ACRCC participates in Asian Carp public forum, hosted by Congresswoman Kaptur

February 21, 2012

Alake Erie Asian Carp public forum, hosted by Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH) was held on Feb. 6, 2012, at the Bowling Green State University Firelands Campus in Huron, Ohio. Over 100 stakeholders, media representatives and members of non-governmental organizations, including the Izaak Walton League and Ohio Environmental Council, attended.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss actions under way as part of the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee's Control Strategy Framework. Key panel members included John Goss, White House Council on Environmental Quality Asian Carp Director; William Bolen, Great Lakes National Program Office, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency; Charles Wooley, Midwest Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Richard Hancock, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Leon Carl, U.S. Geological Survey Great Lakes Science Center in Ann Arbor, Mich.; and Great Lakes Commission Executive Director Tim Eder. Buffalo District Corps of Engineers Commander Lt. Col. Stephen H. Bales also attended, as Lake Erie falls within Buffalo District's area of responsibility.

Panel members addressed their specific areas of expertise and discussed ACRCC efforts to prevent Asian carp from establishing a self-sustaining population in the Great Lakes. In addition, panel members responded to the Great Lakes Commission report, released January 31, 2012, which outlines permanent barrier options as a migration control. A public comment/question and answer period followed the presentations.

Photos by Bruce Sanders, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers