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Keeping Two Iconic Lakes Alive
Top Israeli and Great Lakes water experts share
experiences at MSU symposium.
L
ast week, a unique meeting took
place at Michigan State University
between a delegation of top Israeli
experts on Lake Kinneret (frequently
known as the Sea of Galilee) and top local
experts who work in the field of watershed
management and limnology (the study of
fresh water) in Lake Michigan.
While clearly different in dimensions,
climate and history, the two
lakes share many common
characteristics and experiences.
Indeed, it was a parallel sense of
progress and urgency regarding
existing challenges in these two
lakes that brought leading gov-
ernment officials, activists and
scientists together.
Alon Tal
Lake Kinneret, the only real
fresh water lake in the Middle
East (and the lowest one in the
world) is not only a critical recreational
resource for Israelis and tourists; it also
holds immeasurable spiritual significance
for Christians and Jews worldwide. Yet, by
the end of the 1960s, the environmental
conditions in the lake were abominable.
When Bob Davis, a South African
limnologist (an expert in inland waters),
moved to Israel in 1971, he was asked to
prepare a comprehensive assessment of
the lake. Davis' report showed that the
Kinneret was in an advanced trophic state.
It predicted that if immediate measures
were not taken to reduce its nutrient loads,
the lake would die.
Initially dismissed, it took the interven-
tion of Yigal Alon, (then, Deputy Prime
Minister and member of Kibbutz Ginosar
— located on the Kinneret Banks) to
address the crisis: a ministerial committee
was formed; construction within 50 meters
of the lake was banned; sewage flow was
enjoined; and a watershed strategy was
designed by a new Kinneret Authority. In
Israel's first significant environmental res-
toration effort, the young country showed
that trend need not be destiny.
The Great Lakes — and Lake Michigan,
in particular — underwent a similar tran-
sition. By the 1960s, an alarming cocktail
of chemicals that included mercury, DDT
and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
began to appear in high levels in fish.
Beaches were frequently closed due to
health advisories. Indeed, Lake Erie was
officially declared "dead" But America's
first generation of significant environmen-
tal legislation led to federal investment
and state regulatory efforts. And here, too,
great progress was made; pollution abated
10 September 22 2016
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and water quality improved.
That is not to say there is room for
complacency. New challenges emerged,
such as the ecological havoc wrought
by invasive species in the lakes. Climate
change brings with it great uncertainty,
and pollution remains a constant hazard.
For instance, one recent report documents
more than 34 billion gallons of raw sew-
age dumped into Lake Michigan
since 2000 and dozens of beach
closures due to excessively high
e coli, mercury and BCPs. The
Kinneret also has faced a variety of
intermittent environmental insults.
Recently, fish stock levels dropped
so precipitously that, in 2010, the
Ministry of Agriculture banned all
fishing for two years.
That's why the Michigan State
University symposium about man-
aging iconic lakes was so valuable. For the
first time, the leading experts from Israel
and Michigan met and began a discussion
to consider the very different approaches
that have worked (and efforts that have
been less effective).
After the public lectures on campus
on Sept. 15, the Israeli experts joined
their colleagues for a trip to Grand Valley
State University's Annis Water Resources
Institute in Muskegon to see up close the
latest in research and water management
strategies.
Heading the Michigan delegation was
Dr. Jon Allan, director of the Michigan
Offices of the Great Lakes at the DEQ, a
cabinet level position in Michigan. For the
Israeli side, his counterpart was Dr. Doron
Markel, director of the Kinneret watershed
management for Israel's Water Authority.
Among the Israelis attending were
the country's leading aquatic ecologist,
Professor Avital Gasith; Dr. Tamar Zohari,
the head of research for the Kinneret,
the leading public interest NGO advocate
for sustainable lake management; Orit
Skutelski; and Arfan Nagar, the leading
archaeologist exploring the history around
the Sea of Galilee.
The parallel American dream team
included Frank Ettawageshik, director
of the United Tribes of Michigan; Mark
Loomis, chief of remediation at the EPA's
Great Lakes program; and Matt Preisser,
who oversees management of Lake
Michigan for the state of Michigan.
The meeting was sponsored by the
MSU Jewish Studies program, led by Yael
Aronoff and chaired by Michael Serling.
The two had recently completed oversee-
ing an inaugural event in Detroit where
MSU appointed the state's first full-time
professor of Holocaust Studies (Dr. Amy
Simon) as a newly endowed position. Such
breadth reflects the MSU Jewish studies
program's increasingly diverse and rel-
evant activities as a center of learning.
It is often discouraging to see environ-
mental problems grow worse, despite
conscientious efforts to address them. But
the Iconic Lakes symposium focused on a
more encouraging reality.
The improved environmental condi-
tions in Israel and Michigan did not hap-
pen by themselves but are a testament to
the hard work of government officials,
inspectors and scientists, along with real
changes in the private sector. Nonetheless,
much work still needs to be done as enor-
mous challenges remain.
By sharing ideas and experiences, we
can all do a better job in the critical task of
bringing these magnificent resources back
to life and ensuring that future generations
enjoy their diverse ecosystem services.
Last week's "kickoff" meeting in East
Lansing should spawn a long-term and
fruitful series of collaborations in a range
of related fields. *
Ben-Gurion University environmental policy
Professor Alon Tal is the Serling Visiting Israeli
Scholar at Michigan State University.
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Aug 31
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9 0
Ton Of Fun At
Shofar Factory
The Sherrill Berman Shofar Factory Festival
will include fun activities for kids, combined
with creative and educational art. That, along
with food and music, will make for an excit-
ing pre-holiday family experience.
The event will take place noon-3 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 25, at the Jewish Community
Center in West Bloomfield.
The many activities include carv-
ing a kosher-to-use shofar, climbing a
30-foot "Mount Sinai" to retrieve the 10
Commandment tablets, bungee jumping
into the new year, listening to live music by
the Kidz Klez of Michigan band, painting a
Rosh Hashanah canvas, creating a New Year's
resolution board, watching and learning as
a beekeeper uses live bees to produce fresh
honey, enjoying horseback riding and a pet-
ting farm.
Food will include a barbecue lunch (for
purchase) catered by Epicurean Kosher
Catering and Kona Ice (Kona Ice will be
receiving special kosher certification for this
event).
There is no charge for admission and most
of the activities/crafts. Shofar making is $10,
and bungee jumping is $5; bungee jumping is
limited to the first 100 children who register.
This event is sponsored by the Tugman
Bais Chabad of West Bloomfield, Sherrill
Berman Art Education Fund, Janice Charach
Art Gallery, Shalom Street, the Jewish
Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit
and the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit.
For information: visit www.
ShofarFactoryFestival.com , email
rabbishneur@baischabad.com or call
(248) 207-5513. *