fish or swim

Looks good. Best part - made in USA.

USACE Out of Control The USACE needs you to tell them to quite messing around. Submit your comments below. No Rush Job On Carp Study By Dan Egan of the Journal Sentinel, Feb 17, 2011 http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/116419819.html Meantime, Army Corps officials say the public doesn’t need to worry: The electric fish barrier that it’s operating at about half its potential voltage on the canal about 35 miles south of Lake Michigan is doing an excellent job of holding the fish back. How do they know that? They have a study that shows it. What does that study say? They won’t share it - not even with members of a government advisory panel created to “assess and evaluate effective methodologies, engineering, and science-based methods†to keep the carp and other species from migrating up the Chicago canal system. “They just seem to be hiding from public scrutiny,†said Phil Moy, a former Army Corps employee who now works for University of Wisconsin Sea Grant and is the co-chair of the “technical policy and work group†for the federal government’s Regional Coordinating Committee in the Asian carp fight. "Good science doesn't work that way," said Moy, whose panel is packed with scientists, many of whom were instrumental in getting the barrier built in the first place. "Instead of sharing these research results, they're just sitting on them." Submit written comments on-line here: http://glmris.anl.gov/involve/comments/index.cfm Comments will be collected until March 31, 2011. Some suggestions for comments: The Corps was mandated to study ways to “prevent†invasive species movement between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River. Deplorably, the Corps has decided to spend precious time and resources to also study ways to “reduce the risk,†not just prevent. This was not authorized by Congress nor is it a credible strategy that will protect our Great Lakes. This is unacceptable and only options that will “prevent†invasive species movement and stop the Asian carp should be studied. The Corps study takes too long. The Chicago portion of the study is not predicted to be complete until mid-2015, or nearly five years from now. The Corps must acknowledge the urgency of finding a permanent solution, condense the timeline and produce final results for the Chicago portion of GLMRIS within 18 months rather than mid-2015. The Asian carp are knocking at the back door to the Great Lakes. Corps should study and provide a solution for the Chicago Waterway System first regardless of the need to prioritize and act on other aquatic pathways. The Corps must operate in a completely open and non-deceitful manner that is completely open to public scrutiny. Actions like refusing to release reports are not acceptable.

Captian Vince, You should go have a look at the 27 page windturbine sticky. The Ontario government does not have any intention of following through with that statement. Sorry

Capt. Vince, Do you have any of these type of organizations in your area? The last one is the province of Ontario not Lake Ontario. But they do have an offshore section. If you don't want to have a fit don't open the links. http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/01/ ... n-lawsuit/ http://www.windpowerethics.org/index.php http://windconcernsontario.wordpress.com/offshore/

USDA USDA USDA USDA USDA USDA USDA Dec Dec ………….....2010/2011 2009/2010 2008/2009 2007/2008 2006/2007 2005/2006 2004/200 Production...12,540….13,110…....12,092…….13,038…......10,535……11,114……..11,807 Ethanol……....4,800……4 ,568…......3,677……..3,026…….....2,115……..1,603……….1,323 Ending Stocks..832…...1,708……....1,673……..1,624……....1,304……..1,967……….2,114 Production is total corn production in millions of bushels. Ethanol is amount of corn used to make ethanol I left out some of the uses on the chart to make it simpler. Left out food uses and other uses. Ending stocks are disappearing fast. Ending stocks 2009/2010, 1708million bushels. Ending stocks 2010/2011, 832million bushels. That means this year it is predicted that the US will use 876million bushels more corn than is produced. Where are they going to get all of the corn to produce this extra ethanol? Perhaps they can turn the front lawn of the White House into a corn farm? A really big one.

