Volunteer for September 19 Beach Clean Up

Take part in a worldwide shoreline clean-up on September 19 as part of the ODEAB’s ongoing efforts to keep our beach “barefoot friendly.” Volunteers will meet at 9:30 a.m. where Diana Rd. runs into Shore Dr. The event will run until 11:30 a.m.

During the clean-up, participants will be divided into teams along the beach, and will tally the types of garbage collected. All supplies will be provided. The tallies are then logged into the Alliance for the Great Lake's on-line database, which provides valuable information on where garbage might be coming from; and how we can educate people not to litter the beach and/or Lake Michigan and its tributaries.

The ODEAB has been participating in the International Coastal Clean-up Day, organized by the Ocean Conservancy, for approximately six years. Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois efforts are coordinated for the Conservancy by the Chicago-based Alliance for the Great Lakes.

During the annual event in 2008, thousands of pounds of trash were cleared by more than 500 volunteers in Indiana (note: 125 of these volunteers came from Ogden Dunes alone!).

According to the Alliance, the top three items removed in 2008 included cigarette filters (175,259; food wrappers and containers (45,225); and finally, caps and lids (44,269). In addition to litter pick-up and monitoring, Adopt-a-Beach™ teams and volunteers collect valuable data on our beaches through water quality testing and science-based beach observations. This information is used on a site-by-site basis to improve beach conditions.

To entice families to participate, the ODEAB will hold a drawing for five free registrations for Family Night on the Beach to be held that same night – valued at more than $12 each.

This effort builds on the beach clean-up held on August 22nd that attracted 50 volunteers who picked up more than 130 lbs. of waste from the beach (see next article). The data will provide metrics and information to be used for a pollution prevention program the ODEAB would like to roll out next summer.

Show your love for the beach and Lake Michigan – and make a difference by volunteering the morning on September 19. If you know now that you plan to be there, please send an email to Susan MiHalo at spsmodin@verizon.net.

Plastic and Styrofoam Trash Grow Exponentially on the Beach

The table in the picture (click on it) shows the types and amounts of trash collected in 2007 and at the August 22nd, 2009 beach clean up. While there are many factors that can impact beach conditions, it’s still interesting to note some of the increases we have witnessed with respect to glass containers, plastic beverage bottles, food wrappers, cigarettes, Styrofoam and pieces of plastic.

Think about that the next time you go to the beach with these kinds of items and remember: “Most polymers like plastic and Styrofoam just break down into smaller pieces – they never really leave the environment.” They are also bad for pets and birds that try to eat them; and they are manufactured with petroleum.

Special Beach Clean up and After Party at Blue Water on August 22nd

Help keep the O.D. Beach "Barefoot Friendly" at a special Beach Clean Up on Saturday, August 22, 2009 at 9:30 a.m. Meet at Accessway #14 to clean the entire length Ogden Dunes Beach. Then, celebrate our efforts from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at a special gathering at Blue Water, 5987 Dune Harbor Drive, Portage, compliments of the Barefoot Wine Co. Please email Susan MiHalo at spsmodin@verizon.net if you plan to participate and how many will be in your group so that enough supplies are available.

The Ogden Dunes Environmental Advisory Board is dedicated to keeping our beach beautiful by participating in the Alliance for the Great Lake’s “Adopt-a-Beach” program for the past six years. During the clean-up, participants will be divided into teams along the beach, and will tally the type of garbage collected. All supplies will be provided.

The tallies are then logged into the Alliance’s on-line database, which provides valuable information on where garbage might be coming from; and how we can educate people not to litter the beach and/or Lake Michigan and its tributaries.

Barefoot Wine, a maker of fun, flavorful and affordable wine and bubbly, is dedicated to helping keep beaches “barefoot friendly.” They’ve done this by partnering over the last 20 years with the Surfrider Foundation to do beach cleanups and restorations around the country.

The special gathering at Blue Water will feature Appetizers and Barefoot wines. Because alcohol will be served, this event is only for people 21 years of age and older. Instead, we encourage families to participate in the International Coastal Clean-up Day at 9:30 a.m. on September 19. Families who participate on September 19 will have their name entered into a drawing for five free reservations for the Family Fun Night and Campout also to be held on the beach on September 19.

Can we count on you to show how much you love our beach and Lake Michigan? Please let Susan MiHalo know if you will be there, and invite your friends too.

The ODEAB is looking forward to meeting you at Accessway #14 on both dates at 9:30 a.m!

ODEAB Meeting to Focus on Beach Garbage

The July 14 meeting of the Ogden Dunes Environmental Advisory Board will primarily focus on the status of the beach this summer -- more specifically beach trash. The meeting will be held at 8:30 a.m. at the Town Hall.

A number of residents are noticing more and more trash on the beach, which is either originating on the beach or washing up from Lake Michigan. The Street Department has worked on cleaning the beach several times this summer, only to have more trash appear soon after.

There has been some speculation that perhaps the increased trash is simply more aftermath from the September 2008 storm that washed marinas, boats and trash down the 331-square-mile watershed that feeds into the waterway.

The agenda will feature not only how the town can track garbage using the Alliance for the Great Lake's "Adopt-a-Beach" program (http://www.greatlakes.org/Page.aspx?pid=525), but also other ways town residents can advocate for a cleaner Lake Michigan and cleaner waterways, i.e., by participating in watershed planning and implementation efforts in the area. Methods for keeping the beach clean and educating residents about cleaning up after themselves will also be discussed.

