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By Bob Shields
 For environmentalists, patience is not a virtue - it’s a
necessity. We are nearing the 40th anniversary of the great Cuyahoga
River fires (that is plural) of June 1969. Around that time, with
soap suds building up at Buffalo, Lake Erie had been essentially
declared DOA. Some good did come out of the notoriety of the fires
in particular with the passage of the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1970. We can now swim in Lake Erie and dine along
the banks of the Cuyahoga River. Yet even after 40 years, there
remains much to do to improve the health of the five Great Lakes
and the tributaries.
During the presidential campaign of 2008 the Obama-Biden team proposed
that $5 billion be spent on Great Lakes restoration. President Obama’s
recent budget proposal is placing a down payment on his campaign’s
promise to restore the Great Lakes. If funded, the Great
Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) will include $475 million to clean up contaminated
sediment in areas of concern; prevent and remove invasive species;
improve near-shore health and prevent pollution (particularly non-point
pollution); and restore habitats and protect wildlife.
The final point raised in the GLRI is about how we restore the
Great Lakes. We don’t need years of study. Existing partnerships,
such as the Council of Great Lakes Governors and the Great Lakes
Commission, have plans on the shelf waiting to be funded. These plans
focus not only on environmental concerns, but also on economic concerns.
The Brookings Institute estimates that every $1 invested in implementing
the region’s comprehensive Great Lakes restoration strategy
can lead to close to $2 return in long-term economic benefit for
the region.
Even 40 years after the Cuyahoga River last caught fire, there
are still many people who don’t yet understand that a healthy
environment is good not only for personal health, but also for a
healthy economy. How will the NEO Sierra Group voice our concern
on behalf of Lake Erie in particular? One area of interest to me,
but not mentioned in the GLRI, is education. For instance, as we
can easily point fingers at farms as a source for non-point pollution,
perhaps we should also look at our own neighborhoods - our beloved
lush green lawns and the chemicals used to keep them that way.
The intent of this article is to start the dialogue within our group. How can we make a notable contribution to improve
the health
of Lake Erie? Please contact me, Bob
Shields.
Let’s talk - and then get to work.
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The City of Cleveland's 
Do you know of a local environmental issue in need
of attention? Do you have inside information on what's
going on in your city or township? With over 5,000
members in Northeast Ohio we count on you to be the
Club's eyes and ears of the region. While the Federal
government and large corporations continue to wreak
havoc on our environment, it is more important than
ever before to act as watchdogs in our own backyards.
For those new to
calling state or federal representatives, it's easier and
less confrontational than it sounds. You will never
speak directly with your rep or senator - an aide
will answer the phone, take brief notes plus your name and city (sometimes), and that's it.