Great
Lakes
National
Program
On the Web at:
www.epa.gov/greatlakes
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO)
Significant Activities Report
July 2005
IN THIS ISSUE:
GLRC Summit I
Summer Organics Survey
Remediation
Hog Island Cleanup Update
Corps-GLNPO Agreement Signed
Pollution Prevention
Lake Superior Environmental Stew-
ardship Awards
Barrel for a Barrel
PCB Reduction Awards
Outreach
Rolling Burn Barrel Billboard
Lake Michigan Boat Tour 2005
Community Involvement Conference
National Marine Educators
Association Meets
GLRC Summit I
Senior representatives of the Great Lakes
Regional Collaboration officially released
for public comment "A Strategy to Restore
and Protect the Great Lakes" on July 7th in
Duluth, Minnesota at a ceremonial event en-
titled "Summit I." Among those making re-
marks at the event were Benjamin Grum-
bles, USEPA Assistant Administrator for
Water; Scott Hassett, Wisconsin Depart-
ment of Natural Resources Secretary; Du-
luth's Mayor Herb Bergson; Superior Wis-
consin's Mayor David Ross; and Frank Et-
tawageshik, Tribal Chairman of the Little
Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians.
The draft Strategy is the culmination of a
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Secre-
tary Scott Hassett and Duluth Mayor Herb Bergson
make remarks at Summit I in Duluth, Minnesota
(Photo by Council of Great Lakes Governors)
seven-month intensive effort by about 1,500
interested stakeholder participants on eight
Issue Area Strategy Teams, addressing the
environmental priorities identified by the
Great Lakes Governors. Each of the Strategy
Teams provided their recommendations for
the highest priority actions to take to protect
and restore Great Lakes ecosystem impair-
ments.
Comments can be made in a variety of ways,
including by mail, online, or by delivering
them in person at one of the six public meet-
ings scheduled around the basin in July and
August. The deadline for comments is Sep-
tember 9, 2005.
All written comments will be reviewed and
considered as the Strategy is revised this Fall.
The Strategy will be finalized and released
on December 12, 2005 at Summit II in Chi-
cago, Illinois.
For complete details on the Strategy and the
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July 2005
Significant Activities Report
Great Lakes Regional Collaboration, visit
their Web Site at: www.glrc.us. Also, see
related stories on the President's Executive
Order on the Great Lakes, the Great Lakes
Interagency Task Force, and the Great
Lakes Regional Collaboration in the De-
cember 2004 and January 2005 issues of the
Significant Activities Report.
(Contact: Nancy Gulden, 312-353-5006,
guiden.nancy@epa.gov)
Summer Organics Survey
From July 24th through 31st, Dr. Matt Sim-
cik and his staff, along with GLNPO's
Melissa Hulting and Marvin Palmer col-
lected samples from Lake Michigan for or-
ganic contaminants and mercury in water
and air. The sampling was part of a revisit
of the Lake Michigan Mass Balance Study
and is designed to provide follow-up data to
compare to predictions of contaminants in
water and fish derived from an ecosystem
model for Lake Michigan. This was the sec-
ond survey this year addressing organic
contaminants in the Lake. Seven stations
were visited (bad weather prevented sam-
pling at an eighth station): large-volume
water samples and 12-hour air samples were
taken for PCBs, pesticides, PAHs, PBDEs,
PFOS and PFOA, and current use pesticides
including triazine herbicides (atrazine, etc.).
Persistent bioaccumulative toxic (PBT) sub-
stances may increase the risk of cancer,
birth defects and neurological and develop-
mental problems through long-term, low-
level exposure. GLNPO has been collecting
data on PBTs in air and fish since 1990 and
1970, respectively. Data documenting PBT
concentrations in the open water is needed
to accurately estimate the net amount of
PBTs entering the Great Lakes from the air
and to determine how elevated fish tissue
levels relate to the PBT levels in the water.
