Detroit Works Project, others, and you!

Detroit initiatives worth knowing:

1)  Detroit Works
[Important ongoing/upcoming events in motion] The Detroit Works project has the city municipality's attention and leans strongly toward economic revitalization.  It takes public recommendations, and would certainly benefit from balanced perspectives in community and environmental development toward comprehensive sustainability.

Schedule of events/strategic sessions (soonest August 14th at 2929 Russell Street the full schedule is in the link below, and pasted for viewing-purposes only at the bottom of this post):
http://detroitworksproject.com/engagement/how-to-engage/

2)  Community Development Advocates of Detroit (CDAD) framework
Thomas Stephens, a long-time Detroit community advocate (he gave strong comments at last year's EPA Enviro. Justice conference) and policy analyst for the City pointed me to the Community Development Advocates of Detroit (CDAD) framework, which outlines roles for community organizations and downtown development which are soundly informed by comprehensive principles of sustainability and existing visioning (earth charter, etc.):

CDAD Declaration (fair summary of principles, etc.):

http://www.scribd.com/doc/102398605/CDAD-detroit-Declaration-plus 

The Framework (Visioning--the big picture about what organizations fit in where)

http://www.scribd.com/doc/102632046/CDAD-Revitalization-Framework-2010

This was informed by local input and key principles to sustainable cities from "Cities as Sustainable Ecosystems" [see bottom of this post for the key points and book it came from], some Detroit groups were using these to guide their visioning efforts and city/community development plans.

The CDAD was supposed to do what the Detroit Works project strives to do now and had a lot of heart put into it but before it really got traction a change in City administration seems to have hampered its promotion and use.  From what I've interpreted from reading the CDAD, it leans more toward vision than direct recommended actions, but the conditions established in the document are important for the amount of consideration they give.  I'd recommend they be included in the Detroit Works plans.

Key points from Cities as Sustainable Ecosystems (8 pages of bullet points, etc):
http://www.scribd.com/doc/102626881/Cities-as-Sustainable-Ecosystems
The book from which it was sourced from:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/19720427/cities-as-sustainable-ecosystems

Additional Detroit visioning initiatives:

At this point, I've counted and/or participated in four Detroit-shaping visioning events, I'm certain there are more that I'm missing.  I'm listing them here for any potential readers to consider and urge you to represent the insight from your experience as well as the insight found in these previous initiatives at the ongoing Detroit Works program.

The Engineering Society of Detroit Institute's Future Detroit youth symposium (Disclaimer: I was a facilitator there--middle school students from Detroit and Dearborn school districts came up with how and what they wanted Detroit to transform 30 years into the future. Their insight was very good, but I'm unclear if anyone followed up on the policy recommendations submitted to city administration garnered from this event.  Also, it's worth noting some important narratives were trimmed down for space concerns--some worthwhile ideas didn't make it into the final print but you can request the full drafts.):
http://bit.ly/FutureDetroitYouthSymposiumESDI

CDAD (mentioned above)
http://www.scribd.com/doc/102632046/CDAD-Revitalization-Framework-2010

Detroit Vision 2012 (I don't know what came of the event, but here's what the website says is their "takeaway" message from having it happen--I suspect the wisdom garnered from the event was a "you-should-have-been-there" case, all of the recommendations seem rather generic but the community organizations are accessible and continue to do substantial work):
http://detroit2012.org/news/takeaway/

Detroit Works (mentioned above):
http://detroitworksproject.com/

Good science considers all data, and authentic community input is no exception--I believe the time, talents, hope, and effort put into these initiatives are invaluable and should not be wasted.  With all due respect to the creators and contributors of these events, from an outsider's perspective, there seems to be a substantial disjoint between good community engagement and coherent plans for focused actions among the people responsible and capable of enacting insight.  Hopefully this will change.

The Detroit Works schedule:

Please call 313-259-4407 or e-mail Info@DetroitLongTerm.com.

