Lake Superior Binational Forum

The Lake Superior Binational Program recognized a high standard in the early 1990s by adopting a zero discharge strategy for nine(9) chemicals known as the “Nasty Nine.” The time has come to set another standard for the Great Lakes - “Zero AOCs.”

I propose that the Lake Superior Binational Forum set a goal that all beneficial use impairments(BUI) for the seven declared AOCs be eliminated by 2025. Fifteen years is, I believe, ample time to achieve this goal. By focusing attention on the BUIs and the Remedial Action Plans (RAPs) already in existence, it should be entirely possible to establish the costs, technical feasibility and time tables or milestones associated with the cleaning up that will lead to delisting of the AOCs. The Obama Administration has pledged funding for a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI)and made a significant down payment of $475 million for 2010. In addition to the GLRI funds, AOC remediation can tap the Legacy Funding that enables clean up of superfund sites. Although the legal issues associated with superfund site clean-up may stall the initiation of projects because of difficulty assigning financial responsibility, it seems unconscionable that restoration efforts have been delayed for nearly two decades.

My sense is that the clean-up efforts are continually kicked down the road because a time-specific goal for cleaning up these sites has never been established. The time to set a time-specific goal is NOW!

I urge members of the Lake Superior Binational Forum to comment and begin a dialog that will enable a declaration that Lake Superior is free of beneficial use impairments.

The situation with Asian Carp in the canal at Chicago poses a serious threat to the entire Great Lakes and certainly to Lake Superior. It is critical that the Lake Superior Binational Forum begin a dialog internally - and externally as needed - to prevent introduction of this species to the Great Lakes. I have personally been cruising along with a naive confidence that the electric barrier installed, and for which I lobbied with others from the Great Lakes Commission and Healing Our Waters (HOW), would be a sufficient protection.

The news report from Friday indicating that DNA has identified the potential that the Carp has breached the electrical barrier is extremely disturbing.

Effort should be made to confirm the science behind the assertion that the Carp has indeed managed to cross the electrical barrier. A few questions come to mind quickly: Who did the testing? What was the sample(s)that was analyzed? Were multiple samples analyzed? What are the limitations of the methods used? Where was the report filed? Is a public copy of the report available? Who has responsibility for the credibility of the report? Was the report subject to peer review?

At a minimum it seems that the call by several groups to declare an emergency and close all locks until the waters between the electrical barrier and Lake Michigan are declared to be free of Carp. This is difficult as it is trying to prove a negative. Unlikely!

If the science is flawed (DNA results are in error), the Forum should at a minimum insist that future reports fully divulge the science behind assertions.

This is only an attempt to initiate a dialog among Forum members that will lead to a well articulated and persuasive response. An early target for our input should be to members of the Great Lakes Commission and the Council of Great Lakes Governors

Comment Please!

The Forum Management Committee recommends changes to the Forum Charter to bring it inline with current practices and to enable members, officers and coordinators to more effectively meet responsibilities. The changes involve four sections of the Charter: 1.)Structure of the Forum; 2.)Membership; 3.)Role of Forum Members and 4.)Relationships and Norms of Forum Members. Forum members will receive a packet via post that will include a complete printout of the current Charter document and a document that will show all recommended new language as underlined copy and deleted language as strikethrough copy.

I will write blog entries for each of the four sections. My hope is that members of the Forum will use the blog comment feature to submit questions and comments. Responding to comments and answering questions will facilitate our deliberations at the January meeting in Superior Wisconsin. Personally, I support the recommended changes, encourage comments, and hope we will reach consensus to adopt needed revisions to the Charter document.

The changes or amendments brought forward by the Forum Management Committee will clarify the annual timeline related to three administrative tasks; membership attendance review, management committee elections, and charter review. Officers (Co-Chairs and Vice Co-Chairs) will be elected at the first meeting each year and assume office immediately at the close of the meeting.

A second change will clarify the role of coordinators. The coordinator role has changed over the last five years as our funders require more outcome-based results and coordinators are asked to do much more than note taking. Coordinators assume major responsibilities for outreach projects, fundraising projects, member recruitment, and many other activities and initiatives.

Another change recommended is to include the coordinators as members of the management committee. Current Charter language includes coordinators as ex-officio members of the management committee. This amendment will recognize the management role of coordinators and establish a co-equal role for coordinators together with the Co-Chairs and Vice Co-Chairs on the management committee. It should be noted that there was not unanimous agreement among the management committee regarding this amendment.

Comment is encouraged.

Bruce Lindgren

Had a great chat with Bruce this afternoon about Forum membership and have a sense that the management committee can get more involved in choosing sectors and cities and gender.

Lissa R

The Lake Superior Binational Forum concluded its meeting in Houghton,MI Saturday with a morning of discussion that will mark new directions. The management committee recommended that the meeting in Thunder Bay this coming November be focused on the future.

Big changes are ahead with the US Secretariat slated to move from its seventeen year home at the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute at Northland College in Ashland Wisconsin. ed. note:(11/23/2009) The Forum remained at Northland College. Discussion among Forum members, supported with input from our EPA liaison, E.Marie Wines, recognized the importance of finding potential hosts or fiscal agents for the Forum. Identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and issues posed by alternative entities will be an important task ahead. My sense is that a strong feeling emerged on Saturday that support for the mission of the Forum should be a central consideration in any proposals for or from a new fiscal agent.

In order to meet the challenges ahead, my sense is that we will be greatly advantaged if we make effective use of digital tools for communication. This blog is one such tool and Forum members as well as other interested parties are encouraged to use it in two ways. First and perhaps easiest, is to use the comment function. A second way is to create a blog addressing issues of concern and responding to opportunities.

Both options require registration. This is easily accomplished by looking down the column of options to the right and finding the “register” link. Of course, if you encounter difficulty or simply have questions, don’t hesitate to contact your Co-Chairs or Coordinators. Providing solutions is a priority because your participation is really important.

Bruce Lindgren