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Previous Significant Activity Reports

2006

June 2006
Long-Awaited Ashtabula River Cleanup Begins
On June 5th, USEPA Administrator Steve Johnson joined Ohio Governor Bob Taft, U.S. Rep. Steven C. LaTourette, other government officials and local partners in Ashtabula, Ohio, to celebrate the beginning of a $50 million project to clean up contaminated sediment from the Ashtabula River, a tributary to Lake Erie and an Area of Concern. 
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May 2006
Legacy Act Update: Ruddiman Creek Cleanup Done
On Monday, May 15th, the Muskegon community celebrated the completion of the Great Lakes Legacy sediment cleanup project at Ruddiman Creek and Pond in Muskegon Michigan. The event was attended by many local residents, representatives from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality; USEPA staff including Bharat Mathur, Acting Regional Administrator; the mayor of Muskegon and state and national legislators including U.S. Congressman Pete Hoekstra.
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April 2006
Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement Review Underway
On April 28th, the Governments of the U.S. and Canada, launched the one every six year review of the operation and effectiveness of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. The kick-off meeting was held at USEPA Region 5 Headquarters in Chicago, Illinois.
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February-March 2006
Toward Wildlife-Friendly Wind Power
The new U.S. Energy Bill incentives for alternative energy development are set to expire at the end of 2007.
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January 2006
Great Lakes Conservation Blueprint
The Nature Conservancy has just released the “Conservation Blueprint for the Great Lakes”. Jointly funded by GLNPO, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, the Gund Foundation, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the Richard Ivey Foundation, and the Living Legacy Trust, the blueprint was a binational, collaborative effort to identify areas of biodiversity significance throughout the Great Lakes basin. 
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2005

December 2005
Great Lakes Restoration Strategy
The final Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy to Restore and Protect the Great Lakes was released at “Summit II” on Monday, December 12th at the John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Illinois.
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November 2005
Legacy Act Making A Difference: Two Cleanups Completed, Another Underway
Two sediment cleanup projects in Great Lakes Areas of Concern were completed in November using GLNPO’s new Legacy Act authority and funding, and another project is well underway.
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October 2005
Wisconsin Automobile Mercury Switch Collection Project
In September 2001, USEPA’s Great Lakes National Program Office awarded the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) a $65,000 grant to establish an Automotive Mercury Switch Collection Project (Project) with the auto and scrap re-cycling industry.
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September 2005
Protecting Riparian Areas and Wetlands
“Community Riparian and Wetland Guidance” is a newly released publication funded by GLNPO and developed by USEPA’s Cleveland Office along with the Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, and the Ohio EPA.
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August 2005
Ruddiman Creek Legacy Act Project Begins
On August 8th the Ruddiman Creek Great Lakes Legacy Act project got underway. This is the third remediation project started under the Great Lakes Legacy Program.
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July 2005
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 entitled, “Summit I.”
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June 2005
FY2005 Funding Guidance
GLNPO issued its annual request for Great Lakes project submissions through the USEPA Great Lakes National Program Office FY2005- 2006 Funding Guidance on April 12th.
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May 2005
2004 Toxics Reduction Report Online
The 2004 Annual Report of the Canada-U.S. Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy (GLBTS), “A beyond compliance Strategy to virtually eliminate persistent toxic substances from the Great Lakes”, is now available on the web.
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April 2005
Earth Keeper Clean Sweep a Tremendous Success
A Clean Sweep (hazardous waste collection) event in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula under the Earth Keeper initiative was an unprecedented success. A total of 45.7 tons of toxic materials were collected in the event held on Earth Day, April 23rd in the parking lots of 25 Upper Peninsula churches, temples, and other houses of worship.
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March 2005
Project Submissions Sought
USEPA’s Great Lakes National Program Office is seeking project submissions in this year’s Funding Guidance competition. Up to $4.7 million may be awarded under this announcement for furthering protection and cleanup of the Great Lakes ecosystem. The deadline for all project submissions is 8:00 AM Central time, Tuesday morning, May 31, 2005.  
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February 2005
Fish Monitoring Program Reviewed
GLNPO held a program review for the Great Lakes Fish Monitoring Program in Chicago on February 7th and 8th.  About 40 representatives including government and university scientists, federal and State government managers, and Tribal representatives met to discuss the program's successes and problems.
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January 2005
 Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Rolls Ahead
The Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Conveners met in Chicago on December 3rd, 2004 in Chicago, Illinois. At that meeting, the Conveners signed the "Great Lakes Declaration" and "Framework" documents affirming the commitment to the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration process and the development of a comprehensive strategy to further protect and restore the Great Lakes
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2004

