Camo At The Capitol

Carpageddon draws near - Congress responds…

This past Wednesday, the Asian carp crisis reached yet an even higher sense of urgency (if you can believe it) when commercial fishermen working with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources netted a Bighead Carp in Lake Calumet, beyond the electric barriers in the Chicago Water Way System (CWWS) and only six miles from Lake Michigan. The 35 inch, 20 pound Bighead Carp is the first live specimen of Asian carp to be found beyond the electric barriers since Asian carp eDNA was found beyond the barriers and in Lake Michigan in December and January.

You probably already knew all of this if you're an angler who's concerned about the future of our fishing heritage and way of life.  If so, your sense of frustration has probably also reached new levels as the Army Corps of Engineers has responded with no plans to close the T.J. O'Brien Lock and Dam - which sits between Lake Calumet and Lake Michigan.

Fidling while Rome burns?

This is clearly a big deal, but who's in charge here? Back in February you may recal the Federal Government's response to Asian carp eDNA being discovered beyond the electric barriers was to hold a few "town-hall" type meetings in Illinois and Michigan, where the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources floated their collective plan to battle Asian Carp - the Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework, which was finalized in May. According to that plan, the Army Corps of Engineers is conducting a "Great Lakes and Mississippi River Inter-Basin Study" to determine how to close off the Great Lakes from Asian carp devastation. Basically, it's a fancy way of saying they're going to study how to separate the basins for three years before making a decision on how to proceed.

Sign our Letter to President Obama!

Over the past few months, MUCC and the Metro West Steelheaders have been collecting signatures for a letter to President Obama, asking him to take serious action on Asian carp, including temporarily closing the locks and implementing a permanent hydrologic separation between the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes. With 7,000 signatures and counting, we plan to make a big announcement when the letter is sent to the President. Please read the letter and consider signing-on your support.

At least somebody's doing something...

New news came out today that members of the U.S. House and Senate are taking legislative action to speed up, well...action:

(1) First off, a bi-partisan delegation of Great Lakes champions (Rep. Dingell (D-MI), Rep. Ehlers (R-MI), Sen. Levin (D-MI) and Sen. Voinovich (R-OH)) are circulating a letter to President Obama, urging him to immediately strenghen the barrier and implement all other measures necessary to stop Asian carp from migrating into the Great Lakes. The letter also asks the Obama Administration to expedite the Inter-Basin Study mentioned above to develop an aggressive strategy for permanent hydrologic separation. With the Prez in charge, this is a huge step to place bi-partisan, bi-cameral pressure on him to order the Army Corps to take action.  What you can do: Contact your Congressman and urge them to sign the Asian carp letter! The deadline is Tuesday, June 29.

(2) Second, Michigan U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow and Illinois U.S. Senator Richard Durbin are planning to introduce new legislation on Tuesday, June 29 that will require the Army Corps to conduct a study on the feasibility and best means of implementing the hydrologic separation of the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Basins to prevent the spread of aquatic nuisance species between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Basins through the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal and other aquatic pathways. The bill would require the study to be completed within 18 months (as opposed to the current 3 year plan outlined in the Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework) and puts the White House Center for Environmental Quality in a position to ensure that the study gets done on time. While it does seem ridiculous to call for an 18 month study when Asian carp are just miles away from Lake Michigan, I'm sure the whole hydrologic separation of two major waterways does involve some pretty intense planning. This bill is a progressive step in the right direction, and it also has the support of Illinois' powerful Sen. Durbin. Please consider also consider contacting your Congressman to urge them to become original cosponsors of this bill before its introduced on Tuesday, June 29.

With the news regarding these legislative initiatives coming in late Friday, June 25, there's surely more to come.  Please be sure to check back for updates to stay informed and find out how you can help make a difference in putting pressure on the Obama Administration to take serious actions to stop Asian carp.

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