Group photo of speakers
Dr. Karl Gustavson
Dr. Robert Shuchman (MTRI)
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The purpose of this meeting is to bring together stakeholders working on Upper Peninsula’s (U.P.) water-related environmental issues, with a focus on addressing the legacy of contamination in the U.P. Attendees will identify and discuss environmental water quality issues such as legacy mining impacts, fish consumption effects from contaminated water and sediment, and other industrial contaminants such as mercury and PCBs. The outcome of the workshop will be a prioritized summary of water-related environmental issues and ways to work together to solve these important environmental concerns.
The event was hosted at Michigan Technological University by the GLEAMS Center. GLEAMS is a unique partnership between Western Michigan University and Michigan Technological University’s Michigan Tech Research Institute (MTRI), formerly Altarum Institute/ERIM, bringing together deep domain expertise in the fields of molecular genomics, environmental chemistry and geospatial informatics.
More details on GLEAMS Concept
Dr. Charles Ide (WMU), Dr. Robert Shuchman (MTRI), Dr. Dale Manty (EPA) spoke on the
GLEAMS Center projects and their relevance to the U.P.
Keynote Presenter: Dave Dempsey, author of Great Lakes environmental books including “On
the Brink: The Great Lakes in the 21st Century” and “Ruin and Recovery: Michigan’s Rise as a
Conservation Leader” will discuss “Climate Change Implications for the Great Lakes”
The presentations were:
• Dr. Charles Ide: The GLEAMS Center genomics and human health studies
• Colin Brooks, MTRI: The GLEAMS human health and water quality Dynamic Decision
Support System GIS tools
• Dr. W. Charles Kerfoot, Michigan Tech – Lake Superior Restoration: Mining, Copper, and
Mercury
• John Fassbender, P.E., Foth Infrastructure and Environment, LLC – Mine Drainage Water
Treatment for the Kennecott Minerals Eagle Project
• Marilyn Shy, USDA NRCS Marquette office – Upper Peninsula Resource Conservation &
Development Water Quality Projects: Past Efforts and Future Needs
• Dr. Joan Chadde, Michigan Tech: K-12 & Community W.Q. Education & Outreach in the
U.P.
• Kirk Riley, MSU – Technical Outreach: Bridging the Expert/Citizen Divide
• Dr. Alex Mayer, Michigan Tech – Huron Creek Watershed Management Plan
• Dr. Barbara Keller, Lake Superior State University – Overview of Ongoing Studies of the
St. Marys River Watershed
Dr. Karl Gustavson, National Research Council: Presentation related to new NRC
report, “Sediment Dredging at Superfund Megasites: Assessing the Effectiveness” |
