your voices heard in washington dc asian carp threat to
TRANSCRIPT
Your voices have been heard in Washington D.C. declaring the need to protect the Great Lakes from the invasion of Asian Carp!
On September 29th I, along with my partners from organizations all over the Great Lakes region, flew to D.C. to deliver thousands of postcards asking President Obama to use his authority to require the Army Corps of Engineers to separate the waterway between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River basins.
The postcard outreach began in early August as a way to give people a voice on this issue and bring your opinion to Washington D.C. to let decision makers know we want action and we want it now.
My colleagues and I are amazed at the response from the public and are reassured that this is a major issue people want to see resolved in the best way possible.
While we were there, we met with John Goss, the new Asian Carp Director of the White House Coun-cil on Environmental Quality. His job is to coordinate work being done at the state and federal lev-els to protect the Great Lakes from an Asian carp invasion and push for permanent solutions. He let
us know that our help is needed educating new agency staff and elected officials after the elections
NoNProfit orgU.S. PoStage
PAIDPetoSkey, Mi PerMit #15
printed on recycled paper
addreSS Service reqUeSted
Fall 2010, Issue 4
in this issue:• Healing Our Waters
Grants Awarded
• Grassroots Advocate Awards Announced
• New Grants Available to Adapt to Climate Change
Freshwater FutureP.O. Box 2479
Petoskey, MI 49770Phone: (231) 348-8200
www.freshwaterfuture.org
Steve HUySer-HoNig—SaUgatUck dUNeS
We received over 12,000 postcards and 2,000 petition signatures from residents concerned about the potential
invasion of the Asian carp in the Great Lakes.
y O u r v O I C e s H e A r D I N W A s H I N G t O N D C
Asian Carp threat to Great LakesBy Cheryl Mendoza, Associate Director
JoHN dykStra—MiNer BeacH faLLS
Give the Gift of Freshwater
Follow Freshwater Future on Facebook and twitter!
P.o. Box 2479 Petoskey, Mi 49770
Continued on page 2
While we were there:• We met with 20 Members of congress to dis-
cuss the asian carp threats and what actions we need them to take to protect our Lakes.
• Presented to congress Members a list of con-stituents from their district that sent back a postcard.
• delivered this information to an additional 14 Member offices.
• Held a congressional briefing where staff from 21 congressional offices attended.
FresHWAter Future: HeLPING PeOPLe PrOteCt tHe GreAt LAkes
the great Lakes are an international treasure like no other in the
world—and they are at risk. freshwater future works to ensure
the health of the great Lakes for our children, grandchildren and
future generations. We are dedicated to the belief that individuals
can and do make a difference.
freshwater future builds effective community-based initiatives
to protect and restore the water quality of the great Lakes basin.
freshwater future is a powerful resource investing in the people
and communities caring for our great Lakes waters. over the past
14 years, we have:
• Helped thousands of community-based groups and individuals
• Provided over $1 million in grants
• connected citizens to resources and each other, building a
great Lakes community
• Provided one-on-one assistance to build leadership skills for
citizens and community-based groups
• distributed thousands of locally targeted resource toolkits and
other materials
FresHWAter Future BeLIeves tHAt:
• effective citizen engagement improves the health of our com-
munities
• citizens closest to the issues
have the knowledge and ability to make a difference
• Positive change at the local level is important for protecting our
resources
Environmental groups take their postcard campaign—and a mounted Asian carp—to Washington, D.C. in a show of force to urge federal action to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes. Pictured From left: Jennifer Nalbone, Great Lakes United; Jack Darin, Sierra Club-Illinois Chapter; Marc Smith, National Wildlife Federation; Al House, Apostle Islands Sport Fisherman’s Association; Kristy Meyer, Ohio Envi-ronmental Council; Cheryl Mendoza, Freshwater Future; Mike Ryan, Hoosier Coho Club and Northwest Indiana Steelheaders; Joel Brammeier, Alliance for the Great Lakes.
this holiday season give the gift of freshwater to your family and friends, by donating to freshwater future in their honor. your gift will go directly to help citizens working to protect and restore
our inland lakes, rivers, wetlands, and drinking water in our great Lakes region. a personal card will be sent to your recipient to inform them of your gift. celebrate the season by celebrating freshwater.
Freshwater Voices is published quar-terly and distributed by freshwater future, a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organi-zation. funding for the publication is provided by our members and a grant from the c.S. Mott foundation.
staffJiLL ryaN executive director [email protected] MeNdoza associate director [email protected] Brady
office Manager [email protected]
aNN BaUgHMaN associate director [email protected] ScHeerHorN grants and outreach Specialist [email protected]
PetoSkey office: (231) 348-8200
SPriNg Lake office: (231) 571-5001
Board of directorsgary BeLaN american riversWeNdy cooPer georgian Bay Land trustBoNNie daNNi great Lakes Unitedvicki deiSNer National Wildlife federationkriSty Meyer the ohio environmental councilaMy Jo SMitH economic development council of erie countyaNNoeSJka SteiNMaN Blandford Nature centerterry SWier Michigan citizens for
Water conservation
diScLaiMer: freshwater voices is in-tended to provide a forum for the free exchange of ideas among citizens and organizations working to protect aquatic habitats in the great Lakes Basin. the in-terpretations and conclusions presented in this newsletter represent the opinions of the individual authors. they in no way represent the views of freshwater future, funders, members, donors, or any organi-zation mentioned in this publication.
to keep momentum toward a solution moving forward as quickly as pos-sible. I left the meeting feeling encouraged that the Obama administra-tion welcomes, and seriously considers our advocacy efforts.
As we discuss solutions, the Asian carp are swimming toward our Great Lakes. Recently, there has been a 20-pound sexually mature male Asian carp found only six miles from Lake Michigan, far beyond the last locks and electric barrier keeping the fish out of the lakes. Asian carp have also been found in the Kankakee River, posing a threat to Lake Erie. We know action is required immediately! Thank you to those who took time to voice their opinion. Even while we were in D.C. postcards continued to come in and are still arriving today. Every voice makes a difference and will help bring us one step closer to a real solution.
Please check our website for updates on this issue. Now that the elections are over, we will start educating the newly elected officials on our con-cerns about Asian carp. It is our mission to continue this work, and we will be looking for your support and involve-ment until the end.
