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Eco-logue is published bimonthly by the Rochester Regional Group of the Sierra Club

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Great Lakes

Great Lakes Committee

* Read about why the Great Lakes Committee was formed: Global Water Issues - by Hugh Mitchell.

The Great Lakes Committee

Committee chair, Wayne D. Howard

Flow: For Love of Water" - Saturday, November 22, 8 PM at the Dryden Theater - "People around the world are fighting for their basic human right to access free water. This provocative wake-up call of a documentary introduces viewers to, among others: an African shantytown where citizens secretly reconnect their water pipes; a “water guru” who promotes community-based initiatives in India; and a Canadian author who exposes the disturbing realities behind the global bottled water business. Focusing on issues of pollution and corporate responsibility, filmmaker Salina depicts the increasingly at odds relationship between humans and the quintessence of our existence." - The Dryden Theatre - The Dryden Theatre box office opens 45 minutes before a given screening. Screening times vary, so check out the Dryden Film Calendar for the most up-to-date information. The Dryden Theatre is located at 900 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607.

Healthy Lakes Healthy Lives Continues

by Suku Menon, Great Lakes Committee

Healthy Lakes Healthy Lives Tour: The “Earth Voyager” trimaran sail boat, touring 15 locations in the Great Lakes, organized by the Healing Our Waters (a Coalition of over 100 environmental groups), began at Buffalo, NY, June 4th, 2008. The sail boat, 50 feet long and nearly 100 feet tall, made the final stop outside the Rochester Port Authority building September 5/6/7, 2008. The purpose of the tour was to raise the profile of the Great Lakes, engage people who love the lakes, and highlight the need and the remarkable economic, social, and environmental benefits of restoring and protecting the Great Lakes. The celebration included press conferences, a reception, and an environmental expo including displays by the Great Lakes committee to educate the public on Great Lakes issues and solutions.

Great Lakes Restoration Conferences: Great Lakes committee participated in the Healing Our Waters (HOW) Great Lakes Restoration Conferences at Milwaukee, Wisconsin (September 10-12, 2008) and the NYS chapter at Rochester, NY (October 4, 2008). These conferences discussed accomplishments and began prioritization of Great Lakes related issues to be addressed in 2009. Various elected officials expressed their willingness to support legislation and funding to resolve various issues threatening the water quality and sustainable nature of the lakes due to sewage dumping, invasive species, air quality, global warming and contaminated sites in the region. Over 200 attendees will participate to lobby for the Great Lakes on Great Lakes day in Washington, DC, February 2009. Great Lakes proponents are encouraged to attend these conferences to help pass legislation and provide funding for the Great Lakes Legacy Act, the Invasive Species act, the Clean Water Restoration Act, the Coast Guard Reauthorization Act etc. Please visit Healthylakes.org for further details.

The Great Lakes Compact (dealing with water diversion and water conservation) is approved by The House of Representatives and the Senate. President Bush signed the Compact into law October 3rd, 2008. Ontario Lake Level Control – the Great Lakes committee actively participated in opposing the 2007 Plan proposed by the IJC for Ontario Lake level control. We are happy to report that the IJC has abandoned the 2007 plan and is working on a more environment friendly proposal, scheduled for June 2009, promising greater involvement by the affected parties and seeking measures to combat shore line erosion.

Great Lakes Water Concerns Display - The Webster Library is currently hosting an informative display on “Great Lakes Water Concerns” by the Great Lakes Committee. The display will be on view October 2nd through early November, 2008, in the Webster library located in Webster Plaza, 980 Ridge Road. The exhibit guides you both visually and descriptively through the Great Lakes issues and offer ways you can make a difference in your own home, lawn and garden to protect our water supply. Special focus is on - How the lake gets overloaded with specific nutrients that often cause beach closings as well as adversely affecting the overall health of the lake. There is a quick quiz you can take on how much water do we consume while carrying out various every-day tasks. Do make it a point to visit the display and pass the information on to anyone you think may be interested. The Webster Library is handicapped accessible.

* An Educational Outing in a canoe on Sodus Bay, NY. - The concerned residents and summer folks in the Sodus Bay area are involved in a volunteer non-profit organization “Save Our Sodus”(SOS) to revive the health of Sodus Bay. This summer two members of the Rochester Regional Group of Sierra Club, Great lakes committee, joined SOS effort to defeat the invasive weeds, European water chestnuts. Small boaters and canoeists aided the mechanical weed-harvesting boats which ply the shallows.

