Week of October 31, 2005

Gallery Cuisine

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Gallery Cuisine

Salmon Kabobs

� 1 lb Maine salmon cut in cubes

� 1 TBSP lemon juice

� 1/4 cup zesty Italian low calorie dressing

� Fresh crushed garlic cloves (option for garlic lovers)

� Vegetables (optional) green peppers - cubed, cherry tomatoes, summer squash cubed, onions cut in quarters, fresh whole mushrooms

Combine Italian dressing and lemon juice.

Add fresh crushed garlic cloves if you are a garlic lover.

Pour over salmon cubes.

Marinate salmon cubes in this mixture for at least a half hour.

Thread cubes on skewers alternating with green peppers, tomatoes, summer squash, onions, or mushrooms as desired. Baste kabobs with marinade while they are grilling.

(By Chef Jim Bucko, Radisson Hotel, Merrillville, IN )


World

U.S. Won't Cede Control of the Internet

The United States runs the World Wide Web - and despite some international complaints, it has no plans to relinquish control.

 

In the late 1990s, the U.S. established the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), and promised that the American government would slowly give up control of the servers that underlie the Internet.  "That hasn't happened, and in June the U.S. Department of Commerce announced that it won't," the Atlantic Monthly reported.

 

Some developing countries, including China, India, South Africa and Brazil, want control out of the hands of ICANN and instead placed with an intergovernmental group, possibly under the United Nations.

Several nations with tightly controlled media, such as Iran and Saudi Arabia, also want to see the U.S. give up control.

 

Now critics of the ICANN's dominance have begun efforts to dislodge the U.S. as the sole keeper of Web addresses and give other governments control over their country-code domain names - such as .ca for Canada.

The issue will be discussed at the UN's World Summit on the Information Society, which begins in Tunisia in mid-November.

 

But the U.S. has made it clear that it will fight any attempt to put the UN or another international body in charge of the Internet. ICANN president Paul Twomey said his organization doesn't want to see "the Internet's technological future politicized."

 


National

Study finds government fish consumption advisories may do more harm than good

Eating one fish meal per week gives significant nutritional benefit

Boston, MA � A comparison of the risks and benefits of fish consumption suggests that government advisories warning women of childbearing age about mercury exposure should be issued with caution.

 

The Harvard Center for Risk Analysis examined in depth the benefits and risks of fish consumption. The guidance is welcome: According to a new survey for the Center for Food, Nutrition and Agriculture Policy at the University of Maryland, almost 31% of the general public is concerned about amounts of mercury in fish and shellfish. About one-third of Americans responsible for children's meals have reduced the amount of seafood they are feeding them. As a consequence, fish consumption has declined.

 

The study warns that if advisories cause fish consumption in the general public to drop out of fear about the effects of mercury, substantial nutritional benefits could be lost. The study will appear as a series of five articles in the November issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

 

"Fish are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, which may protect against coronary heart disease and stroke, and are thought to aid in the neurological development of unborn babies," said Joshua Cohen, lead author and senior research associate at the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis at HSPH. "If that information gets lost in how the public perceives this issue, then people may inappropriately curtail fish consumption and increase their risk for adverse health outcomes."

 

Fish are a major source of mercury exposure, a neurotoxin that may cause subtle developmental effects in utero, like the loss of a fraction of an IQ point, even at the modest exposure levels typical of the American population. As a result, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and USEPA have issued advisories warning women of childbearing age about mercury in fish.

 

Because fish are also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, the advisories have had to walk a fine line. The most recent U.S. government advisories emphasize that other adults need not worry about mercury in fish. They even advise women of childbearing age to keep eating fish, although they caution that group to keep away from some species (shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish) likely to contain more mercury and to limit total fish intake to about two meals a week.

 

The Harvard project looked at whether the benefits of lower mercury exposure to pregnant women justified the loss of omega-3 fatty acids from decreased fish consumption. The project also went one step further, asking what would happen if the public did not follow the government's recommendations exactly as they were intended. Although evidence on how people actually react to advisories is limited, one study found that pregnant women cut their fish consumption by one-sixth following a 2001 government advisory. Nor is it difficult to imagine that other adults, not targeted by the advisory, cut back on fish based on misperceptions about the risks.

 

In order to synthesize the available evidence, the Harvard project convened a panel of experts, chaired by Steven Teutsch, a medical epidemiologist formerly with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and now at Merck and Company. Other panel members included David Bellinger (Harvard University), William Connor (Oregon Health Sciences University), Penny Kris-Etherton (Pennsylvania State

University), Robert Lawrence (Johns Hopkins University), David Savitz (University of North Carolina), and Bennett Shaywitz (Yale University).