Asian Carp threat to Great Lakes continued...foundation GivinGc. S. Mott foundation,
environment ProgramHerman Miller foundationthe kresge foundationNew Prospect foundationNorcross Wildlife
foundation
Guardian of the Lakes (Greater than $5,000)John a. Woollam
founders circLe ($5,000-$1,000)frederick ford, Jr.ted and Brenda freyJohn g. Shedd
aquarium
sustainer’s circLe ($1,000 or Greater, Monthly Giving)Bonnie danniannoesjka Steinman
MonthLy GivinGann Baughmancathy BradyWendy coopercheryl MendozaJill ryan
supporter ($100-$249)anonymousJoan Bransfieldamanda and Paul BrinkSandra BroganScott Brownrobert and elizabeth cutlerMatt and Jessica ellsworthNan Huntdr. John Huttoalbert J. koegelrichard and Nancy
Morgensternclyde and karen ritchieMike and Pat SheahanMarilynn Smith
MeMBers ($50-$99)todd ambsPaul BubelisWendy cooperguy dennythornton dickinsonSam HaysJohn kesslerginny and Bob LindSuzanne Mccunefrederick MurphyMerilee and kenneth ottoWilliam and Janet reevesdonald royJill ryanJack ShanerJim SweeneyBarbara Waller
contriButors ($1-$49)Sandra BihnLinda Bonetticathy Bradycorlann Bushrobert and anne ButcherPeggy collinsdorothy gradenLinda Hardiedaniel kasbohmken kriegerkirby MiltonBrad Moshercarolyn PillaiLori PoelJack SlaninaJohn SteketeeHerbert Stifflerandrea and Jerry vigueBarbara von oeyenBarbara Weberkay Williams
renewed or new MeMBer orGanizationsausable Bayfield
conservation authoritycenter for environmental
informationfriends of oliphant
coastal environmentsizaak Walton League–
cNy chapterkalamazoo river
Watershed councilLakeshore Natural
resource Partnership, inc.Les cheneaux
Watershed councilMinnesota Land trustMunuscong river
Watershed associationohio coastal resource
Management Projectohio environmental
councilorganic consumers
associationSaugeen field NaturalistSave the Wild UPSisters of St. francis
of assisiSoutheastern Wisconsin
Watersheds trustthe Bank of Northern
Michiganthe kresge foundationthornapple river
Watershed counciltwo rivers coalitionWasteWater educationWisconsin Land and
Water conservation association
Wisconsin resources Protection council
yellow dog Watershed Preserve
waLk, paddLe and roLL
can (cafo awareness network)katherine Bennett rollcaN (cafo awareness
Network)alexa castleLucinda collierSusan gateleychris gateleyLeland Henry, Jr.dr. Brad Muisediana rawlinscarol richardson
freshwater future Board: (annoesjka steinman and kristy Meyer)anonymous (2) cindy ackermanMr. roger and Mrs.
Marilyn andersenthomas BerdinskiWilliam BoydanonymousWilliam dangldarlene dehudySarah delaycathleen dubaultLenore fonsteinMolly Houghdr. Paul iselySherri Lechnerdr. Neil Macdonalddon Martinesterri Mccarthydonald MunskiPatti o’rourke-Steinercynthia Priceflorence PurnellBob ScolnikJonathon Shanbromeileen Shanbromalan SteinmanBrian van doeselaarMary WellsSue WierengoMartha youngdahl
freshwater future staff and friendsanonymous (2) toni albertBarb and ed angovePenny anneseSarah arnolddaniel BartzMichael Baughmandeborah and Michael
Baughmanrobin and russ BonfiglioJoel BrammeierLisa chorny
Bert ebbers and katie Parker ebbers
Bob and Helen esfordMolly flanagancamron gnassPatrice and Paul HornakMark HornakJoan Hornakdavid HornakMark Hortondavid Huttokarianne isardkim kihnkeLoretta knighttara kohleraimee LaneJaime LaughreyStaci and andrew LefurgeLori LindBarbara LindleyScott LinesMichelle Lordcarol Mccaruskysa Meigsdr. randy Meisnercheryl MellBarbara MendozaJane Millarcraig Minowaallison MitchellSusan PungMeredith Pungandrew robinsonMaureen rondyoktaveon ryantristen Schabbelgary Streetkeri thompsonJodi thompsonMary trasktracy tyndallBecky vargoSandra velazquez-
MendozaMelanie Welch
Michigan citizens for water conservationanonymouscarolyn arbour-dokuchicMaryann BordenSandra Broganvalerie deurMary alice dooleykeira duvernoyrachel goltzmanMary HeffronJanice Huntronald LehrerPauline LoewenhardtJohn Lorandgary and gretchen MichaelsBeth MorseJay Peasley
pennsylvania Lake erie watershed as-sociation
anonymouskristen Bogackidarcy BuendiaJoyce Hausercheryl HettmanHeidi JohnstonLaura Lefebvreanna MccartneyJessica MetzlerBrad MooreJenny Simpkinsdave SkellieStacy SmithNick SullivanLois thompsonandy WalkerSean Wolfromelizabeth yannidouglas yeich
two rivers coalition: paw paw odysseyanonymous (2) Marcy colcloughBarry conybearedave foersterdr. Benjamin Haightkelly HousealJean ketchumrenee kivikkokelvin kohlhaasduane LerdalMatt Meersmancynthia Millsanne oddenPeggy radomterri SpringsLynn Steilvirginia van andelcarol vanauken-Haight
walk, paddle and roll prize sponsorLittle river casino
resort
thank youto our volunteers:Nola Murphyirene PhelpsLurli vaughnBev WarnerJan Wilkins
walk, paddle and roll sponsor:
2 F r e s H WAt e r F u t u r e s e r v I C e s Freshwater Future Fall 2010 F r e s H WAt e r F u t u r e M e M B e r N e W s 7
derrick BUrBUL—faLL foLiage, WiScoNSiN PoiNt
Thank You to All of Our Donors from August through October 2010
D I r e C t O r ’ s N O t e s
taking the Boat Out of the HarborJill Ryan, Executive Director
When a great ship is in harbor and moored, it is safe, there can be no doubt. But that is not what great ships are built for.
— Clarissa Pinkola Estes
I know it is not easy to get involved. It is most defi-nitely not safe to ask the tough questions. In fact it can be down-right scary!
But that is exactly what Sandy Bihn, our Grassroots Advocate Award recipient has done over several years. Sandy has always taken that risk, asked the tough questions, and gotten involved to make her commu-nity better. Sandy was concerned that the power plant in Maumee Bay was impacting the health of the Lake Erie fishery. She started asking questions. The answers to those questions now have Sandy pushing for per-mit revisions to reduce fish kills (you can read more about this on page 6).
Similarly, it certainly hasn’t been easy for Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance, our Grassroots Group Advo-cate Award recipient to demand that existing zoning regulations be applied, followed and enforced on sen-sitive coastal dunes and wetlands (you can learnmore about this on page 6). Thanks to their willingness to take action, they are helping to protect critical habitat and make our Great Lakes region a great place.
In this issue alone there are several more examples of why it is essential that we “take the boat out of the harbor,” take risks, and take action. So thank you for getting in-volved, asking questions, writing letters, signing petitions, attending meetings and TAKING ACTION. I am grateful for all your efforts to help protect our Great Lakes.