(Contact: Melissa Hulting, 312-886-2265,
hulting.melissa@epa.gov)
Hog Island Cleanup Update
The Great Lakes Legacy Act-funded Hog
Island sediment remediation project got un-
derway at the end of June 2005 in Superior,
Wisconsin. The project is a joint effort be-
tween GLNPO and the Wisconsin Depart-
ment of Natural Resources. Activities in
July included site preparation (trailer setup
and fences installed; grubbing areas of the
site for road construction, getting power and
phone service to the site, etc), site dewater-
ing, and stream diversion. The sediments in
the creek and the pond will be dredged in
the dry, so the first steps were dewatering
and stream diversion. The creek flow was
diverted via pipes and temporary flow redi-
rection. The uncontaminated area of the
pond was separated from the contaminated
portion utilizing temporary hydro-dams. A
steel, sheet-pile retaining wall was installed
at the outlet of the pond to Superior Harbor.
After hydro-dam installation, the uncon-
taminated, surface water from the pond was
pumped over the sheet-pile wall into the
harbor. Once the inlet was isolated, any fish
in this area were essentially trapped. There-
fore, as the water was being drawn down
attempts were made to rescue valued fish
Bucket brigade transfers fish from the coffer-dammed
sediment cleanup area of the Hog Island Inlet for re-
lease into Superior Harbor
(Photo by Short Elliot Hendrickson, Inc.)
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Significant Activities Report
July 2005
trapped in this area. Throughout the dewa-
tering process, over a couple of weeks, the
WDNR sent out crews to capture fish in
inlet and transfer them back into the open
water of Lake Superior. They used boats
equipped with shocking equipment (which
temporarily stuns the fish and brings them
to the surface) as well as seined and dip nets
to capture the fish. When possible non-
native species (such as ruffe and gobies)
were identified and either destroyed or not
removed from the inlet. By the end of these
efforts, over 1,700 fish were rescued from
the inlet and returned to the open waters.
Rescued fish included game fish like wall-
eye, northern pike and catfish, pan fish like
rock bass, crappie, and yellow perch and
valued native rough fish like red horse and
white suckers. Additionally, freshwater
clams and turtles were rescued as part of the
effort. Following completion of the fish res-
cue effort, the remaining water is being
pumped, treated and sent to the local waste-
water treatment plant. Once the dewatering
operations are complete, sediments will be
dredged, treated and sent via truck to the lo-
cal landfill.
(Contact: Scott Ireland, 312-886-8121, ire-
land.scott@epa.gov)
Corps-GLNPO Agreement Signed
On July 21st, GLNPO and the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers - Great Lakes and Ohio
River Division entered into a Memorandum
of Agreement, establishing a mutual frame-
work for coordination on Great Lakes sedi-
ment projects. The Agreement formalizes
the two organizations' long-standing part-
nership and coordination efforts in Great
Lakes protection and restoration projects.
(Contact: Scott Cieniawski, 312-353-9184,
cieniawski.scott@epa.gov)
Lake Superior Environmental
Stewardship Awards
The Lake Superior Binational Program an-
nounced the winners of its second annual
Environmental Stewardship Awards pro-
gram, administered by the Lake Superior
Binational Forum. The Awards Program
highlights successful efforts by youth, indi-
viduals, industry, businesses, and organiza-
tions to protect and restore the natural re-
sources in the Lake Superior basin in the
United State and Canada. This year's win-
ners were:
Western Upper Peninsula Center for
Science, Math, and Environmental Edu-
cation of Houghton, Michigan
Sir Winston Churchill Centre for Envi-
U.S. Recipients of Lake Superior Stewardship
Awards (from left) Lynnell Hanson, Executive Direc-
tor, St. Louis River Citizen Action Committee, Duluth,
MN; Bill Bussey, Safety Director, Lake Country
Power, Virginia, MN; John Twiest, Lineman, Grand
Marais Public Utilities, Grand Marais, MN; Benjamin
Grumbles, USEPA Assistant Administrator for Water,
awards presenter; Bill Bennett, CEO, LHB Inc, Du-
luth, MN; Sarah Cron, Operations Manager, Coop-
erative Light and Power, Two Harbors, MN; and Joe
Stepun, Duluth, MN. Not pictured: Western UP Cen-
ter for Science, Mathematics, and Environmental
Education, Houghton, Ml
(Photo courtesy of Lissa Radke)
U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office
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July 2005
Significant Activities Report
ronmental Education of Thunder Bay,
Ontario
Joe Stepun, Western Lake Superior
Sanitary District of Duluth, Minnesota
Lake Country Power, Cooperative Light
and Power, and Grand Marais Power
Utilities, LHB Inc. of Duluth Minnesota
St. Louis River Citizen Action Commit-
tee of Duluth, Minnesota.