I don't think it is a rumor. The Asian Carp site has something about it. It has been in reports in other places as well with the odd find in more recent years. The biologists believe the numbers are too low to be a threat. http://www.asiancarp.org/faq.asp#11 if the link doesn't work try a search at asiancarp.org or google • Have Asian carp been found in Lake Erie? Back to top Five Bighead carp have been individually collected between 1995 and 2003 in western Lake Erie. Since 2004, the Fish and Wildlife Service has monitored western Lake Erie in Sandusky and Toledo, Ohio using trammel nets in response to these discoveries. This surveillance sampling has not resulted in any additional collections of bighead or silver carp. These sampling efforts do not suggest a reproducing population exists in Lake Erie, however, additional sampling is needed to provide a more accurate conclusion about their presence or abundance in Lake Erie. Documentation of the five Bighead carp collected can be found in the Risk Assessment for Asian Carps in Canada (2004) and the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database

Yes there have been Asian Carp found in Lake Erie. Very low numbers, sometimes in commercial fishing nets. Sometimes Asian people buy them and release them as a ritual for good luck. (I had a tough time typing that one without...) It is thought the numbers are far too low for a breeding population. Here is some recent news about tests at the Maumee River headwaters area. "Indiana DNR, no Asian carp eDNA found in Eagle Marsh" INDIANA- The largest sampling to date of Indiana waterways for environmental DNA (eDNA) evidence of Asian carp yielded negative results on either side of Eagle Marsh near Fort Wayne, University of Notre Dame researchers have reported. To read the complete news release, please click on the following link: http://www.asiancarp.org/ Let's hope the media does not forget about this until something is done.

Why speaking out is so important: · The Corps was mandated to study ways to “prevent†invasive species movement between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River. Deplorably, the Corps has decided to spend precious time and resources to also study ways to “reduce the risk,†not just prevent. This was not authorized by Congress nor is it a credible strategy that will protect our Great Lakes. We need you to tell them this is unacceptable and only options that will “prevent†invasive species movement and stop the Asian carp should be studied. · The Corps study takes too long. The Chicago portion of the study is not predicted to be complete until mid-2015, or nearly five years from now. The Corps must acknowledge the urgency of finding a permanent solution, condense the timeline and produce final results for the Chicago portion of GLMRIS within 18 months rather than mid-2015 and we need you to send that message. · The Asian carp are knocking at the back door to the Great Lakes. Corps should study and provide a solution for the Chicago Waterway System first regardless of the need to prioritize and act on other aquatic pathways. How you can speak out: · Please attend a public meeting and make sure you register to speak before the meeting so you will be given preference – see the full list of meetings and how to register to speak here: http://glmris.anl.gov/involve/pubschedule/index.cfm · If you can’t attend a meeting, submit written comments on-line here: http://glmris.anl.gov/involve/comments/index.cfm Comments will be collected until March 31, 2011. More information and talking points have been compiled in a factsheet by our allies at Freshwater Future, Alliance for the Great Lakes and Prairie River Network, and can be found here: http://www.freshwaterfuture.org/userfil ... 0Sheet.pdf You can download the Corps’ Project Management Plan (PMP) for GLMRIS, the Federal Register notice of the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement and other documents here: http://glmris.anl.gov/documents/index.cfm. Thank you for all you to do protect the worlds largest freshwater resource from the Asian carp!

#195 Mike and Capt. Vince thank you for your efforts. If you haven't signed it only takes a few seconds.

You guys have a great website. My rant. The first thing that is taught to every first year climatology student is: The climate is always changing. It has been changing for millions of years before we were here and it will be changing for millions of years after we are gone. The earth spends 90% of the time in a glacial period (ice age) and 10% per of the time in an interglacial period (the type of climate we have now). Would you like to be able lay on the beach in the summer? or have a mile of ice over your head? There have been periods much warmer than the current, Northern Alaska used to have a semi-tropical climate. It was much warmer than some people’s current worries and the world still survived a million years later. The only way mankind can prosper is to have a warm climate. Without the warm climate basically all of the world’s agricultural land is no longer viable to grow food. Yes some new areas would become viable but not nearly enough to feed 7 billion people. Then who will decide who doesn’t get to eat? No I don’t want our kids, pets or birds in the back yard to be full of DDT, asbestos or any of that type of stuff. Something has to be done to keep pollution under control. I don’t believe in abusing the world, just trying to be realistic considering all of the latest and greatest newspaper headlines. The most important part. We better go fishing now because we are all going to be dead a long time. Happy New Year To All!