Walk, Paddle and roll 2010 Highlights
thanks to our Partners working with us on the Asian Carp issue:
• Sierra club• ohio environmental council• alliance for the great Lakes• great Lakes United• National Wildlife federation• environment illinois• apostle islands Sport fisherman’s
association• Hoosier coho club• Northwest indiana Steelheaders
Donna Reich pictured (second to the right) gathered several postcards to send along to Washington D.C. by organizing a post card signing event at the Sterling Heights Senior Center.
special thank you to the Grand valley state university Professors and students for their assistance entering data collected from our Asian carp campaign:
Students: John Bielak Gwen Gell timothy Luongo Ian Hanes
Cheyenne DeJohn kalan ruihley Peggy kartz Benjamin Brooks
Devin Gerzich stephen Hoekwater Anna Constant randi Conklin
Professors: Dr. elena Lioubimtseva Dr. Janet vail
thank you to northern copy expressfor printing extra asian carp postcards
What is the first thing you think of when you think of Lake Erie? Walleye, Cedar Point, Cleveland—
there are a million possible things that come to mind when thinking of Lake Erie, the smallest, but most biologically productive of the Great Lakes.
At Freshwater Future when we think of Lake Erie the first thing that comes to our minds is Sandy Bihn. Sandy has been involved in pro-tecting Lake Erie and Maumee Bay through her work with the Western Lake Erie Waterkeeper Association since 1990.
Over that time, no single individual has done more to improve and protect the water qual-ity in western Lake Erie. Freshwater Future is pleased to award the 2010 Grassroots Citizen Advocate Award to Sandy Bihn for her dedica-tion and work to protect Lake Erie.
Sandy is not your typical advocate working to protect water quality in her community. Her accounting background and role as a City Council member often keeps her focused on the numbers. When working to address the fish kills from power plant intakes, Sandy focused on the economic impact of the fish kills by hiring an economist and scientists to look at the impacts. The results of this study are now manifesting in modified permits for the power plants. She often asks the tough questions and is not afraid to broach the top-ics that need to be addressed. This practicality has gotten her far—helping to improve regula-tions of power plants and reducing pollution to the rivers and Lake Erie from wastewater treatment plants and industry.
Sandy is also Lake Erie’s biggest cheerleader. A typical conversation with Sandy may focus on
algae or fish kills that threaten the health of the Lake, but she will always bring the conver-sation around to discussing what an amazing resource Lake Erie is. Sandy loves to get out on Maumee Bay in her personal watercraft and to get others to join her to float down the Mau-mee River. Sandy also shares her expertise to help the Toledo Harbor Lighthouse Society.
We know that there are many challenges fac-ing Lake Erie, but with Sandy Bihn fighting for the Lake, we are confident that Lake Erie will win the battles it faces, and all of us will ben-efit. Thanks Sandy for all that you do.
Healing Our Waters Coalition Grants
Fall 2010 G r e At L A k e s P O L I C y u P D At e s 3
This summer the Healing Our Waters Coalition (HOW), in partnership with Freshwater Future, was able to provide 12
groups with funding they need to either apply for a federal grant under the Great Lakes Resto-ration Initiative (GLRI) or help ensure they are equipped to manage and complete effective projects with GLRI. The HOW Coalition orga-nized five years ago to obtain federal funding to restore the health of the Great Lakes. With the GLRI funds now in place, the HOW Coali-tion’s Implementation Program is designed to help groups access these federal resources and augment funding to help groups achieve suc-cess with their projects. Successful restoration projects will help the HOW Coalition sustain support from the federal government to clean up, restore and heal the Great Lakes.
Recent HOW Grants were awarded to:
•PartnersforCleanStreams:Perrysburg, OH•DucksUnlimitedNewYork:
Canandaigua, NY•CenterforEnvironmentalInformation:
Rochester, NY•WesternLakeErieWaterkeeperAssociation:
Oregon, OH•TheConservationFund:Bay City, MI•AlliancefortheGreatLakes:Chicago, IL•TheNatureConservancy:Angola, IN•PartnershipfortheSaginawBayWatershed:
Bay City, MI•MinnesotaLandTrust:St. Paul, MN•SavetheDunes: Michigan City, IN•St.LouisRiverAlliance: Duluth, MN•HuronPines: Grayling, MI
6 G r A s s r O Ot s I N AC t I O N Freshwater Future
F r e s H W At e r F u t u r e
Grassroots Advocate Awards 2010Citizen Award—Sandy Bihn, Western Lake Erie Waterkeeper Association
Bringing Community together to save their HeritageOrganization Award—Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance
JoHN dykStra—HaveN LigHtHoUSe aNd gHoSt great BLUe HeroN
LeSter graHaM—iSLe royaLe vieW
Freshwater Future is proud to present the Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance with a Grassroots Advocate Award. They have
faced years of zoning battles and lawsuits to protect nearly 500 acres of sensitive coastal dunes along the southern Lake Michigan coast from a nine-story hotel, 66-slip marina, and golf course. Despite the challenges, the volun-teer led Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance has used creativity and strategy to achieve significant wins. In December of 2009, working with several other organizations they helped to get a large grant and raise funds to purchase 171 acres of dunes, held by the Land Conservancy of West Michigan. This acquisi-
tion is a huge step toward protecting the dunes in this area. Thanks to the efforts of the Sau-gatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance this past May, the National Trust for Historic Preservation named Saugatuck Dunes one of 11 most en-dangered historic places. Receiving the listing from the National Trust has brought national attention to the need to protect the valuable dunes that contain the ghost town of Singa-pore, a former port and lumber town that lies buried beneath the dunes. The area has long been known as a place for artists to go, the group captilized on this by creating a coffee table book of art that they sold with proceeds supporting efforts to protect the dunes.
Freshwater Future is proud to present Sau-gatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance with this award for their ingenuity, perserverance, and group involvement and commitment to protect these special dunes.
For more information about the efforts of Sau-gatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance visit: www.sau gatuckdunescoastalalliance.com.
Sandy Bihn
Save the Dunes volunteers will be collecting data to document problems and improvements of water quality.
check out our website, www.freshwaterfuture.org to see past recipients of freshwater future’s Grassroots citizen advocate award.
“We must remember that one determined person can make a significant difference, and that a small group of determined people can change the course of history.”
—SoniaJohnson
Saugatuck Dunes
Partnership for the saginaw Bay WatershedThe Partnership for Saginaw Bay Watershed have found phragmites are crowding out native plants, reducing public access and creating fire hazards in Saginaw Bay coastal areas. Using the HOW grant, the Partnership will be working with four counties to conduct an inva-sives control project on public land to restore fish habitat and en-hance recreational access in Saginaw Bay.
From Left: Charlie Errer, Greg Renn, and Jeanette Renn, staff of the Huron Conservation District, are in a stand of phragmites at the Filion Rd. public access site.
Insight Grants Awarded
Insight Grants provide funding for scholarships toward Freshwa-ter Future’s professional services
in organizational development and strategy assistance. We offer services to strengthen organizations in the following areas; financial manage-ment; board development; fundrais-ing planning; membership programs; grant writing training; strategy assis-tance; strategic planning; and media and communications assistance.
