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In: Deb DeLuca, Duluth Port Authority, Duluth Seaway Port Authority, maritime shipping, Sea Grant Association, Susan White

It’s always nice to have one’s praises sung, and Deb DeLuca, director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority, helped communicate the value of Sea Grant during a recent Capitol Hill briefing. The virtual briefing was held July 29 and moderated by Susan White, director of North Carolina Sea Grant. (Watch video of the briefing here.)

Sponsored by the Sea Grant Association, the briefing for members of Congress, their staffs and other interested people was designed to demonstrate the impacts Sea Grant programs have in their home states.

Deb DeLuca (submitted photo).

While DeLuca provided a Great Lakes perspective, other speakers were Beth Ginter, executive director of the Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council in Maryland, and Seth Rolbein, director of the Cape Cod Fisheries Trust in Massachusetts.

Of course, it’s no surprise that DeLuca would be a dedicated advocate for Sea Grant; after all, she serves on the advisory councils of both Wisconsin Sea Grant and Minnesota Sea Grant. That dual commitment makes perfect sense, given that the “Twin Ports” nickname refers to Duluth and Superior.

After sharing some facts about her port—the largest by tonnage on the Great Lakes and one of the top 20 in the nation, also by tonnage—DeLuca outlined some of the challenges the maritime transportation industry is facing, as well as concrete ways Sea Grant is helping with those challenges.

Some of DeLuca’s observations:

  • There’s been gentrification of the working waterfront in the Duluth/Superior area, and it’s important to work on public perceptions and social license for the shipping industry. While it may seem like all 21st century jobs are going digital, that is not the case. Roughly 8,000 jobs in DeLuca’s region are tied to shipping, and they pay well. What’s more, “These jobs are accessible across a broad range of educational backgrounds,” she said.
  • With the boom in outdoor recreation spurred by the pandemic, Sea Grant programs jumped in to keep people safe while engaging in recreational boating, kayaking and the like, such as a “Paddle Safe” program about avoiding entries to the harbor, how to behave around ships, and—for swimmers—how to stay safe from rip tides. “We do want people to use the water and for these two uses”—industry and recreation—“to exist together. Sea Grant’s been fantastic for that.”
  • DeLuca’s port has 19 miles of navigational channel that need to be dredged to remain operational, and “it’s always an issue where to put that material,” she said, as well as to determine most accurately the window of time it can be done safely. Sea Grant has pulled together fish habitat and reproduction data, as well as stakeholder input, to inform those decisions.

These are just three areas among several DeLuca noted to illustrate Sea Grant’s value in guiding smart, science-based decisions for the Great Lakes that balance the needs of various users and protect the environment for generations to come.

Watch the full briefing online to hear more of DeLuca’s comments, as well as those of her counterparts along the Atlantic Ocean.

The post At a virtual Capitol Hill briefing, Duluth port director describes Sea Grant’s impact first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.

Original Article

Blog | Wisconsin Sea Grant

Blog | Wisconsin Sea Grant

https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/blog/at-a-virtual-capitol-hill-briefing-duluth-port-director-describes-sea-grants-impact/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=at-a-virtual-capitol-hill-briefing-duluth-port-director-describes-sea-grants-impact

Jennifer Smith

On:
In: Capitol Hill briefing, Deb DeLuca, Duluth Seaway Port Authority, Sea Grant Association

Deb DeLuca, executive director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority, is part of a panel that will deliver a virtual Capitol Hill briefing noon – 1 p.m. Thursday, July 29.

Deb DeLuca (submitted photo).

As members of Congress continue bipartisan negotiations on investment in infrastructure and ways to bolster the economy while the nation emerges from the global pandemic, DeLuca will share her insights on the value of the Duluth Seaway, a twin port with the harbor in Superior, Wisconsin. The seaway generates $1.4 billion in revenue annually and supports 7,881 jobs. By tonnage, it’s the largest port in the Great Lakes and is in the top 20 of U.S. ports.

The briefing is sponsored by the Sea Grant Association, a nonprofit organization that advocates for greater understanding, use and conservation of marine, coastal and Great Lakes resources. Other speakers include Beth Ginter, executive director of Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council, Silver Spring, Maryland; and Seth Rolbein, director of Cape Cod Fisheries Trust, Chatham, Massachusetts.

DeLuca is a member of the Wisconsin Sea Grant Advisory Council, a 13-member body that provides input and direction for the statewide program that promotes the sustainable use of the Great Lakes through research, education and outreach.

