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

        July 2004
 IN THIS ISSUE:
 • Lake Superior Day
 • Lake Michigan Diporeia Survey
 • School-Ship
 • Limnology Courses Bear Fruit
 • Organic Contaminants Survey
 • Binational Coordination
 • Great Lakes Mayors Meet
 • Watershed 2004
 • Fish and Wildlife Goals for AOCs
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 dis-
played at the ceremony. The following gov-
ernments/institutions signed proclamations
for Lake Superior Day this year:
•  From Michigan: Governor Jennifer
   Granholm; Keweenaw Bay Indian Com-
   munity; Villages of L'Anse, Baraga, Ea-
   gle Harbor, and Calumet; the cities of
   Houghton and Hancock; and Keweenaw
   County.
•  From Minnesota: Governor Tim
   Pawlenty and the City of Duluth.
•  From Wisconsin: Governor James
   Doyle; the cities of Ashland, Superior,
   and Washburn; Douglas County; North-
   land College, a private environmental
   liberal arts college in Ashland; Bad
   JAiver Tribal Council.
                          Members of the Little Eagles youth drumming group
                           from Duluth, MN, sing ceremonial songs during a
                          Lake Superior Day celebration on Wisconsin Point,
                          Wl, on July 18, 2004. Several recipients of the Lake
                           Superior Binational Program's inaugural Environ-
                          mental Stewardship award listen in the background.
                                  (Photo courtesy of Jeff Frey)

                         The winners of the Lake Superior Environ-
                         mental Stewardship Awards were also an-
                         nounced. As part of the $50,000 GLNPO
                         grant to the Lake Superior Forum, the first
                         Environmental Stewardship Awards Program
                         announced seven winners: four from the U.S.
                         and three from Canada.  These awards high-
                         light successful efforts to protect and restore
                         Lake Superior. The awards program recog-
                         nizes the important contributions that  indi-
                         viduals, businesses, industry, communities,
                         and First Nations/Tribes have made to pro-
                         tect and restore the natural resources in the
                         Lake Superior basin in the U.S. and Canada.

                         The U.S. winners include:
                         •  Roy Johnson of Cloverland, Wisconsin,
                            a lifelong resident of Wisconsin's  Lake
                            Superior basin. He has converted  160
                            acres of farmland to restored wetlands.
                            Through two separate partnerships with
                            the Wisconsin Department of Transporta-
                            tion, he has helped to turn cropland into a

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July 2004
                   Significant Activities Report
            diverse range of wetland habitat, includ-
            ing shallow ponds, deep marsh, sedge
            meadows, and mudflats. Once home to
            crops and cattle, the wetlands now host
            a number of sensitive wetland birds and
            plants. Johnson's commitment to land
            stewardship began in the 1950s when he
            and his father dug a pond in their hay
            field to establish a home for geese and
            ducks. In 1995, Johnson sold  80 acres of
            land to the Wisconsin Department of
            Transportation for the purpose of estab-
            lishing a wetland mitigation site. In
            2001, he signed a permanent limited
            easement with the WDOT that provided
            lasting protection for an additional 80
            acres of wetlands. The restored wetlands
            are adjacent to the Brule River State
            Forest, which links them to over 50,000
            acres of public land. The Johnson prop-
            erty is four miles from the Lake Supe-
            rior shore, which makes it uniquely
            suited for shorebird habitat restoration.