Recent Insight Grants were awarded to:• LegalEnvironmentalAidFoundation
(LEAF):Valparaiso, Indiana• FlintRiverCorridorAlliance:
Flint, Michigan• KeewanawLandTrust:
Houghton, Michigan• CAFOAwarenessNetwork:
North Rose, NY• SenecaLakePureWaters
Association:Geneva, NY
The 12 projects funded are quite diverse, highlighting the many restoration needs facing our Great Lakes. The groups that received HOW Grants will be able to accomplish a variety of projects involving protecting Great Lakes waters. Below are highlights of projects by two groups that received HOW funding.
HOW Grant Highlights
save the DunesSave the Dunes will use the HOW Grant to develop a competitive Great Lakes Restoration Initiative proposal to address E. coli sources in the Grand Calumet River Area of Concern to reduce beach closures and re-store recreational use. Save the Dunes plans to work with municipalities, beach managers and state and federal agencies to use existing surveys and data and take actions that will reduce pollution and beach closures.
For more information on the 12 HOW Grant funded projects visit Freshwater Future’s website: www.freshwaterfuture.com
4 G r A s s r O Ot s I N AC t I O N Freshwater Future
As the issue of climate change be-comes more prevalent in the defi-nition of environmental protec-
tion, it is important for people to know how climate change affects them and their surrounding environment. Freshwa-ter Future recognizes this importance and is working to provide information and funding opportunities on the issue of cli-mate change to those living in the Great Lakes region.
On October 22nd and 23rd we hosted the Fall 2010 Climate Symposium at the Inn on Ferry Street in downtown Detroit. Those in attendance were very engaged and interested in how climate change plays a role in their work. The energy in the room during the discussions and pre-sentations was inspiring. Individuals were able to talk about their projects in a group setting, which provided them support and ideas to strengthen their project and find out how it relates to climate change.
Representatives from EcoAdapt, a national leader in assisting communities to prepare for climate change, presented information and assisted groups in taking climate change realities into consideration in community projects and decision-making.
This was the first symposium in a series Freshwater Future will hold to explore and assist groups interested in finding out how climate change plays a role in their river, lake and wetland protection and res-toration work. The symposium will also prepare groups for climate related fund-ing opportunities, including Freshwater Future’s new Climate Grants.
Freshwater Future is interested in helping communities make their water resources more resilient to change due to unpredict-able climate in the future. It is important for communities to have healthy water sys-tems in order to support jobs and families in the Great Lakes region.
There has been so much interest in a sym-posium, we even had to turn some people away! But being that this is the first of a se-ries of symposia for Freshwater Future, we will be keeping a list of folks interested in receiving information about future events, and perhaps look for a bigger venue in the future to ensure there is space for all who are interested. If you are interested in keep-ing up to date on our climate symposium and climate related funding opportunities, email us at info@freshwater future.org or visit our website.
Fall 2010 G r A s s r O Ot s I N AC t I O N 5
PHoto of JeaN kLock Park Provided By caroL drake
W I L L C L I M At e C H A N G e I M P A C t y O u r W O r k ?
Get Prepared with Freshwater Future Climate Adaptation Grants
the online Freshwater Future Family!You could win a $250 Grant for your
project that promotes aquatic habitat protection and uses advocacy to protect or restore lakes,
rivers, or wetlands in the Great Lakes basin!
Michigan supreme Court will Hear Case to Determine if Public Park Can be soldBy Carol Drake, Friends of Jean Klock Park, a Freshwater Future grantee
In 1917, John and Carrie Klock deeded a half mile of lake Michigan frontage to the City of Benton Harbor Michigan
in memory of their deceased daughter Jean. Their gift consisted of 90 acres of globally rare natural resources that included Great Lakes dunes and interdunal wetlands. The donated land was named Jean Klock Park and was dedicated for the children in perpetuity.
Through the years the park has been threat-ened with development proposals and has survived, but in 2003 came the beginning of a new, and at the time, unforeseen threat. The city announced an interest in selling a portion of the park’s property for a lake front residential development. A lawsuit took place that was settled out of court al-lowing the development in exchange for permanent protections of the remaining 73
acres of the park. The 17 acres was slated to become a golf course and second home community.
Over the past seven years, there have been several lawsuits against the City of Benton Harbor from Friends of Jean Klock Park and our partners Protect Jean Klock Park, asserting that this land should remain pub-lic as originally intended by the Klocks.
On September 15, the Michigan Supreme Court took a very hard look at this case and ordered that our Application for Leave to Appeal be considered by the court, finally showing that our case does in fact have merit.
At oral argument in December, the parties shall address whether the City of Benton Harbor may lease a portion of Jean Klock Park to a development company without
violating: (1) the restriction set forth in the 1917 deed; or (2) a 2004 consent judg-ment in an earlier lawsuit. If the Michigan Supreme Court reverses the lower courts de-cisions, it will be provide a reassurance that people who make a gift, who leave a legacy like the Klocks, will know that their legacy will be protected in the future. It will help in-sure that dedicated public park land cannot be taken over for privately owned commer-cial purposes.
Check out www.savejeanklockpark.org for more information.
Carol Drake Provided By caroL drake
Pictured from Left: Charity Hicks, People’s Water Board; Paula Cathcart, River Raisin Institute; Nancy Seubert, Immaculate Heart
of Mary Justice, Peace and Sustainability Office.
Pictured from Left: Melissa Damaschke, Sierra Club; Cheryl Mendoza, Freshwater Future; Emily Whittaker, Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve.
Left: Derek Grigsby, Detroit Green Party. Right: Arzel L. Foster III, Community Redevelopment Group of Southeastern Michigan Inc.
Climate Symposium— AdaptingtoChange
Look for the next upcoming Climate Symposium and Climate Grant cycle in the early Spring of 2011!
Join
RemembeR you can also follow us on TwiTTeR by seaRching foR fReshwaTeRfuTuR.Don’t let this opportunity pass you by—stay connected and active by joining our online community!
entries must be in by 5:00pm on friday January 14, 2011.
We at Freshwater Future are always looking to expand our online Great Lakes com-munity. As an organization all about sharing information, providing guidance and support, and connecting groups around the Great Lakes area to help them grow, we want to be readily available and have our resources available to anyone in need.
Our social networking sites are updated often with information about Freshwater Future including upcoming events, grant deadlines, on-the-ground success stories, outcomes and accounts of previous events, and much more.
As our online community grows we hope to be able to start discussions, provide a network of support to groups all over the Great Lakes with a platform to share hardships and suc-cesses, help groups to recruit volunteers for their own projects, and any other online need requested by our members.
In order to be entered into the drawing for a $250 grant follow these easy steps:
• Go to www.facebook.com and Search: Freshwater Future• Join the Freshwater Future Family by clicking the “like” button at the
top of the page. (If you already joined our page you can skip this step)• Post a quick summary of your group, or a project you are working on
including where in the basin you are located, and what aquatic habitat you are concentrating on.
• Please feel free to add links to your group’s website and photos of yourpast and current projects.
• As soon as you post something on our page your name/group will beentered into the raffle.
snapshots from the symposium
Thank you to theKresge Foundation and
New Prospect Foundationforprovidingfundingfor
ourclimateprogram.
