ABOUT HALEY DALIAN:
Haley Dalian is the Great Lakes Regional Coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Marine Debris Program. Haley leads, organizes, and supports marine debris related projects with many partners and the public across the Great Lakes region, including eight states and in collaboration with Canadian stakeholders. She also manages the five-year Great Lakes Marine Debris Action Plan, which includes the goals of marine debris research and monitoring, policy and management, prevention, and removal. Haley is a proud Michigander and alumna of Michigan State University (B.A., James Madison College) and the University of Michigan (M.S., School for Environment & Sustainability).
ABOUT LISA WOZNIAK:
Lisa’s career spans over two decades of environmental and conservation advocacy in the political arena. She is a nationally- recognized expert in non-profit growth and management and a leader in Great Lakes protections. Lisa is a three-time graduate from the University of Michigan, with a bachelor's degree and two ensuing master's degrees in social work and Education.
Lisa serves a co-host and content partner in 89.1 WEMU's '1st Friday Focus on the Environment.'
RESOURCES:
Michigan League of Conservation Voters
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
TRANSCRIPTION:
David Fair: This is 89 one WEMU, and this is the first Friday in the month of August. I'm David Fair, and on the first Friday of each month, we dive into a topic of importance to the health and well-being of Michigan's environment through our partnership with the Michigan League of Conservation Voters. As such, the title is rather obvious. We call it WEMU's First Friday Focus on the Environment. And, as always, I'm joined by the league's executive director, Lisa Wozniak. And, Lisa, have you had any time this summer to get over to Lake Michigan or another of the Great Lakes?
Lisa Wozniak: Well, I've had a little bit of time, yes--both on Lake Michigan and Lake Superior, which has been great. And anytime I pay a visit to one of these magnificent Great Lakes, it serves as a reminder of how vitally important they are and how fragile the ecosystem can be. So, one of the threats that warrants more attention is marine debris and microplastics. It is that issue where our guest has the expertise we need to learn more. So, I'm delighted to invite Haley Dalian, who is the Great Lakes regional coordinator with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Marine Debris Program to the show. So, thanks very much for making time for us!
David Fair: That's quite a business card, Haley!
Haley Dalian: Yes, it is! And it's so great to be here! Thank you both for having me!
David Fair: Well, Lisa mentioned that marine debris warrants more of our attention. Most people have probably all seen the pictures of the vast amount of garbage and plastics found in the world's oceans. Sometimes, it even looks like an island of garbage. What exactly qualifies as marine debris, and to what degree is it a problem in the Great Lakes?
Haley Dalian: Marine debris is simply any solid, human-made material that's disposed of in the environment, either accidentally or intentionally. And these items range from consumer products, like food wrappers and single-use bottles to even large derelict vessels and commercial or recreational fishing gear. And, David, I'm glad that you mentioned garbage patches in the ocean, because it's really common to think about marine debris as an issue that only faces our ocean, but it's just as prevalent in the Great Lakes. We're talking about 22 million pounds of plastic pollution that's estimated to enter the Great Lakes every year.
Lisa Wozniak: So, the impacts of these plastics are not limited to just the waters of the five Great Lakes, I don't believe. They have adverse impacts on the a system of habitats and wetlands and rivers and tributaries. Do you see those impacts moving further inland and into those systems?
Haley Dalian: Yes, it's an interconnected system. So, just because an item is littered in one place doesn't mean it will stay there. Debris moves throughout the environment from stormwater activity, water currents, wildlife and people. Marine debris can transport invasive species, which lets wildlife travel to places it could never reach before. And microplastics are highly absorptive, which means that chemical pollutants can stick to them and also easily be transported throughout the environment where they can wreak havoc. Our program funds researchers who are investigating the fate and transport of marine debris. We can better understand how it moves through the built and natural environment in order to mitigate it.
David Fair: Well, we tend to know that what enters the water ultimately enters human beings. What impacts on public health can we directly attribute to marine debris and microplastics?
Haley Dalian: Microplastics are being found everywhere in our environment. They're in wildlife, water, food and in us. But further research is needed to understand the health effects of microplastics in people. However, I will say that marine debris threatens public health in other ways. It harms the livelihoods of fishermen. It can create navigational hazards on the water when we think about these giant abandoned and derelict vessels. And, overall, the Great Lakes economy suffers from the lost recreational opportunities.
David Fair: WEMU's First Friday Focus on the Environment conversation with Haley Dalian continues. Haley is Great Lakes regional coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Marine Debris Program. And the other voice you hear this morning is that of my co-host, Lisa Wozniak. She is executive director of the Michigan League of Conservation Voters.
Lisa Wozniak: So, Haley, microplastics have been mentioned a number of times in our conversation. And I want to dive into that particular area a little bit more. These pollutants are often so small that they're invisible. Where are they coming from?
