For now, Great Lakes power is not waning

The census revealed the Rust Belt is losing people, which ultimately translates to less political clout. But George Will reports that, for the moment, the region's influence is ascendant in the nation's Capitol.

Michigan's power is waxing in Washington, with Upton's boon companion Dave Camp, chairman of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee. They are part of a Midwestern ascendancy in the House, which also includes Ohio's John Boehner (speaker), Michigan'sMike Rogers (chairman of the intelligence committee), Wisconsin's Paul Ryan (chairman of budget), Minnesota's John Kline (chairman of education and the workforce), and Missouri's Sam Graves (chairman of small business).

DNA survelliance on the Asian Carp

In a paper published in the journal of the Society for Conservation Biology, a team of scientists describe the fascinating ability to scoop a water sample from, say, a lake or river, take it back to the lab, wade through all the swimming genetic schmutz and determine what kind of critters lurk. The process already has detected the Asian Carp closer to the Great Lakes than previously thought. Daaa dum... daaa dum

Surf's up in the Great Lakes

Bryan McDonald offers a sense of winter surfing in Lake Michigan: 

When your paddling out your face gets real cold . . .and after about 90 minutes your feet start going numb ... You paddle out, wait for the right wave and try new moves. By the time you come out of the water you’ve got ice all over your upper body, your back, your hood, your chest. Just big chunks of ice, you can’t even unzip your suit. You just jump in your car and thaw out.

Jesse Ventura's Conspiracy Theory features Great Lakes

The show begins in Michigan. But it's not until the 20-minute mark that alarmist Jesse Ventura starts to unravel "the plot to steal the Great Lakes." At 32 m 10 s the former governor of Minnesota "makes it to the place where Nestle is pumping all the Great Lakes water outta the ground."  

Great Lakes cities in the wake of recession

Brookings today released its Global MetroMonitor, which measures the performance of the world's 150 largest metropolitan economies before, during and after the Great Recession. Surprisingly, Detroit and Cleveland are singled out for their "significant rebound." Here's how, according to the report, metros across the greater Great Lakes ranked globally in the 2009-2010 recovery:

44. Minneapolis
46. Detroit
49. Cleveland
62. Cincinnati
81. Columbus
82. Chicago
83. Milwaukee
120. Buffalo
128. Rochester
129. Pittsburgh
137. Indianapolis

Carbon Dioxide dynamics

Dr. Harvey Bootsma explains the scientific effort to understand whether the Great Lakes are a source of, or a sink for, carbon. Turns out those invasive species can be useful.



via Chicago Tribune

Great Lakes water budget

In the latest Inside Muskegon podcast, Dr. Al Steinman, one of the region's most respected aquatic ecologists, talks about the International Upper Great Lakes Study, which has the incredibly complicated task of determining how to best manage lake levels in the largest system of fresh surface water on Earth. He also explains why - much to the chagrin of many beach front property and boat owners - stable water levels are bad:

Some people want to have stable water levels so they can predict what's going to happen. I would argue that's a disaster for our coastal ecosystems. The coastal wetlands need fluctuating water levels - highs and lows - in order for the vegetation to grow over time in a dynamic way. Those wetlands help provide habitat that make our Great Lakes such an important fishery, commercially and recreationally. The trouble is humans keep moving into areas where they want stable water levels, or hardened shore lines, and that basically decimates our natural ecosystem. You cant have both. 

Another Asian Carp study

Balce Ceneta of the Associated Press took this photo of two Asian Carp on a platter in Congress. Scientists recently identified 36 possible pathways the fish possibly could follow into the Great Lakes.

Pioneering river bank restoration

Cleveland's Green Bulkhead project recently began testing floating grass islands, beemats and CHUBs (Cuyahoga habitat underwater baskets) as innovative new technologies to improve fish habitat, water quality and aesthetic appeal along the Cuyahoga River's dead and dingy riverbanks. Success means a cleaner more attractive waterway and potentially a billion dollar market opportunity. 

TEDxGreatLakes

Here is a run down of recent, upcoming and in-the-works TEDx events in the greater Great Lakes region.

TEDxBattleCreek – TBD
TEDxBloomington – 5/14/2011
TEDxBuffalo – 4/7/2011
TEDxChicago on Facebook – TBD
TEDxCincinnati - TBD
TEDxCincy – 10/7/2010
TEDxCLE - 4/15/2011
TEDxColumbus – 10/22/2010
TEDxDetroit - 9/29/2010
TEDxFlint on Facebook - 10/23/2010
TEDxGrandRapids on Facebook – 5/15/2011
TEDxGrandValley – 10/26/2010
TEDxIndianapolis – TBD
TEDxMidWest - 10/14/2010
TEDxNaperville – Spring 2011
TEDxNorthwestern – TBD
TEDxPeoria - TBD
TEDxRochester - 11/1/2010
TEDxTC (Twin Cities) on Facebook - 10/13/2010
TEDxUChicago – 4/9/2011
TEDxUniPittsburgh – 11/14/2010
TEDxWayneStateU - TBD
TEDxWindyCity on Facebook - 10/6/2010

Update: TedxMacatawa (in Michigan) on Facebook - 10/19/10

Oil oopsies

BP's Gulf of Mexico oil fail began with a (preventable?) explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig.

