Question mark hangs over that grand Michigan tradition: summer camp
Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2020/04/15/question-mark-hangs-over-that-grand-michigan-tradition-summer-camp/
Freshwater Weekly: April 13, 2020
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Blog – Freshwater Future
https://freshwaterfuture.org/uncategorized/freshwater-weekly-april-13-2020/
Boaters can get online education but hunters out of luck
Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2020/04/13/boaters-can-get-online-education-but-hunters-out-of-luck/
PFAS News Roundup: Indianapolis and Rhinelander find PFAS, PFAS testing and projects stalled due to COVID-19
PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of widespread man-made chemicals that don’t break down in the environment or the human body and have been flagged as a major contaminant in sources of water across the country.
Keep up with PFAS-related developments in the Great Lakes area.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/04/pfas-indiana-wisconsin-testing-covid-19/
Pandemic deals blow to plastic bag bans, plastic reduction
By Gillian Flaccus, Associated Press Writer
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Just weeks ago, cities and even states across the U.S. were busy banning straws, limiting takeout containers and mandating that shoppers bring reusable bags or pay a small fee as the movement to eliminate single-use plastics took hold in mainstream America.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/04/ap-covid-19-plastic-bag-bans-plastic-reduction/
Freshwater Future Weekly: April 7, 2020
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Blog – Freshwater Future
https://freshwaterfuture.org/uncategorized/freshwater-future-weekly-april-7-2020/
Sporting Uncertainty: COVID-19 casts shadow over Great Lakes sports events
Regulation During COVID-19: Canadian, U.S. agencies lighten monitoring priorities
Many university students don’t qualify for COVID aid
Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2020/04/06/many-university-students-dont-qualify-for-covid-aid/
Great Lakes Learning: How to get your students chatting – productively – in online lessons
Enbridge to move forward with tunnel permitting amid pandemic, Interlochen Public Radio reports
By Kaye LaFond, Interlochen Public Radio
Enbridge Energy will not delay submitting permits for its controversial Great Lakes Tunnel Project because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tribal governments that oppose the project want Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to slow the process down. They say it’s impossible to prepare for public comment and official tribal consultations when most tribal staff are sheltering in place.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/04/enbridge-move-forward-tunnel-permitting-covid-19/
Michigan residents want to save and spend stimulus checks
Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2020/04/03/michigan-residents-want-to-save-and-spend-stimulus-checks/
Great Lakes Energy News Roundup: COVID-19 impacting utilities everywhere and across industries
Comparing actions by Great Lakes states and spread of COVID-19
Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2020/04/01/comparing-actions-by-great-lakes-states-and-spreat-of-covid-19/
News Alert: Public Health Experts, Environment Justice Orgs. Gather to Urge Michigan Mayors To Turn Water On ASAP
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Tiana Starks
tianastarks@ts2consulting.com
(248) 361-1617
Public Health Experts, Environment Justice Orgs. Gather to Urge Michigan Mayors To Turn Water On ASAP
Statewide #TurnWaterOn Collaborative Responds to Governor Gretchen’s Executive Order
Detroit, MI (April 1, 2020) – Michigan residents and public health experts are calling on Governor Gretchen Whitmer to work with her newly created Michigan Advisory Council for Environmental Justice (MAC EJ) to enforce the executive order she issued on March 28, 2020 to have water restored for all residences that were previously turned off. Michigan mayors and water service providers must ensure that residential water services are restored timely, transparently, and equitably. To remain in compliance with the order all residences’ must have water restored by April 12, 2020.
Detroit and Michigan have become national epicenters for the Coronavirus in the U.S. and the Governor and her administration must work quickly to restore life-saving resources, such as clean water. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of Monday afternoon, the state ranked fourth in the nation in the number of confirmed cases per capita with 6,498 cases and 183 deaths.
“We thank Governor Whitmer for her leadership through the Executive Order to turn water on to all homes,” said Nick Leonard, Executive Director of the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center. “We also thank Governor Whitmer for the $2 million in grant funding for utilities to restore life-saving residential water services. Now we ask the Governor to use her own MAC EJ to ensure water is turned on right away to those suffering and unable to wash their hands.”
The MAC EJ was created to address ongoing environmental justice issues and was set up to have people that are impacted daily at the table to advise on critical environmental issues, like drinking water. MAC EJ was strategically crafted to provide opportunities for those on the frontlines to weigh in on environmental protections, regulations, and policies in Michigan that will be fair and meaningful to all Michiganders, regardless of geography, race, color, origin, or income.