Haley Dalian: Sure. Yeah. And to define microplastics, as you said, they're any plastic pieces that are less than five millimeters in diameter, so small that we often don't see them, or, if we do, they can fit on the tip of our fingers. And there are two main types. The primary microplastics are plastics that are made to be small for a very specific reason. One example is microbeads, which are found in personal care products, like toothpaste or exfoliating face wash. There's also secondary microplastics, and these break off from larger plastic items. Sun, waves, wind and heat can all cause these larger plastic items to become brittle and break up into these smaller and smaller microplastics that may never go away in the environment. We also see microfibers that can shed from our clothing, furniture and fishing lines. These are made of synthetic materials, like polyester or nylon, and they're also extremely common in our environment and on shoreline.
David Fair: As you study the ubiquitous nature of microplastics, and, in particular in our Great Lakes, are you also exploring potential remediation possibilities?
Haley Dalian: Absolutely. So, the NOAA Marine Debris Program was created in 2006 by Congress as the federal lead for all things marine debris. Our program's mission is exactly to investigate and prevent the adverse effects of marine debris, which we do by focusing on six areas of prevention: removal, research, monitoring and detection, response, and coordination. Our program is currently funding partners who are removing literal tons of debris from Lake Superior. We also fund projects that are deploying interception technologies, like stormwater catch basins and river booms to capture debris close to its source and before it's even able to reach these bigger bodies of water.
Lisa Wozniak: I'd like to ask about the policy authority that NOAA has when it comes to the Great Lakes and issues, like marine debris and microplastics.
Haley Dalian: So, as a non-regulatory agency, the Marine Debris Program doesn't have the authority to mandate changes in behavior or create policies for certain products for example. And that also means that we don't take positions on laws and regulations. But we do support marine debris research, and we often engage with Congress about our work. And one prime example of this from mid-July was our program worked alongside the EPA to release a report to Congress on microfiber pollution. This includes a definition of microfiber, an assessment of the problem and, ultimately, recommendations for how we can measure and reduce microfiber pollution in the environment.
David Fair: WEMU's First Friday Focus on the Environment conversation with NOAA's Haley Dalian and Lisa Wozniak from the Michigan League of Conservation Voters continues. And, Lisa, I'm going to address this question to you. It's right up your alley. In your work talking with state lawmakers in Michigan and the representatives from Michigan in Washington, how significant a blip are microplastics on the policy radar screen?
Lisa Wozniak: You know, it's actually getting more and more attention. Recently, in July, the Biden-Harris administration released their strategy to address plastic pollution and to take action to reduce single-use plastics in federal operations. So, this is a pretty big deal. And also at the state level, Michigan has two mirrored bills introduced in the House and in the Senate in Lansing to repeal a law that bans local governments from from banning single-use plastic bags. And they were introduced by people right here--representatives right here in our backyard, Representative Felicia Brabec and Senator Sue Shink. There's also, for the first time, I believe, a $2 million line item in the recently adopted state budget in EGLE's budget to support research on microplastics. And there's more action, but it's all in draft form in Lansing. And even our attorney general, Dana Nessel, joined a coalition of 14 attorneys general urging the Biden administration to even adopt more comprehensive strategies to combat plastic pollution. So, it's really ubiquitous, and it's getting the attention all across the board.
David Fair: And, Haley, as NOAA continues its research and its work and passes along the findings to governmental bodies, do you find the other Great Lakes states are responding to the issue in meaningful ways?
Haley Dalian: Yes. Yeah. In short, there is a lot of exciting action that's taking place across the region on a lot of different fronts. So, a few examples of that in Minneapolis and Philadelphia, there are partners that are currently helping restaurants to change from single-use food products to reusables. There's groups in Ohio who have installed recycling bins at marinas, so fishermen can properly dispose of their monofilament fishing line. Binationally, there's a working group that I support, organized by the International Joint Commission to try to set up a region-wide microplastics monitoring program.
Lisa Wozniak: So, Haley, as the body of science in this microplastics arena grows, I think that manufacturers and suppliers and retailers should expect an increase in regulatory oversight. As policymakers do work their way through these issues, what will the future of NOAA's research and actions look like?
Haley Dalian: Yeah. We will continue to keep pace with the changing research and regulatory landscape, and that means continuing our mission, which is to see the global ocean and the Great Lakes free from the impacts of marine debris. So, we'll continue to fund partners that are doing the incredible, on-the-ground work and research. We'll be there to provide resources to educators to engage our youth. And, ultimately, the bottom line is that will be inspiring everyone to play a role in preventing marine debris from happening in the first place.
David Fair: Haley, I'd like to thank you for taking the time to talk with us today and to provide the information you have! We're most grateful!
Haley Dalian: Thank you so much, David and Lisa!
David Fair: That is Haley Dalian, and she is Great Lakes regional coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Marine Debris program. And, Lisa, we'll see you on the first Friday in September!
Lisa Wozniak: I look forward to it, David!
David Fair: That is Lisa Wozniak. She is executive director of the Michigan League of Conservation Voters and our content partner for WEMU's First Friday Focus on the Environment. I'm David Fair, and this is your community NPR station. It's 89 one WEMU FM Ypsilanti.
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