Endbridge's Kalamazoo River oil fail stemmed from a lengthwise rip in a (deteriorating?) length of pipeline.

Now the boys in Mercer County, PA are just casually pumping the crude directly into the waterway.

One result of all these "spills" and "accidents" is the Foes of Frackin and Fossil Fuels turning up the rhetoric in the Great Lakes State.

Jim Olson, one of the Midwest's leading environmental attorneys, warns Michigan is at risk of becoming the Water Plunderland without a more cautious approach to natural gas extraction.

And the state chapter of Clean Water Action launched the Countdown to Catastrophe campaign to ban drilling in the Great Lakes.

"The Countdown" seems a bit sensational. But so does the continuing pattern of inexplicable fuel follies (BP again) slowing restoration of American waterways.

Red marks the spots

The red indicates where 1) wind power potential is "outstanding" and 2) fights about projects to harvest the power - especially offshore - is "highly likely."

Carp carping will continue

Today's Carp Summit in D.C. returned a 25-point "plan" and $78 million to keep the Bighead and Silver carp building up troops in the Chicago Canal from attacking the Great Lakes.

Check the official website for the full Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework.

The plan "falls short" according to a release issued by Michigan Gov. Granholm.

Wisconsin Gov. Doyle reportedly is "disappointed."

Detroit Free Press Outdoor Writer Eric Sharp straight up blasts the plan in the first sentence of his latest column.

So the suspense continues. Great Lakes advocates remain on edge: will that damn fish get in the Lakes?! Is it already here!!! At least one respected Great Lakes scientist is hopeful we can "keep these suckers at bay."

Check out all the carp going crazy in this recent report from WZZM. It's truly amazing footage.

Solar tech transforming Toledo, OH

There are no pirates on the Great Lakes

Fatbeard South Park Episode 1307

Even In His Backyard, Obama Hesitates on Great Lakes

Barack Obama, locked in a fierce competition to claim the Democratic nomination for President of the United States, today dispatched an environmental advisor to share with advocates for America's Great Lakes how deeply the senator supports protecting and restoring one of the nation's most important freshwater ecosystems.

By doing so, Obama became the first presidential candidate on either side of the aisle to directly address the environmental and economic importance of sustaining Great Lakes waterways. All of the candidates were invited to attend the Third Annual Great Lakes Restoration conference in Chicago. Organizers, in fact, scheduled time for an in-depth panel discussion.

But the campaigns are focused intensely these days on early primaries in Iowa and New Hampshire. Not so much on the 78 of 270 electoral votes - including key battleground states like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ohio - in the greater Great Lakes region. So, for twenty minutes at least, Senator Obama had the Great Lakes stage all to himself.

But even the man from Illinois was a no show. Deborah Shore served as his representative. She detailed the senator's impeccable record on the environment. How he introduced legislation to reduce mercury pollution. How he called for hearings into a plan by British Petroleum to increase pollution in Lake Michigan. How he promotes energy innovation and supports more modern fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks.

Ms. Shore explained to the 250 plus business leaders, activists, and local officials gathered for the event that Sen. Obama, who hails from Chicago, lives just minutes from the Lake Michigan shore. She reminded folks how the senator worked in bipartisan fashion to slow the introduction of exotic species into the Great Lakes and how, "as president, Barack Obama will push for passage of the Great Lakes [restoration act]."

Indeed, Sen. Obama is one of only two presidential candidates signed on in support of the federal legislation to launch a $26 billion cleanup of Great Lakes waterways. But when pressed to help elevate Great Lakes issues to the national stage, and back the talk with real money, the Obama campaign seemed surprisingly unsure.

"Is the Senator going to mention Great Lakes restoration specifically when he talks about the environment, particularly in presidential debates?" asked Grenetta Thomassey, policy director for Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council.

"I can't say for sure. But we will relay the interest of this group and so many others that he do so," said Ms. Shore, a commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District in Chicago.

"Fast forward one year," said Andy Buchsbaum, director of the National Wildlife Federation's Great Lakes office. "President Obama has been able to shepherd through the Great Lakes [restoration act], and now it's time for him to unroll his budget. Will he, in his budget, commit to funding the act fully."

"I don’t know," Ms. Shore said. "But let's see if we can get there."

"We have to make sure that every presidential candidate that comes through the region takes a position on Great Lakes restoration," said Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn. "And not just a rhetorical position. George Bush talked about Great Lakes restoration. But he never really showed us the money."

"We need to see action," Quinn added. "We need to see strong support for real investment in our Great Lakes."