Monday, January 31, 2011

Asain Carp comments at Ann Arbor Meeting; Feb. 3

   Officials are taking comments during a public meeting to be held Feb. 3 at the Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest, 1275 S. Huron St. Ypsilanti.
   Two sessions will be held each day, from 2-5 p.m. and 5:30-8 p.m. Each session opens with a half-hour presentation, followed by the opportunity to comment.
   To register your request to comment and for more information, go to http://glmris.anl.gov and click on the "Getting Involved" button.
   "At meetings elsewhere around the Great Lakes, residents have to make it clear that allowing Asian carp to get entrenched in the lakes, their tributaries or other smaller parts of the system would represent a disaster far greater than what Chicago may think it faces.

   "The carp vacuum up algae and other small food that is the start of the feeding chain for fish that anglers prize. One variety of Asian carp jumps out of the water when riled, putting people on personal watercraft, in particular, at risk. The carp now make up as much as 90% of the living mass in some Mississippi tributaries, a situation that would spell disaster in places like Lake St. Clair or Saginaw Bay.
   "So far, federal agencies have moved with slug-like speed. The study currently under way could take as long as five years. Michiganders need to urge the study officials to move faster, spell out more alternatives and, above all, weigh the potential damage throughout the Great Lakes basin. No one takes that more seriously than the people of the one state that sits entirely within it," according to the Detroit Free Press.com.
   You can and should get involved by making your comments known either through these public meetings or by letting your elected officials know of your concerns.
   Allowing Asian Carp into the Great Lakes will affect the loss to Michigan both financially in terms of tourism, and also the loss of jobs in a variety of areas.

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