New hope for protecting Lake Erie
This winter, state and federal officials across the Great Lakes region launched an assault on the Asian carp, one of the newest and most dangerous threats to the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem. An invasive species, the Asian carp has yet to officially infiltrate the Great Lakes, but it's close. If it takes hold in the lakes, the effects could be disastrous. The carp can consume massive amounts of plankton, thereby starving native species higher up the food chain. They can grow to be five feet long and weigh up to 100 pounds, and they have injured boaters by jumping out of the water--up to 10 feet--when spooked by passing motorboats.
The rise of invasive species like the Asian carp adds to a set of longtime pollution problems that continue to plague the world's largest group of freshwater lakes. Lake Erie suffers from a dead zone that in past summers has grown to be 6,300 square miles--bigger than the state of Connecticut. The combined carp and pollution threats highlight the need for a comprehensive effort to clean up and preserve the Great Lakes--one that requires more resources and greater cooperation among federal, regional and state officials.
Our staff in Columbus, along with advocates from our affiliates in Washington, D.C., Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, are working with members of Congress to build support for a plan that will dedicate new funds to restoration projects and strengthen the efforts of the state and federal agencies tasked with protecting the Great Lakes.
The measure is called the Great Lakes Ecosystem Protection Act. Great Lakes Ecosystem Protection Act The measure has been co-sponsored in the U.S. Senate by Ohio's George Voinovich (R) and Sherrod Brown (D). It VOLUME 4 | NO. 2 Summer Report | 2010 New hope for protecting Lake Erie enjoys bipartisan support from across the region, with Democrats and Republicans alike emphasizing its urgency. "The Great Lakes are a centerpiece of the American landscape, a unique and important natural resource to Ohio and the entire region," Voinovich said upon announcing the bill. "They must be protected not just for this generation, but for generations to come."