Please come out and participate in any of the events listed below (note: all times below are in E.S.T.):

Open Houses will be hosted at the Long Term Planning HomeBase at 2929 Russell Street in August and September from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. with brief presentations at 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. The open houses will focus on Draft Strategies that relate to the following:

• Tuesday, August 7: Economic Growth;
• Tuesday, August 14: Neighborhoods;
• Tuesday, August 21: City Systems, Infrastructure and Environment;
• Tuesday, August 28: Land Use, Zoning and Urban Design; and
• Tuesday, September 4: Public Land and Facilities.

• August 9: Zion Chapel, 3000 24th St, Detroit, MI 48216
• August 16: Highland Park Housing Commission 13725 John R.  Please note this event has been cancelled.
• August 24: Boys and Girls Club, 20100 Schoenherr Street between E.7 Mile and 8 Mile Rd.

• July 31;
• August 7, 14, 21, and 28; and
• September 4 and 11.

• August 22
• August 29, and
• September 5.

Four Community Conversations about the Draft Strategies will be hosted between September 10 and September 14, 2012. They will provide another opportunity for Detroiters to connect with one another, learn about some Draft Strategies and provide their feedback. The locations and times are as follows:

• Monday, Sept 10: Northwest – Leland Missionary Baptist Church, 22420 Fenkell, Detroit
• Tuesday, Sept 11: North East – American Serbian Memorial Hall, 19940 Van Dyke St., Detroit
• Wednesday, Sept 12: Central/Near East – Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries, 3606 E. Forest Ave, Detroit 48207
• Thursday, Sept 13: Southwest – Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation, 1211 Trumbull Street, Detroit

Public meeting on Detroit area transit

Drat--just missed this announcement for a public meeting that took place today!

http://www.semcog.org/uploadedFiles/Notices/SEMCOG2012PublicMeetingNotice.pdf

Detroiters, take note!
Public comment about proposed highways and other transit revolving around Detroit (details to be posted when available). Written comments will be accepted until February 17, 2012. If you were not able to attend the meeting (like me), please address your comments to one of the following:

Andy Pickard
Federal Highway Administration, Michigan Division
315 West Allegan Street, Room 201
Lansing, MI 48933
E-mail: Andy.Pickard@dot.gov

Stewart McKenzie
Federal Transit Administration
200 West Adams Street, Suite 320
Chicago, IL 60606
E-mail: Stewart.Mckenzie@dot.gov

Arctic Cycle Turning Wheels Close to Home: A Blizzard of Snowy Owls Lands in Great Lakes Region

Snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus) from the Quebec Government website

While most of us in Southeast Michigan are still awaiting the arrival winter snow, another kind of "snow" has arrived in the meantime to hold us over -- snowy owls. This bird, which hails from the northernmost reaches of Canada, has been spotted all over the state, including at locations within an hour of Detroit. There is even one unconfirmed report of a sighting downtown.

This event is more than just the arrival of an interesting and beautiful bird of prey -- it is a great chance to understand the workings of nature and how cycles happening far away can affect us close to home.

The appearance of so many snowy owls usually indicates a severe food shortage in the regions of Canada where they are typically found. These daytime hunters, which are impressively sized birds with a wingspan of about five feet, rely on lemmings, voles, and other small mammals to survive in the Arctic. When competition for their food increases (either due to a lack of prey or an overabundance of fellow predators), the snowy owls are forced to go south to find food -- as far down as the Great Lakes and beyond. Here they will hunt for voles, mice, and other small mammals, competing with local birds of prey to survive.

"We haven't had a good Snowy Owl Winter in years," recalls Rick Simek, naturalist at the Environmental Interpretive Center. "I remember a winter a long time ago when I worked at the [Metro Beach] metropark; I think I remember Snowy Owls picking off and eating injured ducks."

(There are no reports yet of snowy owls picking off housepets.)

Scientists usually refer to these dramatic mass migrations as "irruptions". They will stay in the region hunting and resting until March, when they return to the Arctic to breed.

Although this season's blizzard of snowies has been bliss for birders, the long trip south takes a toll on the owls, who must spend an enormous amount of energy to get here. It is usually the youngest and most inexperienced birds that are driven south, and many do not survive. If you go looking for one, try not to disturb it -- every movement it makes wastes calories, and the owl needs every bit of energy it can get. Be respectful and observe them from a distance, or from a blind where they can't see you (like behind some bushes, or inside your car).