“Without water to wash hands and food entering homes, COVID-19 will continue to spread,” said Nadia Gaber, MD/PhD Candidate at the University of California San Francisco. “One only need to look at a map of COVID-19 cases in Michigan to understand how vital access to clean, safe water is to public health.”
“While mayors of some Michigan cities put into place a moratorium on water shut offs and called for the restoration of residential water services over the last month; said Jill Ryan, Freshwater Future Executive Director, “turning on water to residents’ homes has been slow and the process unclear. Meanwhile, community members continue to suffer without access to clean, safe water in their homes.”
“I did not create the phrase DO NO HARM, but I took an oath upon graduating medical school to uphold it forever more. From a public health standpoint, depriving people of water is both deplorable and dangerous under the best of circumstances. In the face of this COVID19 pandemic it rises to the level of a criminal act. Not only does it put the affected person or family in grave danger, it also enables the contagion to spread like a wildfire endangering everyone in the community and country, like gasoline on a forest fire. Only when all of us fully comprehend our interrelatedness and interdependence, and act accordingly, will we have a bright future for all people – one wherein human compassion, decency, dignity, health and safety prevail,” said Wendy Sternberg, MD, Physician and Medical Strategist, Public Health Institute Ad Hoc Team and Founder and Executive Director, Genesis at the Crossroads.
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Social Media
Hashtags:
#TurnWaterOn
#KeepWaterOn
#MakeWaterAffordable
#CleanWaterSavesLives
Sample Tweets:
@GovWhitmer Thank you for ordering the water back on across Michigan, due to the urgency, please utilize the MACEJ to assist with transparency and reporting. #TurnWaterOn #KeepWaterOn #MakeWaterAffordable #CleanWaterSavesLives
{Your City’s Twitter Handle} #TurnWaterOn now so my neighbors can wash their hands and save lives. @GovWhitmer use the #MACEJ to ensure accountability and transparency, as #CleanWaterSavesLives. #KeepWaterOn #MakeWaterAffordable
Michigan water systems, both rural and urban, please ensure residents have water. Ensure people have water across Michigan. Please donate to local efforts at https://bit.ly/3bHoc3l #TurnWaterOn #KeepWaterOn #MakeWaterAffordable #CleanWaterSavesLives
The faster water service is restored, the more lives can be saved! Thank you@GovWhitmer. #TurnWaterOn #KeepWaterOn #MakeWaterAffordable #CleanWaterSavesLives
{Your City’s Twitter Handle} The faster water service is restored, the more lives can be saved! @GovWhitmer use the MACEJ to track progress. #TurnWaterOn #KeepWaterOn #MakeWaterAffordable #CleanWaterSavesLives
Thank you @GovWhitmer for ordering water service restored. Municipalities, please move fast to save lives. Donate to local efforts at www.XXXX #TurnWaterOn #KeepWaterOn #MakeWaterAffordable #CleanWaterSavesLives
#TurnWaterOn quickly to save lives. @GovWhitmer, please use the MAC EJ to push for speedy response of municipalities. #KeepWaterOn #MakeWaterAffordable #CleanWaterSavesLives
#CleanWaterSavesLives donate to provide water until all water services are restored, https://bit.ly/3bHoc3l #TurnWaterOn #KeepWaterOn #MakeWaterAffordable
Blog – Freshwater Future
https://freshwaterfuture.org/policy-memo/news-alert-public-health-experts-environment-justice-orgs-gather-to-urge-michigan-mayors-to-turn-water-on-asap/
Cruises Continue Amid COVID-19: Uncertainty mars Great Lakes cruises without stopping them
New law mandates Indiana schools test for lead contamination
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Drinking water fountains and taps at public and private schools in Indiana will be required to be tested for lead contamination by 2023 under a new state law.
The law requires schools’ drinking water equipment to be tested by Jan. 1, 2023, and take action if results show lead at higher than 15 parts per billion.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/ap-new-law-indiana-schools-test-lead-contamination/
Michigan water shutoffs in sharp focus amid coronavirus outbreak
By Kat Stafford, Associated Press Writer
DETROIT (AP) — The advice is simple and universal: Washing your hands with soap and water is one of the most effective ways to stop the spread of the coronavirus. But for millions of people across the country, that’s not simple at all: They lack running water in their houses due to service shutoffs prompted by overdue bills.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/ap-michigan-water-shutoffs-coronavirus-outbreak/
Lack of social distancing leads to closure of parks, trails in Chicago and elsewhere
Water for All: Milwaukee, Chicago lead in ensuring water during COVID-19 crisis
Shipping Continues: Great Lakes shipping season opens with extra social distancing
Freshwater Future Weekly: March 27, 2020
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Blog – Freshwater Future
https://freshwaterfuture.org/uncategorized/freshwater-future-weekly-march-27-2020/
COVID-19 Catches: Social distancing doesn’t stop Great Lakes fishing
Tighter Restrictions: COVID-19 makes it harder to cross Great Lakes borders between U.S. and Canada
Chicago mayor thinking about closing city trails, parks
CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Wednesday that the sight of crowds along Lake Michigan despite a statewide stay-at-home order to slow the spread of the coronavirus has her considering shutting down the city’s parks.
