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 2007 IN THIS ISSUE: LAKEWIDE MANAGEMENT PLANS • Lake Superior Day Celebration • Lake Superior Day Awards • Lake Superior Placemats • Lake Superior Watershed Signs • Making Lake Michigan Great 2007 Boat Tours CONTAMINATED SEDIMENTS • Kinnickinnic River Great Lakes Legacy Act Project Agreement Signed • Lower Buffalo River Sediments Sampled POLLUTION PREVENTION • AWRA Conference on Emerging Chemicals • Burn Barrel and Pharmaceutical Resource Kits Online LAKEWIDE MANAGEMENT PLANS Lake Superior Day Celebration The third annual Lake Superior Day was cele- brated around the basin on Sunday, July 15, 2007. The Lake Superior Binational Forum distributed educational materials and helped support approximately 20 events in 12 com- munities in Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Ontario. The Binational Forum is funded in the U.S. by a GLNPO grant from the U.S. EPA and in Canada by Environment Canada. The purpose of the day is to educate people about lake issues, special places, and recrea- tional opportunities by highlighting the im- • Indiana Rivers Rally at Purdue • Unwanted Medications Collection Workshop in Indiana • Report on Lindane in China AREAS OF CONCERN • Achieving Restoration Targets and Sus- taining Stewardship in Areas of Concern • Buffalo River Mini-Summit OUTREACH/EDUCA TION • Peace and Water Conference Features Lake Michigan • EPA is Gain' Green at Taste of Chicago RESEARCH AND MONITORING • Spill of National Significance • Lake Erie Dissolved Oxygen Survey • GLNPO Scientists Present at Great Lakes Research Conference Along the North Shore of Lake Superior portance of the world's largest freshwater lake to the region's economy, environment, and quality of life. ------- July 2007 Significant Activities Report The Cascade River enters Lake Superior The city of Superior, Wisconsin has held an annual event since 2003. The day included a Native American drum circle and songs, a beach clean up contest with prizes, poetry about Lake Superior read by members of the Lake Superior Writers organization, essay contest winners from grades K-6, a free pic- nic, and live music by the Superior-based band Arcadia. The event also hosted displays by the Great Lakes Aquarium, Maritime Mu- seum, U.S. Coast Guard, University of Wis- consin-Superior and the Great Lakes Fleet. Other events included a concert in the park in Marquette, Michigan organized by U.S. Fo- rum members Rev. Jon Magnuson of the Ce- dar Tree Institute in Marquette, and Carl Lindquist, director of the Superior Watershed Partnership. This included the Boreal Cham- ber Symphony playing classical and new mu- sic at a local restaurant. Iron County native Evan Premo was commissioned to create a new work for the concert. Another new event this year was celebrated in Marathon, Ontario, with a barbeque, a com- munity clean up, children's art activities about the lake, and a series of displays. A full list of events can be found on the Fo- rum 's web site at www.superiorforum.info. Over the last three years, almost 40 gover- nors, mayors, and other community leaders have signed proclamations designating the third Sunday in July as Lake Superior Day. Lake Superior Day Awards At a ceremony in Superior, Wisconsin, the Lake Superior Binational Forum made awards to several U.S. and Canadian groups for their environmental achievements from the past year. This year's winners in each category were: U.S. Individual (a tie): • Bob Olsgard worked as the Lake Supe- rior Alliance coordinator for about 10 years, which included writing and editing its journal, Superior Vision. The Alliance was formed to monitor and promote the goals of the Lake Superior Binational Pro- gram, and to coordinate an active voice for over 30 groups around the lake. • Jill Jacoby came to Duluth in 1992 to develop a citizen-based outreach, educa- tion, and water-monitoring program called the St. Louis River Watch. She pioneered projects that brought together artists and scientists to discuss water quality prob- lems of the St. Louis River and Lake Su- perior. The artists transformed those dis- cussions into their artwork, which was displayed at Earth Day events; she also organized a similar trip to China with art- ists there. She founded Sweetwater Alli- ance in 2002 with a mission that includes ecological restoration