If you are interested in knowing where snowy owls have been spotted, or submitting a sighting of your own, check out the Snowy Owl Maps on eBird. While you're there, check out their article, too -- lots of great information about this season's irruption, as well as some commentary on the importance of citizen science.

Let's keep our your eyes to the skies this year! Cheers to 2012!

P.S. A special treat, courtesy of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

Good Food and Mercury

Remember the hair tests for mercury from last year?  Even if not, the Sierra Club's following up their mercury work with a food drive to highlight the connection between mercury pollution in coal power plant emissions and our health.

Mercury emissions from coal power plants are a major reason for why we're advised not to eat certain fish caught in the Great Lakes region (mercury fish advisory in Michigan: http://1.usa.gov/uprvhR, the U.S. http://1.usa.gov/t2XC1Z, giant document on sources for mercury exposure http://1.usa.gov/rRYX8D), and viable cost competitive renewable alternatives to coal exist (http://bit.ly/w5bzoA, also one of our fellow students who since graduated gave a very thorough capstone project presentation on wind energy concluding the same last year).

The food drive is also timely--the early/mid months of December aren't always covered by charities as thoroughly as the end-of-month holiday season is.  Food goes to Cabrini Clinic of Holy Trinity, a free health clinic, which helps subsidize families in need--many of whom are homeless.

Cheers to giving, thanks!

#+#+#

Sierra Club presents

Good Food Food Drive for 

St. Frances Cabrini Clinic of the Most Holy Trinity Church

December 05-09, 2011

Drop off non-perishable goods: dry grains, cereals, canned goods

 Right now, President Obama is considering safeguards for mercury from coal-fired power plants.  Mercury is a dangerous neurotoxin that causes developmental disorders, and learning disabilities. With 100% of Michigan lakes and rivers under mercury advisory– we’re saying enough is enough.

We’d like to show our support for strong mercury standards, healthy kids, our Great Lakes, and Michigan fisheries with the

Good Food Food Drive.

DONATE NOW!

Drop off locations and times:

Cabrini Clinic, 1234 Porter, Detroit

Monday and Friday, 11-4pm

or

Wayne State University, Student Center Building, Prayer Room

Monday through Thursday, 9am-9pm

Look for the Good Food Food Box

or

Bring canned goods to Detroit Sierra Club’s

Season’s Greetings Open House

Thursday, December 8, 5-8pm

2727 2nd Ave, Suite 320 Detroit MI

Good News for the Rouge: Removal of Concrete Channel being Considered

Your feedback is needed!

The Detroit District of the Army Corps of Engineers is currently considering undergoing a restoration of the channelized section of the Rouge River, and the public will have an opportunity to submit comments before November 7th. The removal of the concrete and replacement with a "soft-engineered" shoreline could lead to more riparian and aquatic habitat in that area of the river, may provide opportunities to increase the public's use of the river (imagine kayaking and, rowing off of Michigan Avenue), and would just plain look nicer than concrete!

You can find out more about good practices for governments and the connection between infrastructure, watersheds, and rivers here: http://nemo.udel.edu/manual/Chap2Web.pdf

If you are interested in submitting a comment to the Army Corps of Engineers regarding the restoration of the concrete channel, please see below for more details.

Excerpt:

The Corps of Engineers (COE), Detroit District, has completed the "Detailed Project Report and Environmental Assessment" report for the first phase of restoration of the Rouge concrete channel from Michigan Avenue downstream about 1.4 miles to the vicnity of Rotunda Drive. The COE is in the process of gathering public comments on the proposed Rouge River restoration project. I have attached the public notice. The full report including appendices is available from the COE website at:

http://www.lre.usace.army.mil/projectsandstudies/planningstudies/upper_rouge_river_section_1135/index.cfm?


You can also contact Ashley Binion of the COE at 313-226-2657 if you would like a CD of the document mailed to you.

Any comments on the report are due no later than November 7.

This project will restore the riparian and aquatic habitat within a large part of the concrete channel section of the Rouge River, will provide opportunities to increase public use of the river in that area, and is key to our vision for restoring all beneficial uses of the Rouge River. I hope you will join Wayne County in supporting this project. Please send any comments you may have to the address listed in the public notice letter.
Regards, Kelly

Kelly A. Cave, P.E.