 

The panel identified important health effects to consider, assessed the dose-response relationships between fish consumption (or its constituents) and health outcomes, and developed an overall health effects model. In addition to Joshua Cohen, Harvard scientific staff included Colleen Bouzan and Ariane K�nig, and principal investigator, George Gray, executive director of the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis.

 

The study found that if pregnant women were to eat the same amount of fish but replace fish high in mercury with fish low in mercury, cognitive development benefits, amounting to about 0.1 IQ points per newborn baby, could be achieved with virtually no nutritional losses. However, if pregnant women were to decrease their fish consumption by one-sixth, the loss of omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy would cut the nutritional benefit by 80%.

 

If other adults were to also decrease their fish intake by one-sixth, then risks from coronary heart disease and stroke would increase. For example, among 65 to 74 year old men, the annual mortality risk would increase by nearly 1 in 10,000.

 

The study also found that increasing fish consumption among individuals who were not going to become pregnant would substantially decrease stroke and coronary heart disease risks. Much of this benefit appears to be associated with getting people to eat at least some fish (e.g., one meal a week), rather than no fish at all.

 

Cohen explained "that the problem with fish advisories is that we do not know what their overall impact on the population might be. Depending on how the population reacts, that impact could very well be negative."

 

Because of the potential downside, Cohen urges the government to carefully evaluate the pros and cons. He concluded, "Before the government issues advisories, it needs to gather data on how people actually will react, how those changes in behavior will influence nutrient intake and exposure to contaminants, and how those changes in intake and exposure will translate into changes in health. In other words, before we put an intervention into action, we need to estimate its real world impacts � both its benefits and its countervailing risks."

 

The Harvard Center for Risk Analysis undertook the project to create a decision model to evaluate policies that influence population fish consumption. Although much of this work was supported by grants from the National Food Processors Association Research Fund and the Fisheries Scholarship Fund, neither organization controlled the research findings or interpretations of the results.

 

Basically, what they are trying to say is, on balance, eat fish -- it does you more good than harm. Which any humble citizen of countries surrounding the Mediterranean basin, the Korean Strait, the Sea of Japan or the South China Sea would have told you in a nanosecond.

 

What does it all mean? The good news is that eating fish is good for us. The bad news via worse case scenarios is that eating fish can be very bad for us. The bottom line is the benefits outweigh the risks.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-10/hsop-sfg101705.php


FEMA reverses policy banning firearm possession

The Federal Emergency Management Agency today reversed a policy of prohibiting firearm possession in emergency evacuee trailer parks and other temporary housing provided by

the agency. The issue came to the nation�s attention on the

News Hour with Jim Lehrer when the opening of a �FEMA village� in Baker, La., following Hurricane Katrina was aired. The Second Amendment Foundation complained to FEMA officials, which led to a review by the agency�s legal counsel, who recommended the reversal.

 


Bush Signs Historic �Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act�

NEWTOWN, Conn.�President Bush, on October 26, signed into law a bill that will put an end to �junk� lawsuits against the nation�s firearms industry.

 

The �Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act� will block any future lawsuits attempting to hold firearms industry companies liable for the actions of criminals who misuse the industry�s lawful products. This law will not only help protect law-abiding businesses and the jobs of thousands nationwide, but it will also help ensure a positive future for the nation�s hunting and shooting traditions and our firearms freedoms.

 

President Bush praised Congress last week for the bill�s passage, saying, �I commend the House for passing the �Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act.� Our laws should punish criminals who use guns to commit crimes, not law-

abiding manufacturers of lawful products. This legislation will further our efforts to stem frivolous lawsuits, which cause a logjam in America's courts, harm America's small businesses, and benefit a handful of lawyers at the expense of victims and consumers.�

 

The U.S. Senate passed the bill (S. 397) in July with a 65-31 bi-partisan vote. The House passed the bill Oct. 20 by a bi-partisan vote of 283-144.   With the bill becoming law a motion to dismiss a case against firearm industry companies in New York City were also filed today.

 

Since 1998 more than 30 municipal lawsuits have been filed against the makers and sellers of firearms by anti-gun organizations and anti-gun politicians. The misguided efforts attempted to blame firearm companies for the illegal actions of criminals. These illegitimate suits have cost the firearms industry hundreds of millions of dollars in legal defense fees and threatened to bankrupt companies.