of riparian areas through a fusion of art, science, education, and community involvement. Business: No. 2 Septic owners Josh and Brenda Rowley bought their sewage and waste collection business in 2005 with a goal of making it more environmentally friendly and sustainable. Josh says, "We wanted to be as conscientious as possible about the impacts of our business on the environment." In 2006, the Rowleys began making biodiesel fuel to Page 2 U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office ------- Significant Activities Report July 2007 eventually power their collection vehicles out of used vegetable cooking grease picked up from area businesses. In their own garage, the couple makes numerous 40-gallon batches of biodiesel fuel per month after collecting it from about 15 to 20 businesses in Ashland, Mason, Drummond, Bayfield, and other com- munities. Industry: Bretting Manufacturing volun- tarily replaced almost 720 fixtures of mainly high-intensity discharge (HID) conventional fluorescents and with high-intensity fluores- cent fixtures in their facility in 2006. This lighting change reduced lighting power by the equivalent of 102,068 gallons of gasoline per year, resulting in a 47 percent saving of 1,236,428 hours. This equals savings, in a typical year, of 1,205 tons of carbon dioxide, 329 tons of carbon, 5.2 tons of sulfur dioxide, and 2.5 tons of nitrogen oxides from entering the atmosphere. Organization: Lake Superior Streams.org Team addressed the need to protect Lake Su- perior Basin streams, and the coastal zone of Lake Superior from stormwater impacts by enhancing public understanding of streams and their connections to watershed land use. The focus is on making environmental data, in particular real-time data from "flashy" streams typical of coastal tributaries to Lake Superior, readily accessible and easily inter- pretable to managers and the public for use in decision-making and for education and awareness. Canada Organization: Friends of Chippewa Park. Friends of Chippewa Park have been success- ful in restoring this long-time popular swim- ming area on Lake Superior. The initiative involved rehabilitating the beach and swim- ming bay at Chippewa Park. Project goals included improving the water quality and en- Raspberry Island, Apostle Islands of Lake Superior suring the long-term safety of the swimming area. Clean-up of the public beach entailed dredging and grading, and the addition of new sand and rip-rap (anchored rocks). Plans also included constructing a wooden retaining wall and a gravel walkway along the beach to pre- vent land-based runoff into the water. Vegeta- tion was planted to further reinforce stability and contain runoff. Honorable Mentions: Youth: The Anishinabek of the Gitchi Garni (AGG) is an emerging grassroots, youth-driven organization that facilitates community engagement, empowers young people, and catalyzes action. The major pro- ject has been a youth-led exploration of envi- ronmental health issues on their reserve. A group of young people set out to identify, photograph and map their community's envi- ronmental concerns including illegal dump- sites, hazardous waste, and garbage burning. The group identified 250 illegal 'backyard' dump sites in the community the Fort Wil- liam First Nation reservation. Individual: Karin Grundt cleaned up the garbage left in the ditches and roadways in Wawa. She began with two other volunteers in 1992 forming a "Garbologist's Coalition" to promote anti-littering, but Karin has con- tinued solo since about 1993. She has picked U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office Page3 ------- July 2007 Significant Activities Report up garbage every spring without fail since 1992. Each year the garbage is collected at the Municipal Garage, photographed and pub- lished in local media to promote local knowl- edge of this problem. She also writes a sea- sonal column to educate readers about this issue. Karin has also written to a number of politicians about this issue. (Contacts: E. Marie Wines, 312-886-6034, wines.emarie@epa.gov: or Elizabeth La- Plante, 312-353-2694, hv plante.elizabeth@epa.gov) Lake Superior Placemats The Lake Superior Binational Forum and Su- perior Work Group recently distributed 85,000 placemats in the Minnesota, Wiscon- sin, Michigan and Ontario parts of the Lake Superior watershed, 