ence/technology. Others recognized for this
work include: Theresa Norberg-King and
Dave Mount of ORD in Duluth, as well as,
Paul K. Sibley at the University of Guelph,
Christopher Ingersoll and Nile Kemble at the
Columbia Environmental Research Center of
USGS, and G. Allen Burton and Carrie Row-
land at the Wright State University.
(Contact: David Cowgill, 312-353-3576,
cowgill. david@epa. gov)
U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office
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MEOICINES
HiftE
Unwanted Medicines Collection Logo
(courtesy of IL-IN Sea Grant)
POLLUTION PREVENTION
Unwanted Medicines Toolkits Widely Dis-
tributed
The Unwanted Medicines Toolkit, developed
jointly by GLNPO and Illinois-Indiana Sea
Grant (http://www.iisgcp.org/unwantedmeds)
continues to be in high demand. Toolkits
were distributed in February to states from
coast to coast:
• One was requested by the Community
Outreach Manager at the Washington
Suburban Sanitary Commission in Laurel,
Maryland.
• One was requested by the counsel to the
New York City Council Environmental
Protection Committee.
• One was requested by the Director of
Nursing Practice of Illinois Nurses Asso-
ciation.
• Fifty were requested for a workshop in
Duluth, Minnesota for pharmacists inter-
ested in learning about unwanted medi-
cines issues and collection programs.
• Ten were requested by a community out-
reach/education coordinator at a medical
center in New Hampton, Iowa who is giv-
ing presentations on the subject to the
public in April and May.
• Two were requested by a Ph.D. student at
the University of North Texas who is re-
searching the environmental impact of
Pharmaceuticals in the water and environ-
ment; she is citing the guide in her disser-
tation.
• One was requested by an MBA student at
the University of Dallas who is a member
of the UD MBA Capstone group that is
working with the EPA Region 6 to estab-
lish a Pharmaceuticals Mail-Back and
Take-Back program at the university cam-
pus or in collaboration with Walgreens
pharmacy.
• One was requested by a Water/Waste-
water Treatment Facility in Goldendale,
Washington to help start a joint collection
program with the police department.
(Contact: Todd Nettesheim, 312-353-9153,
nettesheim.todd@epa.gov)
HABITA T RESTORA TION
Lake Superior Coastal Wetland and
Stream Monitoring Project
The final grant report on the Lake Superior
Coastal Wetland and Stream Monitoring Pro-
ject: 2007-2008 was completed recently. Sue
O'Halloran, Amy Eliot and Kurt Schmude of
the Lake Superior Research Institute at the
University of Wisconsin-Superior undertook
the Lake Superior Coastal Wetland and
Stream Monitoring Project in 2007-2008. The
goal of this project was to assess the condi-
tion of three Lake Superior coastal wetland
communities utilizing Great Lakes Coastal
Wetland Consortium (GLCWC) protocols.
The water quality in three tributaries to these
coastal wetlands was monitored and land
cover characteristics within these watersheds
were evaluated. Changes in watershed land
cover, specifically forest and impervious
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cover changes, is integrated into an overall
evaluation of water quality in these water-
sheds.
(Contact: John Schneider, 312-886-0880,
schneider.john@epa.gov)
Conserving Lake Ontario and Upper St.
Lawrence River Bald Eagle Habitats:
Phase 2
The U.S.-Canada Lake Ontario Lakewide
Management Plan worked with the St. Law-
rence Bald Eagle Working Group to identify
remaining bald eagle nesting habitats along
Lake Ontario and the Upper St. Lawrence
River. Phase 1 of this project used geographic
information system computer modeling as a
first step in identifying 19 US and 21 Cana-
dian priority sites with the greatest potential
to support successful bald eagle nesting terri-
tories. Phase 2 involved field-checking each
site to verify appropriate habitat, as well as
determine ownership and conservation priori-
ties. Twenty-six shoreline locations with me-
dium to high quality bald eagle nesting habi-
tats were identified. New York State and the
Province of Ontario will now begin working
with stewardship councils and land trusts to
develop conservation strategies for these
valuable shoreline areas. Specific goals and
targets for measuring progress in restoring
bald eagle populations are provided.
(Contact: Karen Rodriguez, 312-353-2690,
rodriguez.karen@epa.gov)
A Bald Eagle Landing on Its Nest
(photo courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)
We welcome your questions, comments or
suggestions about this month's Significant
Activities Report. To be added to or re-
moved from the Email distribution of the
Significant Activities Report, please contact
Tony Kizlauskas, 312-353-8773,
kizlauskas.anthony@epa.gov.
U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office
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