Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat News
The Newsletter of the Great Lakes
Aquatic Habitat Network and Fund
Volume 11, Number 2 • Spring 2003
Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat NewsThe Newsletter of the Great Lakes
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By: Jennifer Tahtinen
Environmentalists across the state of Minnesota are worried that integral programs will be cut from the state budget and the end result for Minnesotans will be dirtier air and water. State spending on pollution control is expected to decrease dramatically. Governor Pawlenty’s budget would take about $38.5 million from natural resource and environmental projects and put it into the general treasury, roughly a 14 percent cut in spending.
The ability of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to operate may be affected, cleanup of superfund sites may be impacted, and wetland and watershed programs may be cut. Local water management programs will feel the sting as the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil is expected to receive a 25 percent reduction in grant money, causing the loss of an estimated 1,500 local projects in 80 nonmetro counties.
According to Don Arnosti, campaign coordinator for the Minnesota Environmental Partnership, “under Governor Tim Pawlenty’s proposal, general fund spending on conservation and environment from 2001 to 2005 drops a stunning 33 percent.”
The proposed budget in no way reflects the high value Minnesotan’s place on their clean water and their environment. To learn more or get involved, contact EAGLE at 218-726-1828 or visit our website www.eagle-ecosource.org.
The Minnesota Sea Grant recently awarded $678,500 to nine University of Minnesota research projects over the next two years. Each project selected involves aquatic habitats ranging from coastal ecosystems to fishery issues including:
• Determining the habitats favored by spawning and juvenile lake trout over two shoals of the Apostle Islands.
• Using DNA fingerprinting to determine whether E. coli bacteria in the Lake Superior watershed are coming from sewage or from sediments that erode into the Duluth-Superior harbor and Lake Superior.
• Exploring ways to speed the breakdown of PCBs in the Great Lakes by mixing elemental iron with microscopic organisms. Enhancing the ability of natural microorganisms to breakdown PCBs might complement or replace expensive and controversial dredging.
• Comparing the reproductive success of hatchery-stocked steelhead trout to that of Lake Superior's naturalized steelhead.
Bill Banning Lead Fishing Tackle Watered Down: Despite the efforts of groups like the Audubon Society and the Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance, a Minnesota bill that would ban lead fishing sinkers and jigs has been watered down after heavy protests from the angling industry. The new bill promotes education and calls for state agencies like the Department of Natural Resources to develop incentive programs for fishermen to replace their lead fishing tackle.
Lead tackle is responsible for about twenty percent of loon deaths in Minnesota, an occurrence that environmental groups feel is easily avoidable by using non-toxic sinkers and jigs. The angling industry feels that Minnesota’s loon population is strong enough to withstand the use of lead tackle. The bill has recently passed the Environment and Natural Resources Committee and is headed to the Minnesota Senate floor.
Phosphorous Bill Moving Through House: The Protect Our Waters initiative sponsored by the Minnesota Environmental Partnership (MEP) calls for a reduction in phosphorous content in dishwasher detergent. An alarming amount of phosphorous is dumped into our waters each year, leading to massive algal blooms. The bill (H.F. 1401) would restrict the phosphorus content in dishwasher detergent to 0.5% or less by 2005. The bill will be read in the Environment and Natural Resources Finance Committee. For additional information on the Protect Our Waters Initiative, please visit the MEP’s website at www.mepartnership.org.
2002 Legislature Passes Phosphorus-Free Lawn Fertilizer Law: The 2002 Minnesota legislature was able to make significant progress in the effort to reduce phosphorus pollution by passing the nation’s first phosphorus-free lawn fertilizer law. Under this law, lawn fertilizer containing phosphorus cannot be sold in metro counties after January 1, 2004. Non-metro counties were limited to three percent phosphorus content for lawn fertilizers but were given the option to exceed this standard by selecting a zero phosphorus requirement. For additional information please visit www.mepartnership.org.
t| Jennifer Tahtinen Environmental Association for Great Lakes Education (EAGLE) Serving as Hub for Minnesota 394 Lake Avenue South, #222 Duluth, MN 55802 (218)-726-1828 (586)-816-1974(fax) E-mail: jennifertahtinen@EAGLE-ecosource.org Website: www.EAGLE-EcoSource.org |