A few days ago the Obama administration decided to overturn a Bush era decision to cut back on the expansion of critical habit for the endangered Bull Trout and return it to USFWS original recommendation and then some. Looking at a map of the proposed areas it roughly covers the greater share of the Pacific northwest and northern rockies. The proposed budget for another round of bull trout recovery, around $7-8 million. What this means to public access and local economies isn’t clear, probably about as clear as what the program’s actual budget will be. And no, I’m not against Bull trout recovery; just endless red tape, government welfare projects and no results.
Asian Carp, coming to a river or lake near you?
Yet today, the Obama administration, hiding behind the US Supreme Court denied a request from a coalition of Great Lakes states to force the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to close two lakeside navigation locks in an attempt to protect the Great Lakes from the fish equivalent of the Gunghan hordes, the Asian Carp. This happening almost simultaneously with the release of news that Asian Carp DNA has already been found in Lake Michigan. Ah, Captain Smith- is that an iceberg?
I find it interesting that this administration can turn roughly one whole corner of the country into a habitat recovery area for an endangered fish and then turn around and deny a handful of states along the Great Lakes (the largest freshwater fishery in the world) the right to protect its fishery that’s taken years to restore, from an imported Carp species! Lake Michigan alone accounts for $7 billion a year in commercial and recreational fishing dollars. The possible long range economic, cultural and ecological destruction is off the charts, not just for the US sides of the lakes but for the entire watershed which includes Canada to the north. Pretty sweet, eh! How’s that exchange rate sounding now?.
So, what gives? It’s Illinois, baby, it’s river transport of goods by barge, it’s bigger than fish and ecologic catastrophe. It’s feeding the big human economic engine along the great lakes. It’s politics and mountains of money and it’s the boys in the ‘hood, the Obama ‘hood and it’s the equivalent making me follow my dog around the park with a scoop and a baggie to clean up his shit but the guy next door has a flipping Great Dane and a license to leave great heaping mounds of crap right in the park fountain.
Thanks a lot buddy. I guess we all just found out where our niches are in the national food chain.
On a brighter note, while politicians founder in subterfuge; leave it to the guy on the street to come up with an honest common sense way to save our ass.
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I am so frustrated about the asian carp issue. It seems that the GOV decided to enact legislation that spend a ton of money to make no one happy. Their proposal does not stop their migration, but spends a ton of our $$$.
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