Animal Extremist Tells Senate Hearing: Murder is Justified to Save Lab Animals 

Committee Members Express Outrage, Vow to Pass New Laws Combating Threat of Radical Animal Activism

WASHINGTON, -- A radical animal extremist stunned Senators from both sides of the aisle last week when he testified that the murder of medical researchers was "morally justified" to save lab animals. California surgeon and ALF (Animal Liberation Front) spokesman Dr. Jerry Vlasak made the outrageous statement to the Senate Committee on 

Environment and Public Works.

 

Vlasak, who also compared the life of lab animals to African American slaves and the Jewish victims of Nazi concentration camps, made his comments while defending a similar statement, made to the news media last year: "I don't think you'd have to kill - assassinate - too many vivisectors before you would see a marked decrease in the amount of vivisection going on. And I think for five lives, ten lives, 15 human lives, we could save a million, two million, ten million non-human lives."


Regional

Weekly Great Lakes Water Levels for October 28, 2005

Lake Level Conditions:

All of the Great Lakes, except Lake Ontario, are 3 to 7 inches below the levels of a year ago.  Lake Ontario is at the same level as a year ago.  Dry conditions this spring and summer are the main reason that water levels on the Great Lakes are below last year�s levels.   Looking ahead, Lake Superior is expected to fall 1 inch over the next month and fall below chart datum in December.  Lake Michigan-Huron is now below chart datum and should decline 3 inches over the next 30 days.  The remaining lakes are expected to fall 3 inches over the next month.  Levels over the next few months on all the Great Lakes are expected to remain lower than 2004/2005.   Evaporation rates during the fall may be higher than average due to warmer surface water temperatures.

 

Current Outflows/Channel Conditions:

The Lake Superior outflow through the St. Marys River into Lake Huron is projected to be below average during the month of October.  Flows in the St. Clair and Detroit Rivers are anticipated to be below average during October.  Flows in the Niagara River and St. Lawrence River are expected to be near average in October.

 

Alerts:

Users of the Great Lakes, connecting channels and St. Lawrence River should keep informed of current conditions

before undertaking any activities that could be affected by changing water levels.  Mariners should utilize navigation charts and refer to current water level readings.

 

Weekly Great Lakes Water Levels Data Summary

 

Oct 29, in inches except as noted

Superior

Mich-Huron

St. Clair

Erie

Ontario

 

Water level in ft

601.6

577.3

573.4

570.8

244.7

 

Chart datum in ft

601.1

577.5

572.3

569.2

243.3

 

Diff from chart datum

+6

-2

+14

+19

+17

 

Diff from last mth

+1

-4

-4

-4

-4

 

Diff from last yr

-4

-7

-4

-3

0

 


General

Rapala Acquires Luhr Jensen lures

Acquisition Will Complement Rapala Business

MINNETONKA, Minn. � Rapala has finalized the acquisition of lures and other fishing tackle business of Luhr Jensen & Sons, Inc., a Hood River, Oregon based manufacturer of fishing lures and accessories.

 

Founded in 1932, Luhr Jensen manufactures a wide range of lures for freshwater and saltwater species, including the Kwikfish, Krocodile, J-Plug and Hot Shot.  Luhr Jensen is one of the five largest lure companies in the USA and is the market leader in the Pacific Northwest, Alaska and in British Columbia, Canada. The brand is particularly well known in market segments, which target species such as salmon, trout and steelhead. The company also sells a line of cooking products, which are not included in the acquisition. Luhr Jensen employs more than 250 people in Hood River and Mexico. The net sales of its lure and fishing tackle business were in excess of $9 million in the financial year ended in

June 30, 2005.

 

Luhr Jensen will join Rapala, Storm, Blue Fox, VMC and Williamson in the Rapala family of brands. Future plans include transferring production of Luhr Jensen products to the Rapala factories.

 

About Rapala VMC Corporation

Rapala VMC Corporation is a leading manufacturer and distributor of fishing lures and treble hooks in the world. Based in V��ksy, Finland, the Group distributes lures, hooks and other fishing-related products in North America, the largest market in the world, through its own distribution companies. Rapala also has a leading distribution network in Europe for fishing tackle and other outdoor-related products. Its primary manufacturing facilities are located in Finland, France, Ireland, Estonia and China. The Group employs approximately 3,000 people in some 21 countries.


 

Indiana

Learn about Lake Michigan Coastal Program Nov. 15

Grant program to hold evening workshop for 2006 funding cycle

Communities and local organizations interested in applying for the Lake Michigan Coastal Program's 2006 funding cycle may attend a workshop on Nov. 15 at the Northwest Indiana Regional Planning Commission, 6100 Southport Road, Portage, 6 to 7:30 p.m.

