Lake Erie LaMP Update The first step toward creating

Lake Erie LaMP Update 2005/06 “The first step toward creating an improved future is to envision it.” - Unknown In the Fall of 1994, government leaders in Canada and the United States endorsed a plan to develop a Lake Erie Lakewide Management Plan (LaMP) in accordance with provisions of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. The Agreement is a treaty between governments of the two countries concerning the stewardship of the Great Lakes basin and provides for the establishment of Lakewide Management Plans for each of the Great Lakes. The individual management plans create a framework for work towards restoring and protecting the uses of the lakes. With safe beaches, clean drinking water, and healthy fish and wildlife populations in mind, the Lake Erie LaMP is using an ecosystem approach to co ordinate the work of environmental and natural resource organizations that do not routinely interact. This approach integrates water and air quality as well as natural resource management practices. The coordination effort combines the work of researchers, regulators and environmental managers from public and private sources. Pooling these resources makes it easier to achieve commitments to the LaMP process for key environmental improvements to Lake Erie. The governments of Canada and the United States share the lead in the LaMP process. What’s Inside: They are joined in the effort by a number of 2 The Lake Erie Vision agencies from the province of Ontario and the 3 Ecosystem Management Objectives & Indicators states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio. Representatives from these jurisdictions 3 Public Involvement: The Community Watershed Strategies Pilot Project participate in an agency framework that includes 4 Cooperative Monitoring of Lake Erie a Management Committee responsible for 5 Sources and Loads overseeing the development of the Lake Erie LaMP, and a Work Group responsible for 6 Habitat Strategy developing action recommendations to restore 7 RAP Milestone: Presque Isle Bay First US AOC in Recovery Lake Erie. 8 For More Information L a k e E r i e L a M P U p d a t e 2 0 0 5 / 0 6 The Lake Erie basin was originally settled in the 1800s, and since then the ecosystem has been degraded by human activities in and around the lake. Important components of the ecosystem such as forests, wetlands and shoreline vegetation have been removed or altered to accommodate agricultural, industrial and urban land uses. Even with modern management tools and techniques, it is impossible to eliminate or reverse the impacts of these land use activities. It is not realistic to envision an ecosystem that resembles the pristine pre-settlement one that existed over 200 years ago. If restoration to a pristine state is not reasonable, what is? Despite ever-increasing agricultural, industrial and urban land uses, improvements can be made, as proven by progress that has occurred since the 1970s. The LaMP 2000 Report first introduced the concept of ecosystem alternatives or potential outcomes for the lake. After a lengthy study of a variety of factors that impact upon the lake and what could be expected if certain management actions were exercised, four potential ecosystem alternatives were identified. Each of the alternatives point to different future potential outcomes for the lake as a result of management actions involving land use, nutrient controls, contaminant sources, and resource exploitation. The LaMP’s Work Group sought input on the four alternatives through discussions with members of the Lake Erie Binational Public Forum, along with agency reviews. The selected alternative was judged as being the most desirable goal, as it targets themes of sustainable development and of multiple benefits to society through a healthy Lake Erie ecosystem. It highlights the importance and urgency of improving land use activities, supports continued diligence in nutrient management, and recognizes the vulnerability of fish and wildlife species. The Lake Erie Vision Having a clear vision is essential to achieving one’s goals. The Lake Erie Vision represents an ecologically restored Lake Erie ecosystem, and it will guide activities for the LaMP in future years. The Vision was developed over several years, with input from government, environmental groups, industry and the general public from both Canada and the United States. In order to be effective, it was essential that the Vision incorporated the needs of fish, wildlife and plants along with social and economic factors that are a part of modern life. By taking this approach, the Vision will be more sustainable and will benefit both society and the economy while restoring and protecting the lake and its ecosystem. THE LAKE ERIE VISION Our Vision is a Lake Erie basin ecosystem... Where all people, recognizing the fundamental links among the health of the ecosystem and their individual actions and economic and healthy well-being, work to minimize the human impact in the Lake Erie basin and beyond. Where natural resources are protected from known, preventable threats; Where native biodiversity and the health and function of natural communities are protected and restored to the greatest extent that is feasible; Where natural resources are managed to ensure that the integrity of existing communities are maintained and/or improved; Where human-modified landscapes provide functions