Tag: local communities

Cities Look to Golf Courses to Raise Money

Throughout the region, financially-strapped cities and counties are looking for ways to generate revenue. One idea – converting publicly owned park land into golf courses. Environmentalists hate the idea. But at least some government officials say a golf course is a way to make money and ease the burden on taxpayers. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Mary Stucky reports on a battle over whether to turn part of a hardwood forest near Lake Superior into a golf course:

Transcript

Throughout the Great Lakes region, financially strapped cities and counties are looking for ways
to generate revenue. One idea, converting publicly owned park land into golf courses.
Environmentalists hate the idea. But at least some government officials say a golf course is a way
to make money and ease the burden on taxpayers. Mary Stucky reports on a battle over whether
to turn part of a hardwood forest near Lake Superior into a golf course:


(natural sound)


On a cold winter day, the air is still and quiet on Spirit Mountain, on the western side of Duluth,
Minnesota, a town on Lake Superior. There is a chalet and downhill ski area on one side of the
mountain, but for the most part, the forest is undeveloped.


“We’ll just walk up here a bit so you can see into the forest a bit more.”


Nancy Nelson is a local environmentalist who’s horrified at the thought of a golf course here.


“So, if the golf course were to be built that would all be clear cut and turned into turf grass.”


Spirit Mountain is owned by the city of Duluth. It has a unique mixture of ecosystems. There are
wetlands and small streams. Wildflowers cover the ground in the spring and there is old growth
forest including sugar maple, yellow birch and red oak. Outgoing Duluth Mayor Gary Doty
thinks the golf course is a good idea. The course would have taken 250 acres of the 2 thousand
acre forest.


“I saw this as a responsible activity with safeguards put in place to prevent problems with water
run-off and wetlands and trees and all those kinds of things.”


The Mayor says it would have been an environmentally responsible project. Environmentalist
Nancy Nelson disagrees.


“Once you clear cut an area it all starts over. It takes hundreds of years, at least, to get to the
stage that this forest is at. I just don’t think it’s a fair tradeoff to destroy something that’s taken
that long to develop just so we can build a golf course.”


But experts say building golf courses in natural areas is tempting for cash-strapped cities and
counties throughout the Great Lakes region. Brett Hulsey works with the Sierra Club to fight
plans for golf courses on government park land.


“Across the Great Lakes we see golf courses threatening our national parks, local parks, wetlands
and forests. They destroy habitat for wild animals, fish and wildlife. They increase
run off pollution and they also close off access to public areas.”


Hulsey says trees are cut down, lawn chemicals are used and to even walk through the area you
have to pay greens fees. The Sierra Club website keeps track of places where parkland is
threatened by golf course development.


But as for the course on Spirit Mountain, Mayor Doty says it’s been stopped, at least for now,
stopped by what Doty calls extreme environmentalists who blindly oppose development.


“I don’t think we should take every tree down and build parking lots and hotels and
condominiums every place in town. But I looked at what was good for the community. And
what was good for the community was to develop an environmentally sound golf course and it
still leaves a lot of wooded lands that people would be able to enjoy outside of using the golf
course.


But environmentalists say the world doesn’t need a another golf course. They say, there are too
many now. Since the Spirit Mountain course was first proposed 9 years ago, the popularity of
golf has waned, according to the Sierra Club’s Brett Hulsey, with the supply of golf courses now
outstripping demand.


“We’re seeing a lot of golf courses struggling. The bloom is definitely off the golf course rose
and local governments should take a real hard look at whether this is the best way for them to
raise local money.


And so some experts say that in the future, the battle over turning park land into golf courses
might be won by environmentalists by default.


For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Mary Stucky.

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Carp Derby Brings in Foreign Fishers

A strange phenomenon has been occurring on a river in the Great Lakes basin. Anglers from Europe have been arriving in growing numbers to fish for something most of the locals won’t touch – the common carp. But that foreign interest is beginning to attract greater attention. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Karen Kelly reports that some believe carp fishing will offer new hope for a struggling economy:

Transcript

A strange phenomenon has been occurring on a river in the Great Lakes basin. Anglers from
Europe have been arriving in growing numbers to fish for something most of the locals won’t
touch – the common carp. But that foreign interest is beginning to attract greater attention. The
Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Karen Kelly reports that some believe carp fishing will offer
new hope for a struggling economy:


(sound by river)


Many call the St. Lawrence River an angler’s paradise. 750 miles long, it’s stocked with gamefish
like salmon, pike, bass and walleye.


But the area surrounding it is sparsely populated and a little rundown. It’s never caught on as
much of a tourist destination – until now.


(sound at registration)


It’s ten minutes before the start of the first international junior carp tournament – and the scene in
this Waddington, New York arena is one of organized chaos.


Clumps of teenagers are standing in line, impatient to register. Harried looking volunteers are
handing out instructions and bags of free bait as quickly as they can.


“Your pegs are at the customs house, okay?”


