NOTE: Deadline is March 10th! Wednesday.
Could be a great series for the May book for Great Lake TV Mets
Great Lakes Journalism Fellowship
The Great Waters Institute for Journalism & Natural Resources
An Intense Expedition-Style Journey of Learning for Reporters, Editors, and News Producers
April 23-May 1, 2010
Application Deadline: March 10
Comeback of a Charismatic Native: Restoring the Atlantic Salmon to Lake Ontario
Managing Storm Runoff and Non-point Pollution in Major Metropolitan Areas
Energy Pros & Cons: Coal, Hydro, Hydrokinetic, Geothermal & Wind (including off-shore facilities)
Threatened Species Case Study: The American Eel
Toxic Hot Spots: A Report Card on the Pace of Remediation in Great Lakes “Areas of Concern”
Ballast Water Technology and Salt Water Shipping in the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway
Water-Level Regulation and Wetland Habitat
Effects of Global Warming on Shallow-Water Ecosystems in the Great Lakes Basin
About the program:
IJNR, the Institutes for Journalism & Natural Resources, is inviting applications for its Great Waters Institute, a weeklong journey in parts of Ontario and New York that will examine a wide variety of topics in the Lake Ontario watershed. Water-related themes will unify the content of this roving field-based journalism program. This year’s fellowship will start and end in Toronto, Ontario. Although the expedition will focus predominantly on the Lake Ontario watershed, the content of the program is designed to be relevant to journalists who work throughout the Great Lakes region and beyond.
The Great Waters Institute is a program of learning and professional development, organized and led by journalists. Fellowships will be awarded to up to 14 competitively selected reporters, editors and producers (perhaps including one or two graduate students)—all in pursuit of better, more informed coverage of natural resources and the environment.
Journalists accepted to participate in this program will start with an in-depth examination of the successes and failures of storm-water management and non-point runoff in the Greater Toronto Area, including a firsthand look at the latest technologies being implemented to control runoff, water quality and beach health in one of the largest cities in the Great Lakes region. The group will examine lessons learned in Toronto and the possibility of replicating these storm water technologies in metropolitan areas throughout the Great Lakes region.
Journalists will also examine contaminated sites at two key “Areas of Concern” in Lake Ontario. They will revisit the pace and progress of remediation at these two toxic hotspots as well as dozens of similar sites on both sides of the international border. Journalists will hear leading scientists describe the latest recovery efforts for the American Eel, which, by some estimates, once constituted 40 percent of the fish biomass in Lake Ontario. Today the eel is a listed as “threatened” in the Province of Ontario. Fellows will meet shipping officials, scientists and environmentalists at one of the region's leading ports, as well as a key section of the Welland Canal, to discuss issues of ballast-water management and the latest technologies to prevent the introduction of aquatic invasive species to the Great Lakes ecosystem.
Also during the trip, Fellows will make a series of field visits to explore several renewable-energy platforms, either proposed or already implemented in the Lake Ontario watershed, that include geothermal, hydrokinetic, onshore and offshore wind facilities. They will head out onto the water with scientists who monitor the spread and effects of one of the latest exotic species to enter the Lake Ontario ecosystem. And they will strap on hip waders to accompany fish biologists as they walk into Lake Ontario tributaries to release juvenile Atlantic salmon as part of a multi-year restoration effort.
IJNR’s field programs are designed by journalists for journalists. Each program emphasizes the importance of context and perspective while covering issues of the environment, economic development, public health and rural communities. IJNR encourages better reporting and storytelling in order to increase public awareness and understanding of natural-resource issues.
IJNR Fellowships cover all field expenses, including meals, lodging, chartered bus and excursion fees. If necessary, a modest stipend is available for help with travel expenses to and from Toronto—the program’s hub city. Newsrooms are asked to cover salaries while participants are "on assignment" during the program, so that journalists are not expected to use vacation days or comp time to attend.
About the Great Waters staff:
Peter Annin, the architect and leader of the Great Waters Institute, is an IJNR associate director and a former Chicago-based correspondent for Newsweek. He is also the author of The Great Lakes Water Wars, an award-winning book about water tension in the Great Lakes region.
Frank Edward Allen, IJNR’s President, is a former bureau chief and environment editor for The Wall Street Journal.
The Joyce Foundation and the Royal Bank of Canada are the primary sponsors of this program, but IJNR also receives funding from more than 20 other organizations representing a wide and balanced spectrum of interests and viewpoints. IJNR insists on editorial independence in all its programming.
How to Apply:
Email applications are preferred.
Please email a statement of interest (less than two pages), a resume, a reference letter or supervisor's endorsement and four work samples to:
Or mail a hard copy to:
IJNR Fellowship Selection Committee
PO Box 1996
Missoula, MT 59806
The application deadline for this program is March 10. Applications must be received in Missoula by 5 pm Mountain Time on that date. Early applications are encouraged.
A current passport is required for this program.