60,000 more than were printed last year. The placemats are made from recycled paper and soy-based ink. Most of the placements went to restaurants but li- braries, visitor centers and camps were also recipients. The simple design includes some word games for children, interesting facts about Lake Superior and a list of 12 Ways You Can Protect the Lake Every Day. Ac- cording to one of the volunteer distributors "... restaurants were enthusiastic and one res- taurant owner who came back for more said that she could not believe how well received they were - not just by kids, but whole fami- lies that poured over them, particularly people who had not been to the area before." This is the second year that the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, which receives funding from GLNPO, has printed the placemats. The 12 Ways You Can Protect the Lake Every Day: 1. Create an energy-efficient home. 2. Install water-saving devices. 3. Never burn garb age. 4. Try to reduce, reuse, recycle and repair. 5. Take household hazardous materials to hazardous waste collections. 6. Never pour oil or other used liquids into a storm drain. 7. Put your lawn on a chemical-free diet. 8. Inspect your boar and trailer and removes any plants and animals before leaving a boat access. 9. Landscape with plant that are native to the region. 10. Plant trees to capture carbon dioxide and prevent erosion. 11. Use a rain barrel for gardening and wash- ing the car. 12. And most importantly, love Lake Supe- rior! (Contact: Elizabeth LaPlante, 312-353-2694, laplante.elizabeth@epa.gov) Lake Superior Watershed Signs Visitors and residents of the Lake Superior basin in Minnesota will now know when they have crossed the line - the watershed bound- ary line, that is! The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency recently finished installation of 21 watershed signs over the 6,200 square mile Lake Superior basin. Placed along county and state highways, the signs list both the basin and the particular watershed, for example the St. Louis River. This project con- cept originated with the Lake Superior Bina- tional Forum, which earlier placed a few Sign marking Lake Superior basin boundary Page 4 U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office ------- Significant Activities Report July 2007 similar signs in Michigan and Wisconsin. The purpose of the signage is to inform the public of where the basin boundary is and to encour- age people to think in terms of their water- shed. (Contact: Elizabeth LaPlante, 312-353-2694, laplante.elizabeth@epa.gov) Making Lake Michigan Great 2007 Boat Tours Since 1998, the research and education vessel W.G. Jackson has been spreading the word about the Lake Michigan Lakewide Manage- ment Plan through the Making Lake Michigan Great educational tours. Throughout the years, 30 ports of call have been visited reaching four states. Local hosts have coordi- nated groups for hands-on water quality sam- pling cruises. Participants in tour activities learn about Lake Michigan and have the op- portunity to network about lakewide con- cerns. Tour funding has come mainly from GLNPO. Other partners for the 2007 tour in- cluded the Waukegan Citizen's Advisory Group, Pier Wisconsin, U.S. Park Service, and the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District. (Contact: Judy Beck, 312-353-3849, beck.judy@epa.gov) CONTAMINATED SEDIMENTS Kinnickinnic River Great Lakes Legacy Act Project Agreement Signed On June 22, 2007, a Great Lakes Legacy Act Project Agreement was signed by U.S. EPA and Wisconsin Department of Natural Re- sources (WDNR) for the Supplemental De- sign and Remedial Planning phase of the Kinnickinnic River sediment remediation pro- ject. The scope of work for this agreement is to perform supplemental design activities to Making Lake Michigan Great 2007 in Waukegan, IL finalize the remedial design. The concept de- sign proposed by WDNR calls for mechani- cally dredging up to 170,000 cubic yards of sediments containing high concentrations of PCBs, PAHs, and other contaminants from the 2,000 ft long stretch of the Kinnickinnic River immediately upstream of the federal navigation channel. It is anticipated that this phase of the project will be completed by the end of 2007. At that time, the project could potentially move to the remediation phase if the project meets