Legislative Advocacy

The Great Lakes Committee promotes Healthy Lakes, Healthy Lives!

Who are we?

Founded in April 2005, the Great Lakes Committee has been actively involved in public outreach and legislative advocacy, both locally and nationally, to promote protection and restoration of the Great Lakes.

Current project

We’ve been preparing to promote the message of “Healthy Lakes, Healthy Lives” since September 2006, through training and conferences in Cleveland, Rochester, Detroit, and Buffalo and collaboration with the National Sierra Club Great Lakes Program and the Healing Our Waters Coalition (HOW).

HOW is a coalition of more than 90 environmental groups, working to provide a united voice for the support of National and State Great Lakes legislation. The purpose of the training is to help us effectively engage the public for their support of this vital legislation.

We have a great opportunity! Meaningful Great Lakes legislation has been introduced in the new Congress. In early March, we went to Capitol Hill for Great Lakes Week to lobby our local delegation and to encourage them to co-sponsor recently introduced legislation.

The health of our Lakes is seriously threatened by problems such as untreated sewage and invasive species. The Great Lakes ecosystems are at a tipping point of ecological collapse.

The good news is that we have manageable solutions to these problems! The Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy is a comprehensive plan to repair and upgrade sewage treatment, clean-up polluted harbors, restore wetlands, and prevent unwanted, new species from invading the lakes.

We have prepared a presentation entitled “Great Lakes Restoration – What YOU Can Do to Help!” and presented it to the Federation of Monroe County Environmentalists on April 23rd. Our goal is to reach out to environmental and conservation organizations. If you know of a group that would like to see our presentation, please contact us. Wayne Howard: wdhoward@rochester.rr.com

Fall plans include a presentation and workshop for our general membership. We will also be starting a program to encourage and support the formation of Great Lakes Committees in other New York State Sierra Club Groups, in the Great Lakes Basin.

To learn how you can support the effort, please visit www.HealthyLakes.org

Great Lakes Restoration Road Map: home.rochester.rr.com/solara

Fact Sheet and Reference: home.rochester.rr.com/solara

HOT Legislation: (See Road Map and Fact Sheet for more information.)

Asian Carp Barrier Act of 2007

Clean Water State Revolving Fund

Outreach and Education

Local Outreach by the Great Lakes Committee – by Laura Arney

Our local Great Lakes Committee (GLC) meets to Learn about the issues, Teach what we have learned, and Advocate for specific programs to address the issues.

LEARNING-One issue in the Great Lakes’ issues is septic systems and sewage treatment facilities that are outdated and poorly functioning. In April 2007, a small group of GLC members joined a tour of the Monroe County Frank Van Lare wastewater treatment facility to learn about wastewater processes.

We learned that, when wastewater arrives at the plant, debris is raked off the top first. This debris might be trash from the streets or trash put down the toilet. We learned that natural micro-organisms at the plant are the main driver of the sanitary system. Nutrients are removed from the organic solids by “good bugs”. And it takes a knowledgeable crew to keep the system in balance.

An upgrade at Van Lare came with the removal of incineration as primary disposal of solids. The change to landfilling solids allows generation of methane as energy source. Effluent (exiting water) is chlorinated to kill pathogens before releasing them to the deep lake several miles off shore. It seems our Monroe County Department of Environmental Services is recognized as an up-to-date facility that is proactive with its improvements. (Disclosure-Laura Arney does work for Monroe County DES at Van Lare Wastewater treatment facility)

TEACHING-In August 2006, committee members Susan Stinson, Laura Arney, Janet McLeod participated in a DEC educational program called Project WET for school teachers. Environmental concepts were demonstrated with clever projects and games which could hold the interest of energetic students. On Saturday May 5, 2007, these members participated at the Seneca Park Zoo “Our Fragile World” event geared for adults and children. Emphasis of our component centered on the Lake Ontario watershed, the limited quantity of accessible clean fresh water in the world, petitions to preserve Hemlock Lake watershed, and informational handouts.

Events 2008: To sign up, or find out more information about this committee, please contact: Wayne Howard: wdhoward@rochester.rr.com

For more information:

The Great Lakes Restoration Road Map: home.rochester.rr.com/solara

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