This company is working on a new type of deep well drilling techique. They claim (or hope) that they will be able to drill geothermal wells to 30,000 feet. Which makes geothermal possible anywhere in the world. And be cost competitive with any other energy source. So yes good old American ingenuity may save the day. http://www.potterdrilling.com/

The problem with ethanol is it uses more fossil fuels to produce it than the amount of energy from the resulting ethanol produced. All of the tractors and trucking, processing the corn etc etc burn fuel, more fuel than the amount of ethanol produced. That is why it requires a government subsidy to function as an industry. And regulations to require it to be put into the gasoline. It basically moves pollution from cities to the countryside with no net gain.

USDA USDA USDA USDA USDA USDA USDA Dec Dec ………….2010/2011 2009/2010 2008/2009 2007/2008 2006/2007 2005/2006 2004/200 Production.12,540….13,110…....12,092…….13,038…......10,535……11,114……..11,807 Ethanol……4,800…….4 ,568…......3,677……..3,026…….....2,115……..1,603……….1,323 Ending Stocks.832…..1,708……...1,673……..1,624……....1,304……..1,967……….2,114 My farmer buddy tells me my numbers are out of date (in my first post) The situation is going downhill in a hurry. Production is total corn production in millions of bushels. Ethanol is amount of corn used to make ethanol Ending stocks are disappearing fast. Look for very high corn prices next summer

Yes save the world with ethanol! Doesn't it sound so nice? The good news is supply shortages will stop any further increases in ethanol content. Right now about 32-33% of US corn production goes to ethanol production. The best case scenario claims that this amount can be increased by about 50% from its current level. That means using all available acreage, including putting marginal land back into production, some shifting from other crops. It is getting really close to the point were there just wouldn’t be any extra corn left to make more ethanol. Unless they start importing which isn’t a likely option but who knows.

Action Alert: Tell the Corps to Stop the Asian Carp! This December the Asian carp aren’t taking a holiday. Asian carp continue to swim toward our Great Lakes and decision makers are deciding what, if anything, more to do. We have an opportunity to speak out loudly and clearly and let decision makers know we want real action now. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are collecting public comments from December 15th through March 31st on their Great Lakes and Mississippi River Basin Interbasin Feasibility Study (GLMRIS). The study focus will determine if we implement a permanent solution (hydrological separation) to stop the Asian carp. What GLMRIS is: A study authorized by Congress in 2007 mandating that the Army Corps of Engineers determine options available to prevent invasive species from moving through the Chicago waterway in both directions. It also will look at all hydrological connections between the Great Lakes and Mississippi basin. Why GLMRIS is important: While there is little debate that fast action to prevent movement of Asian carp is the top priority, there will be no authorization or funding for building a permanent solution (hydrological separation) without successful completion of this federal study. What is happening now: Written public comments are being collected right now. And on December 15th at the Gleacher Center located at 450 N. Cityfront Plaza Dr. in Chicago, IL from 12 - 7 PM, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) will be hosting the first of a series of ten public “scoping†meetings to present information and receive comments on the scope of the study. Additional meeting dates/cities are: January 11, 2011: Buffalo, NY January 13, 2011: Cleveland, OH January 20, 2011: St. Paul, MN January 25, 2011: Green Bay, WI January 27, 2011: Traverse City, MI February 1, 2011: Cincinnati, OH February 3, 2011: Ann Arbor, MI February 8, 2011: St. Louis, MO February 10, 2011: Vicksburg, MS Why speaking out is so important: · The Corps was mandated to study ways to “prevent†invasive species movement between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River. Deplorably, the Corps has decided to spend precious time and resources to also study ways to “reduce the risk,†not just prevent. This was not authorized by Congress nor is it a credible strategy that will protect our Great Lakes. We need you to tell them this is unacceptable and only options that will “prevent†invasive species movement and stop the Asian carp should be studied. · The Corps study takes too long. The Chicago portion of the study is not predicted to be complete until mid-2015, or nearly five years from now. The Corps must acknowledge the urgency of finding a permanent solution, condense the timeline and produce final results for the Chicago portion of GLMRIS within 18 months rather than mid-2015 and we need you to send that message. · The Asian carp are knocking at the back door to the Great Lakes. Corps should study and provide a solution for the Chicago Waterway System first regardless of the need to prioritize and act on other aquatic pathways. How you can speak out: · Please attend a public meeting and make sure you register to speak before the meeting so you will be given preference – see the full list of meetings and how to register to speak here: http://glmris.anl.gov/involve/pubschedule/index.cfm · If you can’t attend a meeting, submit written comments on-line here: http://glmris.anl.gov/involve/comments/index.cfm Comments will be collected until March 31, 2011. More information and talking points have been compiled in a factsheet by our allies at Freshwater Future, Alliance for the Great Lakes and Prairie River Network, and can be found here: http://www.freshwaterfuture.org/userfil ... 0Sheet.pdf You can download the Corps’ Project Management Plan (PMP) for GLMRIS, the Federal Register notice of the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement and other documents here: http://glmris.anl.gov/documents/index.cfm. Thank you for all you to do protect the worlds largest freshwater resource from the Asian carp! http://us1.campaign-archive.com/?u=b501 ... 514bb94b7d