Director, Water Quality Management Division
Wayne County Department of Public Services
400 Monroe, Suite 400
Detroit, MI 48226

We hope you consider submitting a letter of support for this restoration project!

Link to the Public Notice Letter: http://scr.bi/t87OXL

Great Lakes [policy]! H2O Now! The International Joint Commission Biennial Meeting

Friends,

The International Joint Commission (IJC) has a meeting for everyone in the Great Lakes region-U.S., Canadian, First Nations--every two years in October. They coordinate with the EPA, Environment Canada, countries, various watershed groups, businesses, academics, and take comments from the public to inform better water policies. It also hosts free workshops for all who wish to attend and is open to comments from the public.

That meeting is happening now! (Oct. 11-14, Tuesday-Friday) You can register here http://meeting.ijc.org/, registration is free! Be aware that parking is $5 though!

Your voice and insight is important! This year the meeting takes place in Detroit at Wayne State University and (again) is free to attend. Please spread the word and attend if you're available to do so.

David Dempsey, a Policy Advisor with the IJC, spoke at the UM-Dearborn Social Science building urged the audience likewise today reiterating the importance of education and vigilant community engagement at events like the IJC Biennial Meeting--"possibly one of the few times the public can deliver remarks in person to major decision makers of the Great Lakes." Having attended the 2009 IJC meeting, I was surprised to find myself as one of the only people in the 30 years and under age bracket attending the comment session.

Dempsey also urged audience members that even though Asian Carp and the condition of Lake Erie will likely be well vocalized issues, don't forget to represent what's going on near you too!

Not ready to submit comments but want to learn?

In addition to public comment sessions, there will be workshops and educational sessions to bring the community up to date on timely developments in science, policy, and perhaps even the economics surrounding the Great Lakes, other inland water bodies and the communities they're integral to.

For those who are looking for things to ponder prior to attending a session, here are some questions for you to consider: Is surface and ground water where you live drinkable, swimmable, fishable (a goal in the EPA Clean Water act on behalf of the citizens who sought a healthy place to live)? Do legal questions about commerce and water access keep you up at night? Does your community's storm water system and sewer drains still discharge into local rivers and tributaries? What are things that citizens can do to make a difference in their community to help improve the condition of the Great Lakes? This is a great time to find out.

We hope to see you there! The SEA is arranging for a few carpools, but to our friends at Wayne State University and those among the greater Detroit community, please be sure to check it out!

Closing notes from the EPA EJ Conference

More details later [this post will be expanded], brief recap from the EPA Environmental Justice conference's recap as of 27 August 2011:

The EPA conference has adjourned with discussion about the efficacy/inefficacy of human and civil rights legal entities--US, how its applicability is unclear for tribal nations, and recommendations to pursue international human rights jurisdiction as an alternative route since current US environmental health protections are insufficient.

The EPA is currently backlogged with 40 complaints

Title VI (on human/civil rights) has been deemed an outstanding potential resource, but is currently ineffective due to lack of enforcement/ enforcement capacity and conflicting systems between the US EPA and US Department of Justice.

Title VII (on civil rights to employment*) has also been deemed a potentially powerful tool--when afflicted communities contribute to becoming the leadership of major companies and organizations, it follows that closer consideration for human rights and sensitivity to environmental quality will be given (stated by Rhode Island environmental lawyer Stephen Fishbach).

Proof of direct causation for harm is a common legal misconception for those suffering health issues from environmental problems (response from the US Gulf of Mexico Enbridge/BP spill fund continue to use direct causation as a way to deny current claims.

Recap on the conference, and next step/future recommendations were also shared--neat idea from Brazillian delegate: Inform consumers about the products they use with an Environmental Justice label.

Potential locations for the next EPA EJ conference? Coal belt Appalachia, First Nations Territory(/ies), First Nation Territory in coal belt Appalachia, North Carolina. Satellite/web/television broadcasting

As an aside, pictures from Thursday's Science Cafe are coming soon too, thank you to everyone who supported the event in their presence or their works unseen!

