Can we stop Asian Carp?

The Great Lakes are one of the natural wonders of the world and a treasure for us all. In Michigan, we depend on this largest freshwater system in the world for drinking water, food, transportation, recreation and unparalleled scenic beauty. In spite of their critical importance to all life, the Lakes have been heavily impacted by people throughout the past century. Water pollution and the introduction of invasive exotic species (such as Zebra Mussels and Sea Lampreys) have dramatically affected water quality, plant and animal life.

One of the newest threats facing the Great Lakes is the possible invasion of Asian Carp from the Mississippi River system. These fish grow up to 100 pounds and eat up to 40% of their body weight each day, devastating native ecosystems. Last December, DNA testing found that Asian Carp were in the Chicago River within a few miles of Lake Michigan (though no fish were found) and the barrier designed to keep them out may have been breached. One way to help prevent the invasion of these fish into Lake Michigan is to close the system of locks that connect the river to the lake, a move long-championed by environmental groups. With the support of Governor Granholm, Michigan's Attorney General, Mike Cox filed a lawsuit designed to force the closing of the locks. Since then, the states of New York, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota and the Province of Ontario have joined the fight.

On January 19, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Michigan's request for a special injunction to immediately close the shipping locks on the Chicago River. It did not, however, rule on the separate request to reopen other court cases dating back from the 1920s dealing with water diversion from the Lake. Also in January, Federal officials said revealed that Asian carp DNA had been found for the first time in the lake at Calumet Harbor in Illinois. More testing is scheduled to occur in nearby Indiana waters this spring.

On January 21, Senator Debbie Stabenow and Congressman Dave Camp introduced legislation to the U.S. Congress in a new attempt to stop Asian Carp. Senator Stabenow's letter to constiuents about their actions read, in part:

Today, I introduced the CARP ACT in the U.S. Senate. This bill directs the Army Corps of Engineers to construct additional barriers and immediately close the locks between the Chicago waterway and Lake Michigan to protect the Great Lakes from Asian carp. Congressman Dave Camp (R-Michigan) has also introduced the companion legislation in the House of Representatives...

I have been working to ensure that federal and state experts have all the tools they need to protect the Great Lakes from the Asian carp, and so far, the efforts have been very successful. However, the recent announcements by scientists are a troubling development that requires an urgent response. Therefore, the bills that Congressman Camp and I introduced call for immediate action to:

Immediately close the barriers and locks into the Great Lakes

Expedite the installation of interim barriers in rivers where no barriers currently exist

Enhance existing barriers and monitoring systems to prevent fish from crossing into the Great Lakes

Grant full authority to the Army Corps of Engineers to eradicate the Asian carp and prevent them from entering the Great Lakes.

Is it already too late to prevent Asian Carp from entering the Great Lakes? If not, acting swiftly seems to be the only chance we have to stop Asian Carp from invading our Lakes. To learn more about this issue and to sign an online petition in support of Michigan's lawsuit, visit: http://stopasiancarp.com/

love your planet, eat your beans

We’ve all heard of “win-win” situations, but here’s a triple-win to improve your own health, public health and global health! The factory-and-feedlot production of animals has dire consequences for water, forests, the climate, and our own personal health (high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease and various cancers are strongly linked to meat consumption.) If the thought of all-out vegetarianism is more than you can stomach, consider taking just two steps – reduce your meat consumption by 20%, and make an effort to purchase only locally-grown meat. How much could you help?

Here are some stats to consider in making your decision:

1) If all Americans reduced meat consumption by only 20%, we would reduce the amount of greenhouse gases equivalent to all of us switching to hybrid vehicles.

2) The production of beef in this country consumes more water than our entire fruit & vegetable crop. Want to reduce your use of water? Either don’t shower for a YEAR, or eat just one less pound of hamburger, because it takes over 2,000 pounds of water to produce one pound of hamburger!