         The U.S. winners in the Industry  and Busi-
         ness category were Minnesota Power and
         the Pinehurst Inn at Pikes Creek (a tie).
         •   Minnesota Power of Duluth, Minne-
            sota, tackled the issue of mercury emis-
            sions from coal-fired power plants from
            both the production and consumption
            side  of the problem. The company car-
            ried out full-scale mercury emissions
            control technology testing at their
            Laskin Energy Center (which is within
            the Lake Superior watershed) as part of
            an Electrical Power Research Institute
            study. In the emissions study, Minnesota
            Power found carbon injection and
            chemical additives show some promise
            towards removing mercury from that fa-
            cility's stack. To reduce mercury emis-
            sions at  a consumer level,  the company
            designed and constructed a model en-
            ergy-saving house called the Millen-
   Lake Superior Stewardship Awards on display
    nium Star in Duluth. The model house
    showed that building design, materials,
    and construction techniques can signifi-
    cantly reduce energy consumption and
    costs. The Millennium Star house runs
    on a yearly heating bill of less than
    $300. This demonstrated that if more
    houses were energy-efficient, demand
    for electricity would decrease, resulting
    in lower mercury emissions from fossil
    fuel-fired power plants.
    Pinehurst Inn at Pikes Creek, Bayfield,
    Wisconsin, is a bed and breakfast that
    consists of an historic inn built in 1885
    and a one-year-old Garden House offer-
    ing guest and common rooms. The Gar-
    den House was designed to architectur-
    ally compliment the  main house, yet
    built using "green building" techniques,
    materials, and systems the comple-
    mented natural systems. Owners Steve
    and Nancy Sandstrom wanted to mini-
    mize the inn's impact on Lake Superior
    and the surrounding  environment by re-
    ducing its contribution to air and water
    pollution, minimizing solid wastes, and
    enhancing the inn's natural landscaping.
    The inn and addition have new, energy-
    efficient thermo-pane windows, energy-
    efficient light bulbs and appliances, sig-
    nificantly increased insulation in the at-
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 Significant Activities Report
                                      July 2004
            tic and walls, and a solar hot water
            heater for the addition. Inside the inn,
            the Sandstroms use only non-toxic, bio-
            degradable laundry and dishwashing de-
            tergents and cleaning supplies.  The
            owners also use only eco-friendly, non-
            toxic fertilizers in the gardens and land-
            scaping.

        The U.S. winner in the Community/
        Organization Category was:
        •   The City of Superior, Wisconsin. Staff
            at the city's wastewater treatment facil-
            ity have conducted extensive reduction
            and education programs that prevented
            mercury from entering the lake through
            wastewater discharges. By working in
            partnerships with state agencies, re-
            gional tribes, area schools, and private
            businesses, the city has kept 300 pounds
            of bulk mercury, 400 lab thermometers,
            4,000 fever thermometers, and  1,000 ve-
            hicle switches that contain mercury out
            of landfills and waterways. City staff
            have incorporated mercury reduction
            curriculum and activities in public
            schools, conducted workshops for build-
            ers to teach them how to recycle ther-
            mostats and other toxic materials during
            construction, organized free mercury
            thermometer exchanges for digital de-
            vices, organized light bulb collections
            with area hardware stores, worked with
            dentists to identify and remove mercury
            in dental offices, and numerous other
            programs.

        The Lake Superior Binational Program con-
        sists of a partnership of U.S. and Canadian
        government agencies, First Nations/Tribes,
        and citizen stakeholders that work together
        to protect and restore the natural environ-
        ment in the Lake Superior basin. The Lake
        Superior Binational Forum, a volunteer
        stakeholder group, is funded in the U.S. by
GLNPO, and in Canada by Environment
Canada. The U.S. coordinator is housed at
the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute at
Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin.
(Contacts: Elizabeth LaPlante, 353-2694,
laplante.elizabeth@epa.gov, or Lissa Radke
Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute
Northland College at (715) 682-1489)

Lake Michigan Diporeia Survey
Dr. Thomas Nalepa, of the National Oce-
anic and Atmospheric Administration's
Great Lakes Environmental Laboratory,
sampled Lake Michigan from the R/VLake
Guardian, from July 24th  through July 27th,
looking for the half-inch-long shrimp-like
crustaceans, Diporeia hoyi. This GLNPO-
supported study is documenting the disap-
pearance of this important animal from
Lake Michigan.