*I'll have to look at my notes again from the rush transcript of the panel session for more details when I have freer time.

An EPA afternoon: participatory community learning and education

First, there's still time to participate in the EPA's Environmental Justice Conference here in Detroit--it's free, they take walk-ins, and your participation is meaningful!  Go here to see where it's at and what's going on tomorrow:  http://www.cleanairinfo.com/ejconference/agenda.htm

This is a mix of summary and commentary on today's events from the afternoon EPA Federal work group session.  I participated in the community organization working group, and later attended the panel for "The Detroit Story".

Interesting news came out of the ongoing EPA Environmental Conference today. This afternoon we realized that people all over the U.S. are striving to organize, but there's a lot of organizational fragmentation.

[More after the page break]

Detroit Frack Ban Resolution status: unanimously passed!

The resolution didn't get on Tuesday's agenda, but it has been well represented and
voted on today (Friday the 22nd) during the noon session.

I called Chris Corrigan of the Detroit Food and Water Watch office at about 1:30 today and learned that the Detroit City Council passed the ban by unanimous vote.  This is literally a watershed event.  Most of the communities upstream in the Rouge River watershed (Westward from Dearborn out to Superior/Salem Townships, and North out to Rochester Hills, Bloomfield/West Bloomfield Townships, and Novi) get their municipal tap (drinking) water from the Detroit river--which the Rouge drains into.

As far as I could reckon, Food and Water Watch, Dearborn/Dearborn Heights League of Women Voters, the SEA, and Akinpelu twins were in attendance on Tuesday.  Details forthcoming as we find out what happens next. Those who spoke got their concerns for safety and its regional relevance to Southeast Michigan across--it piqued councilman Brown's interest and he expressed his thanks to all of the youth who came to represent their solidarity in the issue.  

Congratulations for your leadership Detroit, it's a major step forward in citizen and environmental protections.  Also, please be vigilant in following through--you can propose similar resolutions in your hometown too!

That said, I believe the city of Detroit and groups like Food and Water watch will also need to look in earnest toward something creative and solutions oriented for responsibly meeting energy and employment needs.  They've got very bright talents in the area, and it's time to make it known that Detroit's leadership is happening from all directions at all levels of Southeast Michigan.

Meeting July 11th, other news

We'll be meeting 
Monday July 11th 6:00pm 
on the second floor of the University Center in the SAOC
to plan for Fall Semester, take care of various projects, lay out some of our collaborative event plans, etc.

We're updating our mailing list too. To better plan how and what we communicate with you, please let us know:
1) if you'd like to be removed from the list
2) do you find the occasional job notices, conferences, internships, and volunteer opportunities valuable?
3) is there anything you'd like to lead or see happen in the future?
You can reach us at greenwolverines (at) ymail.com


Interesting news tidbits:

• Ready or not, your city may be very capable of adapting to accelerated climate change--Detroit's ranked in the top 3 (Cleveland got 1st place)! http://t.co/7MDYya8
• Check out the 1000 scientists in 1000 schools initiative. This would be a good complement to the NOVA ScienceNOW and Future City programs. http://bit.ly/mRKsjw
• Bright ideas by youths of Detroit (and some from Dearborn) gave ideas and some plans at the ESD Future Detroit symposium, the report has been published and one of SEA's members got to facilitate and author with workgroup 4. http://t.co/7UzuDOX  Issues of environmental justice and asthma didn't fit the final publication, but you can read the full unedited write up by requesting for a copy from the ESD (http://esd.org).

• The Pentagon has announced its energy/environmental strategy, hear parts of it discussed on the Diane Rehm Show: http://bit.ly/p269Qw  There'll be a time when the necessity of peaceable education overcomes the present reality of global conflicts soon, but all things considered it's still relatively good news as these perspectives in energy use are being put into action and will likely trickle into other parts of administrative and public attitudes toward sustainability.

For the 4th of July several of us went out to Ann Arbor to help with the last hoop house build for the 20 hoop houses in 20 days project--only to find a neighborhood without people building hoop houses (we probably rsvp'd too late and missed out on important details).  We saw a guy with a cello standing on the sidewalk without a shirt, a rockin' community garden in the Waterhill neighborhood, and then all three of us carpooled to visit the Michigan sailing club to partake in their potluck instead discussing bits of democracy and good books on a fine sunny day.  Hope you had a great and enriching 4th of July too!