U.S. EPA's selection crite- ria identified in the Great Lakes Legacy Act Implementation Rule, and is agreed to by U.S. EPA and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. (Contact: AjitVaidya; 312-353-5713. vai- dya.ajit@epa.gov) Lower Buffalo River Sediments Sampled From June 4th - 15th, 2007, the R/VMudpuppy was in Buffalo, New York sampling the sedi- ment in the Lower Buffalo River and City Ship Canal as part of the Great Lakes Legacy Act Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) Project (cost-shared by GLNPO and the Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper). The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District provided their pontoon boat and staff to assist with the sediment collection. Approximately U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office PageS ------- July 2007 Significant Activities Report 132 sediment cores were collected with the R/VMudpuppy and transferred to the Corps' boat for processing. The Corps also collected 43 surface sediment samples and water sam- ples at 19 locations. The New York State De- partment of Environmental Conservation shipped approximately 275 samples to be analyzed for metals, PAHs, PCBs, pesticides and total organic carbon. Additionally, GLNPO collected sediment samples for sedi- ment toxicity analysis (13 samples) and geo- technical properties analysis (25 samples). Results are expected to be received by August and the data will be used to determine where to focus the feasibility study, which is antici- pated to begin in January 2008. (Contact: Mary Beth G. Ross, 312-886-2253, ross.marybeth@epa.gov) POLL UTION PREVENTION AWRA Conference on Emerging Chemicals GLNPO's Ted Smith and Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant outreach specialist Susan Boehme at- tended the American Water Resource Asso- ciation's 2007 Summer Specialty Conference on "Emerging Contaminants of Concern in the Environment, Issues, Investigations, and Solutions" in Vail, Colorado on June 25th to 27th. Susan Boehme made a presentation on "Medicine Disposal: Sources, Environmental Concerns and Initiatives," on behalf of IL/IN Sea Grant and GLNPO. Among the topics covered in the Conference were analytical methods (including exposure methods), urban and agricultural sources and impacts, fate and transport in surface and groundwater, and from land applied biosolids, advanced treat- ment technologies, wildlife health effects, law and policy considerations, and interagency collaboration and cooperation. Much of the Conference was focused on sources and impacts of natural and artificial steroidal hormones as well as other pharma- ceuticals, and on compounds that exert estro- genic effects in the environment, such as plas- ticizers and surfactants. (Contacts: Ted Smith, 312-353-6571, smith.edwin@epa.gov or Susan Boehme, 312-353-4383, boehme.susan@epa.gov) Burn Barrel and Pharmaceutical Resource Kits Online Two of GLNPO / Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant's toxics reduction outreach projects under the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration will now reach wider audiences. Resource kits on alter- natives to trash burning and safe methods for medicine disposal are now available online at Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant's Web Site at www. ii sgcp. org/learnnot2burn and www.iisgcp.org/unwantedmeds. The resource kits will continue to be available in print and on CD as well. (Contact: Ted Smith, 312-353-6571, smith.edwin@epa.gov) Bernie the burn barrel character used in education and out- reach discouraging the use of burn barrels Page 6 U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office ------- Significant Activities Report July 2007 Indiana Rivers Rally at Purdue ORISE Intern associate Jessica Winter pre- sented a poster "Keep the Water Clean - Don't Flush Your Medicine" at the Indiana Rivers Rally at Purdue University on June 7th. The Indiana Rivers Rally is a conference bringing together local watershed conserva- tion groups, paddling enthusiasts, staff from state and local environmental agencies and water departments, and academic researchers. 