Thank you to theKresge Foundation and
New Prospect Foundationforprovidingfundingfor
ourclimateprogram.
4 G r A s s r O Ot s I N AC t I O N Freshwater Future
As the issue of climate change be-comes more prevalent in the defi-nition of environmental protec-
tion, it is important for people to know how climate change affects them and their surrounding environment. Freshwa-ter Future recognizes this importance and is working to provide information and funding opportunities on the issue of cli-mate change to those living in the Great Lakes region.
On October 22nd and 23rd we hosted the Fall 2010 Climate Symposium at the Inn on Ferry Street in downtown Detroit. Those in attendance were very engaged and interested in how climate change plays a role in their work. The energy in the room during the discussions and pre-sentations was inspiring. Individuals were able to talk about their projects in a group setting, which provided them support and ideas to strengthen their project and find out how it relates to climate change.
Representatives from EcoAdapt, a national leader in assisting communities to prepare for climate change, presented information and assisted groups in taking climate change realities into consideration in community projects and decision-making.
This was the first symposium in a series Freshwater Future will hold to explore and assist groups interested in finding out how climate change plays a role in their river, lake and wetland protection and res-toration work. The symposium will also prepare groups for climate related fund-ing opportunities, including Freshwater Future’s new Climate Grants.
Freshwater Future is interested in helping communities make their water resources more resilient to change due to unpredict-able climate in the future. It is important for communities to have healthy water sys-tems in order to support jobs and families in the Great Lakes region.
There has been so much interest in a sym-posium, we even had to turn some people away! But being that this is the first of a se-ries of symposia for Freshwater Future, we will be keeping a list of folks interested in receiving information about future events, and perhaps look for a bigger venue in the future to ensure there is space for all who are interested. If you are interested in keep-ing up to date on our climate symposium and climate related funding opportunities, email us at info@freshwater future.org or visit our website.
Fall 2010 G r A s s r O Ot s I N AC t I O N 5
PHoto of JeaN kLock Park Provided By caroL drake
W I L L C L I M At e C H A N G e I M P A C t y O u r W O r k ?
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the online Freshwater Future Family!You could win a $250 Grant for your
project that promotes aquatic habitat protection and uses advocacy to protect or restore lakes,
rivers, or wetlands in the Great Lakes basin!
Michigan supreme Court will Hear Case to Determine if Public Park Can be soldBy Carol Drake, Friends of Jean Klock Park, a Freshwater Future grantee
In 1917, John and Carrie Klock deeded a half mile of lake Michigan frontage to the City of Benton Harbor Michigan
in memory of their deceased daughter Jean. Their gift consisted of 90 acres of globally rare natural resources that included Great Lakes dunes and interdunal wetlands. The donated land was named Jean Klock Park and was dedicated for the children in perpetuity.
Through the years the park has been threat-ened with development proposals and has survived, but in 2003 came the beginning of a new, and at the time, unforeseen threat. The city announced an interest in selling a portion of the park’s property for a lake front residential development. A lawsuit took place that was settled out of court al-lowing the development in exchange for permanent protections of the remaining 73
acres of the park. The 17 acres was slated to become a golf course and second home community.
Over the past seven years, there have been several lawsuits against the City of Benton Harbor from Friends of Jean Klock Park and our partners Protect Jean Klock Park, asserting that this land should remain pub-lic as originally intended by the Klocks.
On September 15, the Michigan Supreme Court took a very hard look at this case and ordered that our Application for Leave to Appeal be considered by the court, finally showing that our case does in fact have merit.
At oral argument in December, the parties shall address whether the City of Benton Harbor may lease a portion of Jean Klock Park to a development company without
violating: (1) the restriction set forth in the 1917 deed; or (2) a 2004 consent judg-ment in an earlier lawsuit. If the Michigan Supreme Court reverses the lower courts de-cisions, it will be provide a reassurance that people who make a gift, who leave a legacy like the Klocks, will know that their legacy will be protected in the future. It will help in-sure that dedicated public park land cannot be taken over for privately owned commer-cial purposes.
Check out www.savejeanklockpark.org for more information.
Carol Drake Provided By caroL drake
Pictured from Left: Charity Hicks, People’s Water Board; Paula Cathcart, River Raisin Institute; Nancy Seubert, Immaculate Heart
of Mary Justice, Peace and Sustainability Office.
Pictured from Left: Melissa Damaschke, Sierra Club; Cheryl Mendoza, Freshwater Future; Emily Whittaker, Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve.
Left: Derek Grigsby, Detroit Green Party. Right: Arzel L. Foster III, Community Redevelopment Group of Southeastern Michigan Inc.
Climate Symposium— AdaptingtoChange
Look for the next upcoming Climate Symposium and Climate Grant cycle in the early Spring of 2011!
Join
RemembeR you can also follow us on TwiTTeR by seaRching foR fReshwaTeRfuTuR.Don’t let this opportunity pass you by—stay connected and active by joining our online community!
entries must be in by 5:00pm on friday January 14, 2011.
We at Freshwater Future are always looking to expand our online Great Lakes com-munity. As an organization all about sharing information, providing guidance and support, and connecting groups around the Great Lakes area to help them grow, we want to be readily available and have our resources available to anyone in need.
Our social networking sites are updated often with information about Freshwater Future including upcoming events, grant deadlines, on-the-ground success stories, outcomes and accounts of previous events, and much more.
As our online community grows we hope to be able to start discussions, provide a network of support to groups all over the Great Lakes with a platform to share hardships and suc-cesses, help groups to recruit volunteers for their own projects, and any other online need requested by our members.
In order to be entered into the drawing for a $250 grant follow these easy steps:
• Go to www.facebook.com and Search: Freshwater Future• Join the Freshwater Future Family by clicking the “like” button at the
top of the page. (If you already joined our page you can skip this step)• Post a quick summary of your group, or a project you are working on
including where in the basin you are located, and what aquatic habitat you are concentrating on.
• Please feel free to add links to your group’s website and photos of yourpast and current projects.
• As soon as you post something on our page your name/group will beentered into the raffle.
snapshots from the symposium
Thank you to theKresge Foundation and
New Prospect Foundationforprovidingfundingfor
ourclimateprogram.
Thank you to theKresge Foundation and
New Prospect Foundationforprovidingfundingfor
ourclimateprogram.
What is the first thing you think of when you think of Lake Erie? Walleye, Cedar Point, Cleveland—
there are a million possible things that come to mind when thinking of Lake Erie, the smallest, but most biologically productive of the Great Lakes.
At Freshwater Future when we think of Lake Erie the first thing that comes to our minds is Sandy Bihn. Sandy has been involved in pro-tecting Lake Erie and Maumee Bay through her work with the Western Lake Erie Waterkeeper Association since 1990.
Over that time, no single individual has done more to improve and protect the water qual-ity in western Lake Erie. Freshwater Future is pleased to award the 2010 Grassroots Citizen Advocate Award to Sandy Bihn for her dedica-tion and work to protect Lake Erie.