The Diporeia is a small benthic invertebrate
that is an important source of food for fish.
The Diporeia
population has
declined se-
verely over the
last ten years in
southern Lake
Michigan. This
survey examines
the trends in the
Diporeia popu-
lation to better
understand
population dynamics. This was the fifth
year of this investigation.  Diporeia abun-
dance is examined in sediments collected
using a ponar grab sediment sampler. Sam-
ples are collected from approximately 60
stations.

The final Diporeia survey will be conducted
in August in southwestern Lake Michigan
(off of Waukegan, Illinois) home to the last
      Diporeia
(actual size about V* inch
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                  Significant Activities Report
        healthy population of Diporeia in the south-
        ern part of the Lake.
        (Contact: Glenn Warren, 312-886-2405, war-
        ren.glenn@epa.gov)

        School-Ship
        The R/V Lake Guardian was on Lake Supe-
        rior from July 5th through 10th and on Lake
        Michigan from July 19th to 23rd for week-
        long teacher institutes. The courses were de-
        signed to teach elementary, middle, and high
        school educators about the physical, chemi-
        cal, and biological components of the Great
        Lakes ecosystem. In an exciting week
        aboard the Lake Guardian, participants had
        the opportunity to live and work in the re-
        search ship's scientific labs beside research-
        ers doing hands-on data collection and analy-
        sis. The course is also designed to help K-12
        educators to integrate Great Lakes concepts
        into their programs and/or curricula through
        both field and laboratory sessions  aboard the
        vessel. The classes were taught using a com-
        bination of lectures and practical hands-on
        exercises. The classes were given  high marks
        by the participants.

        The R/V Lake Guardian has been offered as a
        floating classroom at low-cost to individual
        students since 1993. These courses are de-
        signed to teach undergraduates, graduate stu-
        dents, or teachers about the physical, chemi-
        cal, and biological components of the Great
        Lakes ecosystem.
        (Contact: George Ison, 312-353-1669, ison.
        george@epa.gov)

        Limnology Courses Bear Fruit
        In 2003 Clarkson University, Potsdam, New
        York was given a grant to conduct a limnol-
        ogy course on Lake Ontario in conjunction
        with EPA Region II. Three papers resulting
        from this class are being submitted to the
        Journal of Great Lakes Research:
        1.  The Lake Ontario Great Lakes Science
 Students collect samples of organisms dwelling in the
       bottom sediments of Lake Michigan
       (photo courtesy of William M. Kane)

    Practicum: A model for training lim-
    nology students on how to conduct ship-
    board research in the Great Lakes. Mi-
    chael R. Twiss , Tom A. Langen ,
    George S. Bullerjahn  , and Steven W.
    Wilhelm , and David C. Rockwell.
 2.  Phosphorus bioavailability and plank-
    ton distributions in Lake Ontario in the
    aftermath of Hurricane Isabel, Septem-
    ber 2003. Gouvea, Sandra P.,  Christ-
    yanne Melendez, Matthew Carberry,
    George S. Bullerjahn, Steven W.
    Wilhelm, Tom A. Langen, and Michael
    R.Twiss.
 3.  Pelagic bird survey on Lake Ontario
    following Hurricane Isabel, September
    2003: Observations and remarks on
    methodology. Tom A. Langen, Michael
    R. Twiss, George S. Bullerjahn, and
    Steven W. Wilhelm.

