clair084

Report proposes dividing Great Lakes, Mississippi River By John Flesher, AP Environmental Writer The Associated Press Traverse City, Mich. — Groups representing states and cities in the Great Lakes region on Tuesday proposed spending up to $9.5 billion on a massive engineering project to separate the lakes from the Mississippi River watershed in the Chicago area, describing it as the only sure way to protect both aquatic systems from invasions by destructive species such as Asian carp. The organizations issued a report suggesting three alternatives for severing an artificial link between the two drainage basins that was constructed more than a century ago. Scientists say it has already provided a pathway for exotic species and is the likeliest route through which menacing carp could reach the lakes, where they could destabilize food webs and threaten a valuable fishing industry. Read the full story at link . -------------------------------------------------------- Vermont Law School al...

Rules on invasive species stall; delay may be costly By JIM LYNCH, The Detroit News A year after the Asian carp’s threat to the Great Lakes threw a national spotlight on invasive species, critics say no definitive action on the issue’s two key focal points has been made. Ballast water from oceangoing ships, considered the largest source of invasive species in the Great Lakes, remains largely unregulated. And the Mississippi River system, where the Asian carp is firmly entrenched, remains connected to the Great Lakes. While there has been progress on both issues behind the scenes, conservationists say the pace is unacceptable and leaves the Great Lakes playing a game of Russian roulette year after year. "Maybe another year or two of waiting doesn’t seem daunting, but if you get a new invasion of some species like zebra mussels that shows up in six months, then you could have a catastrophe on your hands," said Andy Buchsbaum, regional director of the National Wildlife Federatio...

Updated 1/22. Latest news is at the bottom of this week's blog. --------------------------------------------------------- PA looking for more ways to pay for wildlife services Saying hunters, anglers pay their share, state agencies seek new money to manage wildlife Sunday, January 17, 2010 By John Hayes, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Some people look out the window and see a natural world that could take care of itself if we would just leave it alone. But those more experienced in the outdoors and employees of the two agencies that manage the state's wildlife see something else: A man-made landscape of unnatural second growth teeming with thousands of species of plants and animals living in a constantly changing artificial environment. In short, they see the need for constant and costly stewardship of Pennsylvania's wildlife resources. But it's become increasingly hard to pay for it. Officials at the state's separate Game Commission and Fish and Boat Commission said they...

Updated November 6. The latest news is at the bottom of the post. --------------------------------------------------------- More than $1 Million for projects to improve the health of Long Island Sound Funds awarded to control perennial pepperweed (Waterford, Conn. – Oct. 29, 2009) – Gathering together on the shores of Long Island Sound, top federal and state environmental officials announced 33 grants to state and local government and community groups under the Long Island Sound Futures Fund. The $1,011,878 will be leveraged by $1.92 million contributed by the recipients, providing a total of nearly $2.94 million for on-the-ground conservation in Connecticut and New York. [...] This year’s grant program funded 21 large grants (grants greater than $10,000) totaling $943,755. Five grants were awarded for water quality; four for habitat restoration; one for watershed planning; one for invasive species control; seven for education; and three for stewardship projects. [...] The grants incl...