that approximate natural ecosystem processes; Where land and water are managed such that the amount of materials transported and the timing and volume of flows mimic natural cycles; and Where environmental health continually improves due to virtual elimination of toxic contaminants and remedial actions at formerly degraded and/or contaminated sites. Photo: Mike Weimer, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 2 L a k e E r i e L a M P U p d a t e 2 0 0 5 / 0 6 Ecosystem Management Objectives Ecosystem Management Objectives are individual goals that, when achieved, will make the Lake Erie Vision a reality. The Objectives target the key management issues for Lake Erie, which are: land use, nutrients, natural resource use and disturbance, chemical and biological contaminants, and non-native invasive species. The Objectives form the basis for management actions that will be tailored and implemented on a local (subwatershed) scale. Ecosystem Indicators Photo: Lee Karney, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Now that the LaMP has a clear Vision and Objectives, how will progress be measured? A LaMP Task Group has been assigned to identify, review and recommend a suite of indicators that will do exactly that. An indicator is defined as “a measurable feature that identifies the current state of the ecosystem relative to the desired state of the ecosystem, as described by the Lake Erie Vision and Ecosystem Management Objectives”. The Task Group is consulting with the scientific community in order to identify indicators that are most suitable for the Lake Erie LaMP. After a process which includes surveying the scientific community to help identify potential indicators, followed by an experts’ workshop, the Task Group will propose for Management Committee approval, a recommended suite of indicators that will be used to measure LaMP progress and success. Public Involvement: The Community Watershed Strategies Pilot Project As one component of its Public Involvement Strategy, the LaMP created the Lake Erie Binational Public Forum. In the early years of the LaMP, the Forum was instrumental in assisting the Work Group in goal-setting and decisionmaking. In addition, the Forum has always recognized the importance of their role in implementing, facilitating, and/ or participating in Forum sponsored LaMP related activities at the local level. To this end, in 2003 the Forum began work on a pilot project focussed on community watershed strategies. Land use has been determined to be the major factor influencing conditions in Lake Erie. Watershed management focuses on these uses and the contaminants that are associated with land-based activities. In order to develop plans and build capacity for ongoing community stewardship, the Forum has championed the development of two community-based watershed strategies in the Lake Erie basin. Based on watershed needs and partnership opportunities, the Black River watershed in Ohio and the Kettle Creek watershed in Ontario were selected. The strategies were designed to: • • Prioritize community environmental concerns, Identify activities to address land use management, chemical use reduction and emerging issues, and • Identify resources to implement those activities. Local agencies and community members supported a series of public meetings, focus groups and consultations to achieve these goals. In the Black River watershed, the strategy and potential projects were first implemented in the West Branch subwatershed of the river, which includes Lorain, Huron and Ashland Counties as well as the Cities of Oberlin, Rochester and Wellington. In the Kettle Creek watershed, the strategy and potential projects focused on the Dodd Creek subwatershed which includes the Townships of Southwold and Middlesex Centre in Elgin County. Implementing these strategies on both the Canadian and American sides of the basin will encourage geographically distant communities to communicate and share knowledge on a binational scale, and raise awareness of the common resource that they are working to restore and protect. Results of the pilot projects, along with lessons learned, will be reported on in the next issue of Update. 3 L a k e E r i e L a M P U p d a t e 2 0 0 5 / 0 6 In 2001, the need to improve coordination of Great Lakes monitoring activities was identified. In response, a Great Lakes Cooperative Monitoring program was created by Great Lakes managers from Canada and the United States. The Cooperative Monitoring approach goes above and beyond the basic monitoring programs that are already being conducted by government and non-government researchers. It is a binational effort that focuses on one of the five Great Lakes per year, with the goal of filling key information gaps as identified through the lakewide management programs. It will have no impact on other routine monitoring and research projects being conducted on other lakes in the same year. In 2004, the Cooperative Monitoring program focused on Lake Erie. It is scheduled to return to the Lake in 2009. A planning workshop was convened in 2003 and the following key information gaps were identified: distribution and abundance of non-native invasive mussels; lake physics and water circulation; and nutrient inputs from tributaries and key sewage treatment plants. The information collected through the Cooperative Monitoring program will be compiled into the Great Lakes Monitoring Inventory, an