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Annual Meeting � Oct. 18, (Revised)
Port Clinton - Ottawa County CVB, Pt. Clinton, OH
The GLSFC is holding its annual meeting at the Port Clinton - Ottawa County Convention & Visitors Bureau, in Port Clinton, OH.

We've changed the meeting location because of serious financial constraints and travel restrictions being encountered by all state resource biologists and managers as well as "iffy" weather on Lake Erie � especially in October.

Location:

Meeting at the Ottawa County Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB), just North of Rte 2 on Rte 53 N, Catawba Exit, 770 S.E. Catawba Rd, Port Clinton, Ohio 43452. It's just south of the intersection of SR 163 and US 53, and about a block north of US 2, that's Perry and Catawba Roads.

CVB contact info: http://www.lake-erie.com/   800-441-1271

Agenda
*Lake Erie walleye and perch issues 
*Decline of catches on Lake Ontario
*Status of Lake Huron
*Health of Lake Michigan
*Creel/size limits, invasive species,

Invited Speakers include:

Hon. Dennis Schornack, Chair, U.S. Section, IJC

Chris Goddard, Secretary, Great Lakes Fishery Commission

Dr. Jeff Reuter, Director, Ohio Sea Grant

Bob O'Gorman, Station Chief, USGS, Oswego, NY

Gary Isbell, Fish Chief, Ohio DNR

Roger Knight, Lake Erie Administrator, Ohio DNR

Jerry McClain, Station Chief, USFWS, Alpena, MI

Dr. Mohamed Faisal, Fish Health Committee, GLFC-MSU

Accommodations: 

On your own, but we will list some on our web site � with price breaks. The Ottawa Cty CVB can help you also.  800-441-1271

Cost:

There is no cost for the meeting, but please register as space is limited.

Registration:

The registration form is available at: http://www.great-lakes.org/glsfc-meeting.html

Complete form: mail, e-mail or fax completed registration form to:

GLSFC, P.O. Box 297, Elmhurst, IL

Info??

[email protected]

630-941-1196  fax

630-941-1196  Ph

Deadline:  October 15

Proposal to list Asian carp as injurious to wildlife

Send your comments on Asian carp to USFWS

The Great Lakes Panel on Invasive Species has provided for your use the following sample letter supporting the addition of silver carp to the list of injurious wildlife under the Lacey Act.  The USFWS has asked for public comment by September 22, 2003.  The petition to consider listing silver carp (and also bighead carp and black carp) was submitted by 25 members of Congress from the Great Lakes region. 

The Federal Register notice is available online at:

http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar

20010800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2003/pdf/03-18654.pdf 

Send comments by fax, mail or e-mail to: Chief, Div. of Environmental Quality, USFWS, 4401 N Fairfax Drive, Suite 322, Arlington, VA 22203; fax 703-358�1800 e-mail:  [email protected]

Sample letter follows:

Everett Wilson, Chief

Division of Environmental Quality

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

4401 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 322

Arlington, VA  22203

ATTN: [RIN 1018-AI87]

Dear Mr. Wilson:

I am writing regarding the proposed rule to list the silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) as an injurious species of wildlife under the federal Lacey Act, as published in the June 27, 2003 issue of the Federal Register (Vol. 68, No. 141), RIN 1018-AI87.

We are deeply concerned about the threat of all Asian carp to Great Lakes waters and native aquatic communities. Silver carp, bighead carp and grass carp are threatening our fisheries and aquatic resources. We support the strongest possible federal action taken to control the introduction and spread of invasive aquatic species. Rapid and decisive action should be taken immediately.

Silver carp pose a major threat to native mussels and fish communities. These invasive fish are efficient filter feeders and compete directly for food with larval fishes, native mussels and some native adult fish species. This competition could reduce the numbers of native fish and alter the entire Great Lakes food web, which is already under tremendous stress from other nonindigenous species that have invaded the region.

In addition to listing the silver carp, we also strongly support the addition of black, grass and bighead carp to the list of injurious species under the Lacey Act. There is a need for regulatory action to eliminate interstate shipment of live Asian carp. Although some carp species have expanded their range across much of the Mississippi River Basin, they still do not occur in most North American watersheds and every effort should be made to limit their spread. 

As a result of the current Asian carp expansion into the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, extraordinary measures are now being taken at great public expense by Great Lakes interests in both the United States and Canada to close these waterway connections through the use of various fish control applications.  Expanding the Lacey Act listing to include black, grass, bighead and silver carp would enhance that effort by preventing the interstate shipment of live fish in the Great Lakes watershed. 

In conclusion, I encourage the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to take decisive and aggressive action to limit the spread of silver carp, as well as black, grass and bighead carp by listing the four carp species as injurious under the Lacey Act. With appropriate action we can all work to protect the beneficial uses of the Great Lakes fishery and prevent ecological and economic damage caused by aquatic invasive species to these aquatic resources in the future.  It is imperative that we act quickly so that our control efforts have a chance of success.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this important high priority issue.