It’s the first time an international carp derby has been hosted on the St. Lawrence – and it’s one of
the largest ever held in the U.S. There are 92 registrants – and they’ve come from places such as
Britain, Italy, Canada, California and Chicago. Top prize is 10 thousand dollars.


Martin James is a fishing correspondent for the British Broadcasting Corporation and an avid carp
angler. He says in Britain, the carp reigns supreme.


“The attitude towards the carp in the United Kingdom, is it’s the number one sports fish. There’s
more people fish for carp than any other species of fish. It’s a billion dollar business.


(outdoors sound)


For people who grew up around here, that idea has taken some getting used to. Most locals go
after fish they can eat – like walleye and bass.


According to the New York health department, carp is loaded with toxins. And so they’ve come
to be known as trash fish, unsafe to eat.


There’s even a bow hunting season for carp in which the fish are killed and discarded.


Local angler Doug Sholette is one of the marshals for the fishing derby. But he admits he’s never
tried carp fishing.


“So even coming into the tournament, you were a little bit skeptical about…” “Actually about
touching it. I’m like it’s a carp, you know?” “And you’re the marshal!” “Yeah, I guess I…I
thought about wearing gloves. But they gave us a rundown and what the Europeans think of carp
changes your whole attitude.”


That’s what fishing guide Jerry Laramay has been waiting to hear.


For five years, he’s been leading carp fishing adventures on the St. Lawrence for anglers from all
over the world. He’s also been just about the only local to try it himself. Laramay helped
organize the tournament with the hope of convincing his neighbors that this so-called trash fish is
a valuable resource.


“Can we affect the economy in this area? Absolutely. In this general area, it’s an impoverished
area, as far as our economy goes. I mean, we have to use these resources. God gave us the St.
Lawrence River in front of us, if you’re not going to use it, you’re a fool.


(yelling – “There it is!”)


Kids come running down the beach as 13 year old Josh Schrader pulls in the first carp of the day.
It’s a moment of excitement but also a learning opportunity. British angler Phil Saunders quickly
hops into the water with a net and starts giving instructions.


“Okay, put him in the sling…”


Saunders carefully lays the fish on a padded mat and then lifts it up to be weighed.


(11 pounds 4 ounces. “Alright Josh!”)


Saunders checks the fish to see if it has any wounds that need treating. Then he gently releases it.
The Europeans never eat them. Before the tournament, both the adult volunteers and the kids in
the derby were given a crash course in so-called carp care. The reasoning is simple. Take care of
the fish, and the catches will grow even bigger.


But Jerry Laramay says, for him, the need for conservation goes beyond sport fishing. He says
he’s seen a lot of wildlife disappear.


“If we don’t start protecting our natural resources, we’re not going to have them anymore. And
one day the carp will be gone also.”


(We haven’t even caught any big fish yet…)


As the day wears on, a clear winner emerges. Warren Dolan of London, England pulls in one
carp after another, while most of the lines around him remain still. He’s come to the derby with
extra poles, bags of special bait imported from England and expert gear to deposit it over the
water. The kids who live here rely on borrowed equipment. But three of them still end up in the
top 10. And many more are going home after reeling in a 10 or 20 pound fish. Jerry Laramay
hopes the experience will create a new generation of St. Lawrence anglers – and new hope for the
communities where they live.


For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Karen Kelly.

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Used Tires Dumped in Low-Income Neighborhoods

Some low-income suburbs of major metropolitan areas are dumping grounds for used tires. But who’s dumping the tires continues to stump the authorities. In one state, authorities hauled off more than 40,000 used tires last year… and more keep showing up. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Jenny Lawton has this report:

Transcript

Some low-income suburbs of major metropolitan areas are dumping grounds for used tires. But
who’s dumping the tires continues to stump the authorities. In one state, authorities hauled off
more than 40-thousand used tires last year… and more keep showing up. The Great Lakes Radio
Consortium’s Jenny Lawton has this report:


Today’s job is a small one — inspectors from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
have been called in to remove about 3-thousand tires buried in an overgrown junkyard in a remote
corner of Blue Island, a suburb south of Chicago.


The state is paying for this clean-up, because tires are more than a nuisance, they’re a public
health problem.


This unpenned junkyard is overgrown with weeds and swarming with mosquitoes.


State EPA tire inspector George Skrobuton swats a big one from his elbow as he directs his crew.


“You’ve got all these tires here right now. They’re mixed between mattresses, garbage, clothes,
trash, leaves… See what they do is they get these tires out of the trees, the bushes, and the trash –
and they put them in a nice big pile, and they load the piles into the truck – it’s easier that way.
So, I mean, we’ll do the best we can, we’ll try to get every tire off the ground, if possible. And
hopefully, it’ll stay this way.”


The head of a back-hoe pushes aside a heap of garbage and its jaws close on a pile of almost a
dozen tires. Water streams from the knot of rubber as its lifted and dumped into an open semi
truck.


