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SATURDAY, APRIL 24, 2010 - THE CARpUWA TjMgg . ^f of E/The Environmental Magazine hlalk® ,(he Editors hr FarthTalk: What are the major threats to the Great Lakes in Kstatwand what’s being done to address them? 1 -Sau/a, Racine. HI le Great Lakes watershed is a unique and important ecosystem that is solium ^^ percent of America's fresh water surface area, and is a Wl hub for birds, fish and other wildlife. According to the National on Society, the Great Lakes provide habitat for some 400 bird species, is the reaion's exploding human population—now at 42 million—that iini! many environmental problems. “The smart growth ap proach attempts to mini mize automobile traffic and its pollution in urban centers by including stores, residences and schools in neighbor hoods, resulting in more walking, bicycle riding and mass transit usage than in a typical suburban envi ronment. Pictured: Retail and housing in San Diego, California on the site of a former Sears store.” (Photo by “Faceless B, courtesy Flickr.” Major threats include toxic and nutrieni pollution, the growing presence of noil-native invasive species, and the destruction ofcriiicat w ildlife habitat. In addition, the region's residents worry that other parts of the country and world facing water shortages will find way s to di\ert (ireat Lakes \\ater to quench their far-off thirsts. Also, it remains to be seen what kind of impact global warming will have on the region. Perhaps the issue that gets the most attention in the region is the menace of invasive species. They arrive via heel. tire, railway and ship, and are profoundly altering the region's ecology. Ilie most notorious case is that of the zebra mussel which, originally native to southeast Russia first arrived in the late 1980s on ocean-going ships via the St. Lawrence Seaway. Aside from outcompeting native species for food, they have absorbed toxic PCBs dumped years earlier and transferred them up the food chain in being eaten by round gobies (also a non-native species), which in turn are preyed upon by walley es, a popular sport fish. Another major problem is pollution itself. Tons of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers run off of farms and into the water every month. Coal-fired power plants spew mercury into the air and factories of all kinds emit other pollutants that all eventually end up in the water. Converting farmers to organic agriculture and cleaning up smokestacks are top priorities for regulators and green groups in the region. Federal, state and local authorities and nonprofit and community groups are working diligently to help restore compromised areas in the region. The Obama administration's 2010 budget allocates $475 million to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Led by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (ERA), the initiative is assessing the threats to the region and laying out a roadmap for remediation through the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force, w hich includes representatives from the EPA as well as the departments of State. Interior. Agriculture. Commerce. Transportation, and Housing and Lhban Development. Some of the beneficiaries of this funding will also be some of the 100+ nonprofii and community groups that have formed the Healing Our Walers Great Lakes Coalition. These groups hope to leverage each others* expertise and work together on on-ihe-ground restoration projects throughout the region. Meanwhile Minnesota. Wisconsin. Illinois. Indiana. Ohio. Michigan. Pennsy Ivania. New York. Quebec and Ontario have come together as the Great Lakes Basin Compact to w ard off drought-stricken far-off places from taking fresh water out of their region. Member states and prov inces have delineated a border around the region bey ond w hich w ater cannot be shipped. The agreement came about in 20(k> w hen a Canadian company announced that it w anted to ship w ater in tankers from Lake Ontario to Asia. CONTACT.S: Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, wvvw.epa.gov'ginpo' gir: 1 leafing Our Waters Great Lakes Coalition, w ww .healthylakes.org: Great Lakes Basin Compact, ww w.elc.ore about elbc.html. SEND YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTIONS TO: EarthTalk®. c o E -The Environ menial Magazine. P.O Box 5 098. Westport. CT 06881: earthtaik a emagazine.com. E is a nonprofit publication. Subscribe; ww w. emagazine.com subscribe; Request a Free Trial Issue: www.emagazine. com trial. Week of 04721/10 thru 04/27/10 B Without MVP Card $1.66 Each M^n Without MVP Card $3.69 Each Liberal Justice (Continued From Page 14) rims, onr support for Holder betomes a vehicle for intenening in ih.U decision to bring some balance to a liglit-of-cenler