To register for the briefing, visit this link.

The post Sea Grant Advisory Council member to deliver Capitol Hill briefing first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.

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News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant

News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant

https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/sea-grant-advisory-council-member-to-deliver-capitol-hill-briefing/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sea-grant-advisory-council-member-to-deliver-capitol-hill-briefing

Moira Harrington

On:
In: Advisory Council, Deb DeLuca, Duluth Port Authority, Duluth Seaway Port Authority

In the Wisconsin Sea Grant online newsroom, we recently introduced four new members of the Advisory Council. Council members help shape Sea Grant’s future, enabling it to better serve the people of Wisconsin.

Now, here on our blog, we’d like to give people a chance to get to know those four newcomers better through Q & As. We begin with Deb DeLuca, executive director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority.

Keep following the blog for upcoming installments with the other three new members: Madelyn Leopold, Becky Sapper and Lori Tate.

Deb DeLuca (submitted photo).

Do you have a favorite spot in the Great Lakes, or favorite natural area?

As a Lake Superior community resident, I spend a lot of free time (as well as work time) within view of, or on the shores of, Lake Superior.  I love disappearing along Lake Superior’s North Shore, including those areas around Minnesota state parks, most often Tettegouche, Temperance River and Cascade River.

Along the South Shore, Pictured Rocks National Seashore and Porcupine State Park (in Michigan) are amazing, as are the Bayfield Peninsula and the Apostle Islands.

I adore any bike route, or hiking or Nordic ski trail, that includes Lake Superior views–especially when you turn a corner or descend a hill and the lake is suddenly spread out before you in all its glory–regardless of weather or season.

What drew you to say “yes” to serving on the Advisory Council?  

My “yes” answer was driven by two trains of thought.  First, I am not only a Wisconsin native, I am also a proud University of Wisconsin graduate.  I earned my master’s degree through the land resources program at (what is now) the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. My research focused on the occurrence of pesticide degradation products in groundwater contaminated by the parent product, and the implications for health-risk-based standards for those pesticides.

My home department was the water chemistry department, whose building was located near the Memorial Union overlooking Lake Mendota.  I was very aware of the Sea Grant program while I was in graduate school. One of our fantastic water chemistry professors, and a huge personality, Anders Andren, was Sea Grant director at the time.

Fast-forward many years: my son recently graduated from UW-Madison, and my father is still a UW emeritus professor. Serving on the Advisory Council keeps me close to my Wisconsin and UW roots and lets me return service to the University of Wisconsin System.

Secondly, I appreciate Wisconsin Sea Grant’s mission to promote “the sustainable use of Great Lakes resources” and its vision, which is “thriving coastal ecosystems and communities.”  Thriving communities must thrive on ecosystem, societal and economic bases, and realistic solutions must balance the intersection of these three realms.

Great Lakes shipping plays an important role in the state and regional economy, yet it is relatively invisible, especially to non-waterfront communities.  I am proud to represent the interests of shipping and waterborne commerce on the Advisory Council. 

 Is there a special aspect of Sea Grant’s work or mission that speaks to you the most?

There are many aspects that appeal to me.  Working waterfronts and resilient coastal communities are key to all of us who live in towns and cities on the Great Lakes and love Great Lakes resources.

Resiliency will only become increasingly important with climate change.  The aquatic invasive species focus is also important in my line of work: as responsible stewards of the Great Lakes, we must be aware and realistic about associated risks and set policy that is effective and practical. 

 Where would you like to see Sea Grant headed in the near future? 

As an incoming member of the Advisory Committee, I think it is important to first engage and listen before articulating or identifying a direction for the organization.

The post Get to know the Advisory Council: Q&A with Deb DeLuca first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.

Original Article

Blog – Wisconsin Sea Grant

Blog – Wisconsin Sea Grant

https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/blog/get-to-know-the-advisory-council-qa-with-deb-deluca/

Jennifer Smith

On:
In: Advisory Council, Becky Sapper, Deb DeLuca, Duluth Port Authority, Duluth Seaway Port Authority, Lori Tate, Madelyn Leopold

Four new members joined the Advisory Council of Wisconsin Sea Grant in fall 2020. Invited to serve by the organization and officially appointed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison chancellor, these individuals help shape Sea Grant’s future, enabling it to better serve the people of Wisconsin. The four new members are Deb DeLuca, Madelyn Leopold, Becky Sapper and Lori Tate.