Six of the seven U.S. recipients were recog-
nized in a ceremony in Duluth, Minnesota
at the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration
Meeting Summit I meeting on July 7th. Ben
Grumbles, Acting Administrator of the
USEPA's Office of Water in Washington
DC, presented the awards at the Leif Erick-
son Rose Garden near Lake Superior.
(Contact Elizabeth LaPlante, 3-2694, lap-
lante.elizabeth@epa.gov)
Barrel for a Barrel
In a related project (see previous article), to
encourage residents to get rid of a liability
like a burn barrel and exchange it for an as-
set like a rain barrel, the Minnesota Pollu-
tion Control Agency held a barrel exchange
event in Duluth, Minnesota in July. Resi-
dents were required to sign a "No Trash
Burning" Pledge and bring in their actual
burn barrel or a photo of their burn pile in
order to get a high quality rain barrel. Bay-
side Recycling assisted during the exchange
and offered pick-up service from the elderly
and disabled residents who were interested
in exchanging their barrels. About 50 burn
barrels were turned in and 64 rain barrels
were exchanged for burn barrels and photos
of burn pits. People were encouraged to
take literature to share with friends and
neighbors and about 30 registered with the
MPCA to take part in a thermostat swap
where they will bring in a mercury thermo-
stat in exchange for a digital thermostat. A
Resident exchanging a burn barrel for a rain barrel in
the "Barrel for a Barrel" program to reduce air pollu-
tion from the use of barrels to burn garbage.
second exchange is being planned in a dif-
ferent location.
(Contact: E.Marie Graziano, 312-886-6034,
graziano.emarie@epa.gov)
PCB Reduction Awards
An article appeared in the July 2005 edition
of Canadian Hazmat Management maga-
zine, reporting on the Great Lakes Bina-
tional Toxics Strategy awards to two On-
tario-based companies, Ontario Power Gen-
eration (OPG) and General Motors of Can-
ada (GM Canada), for their achievements in
eliminating polychlorinated biphenyls
(PCBs) from their inventory of electrical
equipment. OPG received a recognition
plaque for its Nanticoke Generating Station,
and GM Canada for its St. Catharines Pow-
ertrain Operations Plant. The awards had
been presented in May in Toronto, Ontario,
Canada at the Great Lakes Binational
Toxics Strategy Semi-Annual Stakeholders
Meeting, recognizing contributions to meet-
ing the goals of the Great Lakes Binational
Toxics Strategy. The full article can be ac-
cessed at http://www.hazmatmag.com/issues/
ISarticle.asp?id=165823&story_id=8684314
2341&issue=06012005.
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The "rolling billboard" delivers message about the
hazards of burning garbage.
(Photo by St. Louis County Solid Waste Department)
(Contact: Tony Martig, 312-353-2291, mar-
tig.anton@epa.gov)
Rolling Burn Barrel Billboard
As part of a GLNPO grant that was awarded
to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency,
the St. Louis County Solid Waste Depart-
ment kicked off a series of projects to re-
duce open burning. The first project was to
paint a billboard discouraging open burning
on the sides of the Solid Waste Depart-
ment' s hazardous waste truck. Other pro-
jects will include open burning brochures
for the county fair, a new open burning
video for training rural firefighters and three
stationary billboards. The truck is used pri-
marily for rural household hazardous waste
collections around the St. Louis County
Solid Waste Management Area. This 6,500
square mile area is located in northeastern
Minnesota and has a population of 91,000.
The county's Solid Waste Department recy-
cling rate of 57% far exceeds the state man-
dated goal of 25% and the Department oper-
ates the St. Louis County Regional Landfill,
five transfer stations, and 18 canister sites.
(Contact: E.Marie Graziano, 312-886-6034,
graziano.emarie@epa.gov)
Lake Michigan Boat Tour 2005
The "Making Lake Michigan Great" 2005
Tour of the W.G. Jackson research and edu-
cation vessel reached three ports in southern
Lake Michigan in the week of June 26th to
July 1st. Over 340 people participated in
events on the tour funded by GLNPO's
Lake Michigan Lakewide Management Plan
Program. On its way to Indiana, the vessel
docked at the South Haven Municipal Ma-
rina and nearly a hundred people attended a
dockside open house.