Sincerely,

(Your name and organization)

Missouri House & Senate override gun veto

One lawmaker switches sides, another flies in to vote

Jefferson City � Missourians will be allowed to carry concealed firearms under a new law the Missouri Senate enacted September 11. State lawmakers took the final step in overriding Gov. Bob Holden's veto with one key senator switching his vote and Sen. Jon Dolan, on active duty with the Army in Cuba, flying into Missouri to cast the deciding vote. The House had voted the day before to override the Democratic governor's veto, but their fate remained in limbo as the legislature waited for the absent senator's return.

Dolan, a public affairs officer with the Army National Guard, flew out of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, late September 10 on a two-day leave.

The actions of the Missouri legislature make this the nation's 36th Right-to-Carry law. In 2003, Colorado, New Mexico, Minnesota and Missouri have passed Right-to-Carry laws.  A majority of Americans, including two of every three handgun owners, live in RTC states.

The concealed-weapons bill received the bare 23 votes needed to override Holden's veto, with 10 senators voting to sustain it. Missourians last voted on legalizing concealed firearms in 1999, when they narrowly defeated a similar gun referendum.

Senate Floor Leader Michael Gibbons, a St. Louis County Republican whose district opposed the referendum, voted against the bill last spring but switched sides when the vote was taken on Sept 11. He said the bill, which will go into effect within 30 days, had more safeguards than the 1999 referendum.

Polk County Sheriff Michael Parson said he was unsure how much change the bill would create. People who wouldn't qualify to carry a concealed weapon under the new law probably aren't going to apply for a permit, and police could have trouble enforcing the ban on carrying weapons into places like churches or schools.

"The big unknown is how it's going to work when it hits the streets," Parson said. "Who's going to enforce it is a big question right now."

Since the Civil War, the Missouri legislature had only overridden three gubernatorial vetoes before Thursday. The last came in 1999, when lawmakers reversed then-Gov. Mel Carnahan's veto of a "partial-birth" abortion ban.

Sen. Dan Clemens, a Marshfield Republican, said lawmakers had taken a step toward the "taking back of individual rights" by enacting the concealed weapons law. "It's a good day for Missouri," he said.

Details of Missouri's concealed-gun legislation

Applications:

Missourians at least age 23 may apply to their county sheriff for a permit to carry concealed guns. They must be a U.S. citizen and either live in the state for six months or be stationed here in the armed forces. Applicants must undergo state and federal criminal background checks and pay $100 for a three-year permit, with a renewal cost of $50.

Disqualification:

Permits are denied to anyone who had been charged with or convicted of a felony; convicted of a violent misdemeanor or twice convicted of driving while intoxicated in the previous five years; dishonorably discharged from the military; mentally incompetent; or believed by the sheriff to be �a danger to himself or others.�

Training:

Applicants must complete an eight-hour training course on

handgun safety and marksmanship, as well as the safe care, cleaning and storage of firearms. The course must include a live firing exercise at a silhouette target.

Locations:

Concealed guns would be prohibited in police stations, prisons, courthouses, hospitals, local government meetings, taverns, airports, schools, colleges, child-care facilities, casinos, amusement parks, churches, within 25 feet of polling places, sports arenas that seat at least 5,000, or any place where a private property owner posts a sign prohibiting them.

Vehicles:

Missourians at least age 21 could conceal guns within the passenger compartment of their vehicles without having to satisfy any of the requirements for carrying a concealed gun.

Fact sheet - and Right to Carry laws map

Missouri is one of 32 states that have "shall issue" RTC laws, which provide for carry permits to be issued to applicants who meet uniform standards established by the state legislature. Colorado, Minnesota, and New Mexico adopted "shall issue" RTC laws earlier this year. Alabama and Connecticut have fair discretionary-issue systems, while Alaska and Vermont respect the right to carry without a permit. Alaska changed its Right-to-Carry law from "shall issue" to "no permit required" earlier this year. Sixty percent of Americans and two-thirds of handgun owners live in RTC states.

Gun makers get shield from suits as 3^rd Missouri veto is rejected

JEFFERSON CITY - The Missouri Legislature overrode on September 12 Gov. Bob Holden's veto of a bill that bars cities, counties and other political subdivisions from suing gun dealers and manufacturers for the social costs of their products.   It was the third time Holden had his veto overridden this week.

The House voted Friday, Sept. 12, 116-36. The Senate overrode his veto 23-10 on the same bill Thursday.

The House sponsor, Rep. Larry Crawford, R-California, said gun makers shouldn't be responsible for how customers use firearms, just as pen makers shouldn't be liable for bad checks. The legislation was prompted in part by St. Louis' lawsuit against gun manufacturers, which Crawford said aimed to bankrupt gun and ammunition companies.

The city is claiming that firearms manufacturers further gun violence by "knowingly" selling a dangerous product, said Patti Hageman, city counselor. Her office plans to go forward with the suit in St. Louis County Court, she said.  "The Legislature can't nullify a pending suit. I think the governor was well-advised when he vetoed it," she said.

The override was the second major defeat for Holden on gun issues in as many days. On Thursday, the Legislature overrode a veto of a bill allowing the carrying of concealed weapons. The law applies to pending suits, while it would allow lawsuits over contracts and warranty violations.

Proponents, such as Rep. Mark Wright, R-Springfield, said those who wanted to outlaw guns had found they couldn't "eradicate" the Second Amendment to the Constitution. The next best thing is to sue gun makers, he said.