Great Lakes video informs Congressional legislation

Posted July 2nd, 2013 in Great Lakes Cleanup, Video
The new Sea Grant video, Revitalizing Local Waterfront Economies: The Great Lakes Legacy Act, welcomes people and partners to the benefits of restoring degraded rivers, harbors, and lakes. This week the video helped inform lawmakers in the U.S. Senate as they developed bipartisan legislation to protect and restore the Great Lakes.
 
The Great Lakes Ecological and Economic Protection Act was introduced by Senators Carl Levin (D-MI) and Mark Kirk (R-IL), co-chairs of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force, along with Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Al Franken (D-MN), Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI).
In addition to reauthorizing the Great Lakes Legacy Act, which provides support for communities to clean up waterways that are designated Areas of Concern (AOC) the United States and Canada, the new legislation would continue funding the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and the EPA Great Lakes National Program Office.

 

The 10-minute video, produced by Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and Wisconsin Sea Grant, explores Great Lakes waterways blighted by decades of industrial discharges like heavy metals, oil, and chemicals such as PCBs and PAHs. The 2002 Great Lakes Legacy Act created an initiative to clean up contamination in these AOCs. There are currently 29 AOCs in the United States. The habitat, water, and sediment quality have become severely degraded at these sites.

 

The video informs anglers, boaters, residents, and local businesses of the benefits that can come from a remediated AOC through the Legacy Act. The procedures and successes are the result of strong partnerships among states, municipalities, non-governmental organizations and businesses. Under this voluntary, collaborative program, the EPA and its non-federal partners have allocated almost $400 million toward sediment remediation.

 

As of September 2012, the program has removed or capped 2.1 million cubic yards of degraded sediment. But more waterways need to be cleaned up, and community involvement is essential.
 
In the short time that it has been available, Revitalizing Local Waterfront Economies has more than 1,200 views. The video was funded by a grant from the EPA Great Lakes National Program Office.

Learn more about the Great Lakes Legacy Act at the EPA’s GLLA webpage.

IISG Instagram

This Halloween, we’re diving into the eerie depths of the Great Lakes.

Each lake has its own spooky story:

🕯️ Lake Superior hides ghost ships beneath its icy waves...
🦴 Lake Michigan whispers tales of vanishing beaches…
🌉Lake Huron hides prehistoric hunting camps on a lake bottom ridge...
🧪 Lake Erie bubbles with algal blooms that glow like potions...
🦠 Lake Ontario was first to host strange creatures like the blood sucking sea lamprey.

Never fear, we have resources to help you make these fascinating topics less frightening at iiseagrant.org/education.

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Open post by ilinseagrant with ID 18068749643060732
This Halloween, we’re diving into the eerie depths of the Great Lakes.Each lake has its own spooky story:🕯️ Lake Superior hides ghost ships beneath its icy waves...🦴 Lake Michigan whispers tales of vanishing beaches…🌉Lake Huron hides prehistoric hunting camps on a lake bottom ridge...🧪 Lake Erie bubbles with algal blooms that glow like potions...🦠 Lake Ontario was first to host strange creatures like the blood sucking sea lamprey. Never fear, we have resources to help you make these fascinating topics less frightening at iiseagrant.org/education.

IISG is seeking a talented and passionate person to join our team as a research & reporting administrator. This is an exciting leadership opportunity for someone interested in managing a competitive research portfolio and leading our annual reporting process to make a real impact on the health and vitality of our Great Lakes ecosystems and communities.

The successful candidate will be responsible for overseeing our research competitions, spearheading data collection and reporting for our ~$5 million program, and supervising a small team of dedicated staff.

Interested? Learn more at the link in bio.

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Open post by ilinseagrant with ID 17881001997406832
IISG is seeking a talented and passionate person to join our team as a research & reporting administrator. This is an exciting leadership opportunity for someone interested in managing a competitive research portfolio and leading our annual reporting process to make a real impact on the health and vitality of our Great Lakes ecosystems and communities. The successful candidate will be responsible for overseeing our research competitions, spearheading data collection and reporting for our ~$5 million program, and supervising a small team of dedicated staff.Interested? Learn more at the link in bio.

Just in time for DEA National Takeback Day on October 25, Unwanted Meds now has an interactive step-by-step guide that walks users through how to properly dispose of different types of medicine. Users can also find two new educational brochures designed to help veterinarians, pet owners, and livestock farmers prevent accidental poisonings and pollution.

Learn more at the link in bio.

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Open post by ilinseagrant with ID 18057445667549008
Just in time for DEA National Takeback Day on October 25, Unwanted Meds now has an interactive step-by-step guide that walks users through how to properly dispose of different types of medicine. Users can also find two new educational brochures designed to help veterinarians, pet owners, and livestock farmers prevent accidental poisonings and pollution.Learn more at the link in bio.
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