Sandy is not your typical advocate working to protect water quality in her community. Her accounting background and role as a City Council member often keeps her focused on the numbers. When working to address the fish kills from power plant intakes, Sandy focused on the economic impact of the fish kills by hiring an economist and scientists to look at the impacts. The results of this study are now manifesting in modified permits for the power plants. She often asks the tough questions and is not afraid to broach the top-ics that need to be addressed. This practicality has gotten her far—helping to improve regula-tions of power plants and reducing pollution to the rivers and Lake Erie from wastewater treatment plants and industry.
Sandy is also Lake Erie’s biggest cheerleader. A typical conversation with Sandy may focus on
algae or fish kills that threaten the health of the Lake, but she will always bring the conver-sation around to discussing what an amazing resource Lake Erie is. Sandy loves to get out on Maumee Bay in her personal watercraft and to get others to join her to float down the Mau-mee River. Sandy also shares her expertise to help the Toledo Harbor Lighthouse Society.
We know that there are many challenges fac-ing Lake Erie, but with Sandy Bihn fighting for the Lake, we are confident that Lake Erie will win the battles it faces, and all of us will ben-efit. Thanks Sandy for all that you do.
Healing Our Waters Coalition Grants
Fall 2010 G r e At L A k e s P O L I C y u P D At e s 3
This summer the Healing Our Waters Coalition (HOW), in partnership with Freshwater Future, was able to provide 12
groups with funding they need to either apply for a federal grant under the Great Lakes Resto-ration Initiative (GLRI) or help ensure they are equipped to manage and complete effective projects with GLRI. The HOW Coalition orga-nized five years ago to obtain federal funding to restore the health of the Great Lakes. With the GLRI funds now in place, the HOW Coali-tion’s Implementation Program is designed to help groups access these federal resources and augment funding to help groups achieve suc-cess with their projects. Successful restoration projects will help the HOW Coalition sustain support from the federal government to clean up, restore and heal the Great Lakes.
Recent HOW Grants were awarded to:
•PartnersforCleanStreams:Perrysburg, OH•DucksUnlimitedNewYork:
Canandaigua, NY•CenterforEnvironmentalInformation:
Rochester, NY•WesternLakeErieWaterkeeperAssociation:
Oregon, OH•TheConservationFund:Bay City, MI•AlliancefortheGreatLakes:Chicago, IL•TheNatureConservancy:Angola, IN•PartnershipfortheSaginawBayWatershed:
Bay City, MI•MinnesotaLandTrust:St. Paul, MN•SavetheDunes: Michigan City, IN•St.LouisRiverAlliance: Duluth, MN•HuronPines: Grayling, MI
6 G r A s s r O Ot s I N AC t I O N Freshwater Future
F r e s H W At e r F u t u r e
Grassroots Advocate Awards 2010Citizen Award—Sandy Bihn, Western Lake Erie Waterkeeper Association
Bringing Community together to save their HeritageOrganization Award—Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance
JoHN dykStra—HaveN LigHtHoUSe aNd gHoSt great BLUe HeroN
LeSter graHaM—iSLe royaLe vieW
Freshwater Future is proud to present the Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance with a Grassroots Advocate Award. They have
faced years of zoning battles and lawsuits to protect nearly 500 acres of sensitive coastal dunes along the southern Lake Michigan coast from a nine-story hotel, 66-slip marina, and golf course. Despite the challenges, the volun-teer led Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance has used creativity and strategy to achieve significant wins. In December of 2009, working with several other organizations they helped to get a large grant and raise funds to purchase 171 acres of dunes, held by the Land Conservancy of West Michigan. This acquisi-
tion is a huge step toward protecting the dunes in this area. Thanks to the efforts of the Sau-gatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance this past May, the National Trust for Historic Preservation named Saugatuck Dunes one of 11 most en-dangered historic places. Receiving the listing from the National Trust has brought national attention to the need to protect the valuable dunes that contain the ghost town of Singa-pore, a former port and lumber town that lies buried beneath the dunes. The area has long been known as a place for artists to go, the group captilized on this by creating a coffee table book of art that they sold with proceeds supporting efforts to protect the dunes.
Freshwater Future is proud to present Sau-gatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance with this award for their ingenuity, perserverance, and group involvement and commitment to protect these special dunes.
For more information about the efforts of Sau-gatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance visit: www.sau gatuckdunescoastalalliance.com.
Sandy Bihn
Save the Dunes volunteers will be collecting data to document problems and improvements of water quality.
check out our website, www.freshwaterfuture.org to see past recipients of freshwater future’s Grassroots citizen advocate award.
“We must remember that one determined person can make a significant difference, and that a small group of determined people can change the course of history.”
—SoniaJohnson
Saugatuck Dunes
Partnership for the saginaw Bay WatershedThe Partnership for Saginaw Bay Watershed have found phragmites are crowding out native plants, reducing public access and creating fire hazards in Saginaw Bay coastal areas. Using the HOW grant, the Partnership will be working with four counties to conduct an inva-sives control project on public land to restore fish habitat and en-hance recreational access in Saginaw Bay.
From Left: Charlie Errer, Greg Renn, and Jeanette Renn, staff of the Huron Conservation District, are in a stand of phragmites at the Filion Rd. public access site.
Insight Grants Awarded
Insight Grants provide funding for scholarships toward Freshwa-ter Future’s professional services
in organizational development and strategy assistance. We offer services to strengthen organizations in the following areas; financial manage-ment; board development; fundrais-ing planning; membership programs; grant writing training; strategy assis-tance; strategic planning; and media and communications assistance.
Recent Insight Grants were awarded to:• LegalEnvironmentalAidFoundation
(LEAF):Valparaiso, Indiana• FlintRiverCorridorAlliance:
Flint, Michigan• KeewanawLandTrust:
Houghton, Michigan• CAFOAwarenessNetwork:
North Rose, NY• SenecaLakePureWaters
Association:Geneva, NY
The 12 projects funded are quite diverse, highlighting the many restoration needs facing our Great Lakes. The groups that received HOW Grants will be able to accomplish a variety of projects involving protecting Great Lakes waters. Below are highlights of projects by two groups that received HOW funding.
HOW Grant Highlights
save the DunesSave the Dunes will use the HOW Grant to develop a competitive Great Lakes Restoration Initiative proposal to address E. coli sources in the Grand Calumet River Area of Concern to reduce beach closures and re-store recreational use. Save the Dunes plans to work with municipalities, beach managers and state and federal agencies to use existing surveys and data and take actions that will reduce pollution and beach closures.