 One of the authors, Christyanne Melendez,
 was a GLNPO intern and Dr. Michael
 Twiss, the lead professor for the limnology
 course, was a student in the 1993 limnology
 class aboard the Lake Guardian.
 (Contact:  David Rockwell, 312-353-1373,
 rockwell.david@epa.gov)
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                                      July 2004
        Organic Contaminants Survey
        During the week of July 12th to 17th, Dr.
        Matt Simcik of the University of Minnesota
        took samples for trace (ultra-low levels) or-
        ganic contaminants in Lake Michigan. Wa-
        ter was sampled for a suite of hydrophobic
        organic contaminants (HOCs) including
        PCBs, PAHs, organochlorine pesticides,
        toxaphene, PBDEs, PFOS, Mercury and di-
        oxins and furans. Because hydrophobic
        (avoiding water) contaminants prefer to dis-
        solve in lipids (fat) rather than in water,
        they tend to bioaccumulate in living organ-
        isms (benthic organisms, fish), raising con-
        cerns about their impacts on wildlife and
        human health. This study will produce a co-
        herent data set on HOCs in Lake Michigan
        waters consistent with measurements cur-
        rently being made in the air and fish of the
        Great Lakes. For some of the HOCs
        (PBDEs and PFOS/PFOA) this data will
        represent some of the first measurements in
        the water column of the Great Lakes provid-
        ing baseline information on water concen-
        trations of these emerging contaminants.

        Data from the study will be compared to
        fish concentration data from the Great
        Lakes Fish Monitoring program to calculate
        bioconcentration factors and with air moni-
        toring data from the Integrated Atmospheric
        Deposition Network to help understand the
        exchange of HOCs between the air and wa-
        ter. Because of the very low concentrations
        of HOCs in the water, large volumes of wa-
        ter must be processed. In this study, Dr.
        Simcik sampled approximately 800 liters
        (over 200 gallons) of water from each of
        five sites in Lake Michigan.
        (Contact: Melissa Hulting, 312-886-2265,
        hulting.melissa@epa.gov)

        Binational Coordination
        On July 13th and 14th, the Great Lakes Bina-
        tional Executive Committee (EEC) held its
   The setting sun reflects off a window onboard
           the R/V Lake Guardian

semi-annual meeting in Chicago, Illinois to
discuss binational programs being imple-
mented under the terms of the Great Lakes
Water Quality Agreement (the Agreement).
The EEC serves a crucial role in coordinat-
ing a variety of binational commitments in
the Great Lakes Basin. Federal, State, Pro-
vincial, Tribal and non-governmental ob-
server agency personnel from both the U.S.
and Canada met to discuss vital  Great Lakes
issues including President Bush's Executive
Order on the Great Lakes, the upcoming re-
view of the Agreement, updates on the
Great Lakes Integrated Atmospheric Data
Network (IADN), the next State of the
Lakes Ecosystem Conference (SOLEC),
and the Great Lakes Binational Toxics
Strategy, as well as informational items on
work to coordinate binational monitoring
activities. Fruitful, in-depth discussions led
to a number of assignments for actions  to be
completed before the next BEC meeting in
December 2004. On the evening of the first
day, a farewell reception for Mr. John Mills,
the BEC Canadian Co-Chair, was hosted by
the Canadian Consul General to Chicago.
Mr. Mills, the Regional Director General of
the Ontario Region of Environment Canada,
is retiring from the federal service.
(Contact: MarkElster, 312-886-3857, elster.
mark@epa.gov)
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                  Significant Activities Report
         Great Lakes Mayors Meet
         The International Association of Great
         Lakes and St. Lawrence Mayors held their
         annual conference in Chicago, Illinois on
         July 15th and 16th. Among the highlights of
         the conference:
         •   Presentations on the economic benefits
            of cleaning up harbors were given by a
            number of Great Lakes Mayors.
         •   EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt and
            Wisconsin Governor James Doyle
            spoke on the unique opportunity for col-
            laborative restoration work in the Great
            Lakes Basin.
         •   Administrator Leavitt stressed the com-
            plexity of the problems and the agenda
            of the Interagency Task Force (created
            by the President's Executive Order on
            the Great Lakes) to align all the pro-
            grams. He used the needed funding for
            the Carp barrier as an example of where
            the Task Force can make a difference in
            moving efforts along.
         •   Governor Doyle stressed the need for
            protecting the waters of the Great Lakes
            through Annex 2001 and against
            "federalization of water."
         •   The co-chairs of the International Joint
            Commission, Herb  Grey Canadian Sec-
            tion and Dennis Schornack U.S. Sec-
            tion, spoke of the need to involve the
            Mayors in the upcoming review of the
            Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement
            (the cornerstone of the binational pro-
            gram to protect and restore the Great
            Lakes).

