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The Lake Superior Binational Forum invites
you to an Open Public Input Meeting about the Economic and Environmental Impacts of the Shipping Industry and Global Climate Change
on Lake Superior Friday, January 30, 2009 ♦ Barkers Island Conference Center BALLROOM, Superior, Wisconsin 1 to 5 p.m. Please note: Some
information in this announcement has been updated since previous messages. Who should
attend? This
input session is intended for local elected officials, community leaders, area
business owners and operators, companies involved in shipping and
transportation, and Twin Ports residents who want to make comments about
important environmental issues in the Twin Ports area. Registration This
event is free and open to the public without need to pre-register. Live
Online Access to the Meeting For
those who can’t be in Superior, the Binational Forum and the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) are offering a live broadcast of the program on the EPA
web site. The online workshop will start at
1 p.m. Central (2 p.m. Eastern) and end at 5 p.m. Central (6 p.m. Eastern) on
Friday, January 30 at this web site: https://login.glnpo.net/meeting/87746732.
The user name is your first name and the password is “forum.” Users
can sign up as early as 12:15 p.m. to make sure the computer can access the web
site. Participants must also call into the EPA conference call line at
1-866-299-3188, then enter code 17046#. For information about logging on
contact Lynelle Hanson at lhanso14@uwsuper.edu. Why is
this meeting being held in Superior? The
Binational Forum holds four open input meetings each year in host communities
around the lake basin to hear public comments about issues related to Lake
Superior. This input session, called Economic and Environmental Impacts of
the Shipping
Industry and Global Climate Change on Lake Superior, will focus on how the shipping
industry and global climate change is impacting the Twin Port’s economy and
environment. Public comments on other topics related to Lake Superior are also
welcomed beginning at 4:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served. Dr.
Richard Stewart, Co-Chair of the Great Lakes Maritime Research Institute, Superior, will talk about Climate Change Impacts
on the Great Lakes Shipping Industry. The Great Lakes Maritime Research
Institute is dedicated to developing and improving economically and
environmentally sustainable maritime commerce on the Great Lakes through
applied research. It was established in 2004 to pursue research efforts in
marine transportation, logistics, economics, engineering, environmental
planning, and port management. Dr.
Mary Balcer, the Lake
Superior Research Institute’s Director and Research Scientist at the UW-Superior
campus, will describe the Treating
Aquatic Invasive Species in Ballast Water and
the Great Ships Initiative. This
presentation will describe research conducted at the University of
Wisconsin-Superior’s ballast water treatment facility. Organizers
of a newly formed interfaith group of about 25 Twin
Ports churches will describe the innovative
actions they’re taking to minimize their churches’ and congregations’ carbon
dioxide emissions and environmental footprints. Clergy,
lay leaders, and youth groups have been educating congregations through
sermons, study groups, and activities, while some have made physical changes to
church buildings and grounds.
In addition, Mary Morgan,
the city of Superior’s
director of parks and recreation, will describe the sustainable actions the
city is taking to protect the natural resources of the lake basin.
Two American recipients
of the Lake Superior Binational Forum’s annual Environmental Stewardship awards
program will receive awards for outstanding contributions towards protecting
Lake Superior’s natural environment. In the Adult Individual category Duane
Lahti, the former basin supervisor of the Wisconsin Department of Natural
Resources’ Northern Region’s Division of Water and Watershed Management office
in Superior, will be recognized for his career work protecting the surface and
groundwater of Wisconsin’s northern counties.
SMDC
Health System,
Duluth, will receive an award in the Industry category for its new Duluth facility
that was certified at the gold level in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED) program in
2007. Numerous sustainable building features incorporated into the unique design
have resulted in cleaner indoor air, a smaller ecological footprint, and lower
energy and water use. Impacts of
the Shipping Industry and Global Climate Change on Lake Superior Agenda 1 p.m. Welcome—Bruce
Lindgren, Lake Superior Binational Forum U.S. Co-chair and Glen Dale, Canadian
Forum Co-chair 1:10
Presentation of Lake Superior Binational Forum Environmental
Stewardship Awards to U.S. Recipients: SMDC
Health System and Duane Lahti, Oulu, Wisconsin 1:25
Sustainable Superior: What is the City of Superior Doing to Protect Lake
Superior?—Mary Morgan, City of Superior Director
of Parks and Recreation 1:45
Treating Aquatic Invasive Species in Ballast Water
and the Great Ships Initiative—Dr. Mary Balcer, Director and
Research Scientist
at the Lake Superior Research Institute, UW-Superior campus 2:15
Questions for Dr. Mary Balcer 2:30 Break 2:45
Climate Change Impacts on the Great Lake Shipping Industry—Dr.
Richard Stewart, Co-Chair of Great Lakes Maritime Research
Institute, UW-Superior 3:45
Questions for Dr. Richard Stewart 4:00
A Local Success Story: Twin Ports Interfaith Initiative on Global Warming—Bill
Mittlefehldt, Interfaith group organizer 4:30
Open Public Input: Any public comments related to Lake Superior are
welcomed. 5:00
Adjourn Contact
Information The
Forum’s U.S. Coordinator can be reached at (715) 682-1489; or lradke@northland.edu.
For more information about the Forum visit www.superiorforum.org/forum What
is the Lake Superior Binational Forum? The
Forum is a citizen stakeholder group of U.S. and Canadian volunteers working
together to provide input and recommendations to governments about lakewide
management issues, and to educate basin
residents about ways to protect and restore the Lake Superior basin’s natural
resources. The
Forum’s U.S. office is headquartered at Northland College, Ashland, Wisconsin, and is funded in the U.S. by
the Environmental
Protection Agency’s Great Lakes National Program Office. Funding
is also provided by Environment
Canada. ######## Lissa Radke U.S. Coordinator Lake Superior
Binational Forum Northland
College 1411 Ellis
Ave. Ashland
WI 54806 (715)
682-1489 http://www.superiorforum.org/forum "Water
is life, and the quality of water determines the quality of life."
--Lake Superior Binational Program vision statement The next Lake Superior Day is Sunday, July 19, 2009! |