3 Years for Asian Carp Plan?

[fish or swim]

Laura Weber (2010-11-22)

East Lansing, MI (MPRN)

“Fish and wildlife specialists say the state will have a plan in three years to manage the threat of Asian carp invading the Great Lakes. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment held a summit today to discuss the threat of Asian carp.â€

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/michi ... in.3.years.

I think they have already told us their plan. Wait 3 years until the carps are in Lake Michigan and then they won’t have to deal with the problem because it will be too late. Or maybe they want them in the Lakes for other reasons. It wouldn’t surprise me.

[Misty IV]

Exactly. It will be too late in 3 years. They need to act now! I thought the Army Corp of Engineers were already working on a plan? Whatever happened to that?

[fish or swim]

It is a confusing mess. I think the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee is suppose to be in charge of all of this and US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) works under them. There is nothing being done right now, at least nothing new. ‘Maybe’ something will be done after 3 years from now.

The USACE is currently operating the old underwater electric barrier in one of the Chicago canals. And conducting water sampling to determine the possible movement of the carp beyond the electric barrier.

About a month ago a new federal law was passed to ban the trade and transport of Asian Carp. I don’t know all of the details.

About two months ago the USACE put a barrier on the land between two of the Chicago canals to try and prevent carp movement in the event of a flood. This great barrier was made out of concrete and chain link fence, yes chain link fence. It was openly admitted that small fish and eggs could pass right through.

That is about all that has happened in the last year. Nothing significant has happened. But lots of studying going on.

This is the USACE website for details.

http://www.lrc.usace.army.mil/AsianCarp/

[Misty IV]

It is a confusing mess. I think the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee is suppose to be in charge of all of this and US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) works under them. There is nothing being done right now, at least nothing new. ‘Maybe’ something will be done after 3 years from now.

The USACE is currently operating the old underwater electric barrier in one of the Chicago canals. And conducting water sampling to determine the possible movement of the carp beyond the electric barrier.

About a month ago a new federal law was passed to ban the trade and transport of Asian Carp. I don’t know all of the details.

About two months ago the USACE put a barrier on the land between two of the Chicago canals to try and prevent carp movement in the event of a flood. This great barrier was made out of concrete and chain link fence, yes chain link fence. It was openly admitted that small fish and eggs could pass right through.

That is about all that has happened in the last year. Nothing significant has happened. But lots of studying going on.

This is the USACE website for details.

http://www.lrc.usace.army.mil/AsianCarp/

Lots of information on that site. Thanks for posting the link.

[fish or swim]

Without the organization and help of fishing and environmental groups there isn’t going to be any fishing left on the Lakes someday.

Citizens call on Obama to stop the Asian carp

By Jennifer Nalbone Great Lakes United

Groups carry your grassroots voice to Washington D.C

“We asked you to stand up against the Asian carp, and you did so in resounding numbers. Over just two months this summer Great Lakes United, Freshwater Future and 8 of its allies collected over 13,000 signatures on postcards and petitions, urging President Obama to take action to stop the Asian carp.

In late September we hand-delivered these postcards to the White House and met with John Goss, the new Asian Carp Director at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. We also met personally with 20 Members of Congress, where we dropped off information packets about the carp and detailed how many postcards came from their state or district. We sent the packages to an additional 14 Member offices, and participated in a Congressional briefing where Congressional staff learned about the new Great Lakes Commission/ Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Cities Initiative study “Envisioning a Chicago Waterway System for the 21st Century.â€

“Every voice counts. The groups who traveled to D.C. were armed with your message. Thank you for signing postcards this summer to stop an Asian carp invasion, and please keep engaging in this important effort. You are joining the chorus of thousands of people across the region calling for a solution to this huge threat.

We have strong allies. Representatives from grassroots citizens groups were working alongside of fishing clubs and national NGOs. We share common goals, and working together we are more likely to achieve them.â€

http://www.glu.org/news/2010/11/citizen ... dium=email

[fish or swim]

Action Alert: Tell the Corps to Stop the Asian Carp!

This December the Asian carp aren’t taking a holiday. Asian carp continue to swim toward our Great Lakes and decision makers are deciding what, if anything, more to do. We have an opportunity to speak out loudly and clearly and let decision makers know we want real action now.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are collecting public comments from December 15th through March 31st on their Great Lakes and Mississippi River Basin Interbasin Feasibility Study (GLMRIS). The study focus will determine if we implement a permanent solution (hydrological separation) to stop the Asian carp.

What GLMRIS is: A study authorized by Congress in 2007 mandating that the Army Corps of Engineers determine options available to prevent invasive species from moving through the Chicago waterway in both directions. It also will look at all hydrological connections between the Great Lakes and Mississippi basin.

Why GLMRIS is important: While there is little debate that fast action to prevent movement of Asian carp is the top priority, there will be no authorization or funding for building a permanent solution (hydrological separation) without successful completion of this federal study.

What is happening now: Written public comments are being collected right now. And on December 15th at the Gleacher Center located at 450 N. Cityfront Plaza Dr. in Chicago, IL from 12 - 7 PM, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) will be hosting the first of a series of ten public “scoping†meetings to present information and receive comments on the scope of the study.

Additional meeting dates/cities are:

January 11, 2011: Buffalo, NY

January 13, 2011: Cleveland, OH

January 20, 2011: St. Paul, MN

January 25, 2011: Green Bay, WI

January 27, 2011: Traverse City, MI

February 1, 2011: Cincinnati, OH

February 3, 2011: Ann Arbor, MI

February 8, 2011: St. Louis, MO

February 10, 2011: Vicksburg, MS

Why speaking out is so important:

· The Corps was mandated to study ways to “prevent†invasive species movement between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River. Deplorably, the Corps has decided to spend precious time and resources to also study ways to “reduce the risk,†not just prevent. This was not authorized by Congress nor is it a credible strategy that will protect our Great Lakes. We need you to tell them this is unacceptable and only options that will “prevent†invasive species movement and stop the Asian carp should be studied.

· The Corps study takes too long. The Chicago portion of the study is not predicted to be complete until mid-2015, or nearly five years from now. The Corps must acknowledge the urgency of finding a permanent solution, condense the timeline and produce final results for the Chicago portion of GLMRIS within 18 months rather than mid-2015 and we need you to send that message.

· The Asian carp are knocking at the back door to the Great Lakes. Corps should study and provide a solution for the Chicago Waterway System first regardless of the need to prioritize and act on other aquatic pathways.

How you can speak out:

· Please attend a public meeting and make sure you register to speak before the meeting so you will be given preference – see the full list of meetings and how to register to speak here: http://glmris.anl.gov/involve/pubschedule/index.cfm

· If you can’t attend a meeting, submit written comments on-line here: http://glmris.anl.gov/involve/comments/index.cfm

Comments will be collected until March 31, 2011.

More information and talking points have been compiled in a factsheet by our allies at Freshwater Future, Alliance for the Great Lakes and Prairie River Network, and can be found here: http://www.freshwaterfuture.org/userfil ... 0Sheet.pdf

You can download the Corps’ Project Management Plan (PMP) for GLMRIS, the Federal Register notice of the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement and other documents here: http://glmris.anl.gov/documents/index.cfm.

Thank you for all you to do protect the worlds largest freshwater resource from the Asian carp!

http://us1.campaign-archive.com/?u=b501 ... 514bb94b7d