Great Lakes Research Consortium Newsletter
November 2008

NYGLRC News:

• Research Task Groups
• Great Lakes Goes to Albany!
• GLRC biennial Report
• Seminar Series

Member News:

• New Sea Grant Director

Great Lakes News:

• NY fights out-of-state Mercury Emissions
• Bush Signs Compact
• GLOS names new Executive Director
• Update on IJC water level plan

Conferences/ Events:

• Lake Ontario Ecosystem Workshop
• Great Lakes Urban Restoration Symposium
• Great Lakes Day in Washington
• Great Lakes Web Resources at Your Fingertips

Job Opportunities:

• Fish Ecologist/ Ecological Modeler

More than a Dozen Grant Opportunities:

GLRC Research Task Groups
These are groups of researchers with a common interest that work together to obtain funding for large multi-institutional grants. To take advantage of a number of opportunities on the horizon,  the GLRC is proposing to start research tasks groups in a number of areas including:

• Develop and support an Ocean and Great Lakes Health Index.
• Harmful Algal Blooms in the Lower Great Lakes
• Application of GIS and Remote Sensing to the Great Lakes
• Implementation of the Great Lakes Observing System
• Education and Outreach Opportunities for the Great Lakes
• Ecosystem modeling.

More details are coming soon on our website at www.esf.edu/GLRC/research.  However if you are interested in joining, or proposing a research task group,  please contact us at glrc@esf.edu or at 315-470-6720.

Great Lakes Goes to Albany student poster session!
April 25th is Great Lakes Day in Albany and the GLRC is taking part in the organization of this opportunity to introduce our legislators to the work we do. As part of this effort we are organizing a poster session for undergraduate and graduate students to come and present their work, meet other Great Lakes researchers, activists and our New York State legislators. Students will be asked to submit an abstract of their research to the GLRC office at glrc@esf.edu early next year. Those accepted will receive a travel grant to travel to  Albany to present their work.   Details and application instructions will be available on the GLRC website in late November

GLRC Biennial Report
Our first Report since 2004 is now available. In it you will find information about recent small grants research, our conference, seminars and campus updates. It is available for viewing or download on our website at www.esf.edu/glrc/report.pdf

Seminar Series
The GLRC seminar series is up and running. We have more than 40 proposed seminars this year! Please take advantage of this wonderful opportunity. If you see a seminar that interests you please contact us and we will facilitate organizing a time that is convenient for both the host campus and the seminar speaker. We will also pay travel for the speaker as well as work with both to develop a flier for advertising. Take a look at the available seminars at www.esf.edu/glrc/SeminarPages/CurrentSem.htm

New Director For New York Sea Grant
Dr. James W. Ammerman was recently appointed as director of New York Sea Grant. Dr. Ammerman replaced Dr. Jack Mattice, who has served as director since 19??.  Dr. Ammerman is an aquatic microbial ecologist and biogeochemist who received his Ph.D. from Scripps Institution of Oceanography. He has been a member of the faculty at Texas A&M University and the research staff at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University. Dr. Ammerman served as an Associate Program Manager in the Biological Oceanography Program at the National Science Foundation and as Science Director of NOAA’s Undersea Research Center at Rutgers University. He leaves his research faculty post at the Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences at Rutgers to take on the mantle of New York Sea Grant Director.

News from around the Great Lakes Region:
New York Joins New England States to Fight out-of-state Mercury Emissions

            New York, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont have formally requested the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to utilize a federal Clean Water Act provision to convene a conference of all the states whose emissions contribute to mercury deposition in the petitioning states. The purpose of the conference would be to craft an agreement on how to reach mercury reduction targets. In the absence of federal leadership on the regulation of other large in-state mercury contributors, DEC is currently examining technologies that would substantially reduce mercury emissions from cement plants.

Bush Signs Great Lakes Compact

In early October President Bush signed a federal-state compact that bans the diversion of water from the Great Lakes unless all eight states and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec agree. It urges all parties to use water in the most efficient way possible.
The agreement, approved earlier by large bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate, vindicates years of work by political, business, labor and environmentalist leaders in the Great Lakes region.

Jennifer Read named executive director of the Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS)

Dr. Jennifer Read has been named the first executive director of the Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS), a new nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting Great Lakes stewardship through sound science and data management.  GLOS is one of 11 regional nodes of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System, a nationwide federal initiative of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  As the only freshwater component of this nationwide system, GLOS will assume a central role in advancing science-based policy decisions and the exchange of scientific data among key agencies, organizations and academic institutions in the binational Great Lakes basin.  

Dr. Read can be contacted at 734.936.3622 or jenread@umich.edu. For further details, visit the GLOS web site at www.glos.us.

Update on the IJC water level plan

After a 105-day public comment period during which 10 public information sessions and 10 public hearings were held throughout the Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence basin, the IJC has determined that Plan 2007 is not a practical option for implementation and that regulation of water levels and flows should be based on a revised set of goals and objectives and criteria, specifically moving towards more natural flows to benefit the environment. The Commission proposes forming a small working group which will develop a new framework for control. In the interim, the Control Board will continue to operate per plan 1958 D.

