If invasive giant Asian carp make it into Lake Michigan, these voracious predators could wreak havoc on the entire Great Lakes ecosystem, home to 1/5 of the world’s fresh water. Bighead and silver carp can quickly take over habitat, out-eating and out-breeding native fish. Re-establishing barriers between the Great Lakes basin and Mississippi River watershed is the most effective way to stop the carp’s advance, as well as preventing future invasive species advances.
Posted June 11, 2013 by Meleah Geertsma in Curbing Pollution, Environmental Justice, Health and the Environment, Living Sustainably
Two important messages on aquatic invasive species came out of the recent 2013 Leadership Summit, where the Great Lakes Governors and the Premiers of Ontario and Quebec gathered to discuss a new collaborative agenda for the region. The messages...continued→
Posted May 9, 2013 by Meleah Geertsma in Living Sustainably, Saving Wildlife and WIld Places
Today the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee (ACRCC), a collaboration among federal, state and local agencies and other stakeholders focused on addressing the threat of Asian carp to the Great Lakes, released its 2013 Monitoring and Response Plan for...continued→
Posted December 14, 2012 by Meleah Geertsma in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, Living Sustainably, Saving Wildlife and WIld Places
Back in 2010, a group of Great Lakes states led by Michigan sued the Army Corps of Engineers (“Corps”) and Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago to permanently close the locks of the Chicago Area Waterways System in...continued→
Posted November 16, 2012 by Meleah Geertsma in Curbing Pollution, Living Sustainably, Saving Wildlife and WIld Places
What’s the latest news in the fight to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes? This week in Chicago, the Army Corps of Engineers held the first of several “charrettes” to inform its work on the aquatic nuisance species...continued→
Posted October 19, 2012 by Josh Mogerman in Reviving the World's Oceans, Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
I made a quick stop in to Hong Kong on my way to NRDC’s offices in Beijing last week. But while taking in the sights of the fascinating city in southern China, Chicago was very much on my mind…and...continued→
Posted October 10, 2012 by Henry Henderson in Curbing Pollution, Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
Over and over the Asian carp debate gets dumbed down into "fish vs. barges." Usually it relates to pushback against any changes being made to the Chicago Waterways System, but also pops up in the increasingly common occurrence of...continued→
Posted October 5, 2012 by Henry Henderson in Curbing Pollution, Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
Another day, another disappointment. Earlier this year, Congress gave the Army Corps of Engineers clear orders to sort out a plan to deal with the movement of Asian carp in Chicago’s waterways to prevent the invasive fish from infesting...continued→
Posted July 27, 2012 by Josh Mogerman in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
Seen any mermaids in Lake Michigan? The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration took the odd step of announcing that there is no such thing as the mythical half-fish, half-human creature that occupied so much of sailors' fantasy focus in...continued→
Posted July 19, 2012 by Josh Mogerman in Curbing Pollution, Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
Getting attention at this town’s most high-profile food function, the Taste of Chicago, can be tough. But it’s not every day that folks attending the Taste get free grub. And even less often that they are served one of...continued→
Posted July 12, 2012 by Thom Cmar in Curbing Pollution, Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
Today the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans released a long-awaited risk assessment of the likelihood of Asian carp surviving and spreading in the Great Lakes should they successfully infiltrate Lake Michigan through the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS). Much...continued→