Skrobuton and his team have been called in to remove thousands of tires across the state, piles left
by rogue transporters who are paid to take them away, but pocket their fee instead of taking them
to be processed legally.

Some speculate the dumpers come from as far as Indiana to dump semi-truck-loads of the tires
under the cover of darkness.


Because these tires are on public land, Skrobuton’s team is cleaning them up for free as part of the
state EPA’s tire removal program.


But Skrobuton says this is a problem that just won’t go away.

“We can’t keep cleaning up these tire sites – it costs a lot of money. Y’know especially out here in
the south suburbs, I mean, there are so many forest preserves, and nooks and crannies like this,
that they could dump tires forever. And we don’t know where they’re coming from and that’s a
problem. Y’know, and unlesss they catch them in the act, we’re stuck with this problem.”


Over the last two years, dumpers left over 35-thousand tires in suburban Dixmoor.


With a population of less than 4-thousand, this poor suburb doesn’t have the money to remove the
tires… or fund a police force to keep the dumpers at bay.


So dumpers left their loads in alleys, vacant lots, even behind a school for years.


Village trustee Jerry Smith says the town was helpless until the state EPA came in and removed
all 18-truck-loads of tires last month.


“It’s just horrible, y’know – you go out there one day and it’s clear. And then you come back the
next day, you got 10,000 tires facing you. Well, what are you going to do with them? You can’t
pay the money to dispose them because you don’t have the money to dispose of them. There’s
nothing in our budget we got in there to dispose of tires what’s been dumped. So it’s just a burden
on us.”


But the state EPA’s Todd Marvel says the town had to move the tires because they’re a health
hazard.


He says the mounds of used tires draw more dumpers. And when tires catch fire, they produce a
toxic smoke, and Marvel says spraying water on them just makes things worse.


“So when that tire burns and you put that water on it, you’ve got a pretty contaminated run-off
there, a very oily run-off. And any surface water that’s in the area can be immediately
contaminated if that oily sheen is not contained properly.”


And, of course, there are mosquitoes. Marvel says each tire off its rim can breed thousands of
them, so these dumps are a breeding ground for West Nile.


Because of health concerns in the past, the state started a program to help get rid of these tires.


The state’s used tire clean-up program was created as a way to get the tires out of the state’s
junkyards, and into a useable industry.


People who purchase tires in Illinois pay a fee of $2.50 for each tire, new or used, which goes to
fund clean-ups and put back into the state’s used tire industry.


Most of the tires are shredded and mixed with coal to burn in power plants. Shredded tires can
also be used as the surface for everything from football fields to highways to playgrounds.


Marvel says the program has been so successful, Illinois’s demand for used tires actually exceeds
its generation rate.


“In fact, Illinois is a net importer of used tires. And the state of Illinois is constantly looking at
other markets and developing those markets to ensure that all of the used tires that we generate
and that all of the used tires that we clean-up through the dumps throughout the state have
someplace to go.”


But not all the tires end up where they’re supposed to go. Even though dumpers charge the fees
to process them properly, some of them steal the money and dump them in places such as
Dixmoor.


Dixmoor trustee Jerry Smith says once the tires show up in his town, they don’t have the money
to process them.


He says one company quoted him a price of $6 a tire. Multiply that by thousands.


So for now, he’s hoping the state EPA’s clean-up will last the town a long time.


Although the state EPA has offered Dixmoor support for added surveillance, Smith says a few
well-placed boulders and barricades seemed to do the trick.


Until last week, when 15 truck tires showed up in an alley.


Smith is cautiously optimistic this most recent find won’t multiply overnight.


“Let’s hope not. (laughs) I hope not. I really hope they don’t.”


But Dixmoor’s a small town and can’t afford a large enough police force to stop all the dumpers.


That means, chances are, abandoned tires will start showing up in back alleys and vacant lots
again soon.


For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Jenny Lawton.

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Churches Struggle With Urban Sprawl

Urban sprawl is affecting communities across the Great Lakes region. In one Ohio community, residents are turning to their churches to fight back. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Karen Schaefer reports:

Transcript

Urban sprawl is affecting communities across the Great Lakes region. In one Ohio community,
residents are turning to their churches to fight back. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Karen
Schaefer reports:


Forest Hill Presbyterian Church was built in Cleveland Heights 100 years ago. Pastor John Lentz
says, in its heyday, some 15-hundred people regularly walked to church services every week.
Today, the congregation totals just 600. Lentz says it’s a constant struggle to replace those who
leave his flock for the greenfield developments that surround the urban center.


“Churches are anchors of communities and I think we need to be active in the kinds of issues that
affect our communities, like fair and open housing and education, and really make it our mission to equip
faithful people to, you know, walk the walk.”


He and other religious leaders have banded together to form the Northeast Ohio Alliance for
Hope. The group is working with 15 Cleveland suburbs, taking on issues like predatory lending,
school funding, and home repair.


For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Karen Schaefer.