In the news: Marquette Greenway takes big step forward

From the Post-Tribune:

It may not have been the biggest news of last week, but it likely will have a longer-lasting impact on Northwest Indiana than any other story.

What we are talking about is the unveiling of the 9.65-mile trail that will connect the east and west halves of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.

Lakeshore Connector is a vital link in the 50-mile Marquette Greenway trail that will run from the Illinois border to the Michigan state line. Read more.

In the News: New insights into pesticide for invasives

From the Traverse City Record Eagle:

Great Lakes officials are trying to beat back the voracious Asian carp at the gates of Lake Michigan, while still wrangling with another nasty invader that snuck in at least 90 years ago.

Sea lampreys, eel-like parasitic fish native to the Atlantic Ocean, use a mouthful of teeth and a bony tongue to latch onto and scrape through fish flesh.

Scientists debate whether the lamprey is native to Lake Ontario, where it was discovered in 1835. But it invaded Lake Erie by 1921 and spread throughout the Great Lakes, reaching Lake Superior in 1938, according to the Department of Natural Resources.

Now researchers have new insights on a pesticide used against lampreys for 60 years. Their findings could help fishery managers kill more lampreys with less money and less poison in Great Lakes streams. Read more.

In the News: Nudging Recycling From Less Waste to None

From the New York Times:

At Yellowstone National Park, the clear soda cups and white utensils are not your typical cafe-counter garbage. Made of plant-based plastics, they dissolve magically when heated for more than a few minutes.

At Ecco, a popular restaurant in Atlanta, waiters no longer scrape food scraps into the trash bin. Uneaten morsels are dumped into five-gallon pails and taken to a compost heap out back.

And at eight of its North American plants, Honda is recycling so diligently that the factories have gotten rid of their trash Dumpsters altogether.

Across the nation, an antigarbage strategy known as “zero waste” is moving from the fringes to the mainstream, taking hold in school cafeterias, national parks, restaurants, stadiums and corporations. Read more.

In the News: Obama EPA adviser on Great Lakes says climate change will dictate restoration efforts

From the Metro-Cleveland:

Cameron Davis, Great Lakes 'czar' for the Obama administration, said today that climate change will drive future clean-up efforts on the lakes.
"I look at the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative as a climate change adaptation effort," Davis said in Cleveland this afternoon at a press briefing at the Great Lakes Science Center prior to the final public hearing of the a federal task force on oceans and the Great Lakes. "Everything that we're trying to do -- we, meaning the EPA and its 15 federal partners -- is designed to address the kind of stressors that we're likely to see coming to the Great Lakes as a result of climate change." Read more.

In the News: Great Lakes Restoration Initiative clears congressional conference committee

From the Great Lakes Commission:

One of the most ambitious environmental restoration efforts ever proposed for the Great Lakes appears imminent following the emergence from a House-Senate conference committee of legislation providing $475 million for a comprehensive Great Lakes restoration and protection initiative.

“We call on the House and Senate to approve, and the President to sign into law, the conference committee report. Our region is well prepared and ready to get to work cleaning up polluted hot spots and restoring recreational opportunities that are vital to local economies,” said Great Lakes Commission Chairman Illinois Governor Pat Quinn.

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) was proposed by President Barack Obama in his 2010 budget to focus on the most critical environmental concerns facing the Great Lakes, including invasive species, toxic sediments, nonpoint source pollutants and wildlife habitat loss. Following passage by the House at the $475 million funding level sought by President Obama, the measure was approved by the Senate at $400 million. A conference committee announced agreement yesterday on $475 million to support the first year of the Initiative. Read more.

In the News: Freshwater species making comeback in Great Lakes region

From the Toledo Blade:

The mighty lake sturgeon - an odd-looking North American fish that has been on Earth no fewer than 150 million years and that coexisted with dinosaurs for at least 85 million years - is making a comeback in the Great Lakes region after nearly going extinct in the early 1900s. Read more.

Bringing more local fish to a market near you

Kwamena Quagrainie, IISG aquaculture marketing specialist, has been awarded $60,000 by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service to help fish farmers develop new marketing strategies. He will assess the preferences for fresh-on-ice fish at ethnic markets, traditional meat and fish markets, and independent grocery stores. He will also study processor purchase requirements of wild-caught fish from the Great Lakes. The goal of this project is to encourage processing of farmed fish and aid the development of marketing strategies that integrate fresh farm-raised fish products into existing fresh seafood markets in Chicago and the larger region.