Resources

Lake Michigan and the Great Lakes have a wealth of projects, research and groups working to improve environmental quality.

Areas of Concern

Ut nec odio a ligula commodo posuere. Duis id elit lorem. Sed fermentum diam nec diam mollis egestas in nec libero. In at tristique eros. Etiam pulvinar venenatis nulla et iaculis. Phasellus placerat tempus ullamcorper. Mauris orci eros, condimentum eget ultrices tempus, posuere at quam. Suspendisse id mollis sem. Aliquam erat volutpat. Nullam vehicula nisi quis erat rhoncus eu sollicitudin justo rutrum.

Test Link

Lipsum

Biodiversity

Lake Michigan Biodiversity Conservation Strategy - The Nature Conservancy and Michigan Natural Features Inventory, working with a broad network of scientists, natural resource professionals, agency staff, and non-profit colleagues, will articulate action agendas for the rehabilitation, restoration, and conservation of the native biodiversity and ecosystem function of Great Lakes Erie and Michigan.

Biological diversity

Climate Adaptation Tools

The changing climate impacts society and ecosystems in a broad variety of ways. For example climate change can increase or decrease rainfall, influence agricultural crop yields, affect human health, cause changes to forests and other ecosystems, or even impact our energy supply. Climate-related impacts are occurring across regions of the country and across many sectors of our economy. Many state and local governments are already preparing for the impacts of climate change through "adaptation," which is planning for the changes that are expected to occur.

Adapting to Climate Change: A Planning Guide for State Coastal Managers

NOAA's Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management is pleased to announce the release of a Great Lakes Supplement to "Adapting to Climate Change: A Planning Guide for State Coastal Managers." The Great Lakes Supplement was developed with funding from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and is intended to be used as a companion to the Planning Guide. It provides more specificity on climate trends and potential climate change impacts and consequences affecting the Great Lakes region and includes numerous case examples of adaptation actions already being taken at the regional, state, and local levels. The Planning Guide and Great Lakes Supplement are web-only publications and can be found here: http://coastalmanagement.noaa.gov/climate/adaptation.html

Education Materials

Below are resources to help citizens, community leaders and children better understand the ecology of Lake Michigan.

Great Lakes Literacy Principles

A new online tool created by Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE) Great Lakes delivers resources to help educators from around the region better integrate Great Lakes science into their classrooms. Launched this past fall, the Great Lakes Literacy Principles website at greatlakesliteracy.net links teaching resources with each of the eight newly created Great Lakes Literacy Principles.

Energy

Energy and water are intertwined. Producing energy uses water, and providing freshwater uses energy. Both these processes face growing limits and problems. The following section highlights available resources that address the linkages between energy and water.

Harbors, Marinas & Ports

Over the last few years, there has been growing awareness of the environmental impacts of the maritime industry from environmental organizations, local governments, media, and the industry’s customers. However, the role of the maritime industry, particularly harbors, marinas, ports and terminal operators, in reducing pollution and improving environmental quality is relatively unexplored. Harbors, marinas and ports have a unique position between land and water, government and industry, public and private, and economic and environmental issues, which could be a powerful catalyst in reducing pollution and improving environmental quality and economic growth around Lake Michigan.

Invasive Species

Invasive species (also called "non-indigenous" or "non-native") are introduced species that adversely affect the habitats and bio-regions economically, environmentally, and/or ecologically. Such invasive species may be either plants or animals and may disrupt by dominating a region, wilderness areas, particular habitats, or wildland-urban interface land from loss of natural controls (such as predators or herbivores). This includes non-native invasive plant species labeled as exotic pest plants and invasive exotics growing in native plant communities.

Pollution Prevention

Pollution prevention (P2) is reducing or eliminating waste at the source by modifying production processes, promoting the use of non-toxic or less-toxic substances, implementing conservation techniques, and re-using materials rather than putting them into the waste stream.

WasteWise Program

WasteWise is a free, voluntary, EPA program through which organizations eliminate costly municipal solid waste and select industrial wastes, benefiting their bottom line and the environment. WasteWise is a flexible program that allows partners to design their own waste reduction programs tailored to their needs. All organizations within the United States may join the program. Large and small businesses from any industry sector are welcome to participate. Institutions, such as hospitals and universities, non-profits, and other organizations, as well as state, local, and tribal governments, are also eligible to participate in WasteWise.

Marine Debris

Marine debris is a problem along shorelines, and in coastal waters, estuaries, and oceans throughout the world. Marine debris is any man-made, solid material that enters our waterways either directly or indirectly. Marine debris enters our oceans and coasts from a number of land- and ocean-based sources. More people move near our Nation's coasts each year, and the production of trash and the potential for marine debris continues to increase. We need to better control the disposal of trash and other wastes, or we will continue to find marine debris in our rivers, streams, and oceans. For more information and a US EPA Marine Debris Prevention tool kit, see http://water.epa.gov/type/oceb/marinedebris/index.cfm.

