January 2019 News Archives - Save The River® Upper St. Lawrence Riverkeeper®

Will Plan 2014 Create a Risk for Mercury Contamination?

January 30th, 2019 | Posted by Margaret Hummel

St. Lawrence River wetlands contain a legacy of mercury content from past and present atmospheric deposition. Wetlands are considered areas of active mercury transformation and cycling, particularly those experiencing water level fluctuations. At this Saturday’s Winter Environmental Conference, Evie Brahmstedt will describe her current research of mercury in St. Lawrence River wetlands examining how much mercury is present, where it is going, in what form, and how quickly.

Brahmstedt is an Environmental and Engineering Ph.D. student at Clarkson University’s Institute for a Sustainable Environment. Working in Dr. Michael Twiss’ Limnology lab, she is studying mercury cycling in freshwater riparian wetlands with a focus on the St. Lawrence River. Upon earning her Ph.D., Brahmstedt hopes to become a professor at an institution where she can further her research of freshwater wetland systems, teach and inspire future scientists, and be involved with environmental management through organizations that function at the interface of science and policy. In her spare time, Brahmstedt enjoys running marathon races.

Other speakers at the Conference will include:

Peter Annin will analyze the future of Great Lakes water diversion management.
Dr. Sherri “Sam” Mason will discuss the realities of plastic pollution right here, right now in the Great Lakes region.
Dr. John Casselman will explore the American eel, an elusive and highly migratory species whose population has faced a catastrophic decline in recent years.
Elaine Tack will present It’s Hard to be a Tern, her short film exploring Save The River’s common tern restoration program.
Chad Lord will explore the threat of Asian carp and what can be done to keep these invasive fish out of the Great Lakes.

Hear Evie Brahmstedt speak Saturday, February 2 at the WEC, hosted at Clayton’s 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel. Call (315) 686-2010 to register; $50 conference fee includes morning coffee and pastries, lunch, afternoon snack, and light appetizers during cocktail hour (cash bar). Click here for the registration form.

New this year: for those unable to make the trip to Clayton, we will be hosting a professional live stream of the WEC. In order to support this exciting new offering, there is a suggested donation of $25. The hyperlink for the live stream will be emailed the week of the conference.

American Eels in the St. Lawrence River System – Going, Going, Gone?

January 29th, 2019 | Posted by Margaret Hummel

At this Saturday’s 30^th Annual Winter Environmental Conference, Dr. John Casselman will speak about the American eel, a species that was once very abundant in the St. Lawrence River system, making up half of the inshore fish biomass and was of great importance to First Nations communities. Learn about the American eel, an elusive and highly migratory species that spawns in the Sargasso Sea and matures in the continental waters of North America but whose population has catastrophically declined in recent years. What is unique about this important indicator species and are they going, going, gone?

Dr. John Casselman is an adjunct professor in the Biology Department at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. Casselman is a fisheries ecologist and environmental physiologist who has numerous publications in the primary literature, reports, and book chapters on numerous aspects of fisheries science. He has published and presented widely on eels, climate change, fish and fisheries and has received numerous awards, including, in 2008, the American Fisheries Society prestigious Award of Excellence.

Other speakers at the Conference will include:

Peter Annin will analyze the future of Great Lakes water diversion management.
Dr. Sherri “Sam” Mason will discuss the realities of plastic pollution right here, right now in the Great Lakes region.
Evie Brahmstedt will describe her ongoing research about mercury in St. Lawrence wetlands.
Elaine Tack will present It’s Hard to be a Tern, her short film exploring Save The River’s common tern restoration program.
Chad Lord will explore the threat of Asian carp and what can be done to keep these invasive fish out of the Great Lakes.

Hear Dr. Casselman speak Saturday, February 2 at the WEC, hosted at Clayton’s 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel. Call (315) 686-2010 to register; $50 conference fee includes morning coffee and pastries, lunch, afternoon snack, and light appetizers during cocktail hour (cash bar). Click here for the registration form.

Dr. Sherri Mason, Groundbreaking Researcher in Plastics Pollution, to Speak at Winter Environmental Conference

January 28th, 2019 | Posted by Margaret Hummel

‘Single-Use’ plastic was named the word of the year by Collins Dictionary highlighting the wave of news stories, social media hits, and policies that have become increasingly common over the last few years. Why? What is the problem with plastic?

At this year’s Winter Environmental Conference, Dr. Sherri “Sam” Mason will present a basic primer on what plastic is and the realities of plastic pollution right here, right now in the Great Lakes region.

Dr. Mason earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin and completed her doctorate in Chemistry at the University of Montana as a NASA Earth System Science scholar. While a Professor of Chemistry at SUNY Fredonia, her research group was among the first to study the prevalence and impact of plastic pollution within freshwater ecosystems. Among her accolades Dr. Mason was named an EPA Environmental Champion in 2016, was awarded for her Excellence in Environmental Research by the Earth Month Network in 2017 and was selected to receive a Heinz Award in Public Policy in 2018. She has recently moved into a new role as Sustainability Coordinator at Penn State Behrend.

Watch Dr. Mason’s Tedx Talk Beads of Destruction.

