Press Release - Indiana Wildlife Federation

Illinois signs agreement to advance Brandon Road project to stop Asian carp

Michigan providing $8 million toward project to build gauntlet of technologies blocking Asian carp from the Great Lakes

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (Jan. 7, 2021) — In a press conference today, the State of Illinois and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced they have signed a preconstruction engineering and design agreement for the Brandon Road Lock and Dam project that will help block invasive Asian carp from advancing from the Illinois and Des Plaines Rivers through the Chicago Area Waterway System and into Lake Michigan. The project was approved by Congress in the recently passed Water Resources Development Act. The State of Michigan has agreed to provide $8 million of the approximately $10 million non-federal cost share of this phase of the project.

Marc Smith, Great Lakes Regional Policy Director for the National Wildlife Federation, issued this statement in response:

“If Asian carp invade the Great Lakes, they would have a devastating impact on our fisheries, tourism and outdoor recreation economies, and way of life across the region. We thank Gov. Pritzker for completing this critical agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers so that work can move forward on the Brandon Road plan to stop Asian carp from invading the Great Lakes. We also thank the State of Michigan for honoring its commitment to provide $8 million toward the preconstruction engineering and design phase of the project, which will build a gauntlet of technologies to keep invasive Asian carp from advancing from the Mississippi River watershed into Lake Michigan. Combined with Congressional approval of the project included in the recently-passed Water Resources Development Act, this agreement shows how the protection of our Great Lakes water, jobs, and way of life is a uniting force across state and party boundaries. Asian carp are truly a national problem requiring this national solution.”

Learn more about the effort to stop Asian carp at www.greatlakesconservation.com or by watching the National Wildlife Federation film, “Against the Current.”

Photo attached: Silver carp
Photo credit: National Wildlife Federation

Visit the National Wildlife Federation Media Center at NWF.org/News.
Contact: Drew YoungeDyke, National Wildlife Federation, youngedyke@nwf.org, 734-887-7119

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The National Wildlife Federation is America’s largest conservation organization uniting all Americans to ensure wildlife thrive in a rapidly-changing world. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

New Film Explores National Scope of Asian Carp Threat

National Wildlife Federation’s “Against the Current” shows the threat of Asian carp to the Great Lakes and their current impacts in Southern and Midwestern waters.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (Oct. 15, 2020) – A new film released today explores the national scope of the problems caused by invasive Asian carp. The film focuses on the impact Asian carp have on the values and economies they threaten in the Great Lakes and the impacts they’re currently having in Southern and Midwestern waters. Furthermore, it highlights what’s needed to stop them. Against the Current, released by the National Wildlife Federation Great Lakes Regional Center, features diverse viewpoints representing scientific, tribal, business, tourism, fishing, outdoor recreation, and conservation communities from northern Michigan to Tennessee.

“We deliberately explored the often underpublicized – but extremely important – values at risk from invasive Asian carp across a wide swath of the country.” said Drew YoungeDyke, director of conservation partnerships for the National Wildlife Federation Great Lakes Regional Center and executive producer of the film. “We often hear of potential impacts to the Great Lakes sport fishery but we also wanted to show the threat to connected inland waters, tribal fisheries, and the outdoor recreation and tourism economies. We hear frustration that nothing is being done about Asian carp, so we wanted to show some of the projects already completed, as well as the things that still need to be done to stop Asian carp. We wanted to show the impact they’re already having in places that we don’t often hear about like inland rivers in Indiana, and in ways we don’t often hear about like property values and even duck hunting in Tennessee. The film shows that Asian carp aren’t just a Great Lakes fishing issue, they’re a national issue affecting our waters, our economies, and our way of life.”

The film features the perspectives of Doug Craven of the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians, Ali Shakoor of Wayne State University, Ella Skrocki of Sleeping Beer Surf and Kayak, Chad Munger of Mammoth Distilling, Tom Werkman of Werkman Outfitters, Emily Wood of the Indiana Wildlife Federation, Dave Hosler of Pile Cast Fly Fishing, Don Cranfill of Driftwood Outdoors, Robert Hirschfeld of Prairie Rivers Network, Bill Cooksey of Vanishing Paradise, Mike Butler of the Tennessee Wildlife Federation, and Marc Smith of the National Wildlife Federation, and is narrated by YoungeDyke.