 

At the workshop, community members and local organizations looking for funding to implement projects in Northwest Indiana can seek input on project eligibility and receive answers to their application questions.

 

"This is a special evening edition of our Grants Workshop Series," said Mike Molnar, manager of the Lake Michigan Coastal Program (LMCP). "If you haven't been able to attend the meetings before due to a daytime job, then come find out what the program has to offer on the 15th."

 

The LMCP funds a variety of projects every year with goals of properly planning, managing or protecting the natural, cultural and historical resources of Indiana's Lake Michigan watershed. For the 2006 funding cycle, the LMCP will seek applications for large-scale projects that involve low-cost construction, acquisition, education and outreach, and 

planning/coordination/management.  The small grants projects involve outreach and education as well as resource management. Applications are due on or before Dec. 20, 2005. Funding will be made available in August 2006.

 

The LMCP awards up to $850,000 to units of local government, regional and state agencies, colleges and universities, as well as non-profit organizations. 

 

Projects eligible for grant funding must be located entirely in the northern portion of Lake, Porter, and LaPorte counties.  For a map of the grant area, visit the following web site: http://www.in.gov/dnr/lakemich/pdf/cpa.pdf .  The LMCP's updated application and guidance are available for download at http://www.in.gov/dnr/lakemich/,  or you can request copies by email at [email protected] .

 

Run by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Nature Preserves, the LMCP is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Coastal Resource Management. The purpose of the program is to preserve, protect, restore and (where possible) develop the resources of the coast for this and succeeding generations; and to achieve wise use of the land and water resources of the coastal region, giving full consideration to ecological, cultural, historic and values, as well as to economic development needs.


State Cooperates to Reduce Deer Herd and Feed Indiana's Hungry

Indiana's DNR and Department of Correction are jointly initiating a pilot program to help further manage deer populations in 10 southeastern Indiana counties and to provide valuable job training for offenders.  Over the past several years, Indiana has seen a steady increase in the size of its deer herd.  The DNR's best measurement tools for herd size, the annual deer harvest through hunting and reported deer-vehicle accidents, are both trending upward for the past few years.  In 2004 Indiana hunters harvested 123,058 deer, a 15% increase over the 2003 hunting season.

 

The Indiana DNR has recognized the need to stop the growth of Indiana's deer herd.  Harvest restrictions for antlerless deer placed on hunters have been liberalized for the current deer season and bow hunters are allowed to use bonus antlerless permits during archery season.  While these represent significant efforts to better manage the deer population, the DNR wanted to look for some additional unique ways to increase the harvest of antlerless deer.

 

Based on a similar effort in Iowa, hunters in and around the counties of Clark, Henry, Washington, Harrison, Floyd, Scott, Jefferson, Switzerland, Ohio, and Dearborn, will have the opportunity to donate an antlerless deer to the Indiana DOC. 

This pilot program will run on November 12 and 13.  Processors will not accept deer after that first weekend of firearms season.  In exchange for the donation, the hunter will receive a coupon from the DNR for a replacement antlerless deer license at a reduced price of $14.00.  The DOC will collect the deer and process the deer as part of an offender training initiative.

 

As part of this pilot program, all of the processed venison will be donated to the FIsH (Feeding Indiana's Hungry) initiative.  FIsH is a public-private partnership that links hunger service providers, food producers, and processors from around the state.  The Daniels' administration has put its support behind this important effort.  More information about FIsH can be found at their website, http://www.feedingindianashungry.org   

 

"This is a great opportunity for our inmates to learn the skill of meat processing and to give back to our local communities," said J. David Donahue, Commissioner of Indiana Department of Correction.  "Interagency cooperative efforts is something that Governor Daniels continues to emphasize," added Donahue.

 

For more info: www.IN.gov/dnr/fishwild/huntguide1/hunting1.htm on liberalized Indiana Deer Reduction County bag limits.


Michigan

Treaty Rights Issue Goes Inland

MUCC, operating as amici (or friends of the court), has entered into negotiations between the state of Michigan and the five tribal governments which are bringing suit against the state regarding their hunting and fishing rights found within the treaty of 1836. A legal case to decide if five native American tribal groups have special rights to hunt, trap, fish, and gather in vast inland areas of Michigan�and, if so, the extent of those rights�goes to trial in January before Federal District Court.