With 15 members total, Wisconsin Sea Grant’s Advisory Council brings together individuals from academia; state, tribal and local governments; private industry; and the public at large. This body meets two to three times per year. Members’ varied viewpoints and experiences help ensure Sea Grant’s responsiveness and accountability to its constituencies.

Sea Grant is grateful to these individuals for contributing their time to address challenges and opportunities facing our Great Lakes. The brief profiles below will help you get acquainted with them; watch the Wisconsin Sea Grant blog in the coming weeks for more in-depth Q&A features with each.

Deb DeLuca, executive director, Duluth Seaway Port Authority, Duluth, Minn.

Deb DeLuca (submitted photo).

For Deb DeLuca, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where Wisconsin Sea Grant is headquartered, is in her blood. She earned her master’s degree at what is now the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies on campus. Said DeLuca, “I was very aware of the Sea Grant program while I was in graduate school,” having crossed paths with former Sea Grant director Anders Andren, who taught water chemistry. DeLuca’s graduate research focused on the occurrence of pesticide degradation products in groundwater contaminated by the parent product, and the implications for health-risk-based standards for those pesticides. 

Now, years later, DeLuca is the parent of a recent UW-Madison graduate, and her father is an emeritus professor there. “Serving on the Advisory Council keeps me close to my Wisconsin and UW roots, and it lets me return service to the University of Wisconsin system.”

DeLuca leads the bustling Duluth Seaway Port Authority, the Great Lakes’ largest port, as its executive director—the first woman in that role in the port authority’s 60-year history. (She spoke about her career journey in a public talk co-presented by Sea Grant last year; you can find a recap of that event on our blog.)

She feels a strong connection to the Sea Grant vision of thriving coastal ecosystems and communities, as well as the sustainable use of Great Lakes resources. As she said, “Thriving communities must thrive on ecosystem, societal and economic bases. Realistic solutions must balance the intersection of these three realms.  Great Lakes shipping plays an important role in the state and regional economy, yet it is relatively invisible, especially to non-waterfront communities.  I am proud to represent the interests of shipping and waterborne commerce on the Advisory Council.” 

Madelyn Leopold, private landowner and retired attorney, Madison, Wis. 

Madelyn Leopold (submitted photo).

Madelyn Leopold, a retired attorney with a commitment to conservation, found her way to the Advisory Council though another body on which she serves, Madison’s Board of Park Commissioners. There, she met Sea Grant Assistant Director for Communications Moira Harrington, a fellow commissioner.

Said Leopold, “Moira always brings a broad, science-based perspective to the board discussions; it was clear that her lens was much broader than most, and I credited some of that perspective to her work with Wisconsin Sea Grant.  I was curious to know more about her organization and the work that it does.”

Leopold finds Sea Grant’s emphasis on “engaging young people of diverse backgrounds in science-based projects” especially appealing.  As she observed, “We need to broaden the community of people who care and are smart about managing our waters.”

“I’m also excited about how Sea Grant’s work engages communities and businesses in local projects where the impacts can be seen and appreciated and supported; these connections are important for expanding the public’s understanding and support of scientific research,” elaborated Leopold. Examples of this include green infrastructure efforts and rip-current safety lights at Port Washington beaches. 

Becky Sapper, director, Wisconsin Master Naturalist Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Division of Extension, Ashland, Wis.

Becky Sapper (submitted photo).For Becky Sapper, the waters of Lake Superior are her lodestar; she has lived near them for 25 years. Based in Ashland, she directs the Wisconsin Master Naturalist Program, which in 2020 was honored with the Dave Engleson Award from the Wisconsin Association for Environmental Education. That award recognizes significant contributions to the field of environmental education having statewide, regional or national impact.

As a new Advisory Council member, Sapper looks forward to making an impact with Sea Grant as well. The organization has long been on her radar, and, in 2010 (while she was in a previous Extension role), she collaborated with several Sea Grant staff during the designation of the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve.

Sapper said she finds Sea Grant’s emphasis on both research and education/outreach compelling. “It’s important that we continue to learn more about our Great Lakes, but we also need to understand why it’s important and how that impacts local communities,” she noted.

Looking toward the future, “I’d like to see Sea Grant continue to strengthen their work with emerging issues that impact people living in and visiting our coastal communities,” she said, so that Wisconsinites continue to appreciate and value our water-rich state.