2007 was the first year of what may become an annual event. Jessica spoke with confer- ence attendees about the effects of pharma- ceutical chemicals in the aquatic environment and distributed copies of Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant's pamphlet on safer disposal options for unwanted/excess medicines. She also highlighted Sea Grant's resource kit on orga- nizing medicine collection programs and in- vited attendees to participate in Sea Grant's upcoming medicine collection workshop in Indianapolis. Approximately 170 people at- tended the Rivers Rally and many expressed concern regarding the issue of pharmaceutical chemicals in the environment and interest in solutions to the problem. (Contact: Jessica Winter, 312-353-3212, win- ter.jessica@epa.gov) Unwanted Medications Collection Workshop in Indiana On June 20, 2007, ORISE associate Jessica Winter and Illinois-Indiana Seagrant outreach specialist Elizabeth Hinchey Malloy were in- vited presenters at "A Workshop for the Col- lection of Unwanted Medications in Indiana." The Indiana Household Hazardous Waste Task Force organized the workshop with sup- port from Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and the Indiana Department of Environmental Man- agement. This meeting grew out of a work- shop in March in Illinois co-organized with the Illinois Counties Solid Waste Manage- ment Association. Over 50 people attended Medicine Collection Program Logo from resource kit on proper disposal of un- wanted medications the Indianapolis workshop. Participants in- cluded Indiana county solid waste managers, county public health offices, hospice and home health care staff, members of Indiana chapters of AARP, and state pharmacy in- spectors. All participants received the newly released resource kit produced by Illinois- Indiana Sea Grant entitled "Disposal of Un- wanted Medicines: A Resource for Action in Your Community." This workshop covered the problems pre- sented by medication disposal and trained at- tendees how to conduct a community collec- tion for unwanted medications. Hinchey Malloy presented an overview of the issue ("Medication Disposal - What's the Prob- lem?") and Jessica Winter guided participants through the chapters of the "Disposal of Un- wanted Medicines: A Resource for Action in U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office Page 7 ------- July 2007 Significant Activities Report Persistent chemicals like lindane can be transported for great distances through the "grasshopper effect" Your Community." Solid waste managers from Indiana (Scott Morgan, Monroe County Solid Waste Management District; Mike Good, Marshall County; and Steve Johnson, Wabash County) shared their insight and ex- periences with organizing medicine collection programs. Kristin Brier of the Indiana Depart- ment of Environmental Management pre- sented information on state grant availability and application procedures for local collec- tion programs. Question and answer sessions allowed participants to discuss a wide variety of issues relating to medicine disposal. At least one workshop participant has already indicated plans to start a collection using in- formation gleaned from the presentations and discussions, while others have indicated that they will use the information presented to im- prove their existing programs. (Contacts: Jessica Winter, 312-353-3212, winter.jessica@epa.gov or Beth Hinchey Malloy, 312-886-3451, hin- chey.elizabeth@epa.gov) Report on Lindane in China Lindane (chemical name gamma- hexachlorocyclohexane, or gamma-HCH) is an organochlorine chemical used as an insec- ticide and fumigant. Phase I of a study par- tially funded by GLNPO on lindane in China was submitted to the Commission for Envi- ronmental Cooperation for review and com- ment. During the 1950s and the beginning of the 1980s, China was one of the major users of technical HCH in the world. Although the use of these chemicals was banned by the Chinese government on April 1, 1983, after 40 years of use, HCH residues are still found in air, soil, water, food, and living organisms, and lindane had been still produced and used in China until 2003. In order to better understand the implications of the use and emissions of lindane in China on North America, an agreement between the CEC, an international organization estab- lished by the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation, and Harbin Insti- tute of Technology reached an agreement on the joint project "China - Canada Joint Pro- ject on Reduction of Lindane Usage in China and its Impact Globally and on North Amer- ica. The Phase I report contains the following 3 deliverables of Project. 