All residents are invited to attend.

New Video Helps Explain Beach Water Quality Monitoring

The Ogden Dunes Environmental Advisory Board, with the assistance of Best Light Productions and a small grant from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, recently produced a short video that helps educate residents about how water quality at the beach is monitored. The video premiered at the monthly Town Council meeting on July 6.

To view the approximately 13-minute video, click on the link on http://www.ogdendunes.net/ that says "How do we know if it's safe to swim?" or visit http://www.bestlightproductions.com/od_environ_video.htm.

A number of Ogden Dunes residents were involved in the production of the video, including Susan MiHalo, Dan Manas, Joyce Webber, John Muller, Karen Berrier, Polly Costanza, Cheryl and Ken Engel, and Nick Kniola. Former resident Meredith Nevers (Nancy and Tom Becker's daughter), who works for the US Geological Survey as an Aquatic Ecologist; and Bob Theodorou, who is the Lab Manager for United Water Co. and runs the E. coli tests, also appear in the video.

The video is designed to take viewers step-by-step through the monitoring process so that residents can be assured that their health is being protected from pathogens that can cause waterborne illnesses. The Ogden Dunes beach can sometimes be adversely affected by Combined Sewer Overflows (CSO's) that travel down the approximately 331-square miles of watershed that feed into the Burns Waterway.

Bioblitz Starts Today!

Year-long plans for a Bioblitz at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (IDNL) will be executed today -- rain or shine!

Sponsored by National Geographic, BioBlitz is a free, 24-hour event in which teams of worldwide and world-reknowned scientists, volunteers and community members join forces to find, identify, and learn about as many local plant and animal species as possible. These teams will start carefully combing through the IDNL at noon today to begin their count, including wetland and terrestial plants, birds, amphibians, insects and fish found in Long Lake and Lake Michigan. While pre-registration closed for working with a scientist a week ago, it's possible that openings may still be available on site. To see a list of slots available, visit http://www.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/Field/PDF/bioblitz-general/team-status.pdf.

Even if you are not interested in participating in the species count, consider visiting West Beach anyways, which is considered the Base Camp for the event. Throughout the event there will be talks and live animal demonstrations, exhibitor booths and nature hikes. One highly recommended demonstation is the Bird of Prey live demonstration to be held Saturday at 10:00 a.m. To see a complete schedule for the Bioblitz visit http://www.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/Field/PDF/bioblitz-general/schedule.pdf.

The event will wrap up with a Biodiversity Festival from 1:00-4:00 p.m. Saturday. Scientists will be bringing their findings back to West Beach, a stage will feature musicians and other presentations, such as Professor Oops, a fun presentation
showing the many invisible connections that make up life on our planet.

You may also notice a lot of activity at the South Shore parking lot and at Marina Shores. Thousands of schoolchildren are coming by train from Chicago to the Ogden Dunes station to participate in the event, and Marina Shores is being used as overflow parking for West Beach with free shuttles running to and from the park.

National Geographic conducting a BioBlitz in a different park each year throughout the decade leading up to the U.S. National Park Service Centennial in 2016. The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore was selected because it is an urban park and is the 5th most biodiverse national park property in the entire nation.

Beach Testing Season Starts May 18

Residents will now be able to learn whether or not it's safe to swim on Saturdays when the 2009 Beach Water Quality Program starts on May 18.

Made possible with an annual grant from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), water samples will be drawn every Monday through Friday -- except Tuesdays -- through September 12, 2009. Results from those samples will be posted Tuesdays through Saturdays, except Wednesdays. Monies from the grant are used to hire a Grant Administrator, a Sampling Technician, and to contract with a laboratory for testing.

For the third year in a row, Polly Costanza has been hired as our official Sampling Technician. You may see her bravely wading into the lake at 7:00 a.m. to grab water samples at three locations along the beach. She then transports the samples to a pre-arranged location in Marquette Park in Gary.

From there our contracted Laboratory, United Water, picks up the samples for analysis. United Water then cultures the samples for 24 hours for E. coli bacteria. Results from the cultured samples are then e-mailed to Karen Berrier, Grant Administrator, who is responsible for determining if a beach is open for swimming, if an advisory should be posted, or if a closure is necessary.

Based on the results and the latest beach conditions (i.e., if there was a heavy rainfall in the past 24-78 hours), Karen then indicates on http:://www.ogdendunes.net/beachconditions.html whether or not the beach is open or if an Advisory or Closure are necessary.

Karen is also responsible for posting the appropriate signage along the accessways and near the Town Hall. IDEM is providing new signage soon that the Town tested for the State of Indiana last summer.

Yellow signs will indicate that an Advisory is posted. In this case, an increased risk of illness may be present based on recent monitoring for E. coli bacteria.

For your safety during an Advisory:

• Swim at your own risk.

• Do not ingest lake water.

• Shower after swimming.

• Wash hands before eating.

• Do not swim if you are ill.

Red Signs will tell the public that the beach is closed to swimming, and that a serious risk of illness may be present.

The ODEAB and Karen Berrier will also be working this summer with resident Dan Manas to finalize and release a video explaining why beach water quality needs to be monitored and how it is accomplished.