Other speakers at the Conference will include:

Peter Annin will analyze the future of Great Lakes water diversion management.
Evie Brahmstedt will describe her ongoing research about mercury in St. Lawrence wetlands.
Elaine Tack will present It’s Hard to be a Tern, her short film exploring Save The River’s common tern restoration program.
John Casselman will discuss the catastrophic decline of the American eel in the St. Lawrence River system.
Chad Lord will explore the threat of Asian carp and what can be done to keep these invasive fish out of the Great Lakes.

Hear Dr. Mason speak Saturday, February 2 at the WEC, hosted at Clayton’s 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel. Call (315) 686-2010 to register; $50 conference fee includes morning coffee and pastries, lunch, afternoon snack, and light appetizers during cocktail hour (cash bar). Click here for the registration form.

Peter Annin, Leading Expert on Water Diversions, to Speak at the Winter Environmental Conference

January 28th, 2019 | Posted by Margaret Hummel

Peter Annin, author of The Great Lakes Water Wars, will be our featured speaker at this year’s Winter Environmental Conference (WEC). Learn about the long history of political maneuvers and water diversion schemes that have proposed sending Great Lakes water everywhere from Akron to Arizona. Through the prism of the past, this talk analyzes the future of the Great Lakes water diversion management, currently controlled by the Great Lakes Compact, a legal document that went into effect in 2008. Learn about several noteworthy Great Lakes diversions that already exist, along with potential water diversions of the future, including the controversial Foxconn water diversion that has been proposed south of Milwaukee, WI.

Peter Annin is the director of the Mary Griggs Burke Center for Freshwater Innovation at Northland College in Ashland, WI. Before coming to Northland College in 2015, Peter served as a reporter at Newsweek, the associate director of the Institute for Journalism and Natural Resources, and the managing director of the University of Notre Dame’s Environmental Change Initiative. He continues to report on the Great Lakes water diversion issue and published a second edition of The Great Lakes Water Wars in the fall of 2018.

In addition to hearing Peter speak at the WEC, you’ll be able to purchase a copy of his recently released, revised version of The Great Lakes Water Wars ($30) and have your copy signed during an author meet and greet (hosted during the 12 – 1 pm lunch hour of WEC).

Hear Peter speak Saturday, February 2 at the WEC, hosted at Clayton’s 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel. Call (315) 686-2010 to register; $50 conference fee includes morning coffee and pastries, lunch, afternoon snack, and light appetizers during cocktail hour (cash bar). Click here for the registration form.

Register for the 30th Winter Environmental Conference

January 3rd, 2019 | Posted by Margaret Hummel

Send us your completed registration form either by postal mail (409 Riverside Drive, Clayton, NY, 13624) or by email (kendall@savetheriver.org); we can also process your registration over the phone, call us at (315) 686-2010.

This year we celebrate the 30^th year of this important annual event. Thirty years of gathering to hear from national and regional policymakers, scientists, opinion leaders, students, and teachers about the topics of critical importance to the health of the St. Lawrence River. At this year’s conference, you’ll learn about the diversion of Great Lakes freshwater, research on American eels, the threat of Asian carp, plastics in our water, and research of mercury cycling in St. Lawrence River wetlands. We will also be premiering our short film, It’s Hard to be a Tern. We hope that you will join us in Clayton on the first Saturday of February! Please register by Friday, January 25, 2019.

SPEAKERS

Peter Annin Author of The Great Lakes Water Wars, originally published in 2006, revised and updated edition published in 2018. Director of the Mary Griggs Burke Center for Freshwater Innovation at Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin.
Dr. John Casselmann Adjunct professor of biology at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario whose research focuses on American eels, a species whose population declined so greatly in recent decades that they are classified as an endangered species in Ontario.
Chad Lord Policy director of Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, a group of more than 150 environmental, conservation, and outdoor recreation organizations all working toward restoring and protecting the Great Lakes. Chad will discuss the threat of Asian carp and the current work being done to prevent their spread into the Lakes.
Dr. Sherri Mason Professor at SUNY Fredonia, pioneered the first-ever survey of plastics pollution in the Great Lakes. Her findings led to the federal ban on plastic microbeads in consumer products like toothpaste, face wash, and more.
Elaine Tack spent her 14-year broadcast journalism career reporting in Chicago, Cleveland, and Las Vegas. She is well-known in the 1000 Islands for her generosity in using her time and talent to create films for local organizations.
Evie Brahmstedt, Ph.D. Student at Clarkson University, will discuss her research in mercury cycling in wetlands, with a focus on the St. Lawrence River.

SCHEDULE

9:30 am: Registration and morning coffee; 10:00 am – 4:00 pm: Presentations (break for lunch from 12:00 – 1:00 pm); 4:00 pm: Cocktail reception with cash bar. The final schedule with the order of speakers will be released in January.

OVERNIGHT ACCOMMODATIONS

Save The River has reserved a limited block of rooms at the 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel starting at $119 per night. Reservations can be made by calling the hotel directly at (315) 686-1100. This discount rate is guaranteed through January 9.

*NEW THIS YEAR – LIVE STREAM*

For those who are unable to make the trip to Clayton, we will be hosting a professional live stream of the conference. The hyperlink to the live stream will be shared the week of the conference. In order to support this exciting new offering, please consider making an additional contribution of $25.