It was filmed, produced, and edited by Jordan Brown of Michigan Out-of-Doors TV and supported by a grant from the Great Lakes Fishery Trust and donations from Rep Your Water and Favorite Fishing Rods. Shorter versions of it recently premiered on Detroit Public TV’s Great Lakes Now program and on Michigan Out-of-Doors TV.

Against the Current can be viewed on YouTube, Vimeo, and on the National Wildlife Federation Great Lakes Regional Center’s Facebook page.

Visit www.greatlakesconservation.com for more information about invasive Asian carp.

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Contact: Drew YoungeDyke, National Wildlife Federation, youngedyked@nwf.org, 734-887-7119
Photo: Silver Carp (still frame from the film Against the Current). Credit: National Wildlife Federation

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Recovering America’s Wildlife Act HR 3742

DOWNLOAD FACTSHEETS: HR3742 Factsheet, State by State Allocation Estimate

The bipartisan Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, introduced by Representatives Dingell (D-MI) and Fortenberry (R-NE), will be the most significant investment in wildlife conservation in a generation. The bill will fund proactive efforts led by the states, territories and tribes to address the nation’s looming wildlife crisis and to prevent species from becoming endangered.

A stitch in time. The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act will dedicate $1.397 billion annually towards proactive, voluntary conservation efforts for wildlife at-risk. This will prevent species from requiring the emergency room measures of the Endangered Species Act.

Money to the states. $1.3 billion from this bill will be spent by state fish and wildlife agencies, in partnership with state-based conservation entities. The state agencies will use the money to implement their congressionally mandated State Wildlife Action Plans. These detailed plans incorporate science and public input and are approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Nationwide problem. The state wildlife agencies have identified more than 12,000 species in need of conservation attention.

Need for funding. Federal funding is less than five percent of what is necessary to conserve these species. The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act is a innovative solution that matches the magnitude of the problem.

Helping wildlife at risk. The money will be used for on-the-ground conservation efforts such as conserving and restoring habitats, fighting invasive species, reintroducing native species and tackling emerging diseases.

Tribal lands. The legislation would dedicate $97.5 million annually for tribal wildlife conservation
efforts. The First Nations own or have influence on nearly 140 million acres.

YOU CAN TAKE ACTION TODAY!

Contact your US House Representative and let them know that Hoosiers value wildlife by following these simple steps!

1. Use your zip code to find your legislator.

2. Select the email icon and verify your zip code again.

3. Fill out the personal contact information.

4. Subject: Sign on to HR3742, Recovering America’s Wildlife Act
5. If a category is requested, select: Environment
6. Copy & Paste this Message (Feel free to modify the language):

America’s wildlife are essential for our national heritage and our $887 billion dollar outdoor economy. But thanks to challenges like habitat loss, invasive species, emerging diseases, and climate change we’re losing ground and species — and fast.

Right now, more than one-third of our nation’s fish and wildlife species are at-risk of becoming extinct. Indiana’s State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) has identified 140 species of fish and wildlife that are currently threatened or facing extinction in our state alone. The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act stands to add $16M to support the actions in Indiana’s SWAP which currently receives so little money it does not even qualify for federal funding.

The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act is built upon the premise that the best way to save America’s wildlife is through collaborative, proactive, voluntary work before species need more expensive “emergency room procedures” through the Endangered Species Act. I urge you to create a bright future for America’s wildlife and natural heritage by supporting and co-sponsoring H.R. 3742. Thank you for being a wildlife champion.

Sincerely,
SIGN YOUR NAME

7. Hit send!
DOWNLOAD FACTSHEETS:
HR3742 Factsheet
State-by-State Appropriations
Sign on your Business/Organization

Naomi Edelson, SENIOR DIRECTOR OF WILDLIFE PARTNERSHIPS
EdelsonN@nwf.org | 202-797-6889