electronic database and analysis tool that is available to all Great Lakes managers in Canada and the United States. In addition to Cooperative Monitoring data, the Inventory will be a one-window access point to other data sets that are housed and maintained by individual organizations involved in monitoring and research programs in the Great Lakes. Preliminary results are expected in 2006, with the full analysis of results of the 2004 program expected for 2007/2008. Cooperative Monitoring of Lake Erie 4 L a k e E r i e L a M P U p d a t e 2 0 0 5 / 0 6 Sources and Loads The conditions in Lake Erie were so poor in the 1970s that parts of it were declared “dead” by the media. The lake was plagued by excessive algal blooms, oxygen in the water was very low in some places at the end of summer and conditions were poor for the survival of aquatic plants and animals. Thirty years of research and monitoring have documented significant improvement but problems still persist. In the 1970s, scientists found that the fundamental problem was the rapidly increasing load of nutrients from a variety of man-made sources such as municipal sewage treatment plants and runoff from agriculture. These nutrients caused noxious algae blooms on the surface of the lake and smelly accumulations of algae growing on rocks near shore. Controlling phosphorus loading was the method chosen to reduce algal populations. Lake Erie is relatively shallow, which means that most of the water column is warmed by the sun and the cool bottom layer is relatively thin in the central area. Excessive algae populations can add to the decomposing organic matter that naturally consumes oxygen in the bottom layer. Most fish and aquatic animals can’t tolerate the low oxygen levels and either migrate elsewhere or die. This anoxic central portion of the lake became known as the “dead zone” while the western and eastern areas usually had sufficient oxygen. In the 1970s it was hoped that controls on phosphorus loads would eliminate anoxia in the central portion of the lake. The magnitude and high profile of problems in Lake Erie led to the signing of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement in 1972, which committed the governments of Canada and the United States to cooperating on ecosystem restoration and protection programs. Now, more than 30 years later, more sources are recognized but loads of nutrients to Lake Erie have been greatly reduced, mainly through controls on municipal sewage. Continued anoxic conditions in Lake Erie are mostly a result of the shallowness of the basin and the frequency of summer storms, and have not responded much to nutrient reductions. Overall, however, source and load reduction efforts have been a success in stopping further degradation and improving water quality. Sources and loads continue to be a priority for LaMP research and monitoring, with a focus on maintaining the progress made to date and understanding how other emerging factors, such as nonnative invasive species, are influencing the ecology of the lake. For example, scientists think that the return of some of the 1970s’ algae problems may be related to nutrient recycling by zebra mussels near shore. Thus, investigations are underway to determine if further reductions in nutrient load are needed. Photo: U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office 5 L a k e E r i e L a M P U p d a t e 2 0 0 5 / 0 6 Habitat Strategy Habitat loss is one of the problems that must be addressed to restore Lake Erie, and the need for a habitat action plan was identified in LaMP 2000. Since then, the LaMP has reviewed existing and ongoing efforts to address habitat loss, and found that many projects were already being conducted around the basin by a variety of agencies and local groups. The LaMP decided that it could best serve by tying existing efforts together and addressing gaps to see impacts and results on a lakewide basis. LaMP efforts then focussed on preparation of a strategic plan to coordinate and guide the existing activities so that they complement the LaMP program. In 2004, the LaMP Habitat Strategy was unveiled. Four basin-wide goals form the pillars of the Habitat Strategy: 1. Protect and maintain high-quality habitats and the ecosystem processes that sustain them in the Lake Erie basin; 2. Restore, rehabilitate, enhance and reclaim degraded habitats and impaired hydrological function in the Lake Erie basin; 3. Continue to promote the recognition that non-native invasive species have negative impacts on habitats in the Lake Erie ecosystem; and 4. Develop an integrated framework that will result in a consolidated vision of habitat for Lake Erie by adopting a common, basin wide standard for classifying, mapping, evaluating, tracking, and valuing habitats, their key attributes, and their regulating factors. A set of guiding principles provides more detail about key issues that must be addressed in order for the Strategy to be effective. But what can be done about these issues in order to reach the basin-wide goals? The Strategy has Photo: Scott Gillingwater objectives with corresponding short- and long-term actions that are designed specifically to answer that question. The objectives are: 1. Expand and improve connectivity and habitat function of protected areas network in the Lake Erie basin; 2. Restore, rehabilitate or reclaim functional habitats and ecosystems; 3. Prevent further introductions of aquatic and terrestrial non-native invasive species and reduce their impacts on habitat in the Lake Erie basin; 4. Produce a binational habitat map of the Lake Erie basin; 5. Increase public awareness of and involvement in protecting and restoring Lake Erie habitats; and 6. Implement a monitoring strategy that tracks changes in habitat quality and quantity and measures the success of protective and restorative activities to improve our understanding of ecological function and, ultimately, the effectiveness of subsequent projects. The completion of the Habitat Strategy is a major milestone for the LaMP. Over the next five years, the Strategy will be tested in eight target watersheds and, as it is refined over time, the list of target watersheds will be expanded to include other priority areas of the basin. 