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Another bright idea from one of Minnesota's freshman members of Congress.
How many members of Congress does it take to change a light bulb? Americans may soon find out, courtesy of a contrarian piece of legislation introduced this month by Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota. Titled the "Light Bulb Freedom of Choice Act," the bill seeks to repeal the nationwide phase-out of conventional light bulbs.
One can only guess what the answer will be from shipping interests: shipping is more environmentally sound than exhaust-spewing trucks -- and it might be if you don't count the economics of all those invasive species in ballast water.
Banning ocean freighters from the Great Lakes and requiring those ships to transfer cargo in Montreal would create more than a thousand new jobs for domestic shipping employees, truckers and rail employees, according to a new study.
The National Park Service has posted on-line a nearly 50-year-old document that inventoried what were then unspoiled Great Lakes shoreline areas worthy of preservation as national, state or local parks. The 1959 study was bankrolled by a private contribution. It's heartening to see which areas have been conserved and poignant to see which opportunities were lost forever. For example, in Michigan Sleeping Bear Dunes became a national park (lakeshore) 11 years later. Bass Lake Dunes, however, is carved up.
What are today's Great Lakes shoreline opportunities and what will they look like in 50 years?
The Great Lakes should not be likened to a 'reservoir' or characterized as part of the nation's 'water supply,' and here's why. If Great Lakes water is to be shared, conservation must come first -- and the needs of the ecosystem itself need to be considered. But political pressures will soon mount for such sharing in the U.S.
For most of us living in the U.S., water is something we take for granted, available when you turn your tap on–—to brush your teeth, to take a shower, to wash your car, to water your lawn, and if you have your own swimming pool then, to fill that as well.
So it was with alarm that many of us read the story of Orme, a small town tucked away in the mountains of southern Tennessee that has become a recent symbol of the drought in the southeast. Orme has had to literally ration its water use, by collecting water for a few hours every day–—an everyday experience in most developing countries, but unusual for the U.S.
That's what a lake sturgeon jumping out of the water reminds one observer of. And:
The fish can live to be 100 years old, weigh 300 pounds and reach more
than 8 feet in length, according to the Michigan Department of Natural
Resources Web site.
It's great to see renewed interest in conserving and restoring this amazing fish species.
Dumping 'millions of pounds of muck...out in Maumee Bay.'
This sounds like something that would have made ecological sense in 1908, not 2008.
Dr. Alex Mayer at Michigan Technological University sets forth one very important Great Lakes reality -- there isn't much 'catchment area' to replenish them should climate change and/or human uses tap too much.
With a recharge rate of .1 percent per year, Lake Superior is the slowest of the Great Lakes at reviving its water levels.
Thanks to Jen Nalbone of Great Lakes United for calling attention to this healthy, corrective letter to the editor.
Chris Wiley of Transport Canada is cited as saying that more than 70 per cent of invasive species are introduced to the Great Lakes by means other than ocean vessels, such as live bait, recreational boating, and the water bombers used to fight forest fires.
I would be interested to know where he finds these numbers.
Academic studies published by top Canadian researchers state that it is just the opposite: that in recent decades since the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway, ocean vessels are the source of 65 to 70 per cent of new invasive species.
Wrapping up this week's discussion of wetland protection, here are a few factoids:
* According to the most-cited study, Michigan had around 11.2 million acres of wetlands as of the 1780's, and around 5.58 million acres as of the 1980's. In other words, the state had lost about 50% of the wetlands that existed at the time of European settlement.
* Wetland loss in Michigan was probably in the realm of tens of thousands of acres per year prior to passage of the Wetland Protection Act in 1979.
* Legally permitted wetland loss now runs in the range of a few hundred acres per year.
* Although some wetland-altering and -destroying activities are not covered by the law and therefore the total loss is higher, significant wetland acreage is being restored through both public and private initiatives. The state in some years may be enjoying a net gain of wetlands. However, 'restored' or 'created' wetlands do not always -- and some would say rarely -- mimic or provide benefits and functions (flood storage, water quality improvement, and habitat) comparable to natural wetlands.
First San Francisco banned it. Then Chicago taxed it. Now, the city of Seattle is taking action against bottled water; last week, Mayor Greg Nickels signed an executive order to stop the city from buying bottled water. That means no more bottled water at city facilities and events, which may sound like a small step, but it'll make a big difference; last year, the city spent $58,000 on the stuff. We're willing to bet that the city's taxpayers can probably think of about 58,000 ways to better spend that money.
More Great Lakes cities should refrain from spending public dollars to buy back water that is taken from the public domain. Are there any besides Ann Arbor?