Conferences/Events:
Lake Ontario Ecosystem Workshop November 8
November 8, 2008 
The Cornell Biological Field Station at Shackelton Point, the Cornell College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, and New York Sea Grant are offering a free public workshop to provide information and insights into food web indicators of the health, condition and challenges of the Lake Ontario ecosystem, including its fisheries.
More info/registration: 315-312-3042, mailto:slm22@cornell.edu

Great Lakes Urban Habitat Restoration Symposium
January 22-23, 2009
Partnering to restore Great Lakes urban nearshore and riverine areas.
www.glfc.org/urbanrestore/

Great Lakes Day in Washington events
Feb. 24-25, 2009
Contact: Tim Eder teder@glc.org

Great Lakes Web Resources at Your Fingertips Spring ’09 Workshop
Due to the hands-on nature of these workshops, attendance will be limited to 25 participants.
 More info: mailto:hmd4@cornell.edu

Job Opportunities:
Fish Ecologist/Ecological Modeler – Postdoctoral
Oregon Sea Grant invites applicants to apply for a full-time (1.0 FTE), 12-month, fixed-term position as a Postdoctoral Research Associate. Work with an interdisciplinary team of scientists to develop and test various models (food web, spatially-explicit growth rate potential bioenergetics) to understand the response of fishes and food webs to hypoxia and physical processes in the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. The incumbent will be expected to work with model output and fisheries acoustics data, write manuscripts, and make presentations at national conferences. This position will be directly supervised by Professor Stephen Brandt who will be joining the faculty of Oregon State University in 1/09.
 Minimum qualifications include a PhD in Fisheries Science, Aquatic Ecology, or related field. Strong quantitative skills and a willingness to work with interdisciplinary research teams are required.  Familiarity with underwater acoustics and experience in developing or using bioenergetics and/or food web models are desired.
Location:  Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon
Salary:  $40,000 to $45,000
Closing:  November 30, 2008
Direct any questions about this position to: Dr. Stephen Brandt (Stephen.B.Brandt@noaa.gov)
How to Apply: Applicants may complete a general employment profile and apply to this position at http://oregonstate.edu/jobs  (Posting 0003437)

Grant Opportunities:
Program:Webless Migratory Game Bird Research Program
Sponsor: Migratory Birds
Deadline: Nov 02, 2008
URL:
http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&flag2006=false&oppId=43016
The primary purpose of the WMGBR Program is to promote scientifically meaningful and useful webless migratory game bird research. Our goal is to fund the highest priority and best designed studies. This does not imply that well-designed, but more descriptive studies are not welcome for species of webless game birds, where relatively little is known, to provide the foundation for improved management and further research. Proposed projects require at least one-third of the total project cost be paid with non-federal dollars. 

Program: International Cooperative Biodiversity Groups (ICBG)
Sponsor: NSF
Full Proposal Deadline Date: November 20, 2008
URL:
http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503183&govDel=USNSF_25

The International Cooperative Biodiversity Groups (ICBG) program includes an emphasis on microbial and marine organisms, some changes in target health areas, greater involvement of funded consortia with government contract resources, greater use of molecular and genomic tools, and the opportunity to integrate energy- related discovery research into projects. Research and training focused on plant biodiversity continues to be of interest, especially that which may inform us regarding composition, safety and efficacy of botanicals that may be used or marketed as dietary supplements, or novel scientific analyses of plants used traditionally as medicines.

Program: Request for applications under the water resources research grant program
Sponsor: New York State Water Resources Institute at Cornell University and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Hudson River Estuary Program
Deadline: November 21, 2008
URL: http://wri.eas.cornell.edu
The primary objective of this program is to bring innovative science to watershed planning and management. Proposals that support the strategic goals of the DEC Hudson River Estuary Program are encouraged. Many of these goals are also relevant to other regions of New York State and there is no geographic requirement that the proposed work be within the Hudson River Estuary or its watershed.

Program: Hydrologic Sciences - NSF 06-545
Sponsor: NSF
Deadline: Dec 01, 2008 Jun 01, 2009
URL: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2006/nsf06545/nsf06545.htm
This program focuses on the flow of water and transport processes within streams, soils, and aquifers. Particular attention is given (1) to spatial and temporal heterogeneity of fluxes and storages of water and chemicals over a wide range of scales; (2) to geolimnology; and (3) to interfaces with the landscape, microbial communities, and coastal areas. Studies may also deal with processes in aqueous geochemistry and with the physical, chemical, and biological processes within water bodies. Study of these processes requires expertise from many basic sciences and mathematics, and proposals often require joint review with related programs.

Program: Embrace-A-Stream Grant Program
Sponsor: Trout Unlimited
Deadline: 11/17/2008
URL: http://www.tu.org/atf/cf/%7BED0023C4-EA23-4396-9371-8509DC5B4953%7D/RFP_EAS2009_FINAL.pdf
Embrace-A-Stream (EAS) is a matching grant program administered by the National Office of Trout Unlimited (TU) that awards funds to TU chapters and councils for coldwater fisheries conservation. Since its inception in 1975, EAS has funded 913 individual projects for a total of more than $3.6 million in direct cash grants. Local TU Chapters and Councils contributed an additional $7 million in cash and in-kind services to EAS funded projects for a total investment of more than $10 million. Partners include the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Costa del Mar Sunglasses, and the FishAmerica Foundation.

