Rotenone application at T.J. O'Brien Lock and Dam

As the title of this blog entry suggests, the fist toxicant, rotenone, is going to be administered in a 2 mile stretch of the Little Calumet River downstream of the T.J. O'Brien Lock and Dam.  For those of you unfamiliar with the region:


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(Hopefully, my Geography friends will find this map a little more acceptable than my last one.  If not, a better map can be found here.)

Purpose of the rotenone treatment

The purpose of this piscicide treatment, which is being conducted by the IL Department of Natural Resources, is to determine if Asian Carp are in the waterway.  I am told that the locks will close on Thursday the 20th, at which point the canal will be cleared, nets will be put in the water, water samples will be collected and chemical barriers will be put in place to protect boats, marinas and other properties.  Rotenone treatment will begin on the afternoon of the 20th, and IDNR will collect dead fish and conduct monitoring from the 21st through the 25th or 26th.  Dead fish collected during the process will be sent to landfills.

What the public should be aware of

It is important that between May 20-27, 2010 the public should:

• NOT Swim or recreate in the Little Calumet River
• NOT Fish in the Little Calumet River
• NOT Eat fish found in the Little Calumet River

The rotenone application process will not affect drinking water.

Press conference

The Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee will be holding a press conference at 10 AM on Thursday, May 20 at Sunset Bay Marina, and more information can be found at the website: www.asiancarp.org.

What about Rotenone?

I did a little digging about the chemical and came up with an opinion piece from the research journal Bioscience which advocates for the use of Rotenone in fish and marine research.  The article is accessible to the non-expert, and here are a few points of interest I pulled from my read through:

• The World Health Organization classifies rotenone as moderately hazardous (level 3 on a scale of 1 [most toxic] to 4 [least toxic]).  It has a low toxicity for birds and is moderately toxic to rats.  
• Rotenone kills fish by blocking a cell's ability to take in oxygen, and the chemical is easily taken up through the gills.  The chemical is not readily absorbed by human skin or the gastrointestinal tract, which is the primary reason why it is less toxic to humans.
• Rotenone breaks down when exposed to sunlight and plenty of oxygen.  
• The chemical is used in a variety of fisheries management practices, typically to eliminate undesirable species prior to seeding an area with target species.
• Application as a piscicide is the only legal use of rotenone in the US.

What next?

We at the Task Force are paying close attention to the Asian Carp issue and are talking to a lot of people. As we learn more about the impact this invasive species (and subsequent management operations) has on the environment, recreation and residents, we'll pass the information along to you.  If you have some information to share, please contact the SETF office.

Thanks to Nicole Kamins at Chicago Dept. of Environment and Greg Morris of the USCG Marine Safety Unit Chicago for providing me with information for this blog entry.

Green things at the Task Force

First, thanks to all who came out to the Green Olive on Friday night.  We had a great turnout and V. P. Bryant served up enough drinks to surpass our goal for the evening by almost 50%!  Thanks to member and Geographer par excellence Mark Bouman who pointed out that we could have pulled in a few more environmental socialites if the map in my previous blog entry pointed to the correct address for the green olive.  Who reads maps anyway? :-(

Second, I'd like to announce a partnership between SETF, Chicago DOE and Green Corp - Calumet (GC-C).  GC-C is a job training and community service program which will specialize in ecological restoration projects in the Calumet area.  Funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the USDA Forest Service will allow GC-C to set up its home base in the SETF office starting this month and provide programming through November 2011. 

GC-C will be led by Zach Taylor, Program Manager for WRD Environmental.  He will facilitate the restoration projects in the area and direct crew member training on restoration techniques, chainsoaw operation and safety, herbicide application, seed collection, plant identification, regional ecology, and prescription burn trianing.  Zach most recently worked as a Field Ecologist for V3 Companies and has conducted restoration work in Chicago, Nevada and Maine.  He holds a B.A. from Winona State University in Minnesota. 

Finally, there's green as in money.  Our membership drive will be wrapping up shortly, and we still have a long way to go to reach our goal (and feed a few more birds).  If you haven't become a member or made a donation, it's not too late.  Please support the Task Force by becoming a member and letting your neighbors and colleagues know about our programming and activities.  Thanks for reading.

Tire burning still dirty

Surprisingly, the Illinois house voted overwhelmingly to support polluting the air we breathe with toxic chemicals from burning tires and give Geneva Energy, the plant in Ford Heights wanting to burn tires, green credits for doing so!  We at SETF are thankful to those members of the state senate who are opposed to increasing the likelihood of asthma and other respiratory illnesses in their consituency, for on Thursday they shot down senate bill 380, keeping the air we breathe from getting more poisonous.