Toxics

Toxic chemical pollution threatens every American family and every community. Reducing exposure to hazardous substances protects families and wildlife, and improves our water quality and neighborhoods.

Atmospheric Toxics Webinar Series, Great Lakes Air Deposition Program -

Over the last six years, the Great Lakes Commission (GLC), under funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and in cooperation with the eight Great Lakes states, has awarded research grants dealing with atmospheric toxic pollutants affecting the Great Lakes and their tributary watersheds. Thirty-five research grants have been awarded since 2004 addressing a diverse array of research concerning atmospheric pollutant loadings and movement within the basin and the associated impacts of numerous persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) chemicals on wildlife and human health. The webinar series will include around 10 sessions, scheduled to be conducted every 2-3 weeks starting in October 2010 and running through April 2011. Copies of the presentations and supporting materials for the complete webinar series are available at http://glc.org/glad/.

Water Quality

Water quality refers to the chemical, physical and biological characteristics of water. It is a measure of the condition of water relative to the requirements of one or more biotic species and or to any human need or purpose. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which compliance can be assessed. The most common standards used to assess water quality relate to health of ecosystems, safety of human contact and drinking water.

EPA WaterSense Program

WaterSense is a partnership program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, makes it easy for Americans to save water and protect the environment.

15th Biennial Report on Great Lakes Water Quality

The International Joint Commission (IJC) released its 15th Biennial Report on Great Lakes Water Quality. In its report, the IJC detailed 32 recommendations for action at the federal, state, provincial and local levels of government. Most notably, the recommendations focus on the need for the U.S. and Canada to approve a revised Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement to protect drinking water and human health from threats including inadequate wastewater treatment, agricultural run-off, industrial livestock operations, and pharmaceuticals. The report also recommends bi-national governance improvements to provide a rapid response to stop the spread of invasive species and basin-wide consistency in fish consumption advisories.

The release of the report is just part of the ongoing public process under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Report: http://www.ijc.org/rel/boards/watershed/15biennial_report_web-final.pdf

Executive Summary:http://www.ijc.org/rel/boards/watershed/15biennial_report_summary_web-final.pdf

Watershed Management

Watershed management is the study of the relevant characteristics of a watershed aimed at the sustainable distribution of its resources and the process of creating and implementing plans, programs, and projects to sustain and enhance watershed functions that affect the plant, animal, and human communities within a watershed boundary. Features of a watershed that agencies seek to manage include water supply, water quality, drainage, stormwater runoff, water rights, and the overall planning and utilization of watersheds. Landowners, land use agencies, stormwater management experts, environmental specialists, water use surveyors and communities all play an integral part in the management of a watershed.

Watershed Central

Watershed Central - Watershed Central has been designed to assist users to develop and implement effective watershed management programs. The site includes guidance, tools, case studies, and data sets to help you share information, analyze data, and identify opportunities to initiate or strengthen your watershed efforts.
Watershed Central's stakeholders and data providers include

Local watershed management groups
Regulated entities subject to EPA's various clean water act provisions
EPA Headquarters and the Office of Water
EPA regional water and water management offices
Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service on issues related to electronic access to data submitted
States
Tribes
Public

Watershed Central includes a feature called a wiki, which is web site that allows the user to submit and edit content so that the information is constantly updated by the watershed community (just like Wikipedia). The wiki includes case studies, information on watershed organizations and various watershed management tools.

Watershed Central Wiki - Watershed Central includes a feature called a wiki, which is web site that allows the user to submit and edit content so that the information is constantly updated by the watershed community (just like Wikipedia). The wiki includes case studies, information on watershed organizations and various watershed management tools.
Please submit content (case studies, watershed management plans, best management practices, tools, lessons learned, and success stories) via email: watershedcentral@epa.gov.

Also please join the Watershed Central Wiki to see what others have contributed and submit content that way yourself.
Submitted content will be reviewed every two weeks and key items will be published to the public-facing Watershed Central website on a regular basis.

The wiki contains the following information:
Tools & Models - For every step in the watershed management process
Partners - Articles on other watershed organizations & their lessons learned
Maps - A map view into watershed activities & experts around the country
Spatial Data - Land use, impaired streams, water quality monitoring station locations and information, permitted facility locations, watershed boundaries, and much more
Events - Calendar for workshops and training around the country
Information resources on regulations, guidance, funding sources

News Feed

Lake Michigan Forum