debate and to represent tile interests of the people that Obama sa>s must be reflected on the Supreme ( oiirt. In other words, tve have to help make hint pm as progressive a person on the Court as possible. Intervention is veto important because the absence nt Stevens will ironically weaken the liberal or progressive stance on the Court becaitse a junior person w ill not have the status to negotiate a vote away from the conservative bloc to create a w inning majority for progres sive causes. Since we live at a time when Conservative activists are tolerated and lib eral activists are not. it w ill require a genuine mobilization on the Lett to make sure that a liberal is nominate to the Court because "centrists" and "moderates" are untrustworthy in the current ertutext. Also, since the current cast of prospects emerged from the last nomination fight, if not Holder this time, may be next. Dr. Run H'n/ier.',- i.s a Rn/ilicu!.-tna/y.ils anilRnife.\.wr EmeriliK al the Cni- rarsiiy nf .Marylaml CoHejie Park. Hi.\ lalesi bank k.' Damacralla Dexliny anil the Dl'ilriil n/'C'nhinibia (Rinrman anil Lilllebehl Pre.s.i. 21)101 Without MVP Card Regular Retail BRAND *fe Without MVP Card $1.89 jePack 1 % Lean Ground Beef Without MVP Card Regular Retail Value Pack Country Style Pork Ribs Boston Butt Pork Roast ‘*' Without MVP Card $1.79 od Lion Fresh Deli Turkey Breast Without MVP Card $5.88 DdUon Fresh Deli $088 Without MVP Care ivolone Cheese w. U n $4.88 ''BBQ Sauce Wthout MVP Card $1.75 (''aneties 161 Soft Tissue irkle ^^f Towels i*'tteut MVP Card $6.49 - $6.59 * Without MVP Card $2.88 Each d 13 U 3 (Continued From Page 14) Census data to identity those communities disproportionately affected by issues such as poverty, unemploy ment and health care disparities. The more complete the Census coitnt. the more accurate and targeted our policy solu tions will be as we work to create jobs". Ifyou haven’t done so already. 1 urge you to fill out and mail back your Census questionnaire today. It only takes a few minutes. And the confidenti ality of your answers is protected by federal law. As chair of the 2010 Advisory Committee. 1 can tell you that an unprec edented effort has been made to ensure that we don’t have a repeat of the 2000 Census when more than 4 million people, largely in minority, poor and itiimigrant communities were missed. In addition to a $133 million advertis ing campaign, the National Urban League and other civil rights and civic organizations have led a coordinated outreach effort designed to increase Census participation in communities of color. Another benefit of the Census is jobs. April 1. Census Day. also coincided w ith the release of the Labor Department’s monthly employ ment report. The report shows that of the 162.000 jobs created during March. 48.000 were Census jobs. While the overall unetnploy mem rate has leveled off at 9.7 per- cetit. African American unetnployment remains much higher, at 16.5 percent and Hispanic joblessness also exceeds the national average at 12.6 percent. That is why it is so important that our communities get to the front of the recruitment line for the hundreds of thousands of Census jobs that are being created between now and July. These jobs are primarily part-time, but the pay is good and the w ork experience could lead to something better down the road. Any one who is out of w ork and interested, should contact your local Census Bureau office today . To learn more about Census jobs in your area, click on the Jobs'SCensus mailto:Jobs®Census> link at www.census.gov http:"www'.census.eov'> or call the 2010 Census Jobs Line at 1-866-861- 2010. The National Urban League has designated this our centennial year as a y ear of empowerment. Participation in the Census is critical tool of empow erment that will help ensure that communities of color are not left behind w hen it comes to government resources. But as the Census Bureau slogan says. "We can’t move forward until you mail it back." Ifyou haven’t already done so. do it today. To learn more about the Census and the National Ur ban League’s empowerment campaign, log on to http: /IAMEMPOWERED. coni'. Mara Morial is presiilenl and CEO nflhe .National Urban League. Select Varieties For Wonder Classic or Merita Old Fashioned Bread «*? Without MVP Card Regular Retail Food Lion Ice Cream •#. Without MVP Card $2.99 Each Legal Notice Information W Without MVP Card Regular Retail light to limit quantities and correct typographical and photographic errors. Rainchecks unavailable on alcohol and tobacco products. All Stores Accept Good neighbors. Great prices. Call 682-2913 Today!
The Carolina Times (Durham, N.C.)
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April 24, 2010, edition 1
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