It seems curious, however, that many representatives thought the potential economic benefits (Sen. James Meeks thinks Geneva energy might leave the area should they not get incentives to stay in Ford Heights) outweighed the environmental risks (the Illinois EPA has cited Geneva Energy for pollution violations 4 times since 2006).  Was your representative one of them?  You can check the house vote here and the senate vote here.  (And if you don't know who your representatives are, check this link.)  You might want to send your representative an email, asking him/her why they thought SB380 was a good idea.  Feel free to ask if they think there is any merit to Illinois EPA's investigation into whether or not the incinerator, built in a small village with a 95% minority population, vioates any environmental justice laws.

There is no doubt that we need economic revitalization in our region.  To do so at the expense of the health and well-being of residents is unsustainable and unethical.

Tip-sy Friday Fundraiser

This Friday (May 7th) we'll be hosting a drink night at the Green Olive (13501 Ave N. - check the map below for directions) from 5-9. We serve the drinks, you leave the tip, and we use the extra cash to keep up our programming and make better use of our office space for environmental activities in the area. If it's been a rough week and you need to relax for a bit, stop on by, say hi and relax with a bunch of Calumet lovers.


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Founder of SETF receives award at Calument Summit

Day one of the 2-day Calumet connectedness summit ended with the awarding of four lifetime hero awards; given to those members of the Calumet region community who have dedicated their lives to local environmental acitivites. For those who know Marian Byrnes, founder of the Task Force, it should come as no surprise that she was a recipient of one of tonight's awards:

We at the Task Force are proud to be part of an organization created by person such as Marian, and we hope that we can meet the high standards of environmental advocacy she has set for us all.

By the way, the summit is amazing! The first day was filled with exciting and informative talks that focused on connecting people and places in the Calumet. I'll post a follow up to the entire summit after tomorrow's activities.

Items of note

Thanks to those of you who have helped us get started with our membership drive. As you can see, the bird feeder is slowly, slowly being filled. If you would like to support SETF's efforts to improve the environmental health of south side Chicago, please send in your memberhsip today.

I'd like to bring your attention to the Chicago Clean Power Ordinance which will help improve air quality by requiring Chicago's two coal fired power plants to significantly reduce their soot and carbon dioxide emissions. Here's an exerpt from the Chicago Clean Power website:

The Chicago Clean Power Ordinance is one of the first of its kind and will protect public health, promot clean energy and help Chicago live up to its pledge to be the greenest city in America.

You have an opportunity to show your support for this ordinance by attending the press conference on April 13th held by 49th ward alderman Joe Moore. Stop by the 2nd floor of city hall at 10 PM and let the politicians know that all Chicago residents have a right to breathe clean air.

Last but not least, this link to an article in the Southtown Star came to my inbox from one of the SETF board members. You should check it out before tossing that outdated cell phone or broken ipod.

It's April 1st, but are we fools?

During the month of April (and a little bit of May), the Task Force holds its spring membership drive. Our goal this year is $11,750. On our blog (and website) you'll find a bird feeder, which as of today is rather empty. So empty, in fact, that there are no birds at the feeder. Over the coming weeks, we hope to "fill the feeder" and attract some birds. An individual membership is $25, and you can read our appeal letter for more information about what we are planning for 2010.

But if you're wondering if supporting the Task Force is necessary, consider the following excerpt from Amendment 1 of House Bill 1470:

"Renewable energy resources" includes energy and its associated renewable energy credit or renewable energy credits from wind, solar thermal energy, photovoltaic cells and panels, biodiesel, crops and untreated and unadulterated organic waste biomass, trees and tree trimmings, hydropower that does not involve new construction or significant expansion of hydropower dams, incineration or burning of tires, and other alternative sources of environmentally preferable energy.

Passage of this bill would allow Geneva Energy, one of two tire incinerators in the country, to earn valuable green energy credits for generating large amounts of toxic air pollution. For years, Chicago's South Side has struggled with developing economically viable communities that are also healthy living areas. Many of the communities in the south side are predominantly minority and low income. Ford Heights, where the Geneva Energy plant resides, is no exception.

SETF works to empower residents in their fight for environmental justice. We hold workshops for residents to learn about environmental issues. Our Good Neighbor Dialogs bring residential concerns to local businesses and encourage industrial partners to strive for ever greener practices. Our Watchdog program keeps an eye out for environmentally unfriendly activities and teaches residents how they can report suspicious activity.

Speaking of suspicious, here's more of HB1470:

"Renewable energy resources" does not include the incineration or burning of garbage, general household, institutional, and commercial waste, industrial lunchroom or office waste, landscape waste other than trees and tree trimmings, railroad crossties, utility poles, or construction or demolition debris, ..."

Does it make sense to you that tires are not on this list? Why not share your opinion with your representative. If you think this legislative foolishness is disturbing, you are not alone. Post a comment if you have other useful information about tire burning or HB1470.

Please consider supporting the Task Force. Thanks for reading.