For more information on the 12 HOW Grant funded projects visit Freshwater Future’s website: www.freshwaterfuture.com
Freshwater Voices is published quar-terly and distributed by freshwater future, a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organi-zation. funding for the publication is provided by our members and a grant from the c.S. Mott foundation.
staffJiLL ryaN executive director [email protected] MeNdoza associate director [email protected] Brady
office Manager [email protected]
aNN BaUgHMaN associate director [email protected] ScHeerHorN grants and outreach Specialist [email protected]
PetoSkey office: (231) 348-8200
SPriNg Lake office: (231) 571-5001
Board of directorsgary BeLaN american riversWeNdy cooPer georgian Bay Land trustBoNNie daNNi great Lakes Unitedvicki deiSNer National Wildlife federationkriSty Meyer the ohio environmental councilaMy Jo SMitH economic development council of erie countyaNNoeSJka SteiNMaN Blandford Nature centerterry SWier Michigan citizens for
Water conservation
diScLaiMer: freshwater voices is in-tended to provide a forum for the free exchange of ideas among citizens and organizations working to protect aquatic habitats in the great Lakes Basin. the in-terpretations and conclusions presented in this newsletter represent the opinions of the individual authors. they in no way represent the views of freshwater future, funders, members, donors, or any organi-zation mentioned in this publication.
to keep momentum toward a solution moving forward as quickly as pos-sible. I left the meeting feeling encouraged that the Obama administra-tion welcomes, and seriously considers our advocacy efforts.
As we discuss solutions, the Asian carp are swimming toward our Great Lakes. Recently, there has been a 20-pound sexually mature male Asian carp found only six miles from Lake Michigan, far beyond the last locks and electric barrier keeping the fish out of the lakes. Asian carp have also been found in the Kankakee River, posing a threat to Lake Erie. We know action is required immediately! Thank you to those who took time to voice their opinion. Even while we were in D.C. postcards continued to come in and are still arriving today. Every voice makes a difference and will help bring us one step closer to a real solution.
Please check our website for updates on this issue. Now that the elections are over, we will start educating the newly elected officials on our con-cerns about Asian carp. It is our mission to continue this work, and we will be looking for your support and involve-ment until the end.
Asian Carp threat to Great Lakes continued...foundation GivinGc. S. Mott foundation,
environment ProgramHerman Miller foundationthe kresge foundationNew Prospect foundationNorcross Wildlife
foundation
Guardian of the Lakes (Greater than $5,000)John a. Woollam
founders circLe ($5,000-$1,000)frederick ford, Jr.ted and Brenda freyJohn g. Shedd
aquarium
sustainer’s circLe ($1,000 or Greater, Monthly Giving)Bonnie danniannoesjka Steinman
MonthLy GivinGann Baughmancathy BradyWendy coopercheryl MendozaJill ryan
supporter ($100-$249)anonymousJoan Bransfieldamanda and Paul BrinkSandra BroganScott Brownrobert and elizabeth cutlerMatt and Jessica ellsworthNan Huntdr. John Huttoalbert J. koegelrichard and Nancy
Morgensternclyde and karen ritchieMike and Pat SheahanMarilynn Smith
MeMBers ($50-$99)todd ambsPaul BubelisWendy cooperguy dennythornton dickinsonSam HaysJohn kesslerginny and Bob LindSuzanne Mccunefrederick MurphyMerilee and kenneth ottoWilliam and Janet reevesdonald royJill ryanJack ShanerJim SweeneyBarbara Waller
contriButors ($1-$49)Sandra BihnLinda Bonetticathy Bradycorlann Bushrobert and anne ButcherPeggy collinsdorothy gradenLinda Hardiedaniel kasbohmken kriegerkirby MiltonBrad Moshercarolyn PillaiLori PoelJack SlaninaJohn SteketeeHerbert Stifflerandrea and Jerry vigueBarbara von oeyenBarbara Weberkay Williams
renewed or new MeMBer orGanizationsausable Bayfield
conservation authoritycenter for environmental
informationfriends of oliphant
coastal environmentsizaak Walton League–
cNy chapterkalamazoo river
Watershed councilLakeshore Natural
resource Partnership, inc.Les cheneaux
Watershed councilMinnesota Land trustMunuscong river
Watershed associationohio coastal resource
Management Projectohio environmental
councilorganic consumers
associationSaugeen field NaturalistSave the Wild UPSisters of St. francis
of assisiSoutheastern Wisconsin
Watersheds trustthe Bank of Northern
Michiganthe kresge foundationthornapple river
Watershed counciltwo rivers coalitionWasteWater educationWisconsin Land and
Water conservation association
Wisconsin resources Protection council
yellow dog Watershed Preserve
waLk, paddLe and roLL
can (cafo awareness network)katherine Bennett rollcaN (cafo awareness
Network)alexa castleLucinda collierSusan gateleychris gateleyLeland Henry, Jr.dr. Brad Muisediana rawlinscarol richardson
freshwater future Board: (annoesjka steinman and kristy Meyer)anonymous (2) cindy ackermanMr. roger and Mrs.
Marilyn andersenthomas BerdinskiWilliam BoydanonymousWilliam dangldarlene dehudySarah delaycathleen dubaultLenore fonsteinMolly Houghdr. Paul iselySherri Lechnerdr. Neil Macdonalddon Martinesterri Mccarthydonald MunskiPatti o’rourke-Steinercynthia Priceflorence PurnellBob ScolnikJonathon Shanbromeileen Shanbromalan SteinmanBrian van doeselaarMary WellsSue WierengoMartha youngdahl
freshwater future staff and friendsanonymous (2) toni albertBarb and ed angovePenny anneseSarah arnolddaniel BartzMichael Baughmandeborah and Michael
Baughmanrobin and russ BonfiglioJoel BrammeierLisa chorny
Bert ebbers and katie Parker ebbers
Bob and Helen esfordMolly flanagancamron gnassPatrice and Paul HornakMark HornakJoan Hornakdavid HornakMark Hortondavid Huttokarianne isardkim kihnkeLoretta knighttara kohleraimee LaneJaime LaughreyStaci and andrew LefurgeLori LindBarbara LindleyScott LinesMichelle Lordcarol Mccaruskysa Meigsdr. randy Meisnercheryl MellBarbara MendozaJane Millarcraig Minowaallison MitchellSusan PungMeredith Pungandrew robinsonMaureen rondyoktaveon ryantristen Schabbelgary Streetkeri thompsonJodi thompsonMary trasktracy tyndallBecky vargoSandra velazquez-
MendozaMelanie Welch
Michigan citizens for water conservationanonymouscarolyn arbour-dokuchicMaryann BordenSandra Broganvalerie deurMary alice dooleykeira duvernoyrachel goltzmanMary HeffronJanice Huntronald LehrerPauline LoewenhardtJohn Lorandgary and gretchen MichaelsBeth MorseJay Peasley
pennsylvania Lake erie watershed as-sociation
anonymouskristen Bogackidarcy BuendiaJoyce Hausercheryl HettmanHeidi JohnstonLaura Lefebvreanna MccartneyJessica MetzlerBrad MooreJenny Simpkinsdave SkellieStacy SmithNick SullivanLois thompsonandy WalkerSean Wolfromelizabeth yannidouglas yeich
two rivers coalition: paw paw odysseyanonymous (2) Marcy colcloughBarry conybearedave foersterdr. Benjamin Haightkelly HousealJean ketchumrenee kivikkokelvin kohlhaasduane LerdalMatt Meersmancynthia Millsanne oddenPeggy radomterri SpringsLynn Steilvirginia van andelcarol vanauken-Haight
walk, paddle and roll prize sponsorLittle river casino
resort
thank youto our volunteers:Nola Murphyirene PhelpsLurli vaughnBev WarnerJan Wilkins
walk, paddle and roll sponsor:
2 F r e s H WAt e r F u t u r e s e r v I C e s Freshwater Future Fall 2010 F r e s H WAt e r F u t u r e M e M B e r N e W s 7
derrick BUrBUL—faLL foLiage, WiScoNSiN PoiNt
Thank You to All of Our Donors from August through October 2010
D I r e C t O r ’ s N O t e s
taking the Boat Out of the HarborJill Ryan, Executive Director
When a great ship is in harbor and moored, it is safe, there can be no doubt. But that is not what great ships are built for.