Lori Tate, section chief, Fisheries Management Bureau, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, Wis. 

Lori Tate (submitted photo).

Lori Tate, of the Wisconsin DNR’s Fisheries Management Bureau, came to Wisconsin in 2009, after growing up and spending her career until to that point in Canada. A fisheries biologist, she has experience with freshwater systems, as well as some exposure to aquaculture farms.

Tate is eager to grow connections between the DNR’s Fisheries Management program and the organizations it partners with, such as Sea Grant and its sister program, the University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute (WRI). She’s already a mentor to a postdoctoral fellow jointly supported by the Bureau of Fisheries Management and WRI (Bryan Maitland, a Wisconsin Water Science-Policy Fellow).

Said Tate, these collaboratively supported fellowships are “a great model for helping to answer research and management questions, and they provide fantastic opportunities for young scientists!”

What’s more, said Tate, she appreciates Sea Grant’s active outreach efforts to connect Great Lakes stakeholders with this research and management decision-making.

Follow our blog for more!

To learn more about our new Advisory Council members, including their favorite spots on the Great Lakes, follow the Wisconsin Sea Grant blog. In the coming weeks, we will add our full Q&A’s with each new member.

The post New Sea Grant Advisory Council members help guide program with their expertise first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.

Original Article

News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant

News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant

https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/new-sea-grant-advisory-council-members/

Jennifer Smith

On:
In: Deb DeLuca, Duluth Seaway Port Authority, River Talk, River Talks

By Elise Ertl, University of Wisconsin-Superior

Deborah DeLuca presented this month’s River Talk on Jan. 8 at the Lake Superior Estuarium. Her talk, “The Duluth Seaway Port Authority – A Career Journey,” offered insight to the Great Lakes’ largest port and how she came to be the first woman to hold the executive director position at Duluth Seaway Port Authority in the 60 years since its establishment.

Deb DeLuca. Image by Marie Zhuikov.

The Duluth Seaway Port Authority’s mission is to bring business to the port of Duluth-Superior, economic development to the region and to advocate for maritime and transportation industries. The port authority also owns one of 20 active terminals – the Clure Public Marine Terminal – which is the only general cargo terminal in the harbor.

DeLuca said one of the challenges about being located in Duluth is how far inland the port is. Ships must travel to the western tip of Lake Superior to reach it.

Some of the primary cargoes shipped from the harbor are iron ore, limestone and coal. Grain is the No. 1 export. However, DeLuca also talked about the increasing wind turbine imports to our area. The wind turbine imports the port is receiving are shipped all across the upper Midwest, including states as far as Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska. Wind turbine parts can be immense, with some blades over 200 feet long.

The talk of wind turbine imports added to what has always been a big part of DeLuca’s life, the environment and sustainability. In college, she earned her bachelor’s in molecular biology, and later a master’s in land resources at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She talked about her internship with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and her experience working with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Braun Intertec, an environmental consulting and testing firm.

During her college career, she worked at a bike shop, adding to the list of DeLuca’s wide interests and capabilities. While there, she purchased a bike and learned from her coworkers how to ride competitively. She quickly progressed and eventually made the U.S. National Cycling Team.

She also worked for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. Later, she started her own company, DeLuca Strategies LLC, where she provided services such as funding strategies, grant-writing, project management, public outreach, and government relations to public, private and nonprofit clients.

DeLuca first started working for the Duluth Seaway Port Authority as the government and environmental affairs director for four years and afterward, became executive director.

The River Talks audience was engaged and asked an abundance of questions. One audience member asked whether the port authority has looked into tourism and possible recreational benefits for people who may want to see the ships up close at the port. DeLuca said, “Kayaking and paddleboarding down by the port may be a fun idea, but it is also dangerous because the ships cannot see people down below, and they can’t maneuver quickly or stop.”

DeLuca was also asked questions about the environment and people who may be studying the topic. She offered this advice: “You can have all the passion in the world to make a difference, but without an understanding of economics and finance, it will be difficult to implement change.” She recommended gaining knowledge of finance and economics in addition to environmental sciences.

The next River Talk will be held on Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. at the Lake Superior Estuarium. Nancy Schuldt will be discussing the growth of wild rice in the estuary.

Original Article

Blog – Wisconsin Sea Grant

Blog – Wisconsin Sea Grant

https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/blog/deluca-shares-her-journey-to-becoming-executive-director-of-the-duluth-seaway-port-authority/

Wisconsin Sea Grant