1. Lists referenced lindane producer(s) and determines the nature of the prod- uct offered for export (technical HCH, lindane or formulated lindane prod- ucts) and attempt to determine the im- porting countries; 2. Provides referenced information on current pollution status of HCH iso- mers in China; 3. Provides emission/residue inventories of HCH isomers in China. (Contact: Ted Smith, 312-353-6571, smith.edwin@epa.gov) PageS U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office ------- Significant Activities Report July 2007 AREAS OF CONCERN Achieving Restoration Targets and Sustaining Stewardship in Areas of Concern Participants from U.S. Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOC) met in Cleveland, Ohio, June 28th and 29th, 2007, to review recent develop- ments affecting the AOC program and assess Great Lakes Regional Collaboration recom- mendations. The agenda for the "Great Lakes Areas of Concern: Achieving Restoration Targets and Sustaining Stewardship Confer- ence" included an AOC status report, a his- torical perspective, and breakout sessions to discuss contaminated sediments, fish and wildlife restoration, the role of local Remedial Action Plan (RAP) groups, and delisting. Several invited foundations gave their per- spective on Great Lakes restoration, and local RAP participants spoke about their successes and key challenges. GLNPO habitat staff of- fered to help the development of blueprints for habitat-related beneficial use impairments. During the opening session of the conference, GLNPO's David Cowgill spoke on "Progress in Cleaning Up Contaminated Sediments Un- der the Great Lakes Legacy Act." The presen- tation was an overview of how the Legacy Act functions and what projects have been completed and are underway with a focus on how communities got the projects funded, and a summary of the overall achievements and challenges. Two breakout sessions on con- taminated sediments were held on Thursday afternoon. The first, chaired by GLNPO's Marc Tuchman, was a discussion of "Options For Generating Non-Federal Funding And Public Involvement in Sediment Cleanups Under the Great Lakes Legacy Act (GLLA) and Other Programs." That session was high- lighted by discussions on funding sources from representatives from previously funded GLLA projects. The second session, "Contaminated Sediments: Assessment and Remedial Tools and Technologies" described the types of analyses that can be used to de- fine a remediation project and the technolo- gies available for remediation. The session also included a discussion on sustainability considerations and ways to develop a long- term sustainable vision to the site before remediation to engage the community. (Contacts: (Contact: Mark Elster, 312-886- 3857, elster.mark@epa.gov: David Cowgill, 312-353-3576, cowgill.david@epa.gov: Marc Tuchman 312-353-1369, tuchman.marc@epa.gov: Susan Boehme 312- 353-4383, Boehme.susan@epa.gov: Ajit Vaidya 312-353-5713, vaidva.ajit@epa.gov: Eric Stern, 212-637-3806, stern.eric@epa.gov: Karen Rodriguez, 312- 353-2690, rodriguez.karen@epa.gov: Dan- ielle Green, 312-886-7594, green.danielle@epa.gov) Buffalo River Mini-Summit On June 4th, 2007, representatives of GLNPO (David Cowgill and Mary Beth G. Ross) and Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (Susan Boehme) attended the Buffalo River Mini-Summit in Buffalo, New York. The event was coordi- nated by Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper, in co- operation with the New York State Depart- ment of Environmental Conservation and GLNPO. The purpose of the meeting was to encourage dialogue among all stakeholders and provide information on the past, present, Dave Cowgill speaks at the Buffalo River Mini-Summit while the R/V Mudpuppy samples river sediments U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office Page 9 ------- July 2007 Significant Activities Report Lake Michigan Regional Team Manager Judy Beck with Dr. Natsadorj, the Khamba Lama of Mongolia and future of the Buffalo River. David Cow- gill presented an overview of GLNPO's Re- medial Action Plan (RAP) Program and the status of Great Lakes Legacy Act projects within the Great Lakes. Mary Beth G. Ross and Byron Rupp