Great Lakes United * Healing Our Waters Coalition * Save The River

Buffalo, N.Y. (MARCH 24) —As the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway prepares to open for its 51st season, conservation groups are once again calling for protections from aquatic invasive species introduced and spread from ballast water of commercial vessels.

“Invasive species continue to take a staggering financial toll on people, businesses and communities,” said Jennifer Nalbone, director of navigation and invasive species for Great Lakes United. “Each year, on the eve of a new shipping season, we call on the nation and the shipping community to slam the door on this problem, because it will only get worse and more costly.”

Invasive species introduced by foreign vessels cost the eight-state region at least $200 million per year in damages and control costs. The No. 1 way non-native species enter the Great Lakes is through ballast water discharge of foreign vessels. Lakers, vessels that never leave the Great Lakes, do not introduce new invasive species from overseas but can spread species from lake to lake. Despite recent progress last year, including a rulemaking proposed by the U.S. Coast Guard, and the emergence of state regulations under the Clean Water Act, sophisticated ballast water treatment and technology has not yet been implemented onboard foreign vessels or lakers. Currently the most stringent regulations for foreign vessels coming to the Great Lakes are two physical methods of management: ballast water exchange, which has been required in the Great Lakes region since 1996, and flushing of empty tanks (for vessels termed “no ballast on board”), which was imposed by Canada in 2006 and the St. Lawrence Seaway in 2008.

The shipping industry is responsible for over 65 percent of invasive species introductions since the opening of the Seaway in 1959. States across the Great Lakes region began passing state laws mandating that foreign ships treat their ballast water after continued failure by the federal government to put in place national ballast water protections. While the pending Coast Guard rule offers some hope for a strong, uniform national program, the rule is not yet finalized. The shipping industry has vigorously challenged in court state regulations to stop invasive species from entering the Great Lakes and has also begun to lobby Congress for loopholes that could delay implementation by lakers of the pending Coast Guard rule.

“For those of us living along the St. Lawrence River, it’s hard to watch the ships start coming in as a new Seaway season starts, knowing that more still needs to be done to clean up ballast tanks,” said Jennifer Caddick, executive director for Save The River. “The shipping industry must do its part by adopting—rather than fighting—solutions that prevent the introduction and spread of invasive species into the Great Lakes and other U.S. waters.”

Stopping aquatic invasive species is a pillar of Great Lakes restoration and economic recovery. The Brookings Institution found that restoring the Lakes will bring the eight-state region at least $2 in economic benefit for every $1 investment. In November 2009 President Obama signed into law the historic Great Lakes Restoration Initiative which allocated $475 million dollars towards lake restoration programs in the eight Great Lakes states. It focuses investments in solutions to control aquatic invasive species, clean up contaminated sediments, restore wetlands and other habitat that protect water quality, prevent flooding, and provide the foundation of the region’s outdoor economy.

“The nation is making great strides to advance Great Lakes restoration and economic recovery,” said Jeff Skelding, campaign director for the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “Investing in restoration projects now while shutting the door once and for all on invasive species will create jobs and lay the foundation for long-term prosperity.”

For more information:

More information about ways the shipping industry and Seaway can improve their environmental performance: www.abetterseaway.com.

More information on efforts to restore the Great Lakes: www.healthylakes.org

Contacts:

Jennifer Nalbone, Great Lakes United: 716-983-3831; jen@glu.org

Jeff Skelding, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition: 410-242-2704; jskelding@nwf.org

Jennifer Caddick, Save The River: 315-686-2010; jennifer@savetheriver.org

Save The River is proud to announce that Maria Mesires of Case Middle School in Watertown recently published her St. Lawrence River curriculum created for Save The River’s in the Schools Program. The article appeared in the March issue of the National Science Teacher Association’s journal, Science Scope.

Science Scope is a national teaching resource for middle school teachers, and features Maria’s innovative, local lessons on St. Lawrence River ecology, invasive species and food webs.

To read more about Maria’s work check out this article from the Watertown Daily Times. To read Maria Mesires’ article in Science Scope, click here.

Great job Maria!

2009 kicked off Save The River’s new In the Schools Program, assisting local teachers in creating St. Lawrence River curriculum for the classroom. So far, the program has reached out to three local school districts and has been up and running since September of the 2009-2010 school year.

Some initial results of the program were highlighted at Save The River’s 21st annual Winter Weekend that was held at the Clayton Opera House on February 5th and 6th.  Maria Mesires of Case Middle School in Watertown, and Mary Bowman of Thousand Islands Middle School presented their curriculum units at the conference and were followed by a presentation from students that included a live puppet show educating the audience about invasive species!

Click here to view Kathy Morris’ presentation.

Click here to view Maria Mesires’ presentation.

Click here to view Mary Bowman’s presentation.

Be sure to keep checking back to track our progress on this project as well as for ways to get involved.

Save The River’s 8th annual River Day 5K Fun Run/Walk will be held Saturday, July 24th at Frink Park in downtown Clayton. For the first time, the River Day 5K Fun Run/Walk will be a professionally timed event! All participants will use chip timing technology from Yellow Jacket racing to provide all participants with accurate personal times.

Registration begins in Frink park at 8:30 a.m. with the race promptly beginning at 10:00 a.m. Preregistration is $20/person and will be available until Thursday, July 22nd. Race Day registration is $25/person.

Race tees and water bottles will be available to the first 200 registrants only!

You can register online now! (online registration fees do apply)

Registration can also be completed by filling out and returning our River Day 5K Fun Run/Walk brochure.

Please continue to check our website for registration and  event updates.

Save The River’s 21st Annual Winter Weekend focused on water levels management on the St. Lawrence River as well as other pressing River issues. To see what you missed check out the speaker presentations below:

“Rivers at Risk – Protecting and Restoring Nature’s Water Needs.” Tony Maas, Director, Fresh Water Program, WWF – Canada.

Read more about Tony Maas here.

“The St. Lawrence River Fish Habitat Conservation Strategy.” Dr. John M. Farrell, Associate Professor and Director Thousand Islands Biological Station, SUNY ESF.

Read more about Dr. Farrell here.

“Climate Change, Fish and Fisheries: What to Expect, How to Adapt.” Dr. John M. Casselman, Adjunct Professor, Queen’s University.

Read more about Dr. Casselman here.

“Exploring the Living Environment: Learning about Save The River’s in the Schools Program.” Kathleen Morris, Education Curriculum Consultant. Maria Mesires, Case Middle School. Mary Bowman, Thousand Islands Middle School.

Read more about Kathleen Morris here.

Read more about Maria Mesires here.

Read more about Mary Bowman here.