Program: Conservation Grants
Sponsor:National Geographic Society
Funds Available: $20,000
URL:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/field/grants-programs/conservation-trust-application.html
The Conservation Trust accepts pre-applications throughout the year. Applicants should submit their pre-application at least eight months prior to anticipated field dates. Within eight weeks the principal investigator will receive a decision. If the pre-application is approved, the board will send the project director an e-mail with a link to the full application online.

Program: Environment Program
Sponsor: Kresge Foundation
Deadline: Continuous. Nonprofit organizations may contact the Environment Team with an e-mail of 500 words or less that describes how the project idea will advance Kresge's values and help further the goals of the Environment Program. E-mails will be reviewed, and the foundation will respond to let the organization know whether the proposed idea has potential for grant funding.
URL:
http://www.kresge.org/content/displaycontent.aspx?CID=153
Environmental conservation is one of the Kresge Foundation's nine overarching values. The foundation believes the effects of climate change on the natural world is among the paramount concerns of our time, one that presents formidable challenges and risks as well as opportunities for innovation. The Environment Program works in partnership with like-minded organizations to protect the planet and promote its long-term sustainability for future generations.

Program: A North Atlantic Regional Cooperative Institute
Sponsor: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration/Department of Commerce
Deadline: 01/05/2009
URL: http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do;jsessionid=LrBQHyJX5Z52wz15b3GVm1dYcnpMt7xMR82nYxNsrtvn8yS3p0c1!-2115472524?oppId=43006&flag2006=false&mode=VIEW
The NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the NOAA Office of Ocean and Atmospheric Research (OAR) invite applications for the establishment of a cooperative institute (CI) that will focus on the themes of (1) Ecosystem Forecasting, (2) Ecosystem Monitoring, (3) Ecosystem Management, Protection and Restoration of Resources, (4) Sustained Ocean Observations and (5) Climate Research.

Program: Great Lakes Watershed Restoration Program
Sponsor: National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
Deadline: November 17, 2008
Funds Available: Grants range between $35,000 and $100,000.
URL:
http://www.nfwf.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Browse_All_Programs&CONTENTID=10501&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm
To be eligible for consideration, projects must be located within U.S. portions of the Great Lakes watershed. Potential Canadian grantees are urged to check with the NFWF technical contact to ensure eligibility developing an application. In addition, where applicable, projects should be coordinated with local and regional watershed management plans that address the water quality, fish, or wildlife needs in the Great Lakes.

Program: Hydrologic Sciences
Sponsor: NSF
Deadline: 12/01/2008, 06/01/2009
URL: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2006/nsf06545/nsf06545.htm
Studies may also deal with processes in aqueous geochemistry and with the physical, chemical, and biological processes within water bodies. Study of these processes requires expertise from many basic sciences and mathematics, and proposals often require joint review with related programs.

EPA Grants
The Environmental Protection Agency provides funding to eligible applicants for conducting conferences, workshops, and/or meetings.  Funding requests can range from $15,000 to $75,000.
Deadline:  12/9/08
Contact: Bernice L. Smith, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, ORD/OSA (8105R), Room 41243, Washington, DC 20004, E-mail: smith.bernicel@epa.gov, Tel: 202-343-9766
Web Site: http://es.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/2008/2008_baa.html
Program URL: http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do;jsessionid=HZWMJVLXzsdyLHFVv8SMjKVQY4gjW31nklwG1GnmcWDbTd8gbmGM!1505060582?oppId=16148&flag2006=true&mode=VIEW

Program: Conservation Research Grant
Sponsor: North American Native Fishes Association
Deadline: 01/19/2009
URL:
http://www.nanfa.org/education/conservation/conservationflyer.pdf
The sponsor will provide an award to support research relating to the conservation of North America's indigenous fish fauna. The sponsor wishes to support research that contributes to the sustainable existence of North American native fishes, especially those that are imperiled.

Program: Anthony A. Lapham River Conservation Fellow
Sponsor: American Rivers
Deadline: February 15, 2009
Funds Available: $35,000 plus benefits*
URL:
http://www.americanrivers.org/site/PageServer?pagename=AR7_LaphamFellowship&JServSessionIdr001=u2qz78r0c4.app2b
The Anthony A. Lapham River Conservation Fellowship at American Rivers (AR) provides an excellent professional development opportunity for talented post-graduates pursuing careers as leaders in environmental conservation. Recent master degree graduates will focus on an applied research project that will make a tangible contribution to AR's mission. Working with a team of professional staff, the individual will apply practical research and advocacy skills and develop a network of professional contacts in their field of expertise. The individual will be an integral part of a dynamic organization comprised of experienced conservationists and emerging leaders and will participate in a range of organizational functions including staff retreats and Board of Directors meetings.