FAA Notice of Public Meeting: Proposed modification of Detroit, MI, Class B Airspace Area

FYI
To whom it may concern,

It looks like the FAA's looking for info about an area around Detroit Metro Airport to revise the airspace.  I got this letter in the mail, presumably because I live in Wayne County beneath the flight path of a major airport.  You might too, and they'd like to know your perspectives about what it's like, and any other facts which may be relevant to their revision of the airspace (re-zoning for the sky?).


The letter's contents were pasted from govpulse, which has an online transcription of the FAA Air Trafic Organization (ATO) notice of public meetings:   http://govpulse.us/entries/2010/05/13/2010-11496/proposed-modification-of-the-detroit-mi-class-b-airspace-area-public-meetings

[This site looks like it's a heaven send for US citizens, I'll investigate it more later, but so far I found that they use open source software, they gather together public statements and other things happening at the local level, and they also have decent web design]

Summary:

This notice announces three fact-finding informal airspace meetings to solicit information from airspace users and others concerning a proposal to revise the Class B airspace area at Detroit, MI. The purpose of these meetings is to provide interested parties an opportunity to present views, recommendations, and comments on the proposal. All comments received during these meetings will be considered prior to any revision or issuance of a notice of proposed rulemaking.

Dates:

The informal airspace meetings will be held on Tuesday, July 20, 2010, at 1:30 p.m.; Wednesday, July 21, 2010, at 5 p.m.; and Thursday, July 22, 2010, at 7:30 p.m. Comments must be received on or before September 6, 2010.

Addresses:

(1) The meeting on Tuesday, July 20, 2010, will be held at Troy Holiday Inn, 2537 Rochester Court, Troy, MI 48083. (2) The meeting on Wednesday, July 21, 2010, will be held at Eastern Michigan University, Student Event Center, Ballroom B, 2nd Floor, 900 Oakwood Street, Ypsilanti, MI 48197. (3) The meeting on Thursday, July 22, 2010, will be held at Monroe Holiday Inn Express, 1225 North Dixie Highway, Monroe, MI 48162.

Comments: Send comments on the proposal, in triplicate, to: Anthony D. Roetzel, Manager, Operations Support Group, Central Service Center, Air Traffic Organization, Federal Aviation Administration, 2601 Meacham Boulevard, Fort Worth, Texas 76137, or by fax to (817) 321-7649.

For further information contact:

Tim Funari, FAA Detroit Metro (DTW) ATCT, Building 801, Detroit Metro Airport, Detroit, MI 48242; (734) 955-5000.

Supplementary information:

Meeting Procedures

(a) Doors open 30 minutes prior to the beginning of each meeting. The meetings will be informal in nature and will be conducted by one or more representatives of the FAA Central Service Center. A representative from the FAA will present a briefing on the planned modification to the Class B airspace at Detroit, MI. Each participant will be given an opportunity to deliver comments or make a presentation, although a time limit may be imposed. Only comments concerning the plan to modify the Class B airspace area at Detroit, MI, will be accepted.

(b) The meetings will be open to all persons on a space-available basis. There will be no admission fee or other charge to attend and participate.

(c) Any person wishing to make a presentation to the FAA panel will be asked to sign in and estimate the amount of time needed for such presentation. This will permit the panel to allocate an appropriate amount of time for each presenter. These meetings will not be adjourned until everyone on the list has had an opportunity to address the panel.

(d) Position papers or other handout material relating to the substance of these meetings will be accepted. Participants wishing to submit handout material should present an original and two copies (3 copies total) to the presiding officer. There should be additional copies of each handout available for other attendees.

(e) These meetings will not be formally recorded. However, a summary of comments made at the meeting will be filed in the docket.

Agenda for the Meetings

—Sign-in.

—Presentation of meeting procedures.

—FAA explanation of the planned Class B airspace area modifications.

—Solicitation of public comments.

—Closing comments.

Issued in Washington, DC, on May 6, 2010. Edith V. Parish,

Manager, Airspace and Rules Group.