Feb. 12, 2010 public hearing in Chicago.

Feb. 12, 2010 public hearing in Chicago.

Over three hundred people turned out for the federal Asian carp hearing in Chicago on February 12, including Prairie Rivers Network staffer Traci Barkley who was quoted in the Detroit Free Press.

Traci, who conducted some of the early research on the electric fence prior to joining Prairie Rivers Network, reminded top federal officials that it was originally designed to stop the round goby from invading the Mississippi basin from the Great Lakes, but it was too late. After modifying the electric fence to stop Asian carp from heading north to the Great Lakes, DNA evidence indicates that this too may have been too late. She made a strong case for the only solution that makes sense: separating the Mississippi and Great Lakes basins. One thing is certain: Asian carp, round goby and the zebra mussel aren’t the first, nor will they be the last, invaders we must try to stop.

Prairie Rivers Network and our partners have been successful in communicating the urgency of the problem, and things are starting to happen. Responding to grassroots pressure, the White House held a summit with Great Lakes governors on February 8 to announce the administration’s Asian carp strategy, and sent top officials from the White House Council on Environmental Quality and four other federal agencies to the Chicago stakeholder meeting. The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure held a hearing on the carp problem on February 9.

Permanent ecological separation of the Mississippi and Great Lakes basins is the only way to stop invasions of alien animals and plants in both directions. While most media coverage is focusing on near-term emergency actions, it is up to us – Prairie Rivers Network, our partners, and you – to take every opportunity to urge public officials to speed up efforts towards a permanent solution as soon as possible. It isn’t going to be easy. Major industries like coal-burning utilities and oil tank farms, and smaller business like marinas and water taxis, rely on the canal system. It is time to shift the debate from emergency lock closures to the question of finding the best location for separating the watersheds in a manner that minimizes the economic impacts. Until we start asking tough questions and moving toward a permanent solution, our nation’s greatest waters remain in peril.

What you can do: Federal officials will hold another public hearing on Wednesday Feb. 17 at 2 to 5 pm CST in Ypsilanti Michigan. During the hearing you can watch the live webcast and submit questions and comments that will be read to the officials.