         GLNPO manned an informational display at
         the conference, fielding questions and hand-
         ing out Great Lakes CDs, bookmarks, and
         magnets to interested visitors.
         (Contacts: Judy Beck, 312-353-3849, beck.
         judy@epa.gov; or Tony Kizlauskas, 312-
         353-8773, kizlauskas.anthony@epa.gov)
 GLNPO Display at International Association of Great
    Lakes and St. Lawrence Mayors Conference
 Watershed 2004
 Judy Beck, Lake Michigan Team Manager,
 participated in the National Watershed 2004
 Conference in Dearborn, Michigan on July
 11th to 14th.  The Opening session featured
 Dennis Schornack, Chairman of the U.S.
 Section of the International Joint Commis-
 sion, who outlined the many events cur-
 rently underway in the Great Lakes. Mike
 Shapiro from USEPA's Office of Water
 presented the re-invigorated watershed vi-
 sion of the agency which includes the align-
 ment of all programs by watershed. Judy
 Beck presented a status report on Great
 Lakes  Strategy 2002 and attended the field
 trip to  the Ford Rouge River Complex. The
 tour covered not only the plant but its
 stormwater management and green roof.
 When  completed, the Phase 1 Rouge Com-
 plex will retain and steadily discharge the
 precipitation of a 10-year storm over a 15-
 day period. This watershed will, as closely
 as possible,  emulate the hydraulic and water
 quality behavior of the area's natural water-
 shed.
 (Contact:  Judy Beck, 312-353-3849, beck.
 judy@epa.gov)
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 Significant Activities Report
                                     July 2004
        Fish and Wildlife Goals for AOCs
        On July 21st, GLNPO staff presented
        "Restoration Planning for Fish and Wildlife
        in Michigan's Areas of Concern: A Prelimi-
        nary Assessment and Guidance for Action,"
        to about 130 Michigan Public Advisory
        Council members and state and federal
        agency staff in Monroe, Michigan. The
        workshop outlined a process for achieving
        restoration goals and delisting fish and
        wildlife impairments in Michigan's Great
        Lakes Areas of Concern.

        Workshop presentations assessed the status
        of restoration efforts for fish and wildlife in
        the Areas of Concern and GLNPO staff pro-
        vided a recommended pathway for estab-
        lishing measurable targets for fish and wild-
        life habitat, populations, and benthic com-
        munities.

        The keynote speaker, Keith Bowers (the
        current chair of the Society for Ecological
        Restoration), provided an introduction to
        the field of ecosystem restoration and out-
        lined practical actions that local groups can
        take at the watershed level.

        Successful local efforts were showcased and
        opportunities to integrate habitat restoration
        into other remediation activities were high-
        lighted.

        GLNPO staff concluded that AOCs have
        made progress toward restoring beneficial
        use impairments — but mostly through in-
        dividual, small-scale projects. Explicit,
        AOC-wide site designs are almost absent
        from the Remedial Action Plan documents
        and monitoring programs are needed to as-
        sess progress toward delisting.
         (Contacts: Karen Rodriguez, 312-353-
        2690, rodriguez.karen@epa.gov; or James
        Schardt, 312-353-5085, schardt.james@epa.
        gov)
A sandhill crane at home in a Great Lakes wetland
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July 2004
                 Significant Activities Report
                                                        Upcoming Events
                                                October 6-8
                                                November 30
                 2004

               State of the Lakes Ecosys-
               tem Conference: Toronto,
               Canada

                 2005

               Great Lakes Binational
               Toxics Strategy Stake-
               holder Forum: Chicago,
               IL
                                                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.
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U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office

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