New York Great Lakes Protection Fund
Small Grants for 2001

This small grants program provides seed funding for new, cooperative approaches to projects with the potential to improve understanding and/or management of New York's Great Lakes basin. The program is indended to supplement the Great Lakes Research Consortium's small grants program for preliminary research and to expand the program to include cooperative projects between academic institutions, local governments, non-profit organizations, school districts and others. This year, four small grants of up to $7,000 each were awarded.

The money for this program comes from the New York Great Lakes Protection Fund, established by the New York State Legislature to receive and allocate the interest on the regional Great Lakes Protection Fund endowment created by the Governors of the Great Lakes States.

Lake Ontario Algae Cause and SolutionWorkshop

Margaret Peet, Monroe County Health Department
Helen Domske, New York Sea Grant

The accumulation of algae and its subsequent decomposition along the Lake Ontario shoreline contributes to bathing beach closures and causes strong, putrid odors along residential and recreational areas of the Lake shoreline. The increasing problem is impeding access to lakeshore recreational areas, forcing residents indoors or out of town, and spurring citizens to organize and demand government actions to address the problem. Several factors have been identified as contributing to the problem of increased algae growth and accumulation, but the relative importance of each of those factors has not been agreed to or communicated to local governments or citizens. Efforts are also under way by the public engineering and works community to design projects for diverting algae away from the public bathing beach at Ontario Beach Park in Monroe County. There is a need to bring all available information on the issue of Lake Ontario algae growth and management together to seek a common understanding of the dynamics of the natural ecosystem and the potential for successful intervention into the natural system causing the algae growth and accumulation.

This need will be met by a one-day workshop to be held on May 30, 2002 in Greece Town Hall, Monroe County, New York. The workshop will examine factors contributing to algae growth in Lake Ontario and the potential solutions to manage its growth and accumulation. Speakers from the New York Great Lakes Research Consortium, Environment Canada, Sea Grant Extension and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers will present on the basic biology of algae growth, recent research, history and trends, and overview of past and current efforts to manage algae. Proceedings of the roundtables will be prepared and used to pursue additional needed research and to develop a core of scientific information to use in evaluating algae accumulation interventions and in communicating with the public. The workshop is cosponsored by the GLRC, New York Sea Grant, Monroe County Department of Health, and the Water Education Collaborative. For more information contact Karen Paris Tuori, Monroe County Health Department at 716-374-6937 or kparistuori@mc.rochester.lib.ny.us

Environmental Risk Protection and Sport Fish
Consumption Advisory Awareness on the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation

John Vena, University of Buffalo
John Weiner, University of Buffalo
Gregory Beehler, University of Buffalo
Mariua Maybee, Great Lakes United
Ron Jamieson, Cattaraugus Indian Reservation

Certain communities may be at higher risk for exposure to toxic substances in their environment. For example, Native American anglers and consumers of sport fish may not be aware of sport fish consumption health advisories for contaminated waters. Yet, Seneca Nation community members reside within close proximity to several popular fishing locations, including the Cattaraugus Creek and Lake Erie. Therefore, the goal of this project is to develop and test a pilot survey with the Seneca of the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation in Irving, NY. The New York State Angler Cohort Study, Great Lakes United, and Cattaraugus Indian Reservation Health Clinic administrators will work together to construct a survey gathering information on community members’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices of sport fishing and sport fish consumption advisory awareness. The survey will be based on findings from previous research in other minority communities, as well as specific information regarding local issues of concern on the reservation and surrounding waters. Pilot testing will reveal any revisions in survey content or procedure necessary prior to administering the survey to the health clinic clients. Participation from the Seneca community in this project will ensure public input into the research and educational processes. Close cooperation among the three collaborating groups will be essential to the success of this project. The New York State Angler Cohort Study will be responsible for survey format and content, with guidance from Seneca community members, from Great Lakes United, and the health clinic who will also act as interviewers to pilot test the survey. This survey will generate data regarding a vulnerable community’s attitudes and knowledge about an important Great Lakes issue. The results of future larger-scale administration of the proposed survey will be essential in the programming of educational interventions within the community. For more information, contact John E. Vena, University of Buffalo, at jvena@acsu.buffalo.edu

Spatial Distribution and Foodweb Impacts of Echinogammarus Ischnus, An Invasive Benthic Crustacean

Christine Mayer, Syracuse University
Nancy Tisch, Cornell University
Edward Mills Cornell University
James McKenna, US Geological Survey

It seems that every year brings with it another exotic species to the Great Lakes. These species can often spread rapidly, dominate native or other naturalized species, and change food web dynamics by eating prey or by providing new sources of food for predators. This study will increase our understanding of how a recently introduced amphipod, Echinogammarus ischnus may influence the dominant, resident amphipod species, Gammarus fasciatus as well as the near shore fishes that feed upon amphipods in the Great Lakes. The investigators will quantify the current and historical spatial distribution of E. ischnus in Lake Ontario and its contiguous inland waters. They will conduct laboratory experiments to quantify cannibalism and mutual predation of the two amphipods, and determine the extent to which different fish species prey on the amphipods. This project involves investigators from Syracuse University (Christine Mayer), Cornell University (Edward Mills and Nancy Tisch) and the United States Geological Survey (James McKenna). In addition, the project will provide opportunities for undergraduate research at both academic institutions. For more informationcontact Christine Mayer at cmayer@syr.edu

Identifying Sediment Source Areas for a Highly Polluted Urban Creek

Shreeram Inamdar, SUNY College at Buffalo
John Whitney, Natural Resources Conservation Service
Ellen llardo, Erie County Soil and Water Conservation District

Scajaquada Creek in Erie County has been identified as one the most polluted tributaries contributing to the Niagara River AOC. High concentrations of heavy metals, PCBs, and dioxins have been reported in the Creek sediments and are a cause of concern. Dredging of the existing sediment beds is one of the proposed remedial solutions. Recent data suggests that suburban development activities in headwater reaches appear to be contributing a majority of the current sediment load to the creek. These new sediment contributions are increasing the cost and effort required to dredge contaminated sediments. Furthermore, these sediments are suspected to increase the eutrophication of the stream. Natural resource agencies responsible for the health of the watershed are very keen on identifying these sources so that appropriate management measures could be implemented to control the new sources of pollution. This study will identify these new sediment source areas and quantify their contributions using a combination of monitoring and modeling approaches. The GIS based SWAT model will be implemented for the watershed to develop sediment budgets for subbasins and creek reaches. The model will be calibrated and verified using monitored data. The GIS based model will be used as a tool by the resource agencies to identify critical source areas of sediment and target appropriate management practices (riparian buffers, filter strips, etc.) for these locations. Knowledge of sediment contributors will also provide some scientific basis for citizens groups in the watershed to argue their case (for reducing sediment pollution to the creek) with suburban town councils and zoning authorities. For more information, contact Shreeram Inamdar, SUNY College at Buffalo, Great Lakes Center at inamdasp@bscmail.buffalostate.edu