October-December 2004
In May 2004, President Bush signed a Presidential Executive Order recognizing the Great Lakes as a national treasure, calling for the creation of a “Regional Collaboration of National Significance” and a cabinet-level interagency Task Force. After extensive discussions, the federal Great Lakes Interagency Task Force, the Council of Great Lakes Governors, the Great Lakes Cities Initiative, Great Lakes Tribes, and the Great Lakes Congressional Task Force moved to convene a collaboration. 
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September 2004
About Mercury
Every year, an estimated 60,000 children are born at risk of developmental deficits, including decreased school performance, as the result of exposure to methylmercury in the womb, usually stemming from their mother’s consumption of contaminated fish.
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August 2004
Board the Northbound Train
On July 15th, USEPA Administrator Mike Leavitt spoke before the International Association of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Mayors Conference in Chicago to report progress on the Great Lakes Executive Order.
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July 2004
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 displayed at the ceremony.
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June 2004
 Mudpuppy in High Gear
 The Great Lakes National Program Office’s 32-foot sediment sampling boat, the R/V Mudpuppy, swung into high gear for the 2004 sampling season, working at three sites in June. 
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May 2004
Great Lakes Executive Order
On May 18th, President Bush signed Executive Order 13340 creating the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force. Under USEPA’s leadership, the Task Force brings together ten Agency and Cabinet officers to provide strategic direction on federal policy, priorities and programs for restoring the Great Lakes.
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April 2004
R/V Lake Guardian Springs Into Action
In its first cruise of the year, the Great Lakes National Program Office’s 180-foot research ship, the R/V Lake Guardian, departed its berth in Milwaukee Harbor, Wisconsin on April 3rd for the Spring Water Quality Survey of the Great Lakes.
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January - March 2004
Spill Planning for Sensitive Areas
Staff from the Great Lakes National Program Office attended the “Net Environmental Benefit Analysis of Isle Royale National Park” meeting held in Duluth, Minnesota on January 6th to 8th
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2003

November/December 2003
Consider Conservation Easements
With funding from GLNPO, USEPA’s Cleveland Office assisted Lake Erie basin partners in producing a new brochure, “Consider Conservation Easements.”
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October 2003
GLNPO Navy Wraps Up 2003
R/V Lake Guardian leaves Chicago on last voyage of 2003 sampling season
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September 2003
What's a Cleanup Worth?
The costs of cleaning up contaminated sediments can run into multi-millions of dollars. Learn how costly it is.
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August 2003
The View from Space
Two projects for monitoring Great Lakes ecology using remote sensing data from satellites orbiting high above the earth recently produced preliminary data.
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June-July 2003
Wetlands Efforts On Track
The goal of the Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands Consortium is to develop indicators and a long-term coastal wetland monitoring program. The Consortium is funded through a cooperative agreement between GLNPO and the Great Lakes Commission, in partnership with a binational group of agencies and organizations.
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April-May 2003
R/V Lake Guardian at Work
After a delay of nearly two weeks, due to extensive ice on the Great Lakes, the Spring Water Quality Survey began on April 9th and was completed on May 5th. Samples were taken for investigation of water chemistry and biology. This is the latest survey in a long-term monitoring program that began in 1983.
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March 2003
Toxics Continue Downward Trend
A just-released report by the USEPA and Environment Canada shows that levels of the most critical, persistent pollutants around the Great Lakes — including mercury, dioxin, benzo(a)pyrene, and hexachlorobenzene — continued to go down in 2002.
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February 2003
Big Boost for Sediment Cleanup!
On January 30th, EPA Administrator Whitman announced that the President’s FY 2004 budget request will include nearly $34 million to improve Great Lakes water quality.
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January 2003
SOLEC Online!
Presentations from the 2002 State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference (SOLEC) are now available online
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2002

