The IJC wants to hear from you before submitting its recommendations to the Governments of Canada and the United States. The International Lake of the Woods Basin Water Quality Plan of Study is available for review and comment for a 30-day period, from November 12 to December 11, 2014.
See more at: http://www.ijc.org/en_/LOWWQPOS#sthash.434NiC6a.dpuf
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http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/public-lecture-on-danger-of-microplastics-to-great-lakes
Skin, beauty and bath care products can contain the tiny bits of plastic that go down the drain and end up being flushed through the municipal sewage treatment system and into lakes and into the bellies of fish.
“It doesn’t go away,” said Parent. Toothpastes and deodorants are among the other common products that can contain microplastics, although some manufacturers are avoiding their use.
Once entering the Great Lakes waterway, the microplastics not only become a threat to aquatic life, but also endanger and become a contaminant for humans through the food chain.
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http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MIDNR/bulletins/da0807
Excerpt:
The Department of Natural Resources today announced the addition of seven species to Michigan’s prohibited species list of aquatic invasive species. An additional species already on the list was also modified from a prohibited species to a restricted species.
Any species considered for listing as prohibited or restricted must be not native to Michigan. Prohibited species generally are not present or are in very limited areas, whereas restricted species are generally widespread and naturalized within the state.
The decision came during the Nov. 6 meeting of the Natural Resources Commission, where DNR Director Keith Creagh signed Invasive Species Order Amendment No. 1 of 2014.
Prior to this order there were 33 aquatic species listed as prohibited or restricted. The following species were added to the prohibited species list:
• Stone moroko – part of the minnow family, this species is a known carrier of a parasite that can negatively impact other fishes.
• Zander – a close relative of the walleye, this species could compete with the native fish or reproduce with it and create a hybrid.
• Wels catfish – this fish is considered a serious danger to native fish populations.
• Killer shrimp – this species is an aggressive predator and could severely threaten the trophic levels of the Great Lakes by preying on a range of invertebrates.
• Yabby – this large crayfish would negatively impact other crayfish species.
• Golden mussel – similar to zebra and quagga mussels, this species has destructive qualities that would threaten native biodiversity.
• Red swamp crayfish – this species can quickly dominate waterbodies and is virtually impossible to eradicate.
Additionally, rusty crayfish were moved from prohibited to restricted classification to allow for their limited possession for the purpose of destroying them for consumption, fertilizer or trash. This species already is widespread throughout the state, yet regulations previously didn’t allow for the collection of them for consumptive purposes.
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IJC Acting Canadian co-chairman Gordon Walker will moderate the panel discussion.
“Lake Erie is clearly in trouble,” Walker said. “We need an active and informed citizenry as well as commitment from all levels of government to fix the problems.
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Phil Lenihan, the 61-year-old owner of an eclectic series of businesses that were revitalizing the town Roxbury in Delaware County, died suddenly on Friday, Oct. 31.
Phil Lenihan had various careers as a punk band manager, classics scholar, and paralegal before he founded the Orphic Gallery, the Eight Track Museum, and the Roxbury Corner Store in 2010.
“I would call Phillip the quintessential bon vivant,” said Megan McManemin, one of his younger sisters who lives in Dallas, Texas.
“He always tried to go out and have a party,” said Reginald Oberlag, a friend from Lenihan’s punk days in the 1980s
who followed Lenihan’s lead and moved up to the Catskills. “He was irrepressible.”
Phil died as he was walking down Main street on his way to a party dressed in his Halloween costume including mirrored glasses and badge he purchased on eBay.
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Lake Levels 