of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District co-presented the various ways the two Federal agencies are collaborating on Buffalo River projects. Fol- lowing the presentations, a press conference was held in part to celebrate the May 9th, 2007 signing of an $800,000 Project Agree- ment between U.S. EPA and the Buffalo Ni- agara Riverkeeper for a Remedial Investiga- tion/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) of the Lower Buffalo River and City Ship Canal. The event also included a guided luncheon tour of the AOC aboard the Miss Buffalo II. Representa- tives from many local stakeholder groups were also in attendance, including U.S. Con- gressman Brian Higgins. (Contacts: David Cowgill, 312-353-3576, cowgill.david@epa.gov: Mary Beth G. Ross, 312-886-2253, ross.marybeth@epa.gov: Susan Boehme, 312-353-4383, boehme. susan@epa. gov) OUTREACH/EDUCATION Peace and Water Conference Features Lake Michigan GLNPO's Judy Beck, Lake Michigan Team Manager, spoke at the Northeastern Illinois University's "A Gathering of Peace and Wa- ter for Our World - the Ripple Effect" in Chi- cago on June 21, 2007. The conference ex- plored both the ecological status of the Great Lakes from a scientific perspective as well as the spiritual attachment to water in the cul- tures of the world. Those presenting included: Debra Ferryman, Illinois Teacher of the Year; Osahmin Judy Meister, Elder of the Miniss Kitigan Drum of the Ojibway; Debra Shore, Commissioner of the Water Reclamation Dis- trict of Greater Chicago; Rory Donnelly, Friends of the Chicago River; and Bill Kurtis, Emmy Award winning journalist and televi- sion producer of the show "The New Explor- ers." The theme of the conference was con- cern over stewardship of the water resources of the world with Lake Michigan as the ex- ample. On June 29th, Beck also provided opening remarks at the conference-sponsored "sunrise ceremony" held at the Shedd Aquar- ium on Chicago's lakefront. The highlight of the ceremony was the blessing of Lake Michi- gan, performed by honored guest Dr. Natsa- dorj, the Khamba Lama of Mongolia. (Contact: Judy Beck, 312-353-3849, beck.judv@epa.gov) EPA is Coin'Green at Taste of Chicago "Recycle electronics, save energy, conserve water, and landscape wisely" was the mes- sage delivered by U.S. EPA staff at the Goin' Green Pavillion at the annual Taste of Chi- th 7th. cago festival from July 5 to 7 this year. U.S. EPA's tent, which was organized by the Office of Public Affairs, was visited by an estimated 700 people eager to pickup reading Page 10 U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office ------- Significant Activities Report July 2007 material and talk about at-home conservation measures. Illinois-Indiana SeaGrant outreach specialist Beth Hinchey and ORISE associ- ates Jackie Adams, Jessica Winter, and Melissa Simon joined a dozen other U.S. EPA representatives in engaging the public on the issues of pollution prevention and con- servation. With help from GLNPO's Danielle Green and GLNPO's Green Acres program, Simon gave a presentation on Natural Land- scaping which highlighted the ecological benefits of planting native species. The Chi- cago Botanic Garden donated more than 20 eye-catching plants for the demonstration. U.S. EPA representatives answered questions on a wide range of topics including how to landscape using little water, how to dispose of medicine appropriately, and where to recycle electronics. The City of Chicago invited U.S. EPA to a planning meeting for next year's Green Pavilion at the festival. (Contact: Melissa Simon, 312-886-0995, s^ mon.melissa@epa.gov) RESEARCH AND MONITORING Spill of National Significance Personnel from the Great Lakes National Pro- gram Office and crew aboard GLNPO's 180- foot research ship R/VLake Guardian partici- pated in an exercise responding to a supposed large-scale diesel fuel spill in Lake Michigan on June 19th and 20th. The exercise tested the readiness of the Coast Guard, Navy and U.S. EPA to response to such a disaster. The Lake Guardian served as a sampling platform, and as staging for victim evacuation which in- cluded a number of practice lifts by a Coast Guard rescue helicopter. Members of the Coast Guard, Marines, OSHA and U.S. EPA were aboard the ship to observe and take part in the exercise. (Contact: Paul Horvatin, 