December 2002
Presque Isle On the Mend
Significant improvements in the environmental health of the Presque Isle Bay, Pennsylvania Area of Concern (AOC) on Lake Erie has prompted the USEPA to upgrade the bay to an "AOC in recovery stage" from the previous designation of simply "AOC."
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November 2002
Assessing the State of the Lakes
The fifth biennial State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference (SOLEC) was held in Cleveland, Ohio from October 16th to 18th.  The theme for this year's conference was “Biological Integrity of the Great Lakes.”
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September - October 2002
R/V Lake Guardian Back Home
GLNPO’s 180-foot research vessel, the R/V Lake Guardian, concluded a very busy year of research and monitoring on the Great Lakes. In addition to its routine annual monitoring program on the Great Lakes, the R/V Lake Guardian conducted special studies on Lake Michigan, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario.
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August 2002
The Great Lakes Atlas: An Environmental Atlas and Resource Book, published through a partnership of USEPA GLNPO and Environment Canada, continues to be an extremely popular publication. The Atlas is now in its third re-printing.
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July 2002
Lake Erie Checkup Continues
The U.S. and Canadian special study of Lake Erie, the "Lake Erie Supplemental Study of Trophic Status" continued with a five-day scientific cruise of the lake. The 180-foot USEPA research ship, the R/V Lake Guardian departed Cleveland, Ohio on July 17th with a full complement of scientists aboard.
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June 2002
Mid-Point in Toxics Initiative
USEPA and Environment Canada held a 5-Year Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy Anniversary Stakeholder Forum and Dinner on May 29th in Windsor, Canada. Presentations at the Stakeholder Forum included a retrospective of Substance Workgroup accomplishments and progress toward the goals of the Strategy.
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May 2002
Lake Guardian on a Roll
The Great Lakes National Program Office's 180-foot research vessel, the R/V Lake Guardian has continued its busy Spring schedule, supporting a number of research and monitoring activities on the Great Lakes.
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April 2002
Great Lakes Plan Released
Great Lakes Strategy 2002: A Plan for the New Millennium was officially released on April 2, 2002. USEPA Administrator Christie Whitman announced the Strategy in Muskegon, Michigan on behalf of the U.S. Policy Committee. She was joined by several U.S. Policy Committee members.
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March 2002
New Lake Erie Study
Great Lake scientists have become concerned over an increasing Lake Erie “dead zone,” essentially devoid of oxygen in the Summer. See how GLNPO is responding.
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February 2002
Milwaukee River and Harbor Cleanup Projects Are Center of Attention
On January 31st, 2002 GLNPO's Scott Cieniawski attended a meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to discuss a variety of sediment assessment, remediation, and beneficial reuse projects recently completed, or scheduled for the Milwaukee Area of Concern.  
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January 2002
Lake Erie Scientists Discuss Disturbing Lake Erie Trend
Scientists currently active in studying the Lake Erie basin met in Chicago, Illinois, on December 13th, 2001 to present information on the lake and its processes.   
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2001

December
Pollution Prevent Scores Big Against Toxics
The latest progress report from the Great Lakes Binational (U.S. and Canada) Toxics Strategy reports big reductions in the worst of the toxic chemicals polluting the Great Lakes.  Read more...right arrow

October
Binational Great Lakes Web Site Launched
The U.S. and Canada launched a new Web Site, binational.net. The binational.net Web Site is a cooperative project with Environment Canada. Read more...right arrow

August
Dramatic Results of Ecological Protection Grants
The Great Lakes National Program Office is analyzing 105 final grant reports from ecological protection and restoration projects funded by GLNPO and completed between 1992 and 2001. Read more...right arrow

July
Scientific Papers Zero In On Latest Great Lakes Invader
This year, four papers have been published on GLNPO's open lake Biological Monitoring Program in the Journal of Great Lakes Research. This is a peer-reviewed Journal dedicated to publishing scientific work on the Great Lakes. Read more...right arrow

June
Binational Toxics Strategy Reports on Progress
On May 17th and 18th, GLNPO and Environment Canada hosted a two-day Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy (GLBTS) Stakeholders meeting. Approximately 150 people participated in the stakeholders forum and in mercury, PCB HCB/B(a)P and dioxin workgroup meetings which were held the first day. Read more...right arrow

May
Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands Monitoring
In November 2000, the Great Lakes National Program Office awarded a $400,000 Cooperative Agreement to the Great Lakes Commission on behalf of a binational consortium of Great Lakes Coastal Wetland scientists and resource managers. Read more...right arrow

March
Office of Research and Development and GLNPO Collaboration
In two meetings, in Chicago, Illinois on February 15th and 16th, and in Duluth, Minnesota on March 8th and 9th, USEPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) and GLNPO have collaborated to ensure coordination between Science to Achieve Results (STAR) grantees and the Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Consortium assistance agreement recipient. Read more...right arrow 

February
Binational Toxics Strategy 2000 Progress Report Issued
The Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy 2000 Progress Report was released on February 20th. Read more...right arrow

January
Report on St. Clair River Lakeplain Prairie and Oak Savanna Ecosystem Project
Lakeplain prairie and oak savanna ecosystems are considered globally imperiled. Read more...right arrow

2000

September - December
State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference 2000
The results of 31 indicators of Great Lakes basin health were presented at the State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference (SOLEC) 2000, held October 17th to 19th, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Read more...right arrow