Without the organization and help of fishing and environmental groups there isn’t going to be any fishing left on the Lakes someday. Citizens call on Obama to stop the Asian carp By Jennifer Nalbone Great Lakes United Groups carry your grassroots voice to Washington D.C “We asked you to stand up against the Asian carp, and you did so in resounding numbers. Over just two months this summer Great Lakes United, Freshwater Future and 8 of its allies collected over 13,000 signatures on postcards and petitions, urging President Obama to take action to stop the Asian carp. In late September we hand-delivered these postcards to the White House and met with John Goss, the new Asian Carp Director at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. We also met personally with 20 Members of Congress, where we dropped off information packets about the carp and detailed how many postcards came from their state or district. We sent the packages to an additional 14 Member offices, and participated in a Congressional briefing where Congressional staff learned about the new Great Lakes Commission/ Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Cities Initiative study “Envisioning a Chicago Waterway System for the 21st Century.†“Every voice counts. The groups who traveled to D.C. were armed with your message. Thank you for signing postcards this summer to stop an Asian carp invasion, and please keep engaging in this important effort. You are joining the chorus of thousands of people across the region calling for a solution to this huge threat. We have strong allies. Representatives from grassroots citizens groups were working alongside of fishing clubs and national NGOs. We share common goals, and working together we are more likely to achieve them.†http://www.glu.org/news/2010/11/citizen ... dium=email

It is a confusing mess. I think the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee is suppose to be in charge of all of this and US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) works under them. There is nothing being done right now, at least nothing new. ‘Maybe’ something will be done after 3 years from now. The USACE is currently operating the old underwater electric barrier in one of the Chicago canals. And conducting water sampling to determine the possible movement of the carp beyond the electric barrier. About a month ago a new federal law was passed to ban the trade and transport of Asian Carp. I don’t know all of the details. About two months ago the USACE put a barrier on the land between two of the Chicago canals to try and prevent carp movement in the event of a flood. This great barrier was made out of concrete and chain link fence, yes chain link fence. It was openly admitted that small fish and eggs could pass right through. That is about all that has happened in the last year. Nothing significant has happened. But lots of studying going on. This is the USACE website for details. http://www.lrc.usace.army.mil/AsianCarp/

Laura Weber (2010-11-22) East Lansing, MI (MPRN) “Fish and wildlife specialists say the state will have a plan in three years to manage the threat of Asian carp invading the Great Lakes. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment held a summit today to discuss the threat of Asian carp.†http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/michi ... in.3.years. I think they have already told us their plan. Wait 3 years until the carps are in Lake Michigan and then they won’t have to deal with the problem because it will be too late. Or maybe they want them in the Lakes for other reasons. It wouldn’t surprise me.