6 L a k e E r i e L a M P U p d a t e 2 0 0 5 / 0 6 RAP Milestone: Presque Isle Bay First US AOC in Recovery The Lake Erie Lakewide Management Plan addresses beneficial use impairments and environmental issues on a lakewide scale. The LaMP is supplemented by the Remedial Action Plan (RAP) program that addresses beneficial use impairments in Areas of Concern (AOCs), which are specific locations around the Great Lakes that have experienced more pronounced environmental degradation. Progress of all RAPs and LaMPs is monitored by the International Joint Commission, which includes members from both Canada and the United States. a dramatic transformation at this time--from a highly industialized corridor to a beautiful recreational, residential and light commercial zone. Scientific research has documented the success of these efforts. A census of bottom-feeding fish has shown that between 1992 and 1999, the frequency of external tumours has declined from 64% to 17%, and the frequency of liver tumours has declined from 22% to 0%. The RAP has also made significant contributions to Great Lakes management by sharing their knowledge of fish tumour assessment with RAP teams in other AOCs. Transformation of the bayfront is thought to be responsible for decreased pollutant loading to the Bay. As the bayfront was redeveloped, water quality improved, which increased its desirability for redevelopment, which led to even better water quality. Economics and the environment are often seen as competing interests, but Presque Isle Bay is an excellent example of a constructive relationship between the two. In 2002, the RAP program reached a significant milestone when the Presque Isle Bay AOC was re-designated as an AOC in Recovery. The decision was made by the governments of the United States and Pennsylvania and a Public Advisory Committee (PAC), with advice from the International Joint Commission. The designation of AOC in Recovery means that all recommended remedial actions have been completed and progress will continue through natural recovery until, over time, beneficial use impairments will be restored. During this stage, a monitoring program is in place to track progress. Now that Presque Isle Bay is an AOC in Recovery, the PAC is developing a 10-year plan to measure improvements. When the goals of the RAP are achieved, Presque Isle Bay will be delisted, or removed from the list of Areas of Concern. Photo: Upper Thames River Conservation Authority Presque Isle Bay was originally identified as an AOC in 1991 because of two beneficial use impairments: restrictions on dredging activities, and fish tumours and other deformities. These impairments were attributed to sediment contaminated with heavy metals and various organic compounds, which accumulated due to the confined nature of the Bay. A 1997 sediment study determined that pollution prevention and control would be sufficient to allow for natural recovery of the sediments. Since 1989, the City of Erie has spent over $100 million to upgrade its sewage system. Many Combined Sewer Overflows that contributed up to 50 million gallons per day of untreated sewage to the Bay were eliminated. Further, over 100 tons of hazardous materials were received by the County of Erie at a household hazardous waste collection day in September 2002. In 1991, a large coal-fired power plant (a source of metals and PAHs) along the bayfront was decommissioned and ultimately converted to a library and museum. The rest of Erie’s bayfront was also undergoing 7 Photo: U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office Front Cover Photos: Mike Weimer, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (child with fish) & Mark C. Shieldcastle, Ohio Division of Wildlife (storm surge) For More Information If you would like to receive information as it becomes available, go to the binational website at www.binational.net. Join the Lake Erie Network by contacting: In Canada: Marlene O’Brien Environment Canada 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington, Ontario L7R 4A6 Fax: 905-336-6272 marlene.obrien@ec.gc.ca In the United States: Daniel O’Riordan United States Environmental Protection Agency 77 West Jackson Boulevard T-13J, Chicago, Illinois 60604 Fax: 312-886-9697 oriordan.daniel@epa.gov If you would like to become a member of the Forum, please contact: In Canada: Teresa Hollingsworth FOCALerie 1424 Clarke Road, London, Ontario N5V 5B9 Fax: 519- 451-1188 hollingswortht@thamesriver.on.ca In the United States: Peter Wise The Delta Institute 53 West Jackson Boulevard, Suite 230, Chicago, Illinois 60604 Fax: 312-554-0193 pwise@delta-institute.org