June - August
Gulf of Maine Conference
On June 19th, Gary Gulezian was part of a panel at a conference on "Exploring Transboundary Arrangements for Management of the Gulf of Maine Ecosystem." Read more...right arrow

April
LaMPs 2000 CD Available
In order to fulfill all the requests GLNPO has been receiving for copies of the LaMPs 2000 documents, a LaMPs 2000 CD was assembled and published. Read more...right arrow

January - February
Mercury Emission Study
Between February 14th and 25th, Frank Anscombe of GLNPO led a study team of 35 people who made use of about $1 Million worth of mercury monitoring equipment in a mercury emissions study inside an Olin Corporation chlor-alkali factory in Georgia. Read more...right arrow

January - February
Mercury Emission Study
Between February 14th and 25th, Frank Anscombe of GLNPO led a study team of 35 people who made use of about $1 Million worth of mercury monitoring equipment in a mercury emissions study inside an Olin Corporation chlor-alkali factory in Georgia. Read more...right arrow

1999

November - December
 Great Lakes Air Toxics Emissions Inventory Released
The Great Lakes Commission, in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, announced the release of the updated Great Lakes Air Toxics Emissions Inventory in a continuing effort to quantify the toxic air emissions that impact the waters and communities of the Great Lakes basin. Read more...right arrow

August - September
 IJC Biennial Public Forum
The International Joint Commission’s (U.S. and Canada) Biennial Forum and Environmental Exposition was held on September 24th to 26th in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The IJC calls this meeting every other year to track progress under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, which is the cornerstone of the binational Great Lakes Program.  Read more...right arrow

June - July
Baltic Fellow Program Selections Made
The Baltic Sea Partnership aims to improve the water quality of the Great Lakes and the Baltic Sea by sharing information, expertise, and management approaches. Read more...right arrow

April - May
FRANCIS X. LYONS Named as Region 5 Regional Administrator
On May 3, 1999 EPA Administrator Carol M. Browner appointed Francis X. Lyons as the Agency's Administrator for Region 5, headquartered in Chicago. Read more...right arrow

January - March
Mercury Cell Chlor-alkali Sector Voluntary Initiative to Reduce Mercury Consumption
In February, there was a meeting at Olin Corporation's factory in Augusta, Georgia, to discuss proposed emissions studies by EPA grantees (Jerome Nriagu of the University of Michigan and Steve Lindberg of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory) and by scientists sponsored by the Chlorine Institute (A. J. Baker, the University of Tennessee). It was agreed that the two projects complimented one another and should proceed.  Read more...right arrow

1998

November - December
New Exotic Species Found in the Great Lakes
Cercopagis pengoi is the latest exotic crustacean to invade the Great Lakes.  This predatory cladoceran was first identified by Canadian scientists in early August of 1998.  Cercopagis is indigenous to the Caspian, Azov, and Aral seas (Rivier 1998), and was reported to have invaded the Baltic Sea in 1992 (Ojaveer and Lumberg 1995, Ojaveer 1997).  Read more...right arrow

September - October
David Ullrich Addresses IJC Area of Concern Workshop; Signs Historic Voluntary Agreement to Control Mercury in Steelmaking in Northwest Indiana
On September 25, 1998, David Ullrich gave a presentation on "Global Connections to Local Efforts" at a 2-day workshop in Hammond, Indiana focusing on sharing information on successful strategies to address restoration activities in Areas of Concern. Read more...right arrow

July - August
Great Lakes Binational Executive Committee Meeting Held In Chicago
On July 30, the Great Lakes Binational Executive Committee (BEC) met in Chicago to discuss binational activities being implemented under the terms of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (the Agreement) Read more...right arrow

May - June
SOLEC Draft Indicators Report Released
 On behalf of the State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference (SOLEC) organizers, the Indicators Core Group released the first draft of a "SOLEC Indicators List" on June 11, 1998.  Read more...right arrow

March - April
EPA Gold Medal Awarded to Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy Workgroup
EPA's Gold Medal, the Agency's highest honor, was recently awarded to the U.S.-Canada Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy Workgroup. The Workgroup was responsible for all stages of the Strategy, culminating in the April 1997 signing of this historic agreement by Administrator Browner and then Canadian Minister of the Environment Sergio Marchi.   Read more...right arrow

January - February
BEC Meeting Held in Toronto
On February 11, the Binational Executive Committee (BEC), comprised of senior level representatives of federal, state, provincial, and tribal agencies with environmental protection and natural resource management responsibilities in the Great Lakes Basin, met in Toronto to review binational activities being implemented under the terms of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.  Read more...right arrow

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