Illinois’ Healthy Water Solutions Coalition has a vision for Chicago’s future.
It
includes revitalizing the Chicago River via restoring the natural
divide between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Basins.
Physical separation of the basins and Lake Michigan
is the only permanent solution to prevent invasive species from
transferring through the Chicago waterways, members of the coalition
said at it’s public “Changing Course: Revitalizing the Chicago River”
talk Wednesday night. The meeting was set to get more people engaged with the issue.
“This is about a lot more than Asian carp,” said Tim Eder, executive director of the Great Lakes Commission.
“This is about more than just one fish that threatens Lake Michigan.
It’s about a number of different invasive species ... but it’s also about
more than fish, and the ecosystem, and the lake. It’s about restoring
and utilizing a precious resource that in many ways the city has turned
its back on.”
Read more »
A Canadian government 
The recent legislative fight in Washington to keep the interest rate
on federally-subsidized Stafford loans from doubling also provided an
unexpected victory for those concerned with keeping invasive species out
of the Great Lakes.
Recent testing of waters near Lake Michigan has netted genetic
evidence of the presence of Asian carp for a third consecutive year.
The Obama Administration’s 2013 budget carries positives and negatives for the Great Lakes. The budget includes $300 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), a multi-year effort devoted to cleaning up toxins, combating invasive species, and protecting shores and wetlands from pollution. 