Activities in the Port of Indiana - Burns
Harbor included an educator workshop and
two cruises for the general public. A three-
day educator workshop, Great Lakes Insti-
tute, was planned around the Jackson visit.
Partners for this stop included the Indiana
Dunes National Lakeshore, Indiana Dunes
Environmental Learning Center, and the Al-
liance for the Great Lakes. Kim Swift of the
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore took the
lead in organizing the workshop. Mark
Gleason from Michigan Tech brought an
ROV (remotely operated vehicle) equipped
with a video camera onboard the Jackson to
view underwater life. Originally one public
cruise was planned, but another was added
since there was a waiting list. Over 80 peo-
Visitors board W.G. Jackson in Burns Harbor, Indiana
for an open house and cruise on Lake Michigan
(Photo courtesy of GVSUAWRI)
U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office
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Significant Activities Report
W.G. Jackson in South Haven, Michigan awaits visi-
tors as part of "Making Lake Michigan Great" 2005
(Photo courtesy of GVSUAWRI)
pie took advantage of the opportunity to
board the Jackson.
Next, the ship made a two-day stop in
Hammond, Indiana. The visit was coordi-
nated with Randy Wiseman of the Illinois
Department of Natural Resources and Alex
DaSilva of the Indiana Department of Envi-
ronmental Management. Randy arranged a
day-long workshop at the Hammond Marina
that included Illinois and Indiana educators.
GLNPO's Judy Beck (Lake Michigan Team
Manager) and Joy Schnackenbeck attended
the teachers' session and boat tour work-
shop. Alex oversaw the public tours. About
162 people were able to get out on Lake
Michigan on the Jackson.
(Contact: Judy Beck, 312-353-3849, beck.
judy@epa.gov or Laura Evans, 312-886-
0851, evans.laura@epa.gov)
Community Involvement
Conference
GLNPO's Judy Beck and Joy Schnacken-
beck attended the 2005 USEPA Community
Involvement Conference and Training from
July 12th to 15th in Buffalo, New York. Judy
Beck along with Tanya Cabala, former
White Lake Remedial Action Plan Chair
and Kathy Evans, former Michigan State-
wide Public Advisory Council Chair, pre-
sented the Great Lakes Lakewide Manage-
ment Plan and Remedial Action Plan pro-
grams which were a good fit for the confer-
ence theme of "Building Bridges Through
Strong Partnerships." The session was very
well attended and received. One of the field
trips offered was a trip to GLNPO's 180-
foot research ship, the R/VLake Guardian
where Paul Horvatin, Monitoring Branch
Chief was conducting tours. Region 2 also
had a Great Lakes display.
(Contact: Judy Beck, 312-353-3849, beck.
judy@epa.gov)
National Marine Educators
Association Meets
GLNPO's Beth Hinchey Malloy spoke at
the National Marine Educators Association
(NMEA) Annual Meeting on July 16th. Her
presentation was entitled "Bringing the
Great Lakes into the classroom through out-
reach aboard the GLNPO's R/V Lake
Guardian" and included GLNPO co-authors
Paul Horvatin and Glenn Warren. NMEA is
an association of marine and freshwater
professionals in education, science, busi-
ness, government, museums, and aquari-
ums. Beth's talk was attended by Chicago-
area high school teachers, Great Lakes Sea
Grant Education specialists, and Great
Lakes university educators. The high school
teachers received copies of the Great Lakes
Environmental Atlas, Great Lakes Great
Minds, and the 2005 Great Lakes Resource
CD
(Contact: Beth Hinchey Malloy, 312-886-
3451, hinchey.elizabeth@epa.gov)
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Upcoming Events
2005
September 15
Great Lakes Binational
Toxics Strategy Integration
Workgroup, Chicago, Illi-
nois
November 2n - State of Lake Michigan
Conference, Green Bay,
Wisconsin
,rd
th
December 6 -
7th
December 12
Great Lakes Binational
Toxics Strategy Stakeholder
Forum and Integration
Workgroup, Chicago, Illi-
nois
Great Lakes Regional Col-
laboration Summit II, Chi-
cago, Illinois
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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