3) 30 percent of the ice-free land on this planet is being used for animal production; 30% of Brazil’s deforestation is for cattle ranching.

4) The Exxon Valdez got a lot of press for dumping 12 million gallons of crude oil. But how many of us heard about the spill of hog waste in North Carolina (not an unusual accident in the animal industry) that released TWICE that amount of feces and urine, and caused 364,000 acres to be closed to shellfishing?

5) And for your personal health, fear not the lack of meat – ALL nutrients, including the 8 essential amino acids, vitamins, iron, magnesium, etc. – can be found in a VARIED plant-based diet. To learn more about how to reduce your meat consumption in a healthy manner, check out the North American Vegetarian Society (http://www.navs-online.org/)  or the Vegetarian Resource Group (http://www.vrg.org/) , or read “The Food Revolution: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life and Our World” (John Robbins).

Brush Piles for Wildlife

Brush piles have a reputation in some circles as "waste piles," the sign of the Lazy Man who refuses to keep things tidy. But in wildlife circles, they have a much different status. A well-built brush pile is a nesting spot for Northern Cardinals, Song Sparrows and Gray Catbirds. It's shelter for migrating White-throated Sparrows and overwintering Northen Juncos, as well as resident rabbits, grouse and chipmunks. And it is an emergency bomb shelter when a hawk enters the vicinity. So this holiday season, consider giving wildlife a homemade gift - a brush pile!

So how does one built the neighborhood's BEST brush pile? A good shelter has a dry basement, so start with a dry spot, or build up the site a bit before beginning. If there is standing water under the pile, it is of less value to the animals you are building for.

The bottom "floor" should be logs or sizeable branches of leg thickness or greater. This is the foundation, the ultimate factor determining width and length, so plan accordingly. Place the foundation logs parallel to each other, with a foot or two in between (the better for chipmunks, weasels and rabbits to scurry through), then place another layer of similar size on top of these, running in the opposite direction. Layer #3 should be smaller branches, placed thickly enough to catch grass clippings from above but loose enough to provide ventilation.

From this point up, the brush pile is whatever you make it, using whatever "stuff" is available -- straw from the dog pen, branches trimmed from shrubs, grass clippings, fallen branches. All that really matters is that there are alternating layers of loose material (such as branches of various sizes) and more solid material (straw, grass clippings). Solid layers capture fallen seeds and provide insulation, while the open layers allow for ventilation, as well as easeir movement through the pile for those who live there.

If the appearance of the brush pile is a concern, or you want to provide a two-for-one deal for animals (shelter AND food), decorate the brush pile with Wild Grape, Virginia Creeper or other vines to provide a splash of fall color, seeds and berries. As will all really good gifts, a brush pile will bring pleasure to both those that use it, and the one who sees how much it is appreciated.

 - Janea Little, Senior Naturalist

Happy Green New Year!

Happy New Year! It's almost impossible to believe it's 2010 already. It seems only yesterday that many people were storing up food for the great Y2K disaster that never happened. At least that got us thinking about our dependence on technology and lack of survival skills in the "real world!"

This year, as we enter the second decade of the second millenium, we should all pause to consider our relationship to the Earth. As each year passes, we're learning more and more about the human impact on our climate, plants, animals and insects and how they're all interrelated in amazing, intricate ways we never paused to consider.

What resolutions will you make this year to live more lightly on the planet? Will you recycle more, drive less and buy local produce. Which of the "Five Rs" will you focus on this year (Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Renew, Recycle), or perhaps you'll work a little bit on all of them?

Remember, reducing our negative impacts on the natural world doesn't necessarily mean we make drastic lifestyle changes. It's better to make manageable resolutions we can keep rather than grandiose ones that will just get dropped altogether after a couple of weeks.

No matter how you approach it, the staff at Chippewa Nature Center hopes your New Year is healthy, happy - and GREEN! We truly appreciate your constant support and look forward to seeing you on the trails.