Lake Huron Basin Update - U.S. Side
Press Day on the Bay
National Wildlife Federation,Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council,and partners host
successful Press Day on the Saginaw Bay, Lake Michigan
By Chris Grubb
With the passing of December,
GLAHNF is saying goodbye to 2005’s
communications theme. Lest we forget
the importance of communication with
the excitement of the new storm-water runoff theme, I want to
reflect upon a recent successful event on Saginaw Bay focused
on getting aquatic habitat and Great Lakes issues in the media.
In my short career in environmental advocacy, it has become
abundantly clear that the media plays an important role in
shaping public perceptions of an issue. Readers of this column
will surely remember the “beach grooming,” a.k.a. coastal
wetland destruction, a.k.a. “battle of the weeds,” issue that led
to the first substantive weakening of Michigan’s wetland
protection Law in 2003. One particularly frustrating aspect of
working on this issue was that several news stories
mischaracterized the issue as the big bad government vs. the
poor private property owner. The critical value of coastal
wetlands to the Great Lakes ecosystem (i.e. coastal wetlands are
utilized by over 90 percent of Great Lakes fish species at some
point in their life cycle) was completely lost.
Press Day on the Bay is Born
As a leader in the fight to protect wetlands in Michigan, the Tip
of the Mitt Watershed Council (Petoskey, MI) hatched a plan to
hold Press Day on the Bay events in the “beach grooming”
hotspots of Grand Traverse Bay and Saginaw Bay. The events
were designed to build relationships among conservation/
environmental groups and outdoor/environmental reporters,
and to drive home the importance of coastal wetlands to the
Great Lakes. The events were organized by the Tip of the Mitt
Watershed Council, the National Wildlife Federation, Ducks
Unlimited, The Nature Conservancy, Michigan United
Conservation Clubs, as well as local groups like the Watershed
Center Grand Traverse Bay and the Lone Tree Council.
With expert assistance from Grand Valley State University’s Dr.
Don Uzarski – a well recognized coastal wetland expert in the
Great Lakes – the reporters were able to greatly increase their
knowledge about these unique ecosystems. As the Press Day on
Saginaw Bay caravan pulled up to an expansive Saginaw Bay
coastal marsh, Dr. Uzarksi had participants rolling up pants,
sliding on rubber boots, and strapping on waders – we were
about to get wet! As birds flittered around and frogs darted out
of hidden refuges, the reporters got a sense of the dynamic
nature of Saginaw Bay’s coastal marshes, and had the chance to
pepper Dr. Uzarski with questions.
At the end of the day, reporters walked away a bit tired, but with
full notebooks and armed with new contacts and a renewed
appreciation for an incredible natural resource. Outdoor columns
and news stories already generated from this event have
demonstrated that the Press Day on the Bay events were a
resounding success!
For more information:
Chris Grubb, GLAHNF Lake Advisor
National Wildlife Federation
213 W. Liberty, Suite 200, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(734) 769-3351 • grubbc@nwf.org
Rep. Miller Holds “First of its Kind”
Hearing on Invasive Species
Congresswoman Candice Miller, chairperson
of the House Subcommittee on
Regulatory Affairs, recently held a “first of its
kind” congressional hearing at Anchor Bay
High School in Ira Township, Michigan on the
issue of aquatic invasive species in the Great
Lakes. The hearing focused on the introduction
of invasive species like the zebra mussel
into the Great Lakes by way of discharges
from the ballast water of ships.
“It’s downright scary to think that there are
at least 180 invasive species prowling on our
precious Great Lakes water,” Representative
Miller said. “We need federal agencies to
tackle this problem in a more aggressive
way.”
Local residents, as well as officials from the
State of Michigan and federal agencies gave
testimony at the hearing. Many of those
who testified expressed frustration at the
snail-like pace with which the Coast Guard
has proceeded in addressing the ballast
water problem. Current regulations exempt
ships that declare No Ballast on Board
(NOBOB) from requiring inspection, even
though it has been documented that
NOBOB ships can harbor live organisms.
Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox argued
that the EPA should be the lead agency and
not the Coast Guard – an argument backed
up by a recent 9th Circuit Court of Appeals
ruling that said ballast water discharges
should be regulated by EPA under the Clean
Water Act.
It’s promising to see Representative Miller,
an avid boater, bringing her colleagues from
around the U.S. to the Lake Huron basin to
discuss such a critical issue for the Great
Lakes. Hopefully that spotlight will help
generate some badly needed momentum to
close the NOBOB loophole and pass the
National Aquatic Invasive Species Act.
For more information, visit:
http://candicemiller.house.gov/
or http://www.georgianbay.ca/index.html
Disclaimer:
The interpretations and conclusions presented in this newsletter represent the opinions of the individual authors. They in no way represent the views of the Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council, the C.S. Mott Foundation, subscribers, donors, or any organization mentioned in this publication.
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