— Clarissa Pinkola Estes
I know it is not easy to get involved. It is most defi-nitely not safe to ask the tough questions. In fact it can be down-right scary!
But that is exactly what Sandy Bihn, our Grassroots Advocate Award recipient has done over several years. Sandy has always taken that risk, asked the tough questions, and gotten involved to make her commu-nity better. Sandy was concerned that the power plant in Maumee Bay was impacting the health of the Lake Erie fishery. She started asking questions. The answers to those questions now have Sandy pushing for per-mit revisions to reduce fish kills (you can read more about this on page 6).
Similarly, it certainly hasn’t been easy for Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance, our Grassroots Group Advo-cate Award recipient to demand that existing zoning regulations be applied, followed and enforced on sen-sitive coastal dunes and wetlands (you can learnmore about this on page 6). Thanks to their willingness to take action, they are helping to protect critical habitat and make our Great Lakes region a great place.
In this issue alone there are several more examples of why it is essential that we “take the boat out of the harbor,” take risks, and take action. So thank you for getting in-volved, asking questions, writing letters, signing petitions, attending meetings and TAKING ACTION. I am grateful for all your efforts to help protect our Great Lakes.
Walk, Paddle and roll 2010 Highlights
thanks to our Partners working with us on the Asian Carp issue:
• Sierra club• ohio environmental council• alliance for the great Lakes• great Lakes United• National Wildlife federation• environment illinois• apostle islands Sport fisherman’s
association• Hoosier coho club• Northwest indiana Steelheaders
Donna Reich pictured (second to the right) gathered several postcards to send along to Washington D.C. by organizing a post card signing event at the Sterling Heights Senior Center.
special thank you to the Grand valley state university Professors and students for their assistance entering data collected from our Asian carp campaign:
Students: John Bielak Gwen Gell timothy Luongo Ian Hanes
Cheyenne DeJohn kalan ruihley Peggy kartz Benjamin Brooks
Devin Gerzich stephen Hoekwater Anna Constant randi Conklin
Professors: Dr. elena Lioubimtseva Dr. Janet vail
thank you to northern copy expressfor printing extra asian carp postcards
Your voices have been heard in Washington D.C. declaring the need to protect the Great Lakes from the invasion of Asian Carp!
On September 29th I, along with my partners from organizations all over the Great Lakes region, flew to D.C. to deliver thousands of postcards asking President Obama to use his authority to require the Army Corps of Engineers to separate the waterway between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River basins.
The postcard outreach began in early August as a way to give people a voice on this issue and bring your opinion to Washington D.C. to let decision makers know we want action and we want it now.
My colleagues and I are amazed at the response from the public and are reassured that this is a major issue people want to see resolved in the best way possible.
While we were there, we met with John Goss, the new Asian Carp Director of the White House Coun-cil on Environmental Quality. His job is to coordinate work being done at the state and federal lev-els to protect the Great Lakes from an Asian carp invasion and push for permanent solutions. He let
us know that our help is needed educating new agency staff and elected officials after the elections
NoNProfit orgU.S. PoStage
PAIDPetoSkey, Mi PerMit #15
printed on recycled paper
addreSS Service reqUeSted
Fall 2010, Issue 4
in this issue:• Healing Our Waters
Grants Awarded
• Grassroots Advocate Awards Announced
• New Grants Available to Adapt to Climate Change
Freshwater FutureP.O. Box 2479
Petoskey, MI 49770Phone: (231) 348-8200
www.freshwaterfuture.org
Steve HUySer-HoNig—SaUgatUck dUNeS
We received over 12,000 postcards and 2,000 petition signatures from residents concerned about the potential
invasion of the Asian carp in the Great Lakes.
y O u r v O I C e s H e A r D I N W A s H I N G t O N D C
Asian Carp threat to Great LakesBy Cheryl Mendoza, Associate Director
JoHN dykStra—MiNer BeacH faLLS
Give the Gift of Freshwater
Follow Freshwater Future on Facebook and twitter!
P.o. Box 2479 Petoskey, Mi 49770
Continued on page 2
While we were there:• We met with 20 Members of congress to dis-
cuss the asian carp threats and what actions we need them to take to protect our Lakes.
• Presented to congress Members a list of con-stituents from their district that sent back a postcard.
• delivered this information to an additional 14 Member offices.
• Held a congressional briefing where staff from 21 congressional offices attended.
FresHWAter Future: HeLPING PeOPLe PrOteCt tHe GreAt LAkes
the great Lakes are an international treasure like no other in the
world—and they are at risk. freshwater future works to ensure
the health of the great Lakes for our children, grandchildren and
future generations. We are dedicated to the belief that individuals
can and do make a difference.
freshwater future builds effective community-based initiatives
to protect and restore the water quality of the great Lakes basin.
freshwater future is a powerful resource investing in the people
and communities caring for our great Lakes waters. over the past
14 years, we have:
• Helped thousands of community-based groups and individuals
• Provided over $1 million in grants
• connected citizens to resources and each other, building a
great Lakes community
• Provided one-on-one assistance to build leadership skills for
citizens and community-based groups
• distributed thousands of locally targeted resource toolkits and
other materials
FresHWAter Future BeLIeves tHAt:
• effective citizen engagement improves the health of our com-
munities
• citizens closest to the issues
have the knowledge and ability to make a difference
• Positive change at the local level is important for protecting our
resources
Environmental groups take their postcard campaign—and a mounted Asian carp—to Washington, D.C. in a show of force to urge federal action to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes. Pictured From left: Jennifer Nalbone, Great Lakes United; Jack Darin, Sierra Club-Illinois Chapter; Marc Smith, National Wildlife Federation; Al House, Apostle Islands Sport Fisherman’s Association; Kristy Meyer, Ohio Envi-ronmental Council; Cheryl Mendoza, Freshwater Future; Mike Ryan, Hoosier Coho Club and Northwest Indiana Steelheaders; Joel Brammeier, Alliance for the Great Lakes.
this holiday season give the gift of freshwater to your family and friends, by donating to freshwater future in their honor. your gift will go directly to help citizens working to protect and restore
our inland lakes, rivers, wetlands, and drinking water in our great Lakes region. a personal card will be sent to your recipient to inform them of your gift. celebrate the season by celebrating freshwater.