312-353-3612, hor- vatin.paul@epa.gov) A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter hovers over the R/V Lake Guardian on Lake Michigan Lake Erie Dissolved Oxygen Survey The latest Lake Erie dissolved oxygen survey took place on June 11th and 12th in the Central Basin of the lake. This is part of a continuing program to monitor the oxygen levels in this area of the lake, which often develops a "Dead Zone" of very low oxygen. Accompa- nying the survey were reporters from Channel 3 TV in Cleveland who are working on a four-part series on Lake Erie problems, and a Canadian filmmaker (Primitive Entertain- ment) making a documentary entitled "Waterlife" in association with the National Film Board of Canada. Areas of low oxygen in the water column have been recorded annually over the last sev- eral decades in Lake Erie's Central Basin. Low oxygen levels in the water column stress local plant and animal species that depend on oxygenated water for normal respiration proc- esses. The annual low-oxygen zones, referred to as hypoxic or anoxic zones (or popularly, "dead zones"), are often linked to excess nu- trient run-off into the lake. The dissolved oxygen study is a focused investigation of oxygen content and key nutrient levels like phosphorus in the Central Basin of Lake Erie to assess improved or declining conditions over time. U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office Page 11 ------- July 2007 Significant Activities Report The Lake Erie Dissolved Oxygen Study col- lects temperature, dissolved oxygen, chloro- phyll and turbidity profiles of the water col- umn with the SeaBird remote sensing appara- tus. (Contact: Todd Nettesheim, 312-353-9153, nettesheim.todd@epa.gov) GLNPO Scientists Present at Great Lakes Research Conference Eleven GLNPO scientists and associates at- tended the 50th Annual Conference of the In- ternational Association for Great Lakes Re- search in State College, Pennsylvania from May 28th to June 1st, 2007. The theme of this year's conference "50 years of Great Lakes Research: Past, Present, and Future." GLNPO was one of the sponsors of the conference. Papers presented at the conference by GLNPO scientists and associates were: "A Retrospective Look at the Assessment of the Great Lakes"by May, J.C., J.M. Ad- ams, P.E. Bertram, PJ. Horvatin, and C.M. Zuccarino-Crowe. "The State of the Great Lakes - A Mixed Message"by Zuccarino-Crowe, C.M., J.M. Adams, P.E. Bertram, P.J. Horvatin, and J.C. May. "Connecting students to Great Lakes re- searchers through outreach aboard the U.S. EPA's R/V Lake Guardian"by Ad- ams, J.M., E.K. Hinchey Malloy, C.M. McConaghy, and P.J. Horvatin. "GLEAMS, Great Lakes Educators of Aquatic and Marine Science: Out of Dry Dock and Coming Soon to a Classroom Near You.. .the Voyage Resumes!" by Hinchey, E.K., R.W. Former, R.G. Goet- tel, J.A. Adams, and T.B. Hallesy. "Bacteria, beaches and Swimmable waters: Has Bacterial Contamination Increased?" by Rockwell, D.C., H. Wirick, and C. Kovatch. "The Great Lakes Offshore Biological De- sert" by Rockwell, D.C., G.J. Warren, M.D. Balcer, andM.D. Agbeti. "Air-Water Exchange of Mercury in Lakes Michigan and Superior" by Jeremaison, J., L. Kanne, T. Lacoe, M.L. Hulting and M. Simcik. "Future Directions in Atmospheric Monitor- ing Systems and Techniques" by Perlin- ger, J.A., M.L. Hulting, B.B. Hicks, and J.E. Dettling. "Distribution of Toxic Substances within a Large Wastewater Treatment Plant and in Downstream Surface Waters" by Nettesheim, T.G.,Barber, L.B., Gray, J.L., Zintek, L., Whipple, W., and Jayaraj, J. "Is the Nearshore Shunt Moving Offshore?" by Warren, G.J., Horvatin, P.J., Balcer, M.D and Rockwell, D.C., "Incorporation of a multi-wavelength fluoro- meter into a Great Lakes monitoring pro- gram" by Warren, G.J., Horvatin, P.J. "Great Lakes Fish Contaminants Laboratory Performance Study" (poster session) by Murphy, E.W. and S. Backus. In addition to the papers presented, GLNPO's Dave Rockwell co-chaired the "Eutrophication Management in the Great Lakes: How Did We Do It In the Past and Where Should We Go In the Future" session and GLNPO's Melissa Hulting co-chaired the session "Toxic Chemicals in Great Lakes Air" session. (Contact: Paul Horvatin, 312-353-3612, hor- vatin.paul@epa.gov) 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. Page 12 U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office ------- |