“When we have masses of people out there as I just saw … it’s a problem,” Lightfoot said.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/ap-chicago-mayor-thinking-about-closing-city-trails-parks/
COVID-19 could cut millions of dollars of Michigan’s outdoor-related revenue
Taking It in Stride: How Great Lakes islanders are weathering the COVID-19 storm
Freshwater Future Weekly: March 20, 2020 COVID-19 Update
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Blog – Freshwater Future
https://freshwaterfuture.org/uncategorized/freshwater-future-weekly-march-20-2020-covid-19-update/
Headline: Cutting Contact: U.S. and Canada cut cash transactions and non-essential travel at border
Restoring Water Access in Ohio
We quickly learned some cities like Cincinnati were proactive and understand the need to restore residential services. Other cities like Toledo, Cleveland, Columbus, Marysville, and Bellefontaine were not so proactive. Freshwater Future worked with the city of Columbus and small municipalities like Marysville, Bellefontaine, and others to put into place moratoriums on future water shut-offs and the restoration of residential water services. In addition, we worked with our partners at Junction Coalition and the Ohio Environmental Council to restore water to residents and halt future shutoffs in Toledo. We knew our partner, the Alliance for the Great Lakes was working with the city of Cleveland to successfully restore residential water services and halt future shutoffs. We also partnered up with the Alliance for the Great Lakes to urge the Governor to call for all utilities across the state to restore residential water services and halt future shutoffs. As a result, the Governor called on the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio to work with the private water companies to restore residential water services and halt future water shutoffs, which they did on Monday, March 16th. We are now waiting for the Governor’s office to share their legislation they are working on to require all utilities in Ohio to restore residential water services.
Blog – Freshwater Future
https://freshwaterfuture.org/drinking-water/restoring-water-access-in-ohio/
Wisconsin Sea Grant and Covid-19
Due to the effects of Covid-19, these are unprecedented times for all of society, including water science and outreach at Wisconsin Sea Grant. While our staff continues to adapt to this changing situation, we remain committed to the mission of promoting the sustainable use of Great Lakes resources through research, education and outreach.
Our program is one of the University of Wisconsin System’s and is housed on the flagship campus in Madison. On March 15, the University of Wisconsin-Madison chancellor called for telecommuting among staff and programs with that capability. That employee policy also affects our field offices in Milwaukee, Superior, Green Bay and Manitowoc, though local campus policies may additionally affect their office operations. Staff remains available through email and the phone.
Our social media accounts, Facebook and Twitter, are also a good means to stay current with our activities, particularly outreach events that may now be moving from face-to-face to virtual formats as we cancel larger gatherings and meetings in accordance with public health guidelines for social distancing.
In terms of grant submission and management, we work with the UW-Madison Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, and similar offices on other campuses. We will continue that work to ensure continuity during this uncertain time.
The Wisconsin Water Library has temporarily closed. However, please reach out for assistance with reference questions or resource discovery. The senior special librarian, Anne Moser, is available. She has also assembled some useful STEM educational resources for distance learning.
We have a robust website offering publications on the Great Lakes and other water topics. Many resources are downloadable. Under normal circumstances, other items would be available in hard-copy form and at your request that we mail the materials. However, our office is temporarily closed and campus mail service is suspended.
We are offering only an electronic version of issue 2, 2020, of our quarterly newsletter, the Aquatic Sciences Chronicle. Many of our readers continue to work remotely and we have chosen to not expend resources to produce and mail hard copies of the publication to empty offices. Prior to production of issue 3, 2020, we will evaluate distribution plans. You can also sign up to get an emailed version or go here to read our latest edition.
Please contact us if you have questions or concerns, and please stay healthy. Here is a reminder of the reliable sources for Covid-19 information and guidance:
American Public Health Association
News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/operations-during-covid-19/