 

The stakes are immense for all who treasure Michigan�s outdoor heritage and the resources on which it is based. Now more than ever, conservationists must unite behind Michigan United Conservation Clubs and other groups lending legal support to the Department of Natural Resources in the case.

 

We�re talking about whether deer will be hunted by tribal members in the summer, and whether their take will be limited in any way. We�re talking about whether steelhead and walleye will be speared or netted in inland lakes and streams. But we�re talking about much more.    

 

We�re also talking about whether the Treaty of 1836 permits the tribes to exploit everything from trout to timber without state restriction on any land or water, public or private, that is in the treaty area and not in a city or actively farmed.

 

The tribes, represented by the U.S. government, now claim the 168-year-old treaty gives them extraordinary access and taking rights in state and local parks, state and national forests, private commercial forests, private hunting and fishing clubs, wildlife preserves, and land conservancies, and on all private lakes and streams in the treaty area.

 

That sweeping interpretation is based on the treaty�s Article 13, which states: �The Indians stipulate for the right of hunting on the lands ceded, with the other usual privileges of occupancy, until this land is required for settlement.�

 

The lands and waters ceded by the Indians in 1836 are all those north and west of a line running roughly from the Grand River to Alpena and include the eastern half of the Upper Peninsula. The tribes claim that about 65 percent of that

area�more than six million acres of private and public land�are by their definition �unsettled� and therefore open to their unfettered use.

 

Anglers have been concerned about the issue since the 1960s, when tribal fishermen cited the Treaty of 1836 in defying the DNR�s early efforts to rid Great Lakes waters of the scourge of gillnets. From those beginnings, MUCC has played a strong and constructive role in representing its members on treaty issues. We have consistently acted in defense of our state�s natural resources, the need to manage them wisely, and the general public�s right to enjoy them.  

 

An agreement we helped to forge in 2000, plus economic realities, have caused Great Lakes tribal fishermen to turn to less indiscriminant gear, and gillnets are less of a problem today. But now is no time for apathy.

 

Michigan�s interior lands and waters, public and private, are threatened by the tribes� assertion of a right to exploit those resources without state regulation. We couldn�t let their claim on the Great Lakes go unmet four decades ago, and we cannot leave this new claim unchallenged. 

 

Hunters now have as much at stake as anglers in the treaty litigation. And landowners who neither hunt nor fish now have at least as much at risk as sportsmen and sportswomen if the DNR, MUCC, Michigan Fisheries Resource Conservation Coalition, and other pro-resource parties do not prevail before the court.

 

The long trail of treaty litigation already has cost MUCC alone hundreds of thousands of dollars. Despite the expense, we owe it to Michigan conservationists who�ve gone before and conservationists not yet born to persevere. But that can�t happen if today�s conservationists grow apathetic.

Michigan Out-of-Doors will endeavor to keep MUCC members and other readers informed of how the case is progressing. In return, we ask those who stand to be impacted by the final decision�in other words, everyone, resident and nonresident, who loves Michigan�s outdoors�to help our shared cause by contributing to the MUCC Legal Defense Fund.


DNR Confirms Eastern Equine Encephalitis

Found in Deer From Ionia County

The Department of Natural Resources' Wildlife Disease Lab, collaborating with Michigan State University, has confirmed two additional cases of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) in deer - one from Otisco Township in Ionia County and an additional deer from Grand Rapids Township in Kent County. These cases bring the total number of EEE-positive deer to seven statewide. All of the deer that have tested positive come from an approximately 25 mile-wide area in Kent, southwest Montcalm and northwest Ionia counties.

 

The seven positive deer were among two dozen submitted for testing to date from the area by archery hunters and the general public. All were sick or behaving abnormally. All have been tested as well for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), and all were negative.

 

The virus that causes EEE is transmitted by mosquitoes that have fed on infected songbirds. Mosquitoes can also transmit the disease to deer, horses and humans. The last recorded human case in Michigan was in 2002. There is no evidence that humans can be infected with EEE by handling or eating an infected animal.

A small number of infections in laboratory workers have resulted from inhaling aerosols of tissues, such as the brain, in which the virus is present, or getting those tissues in the eyes or skin wounds. Although far more likely to be exposed to EEE by mosquito bites, deer hunters, because of their possible contact with brain and spinal cord matter during processing, are urged to take common-sense precautions. These include not handling or eating animals that appear sick or act abnormally, wearing rubber gloves when field dressing deer, avoiding contact with brain and spinal tissues, and thoroughly washing and sanitizing their hands and processing equipment.

 

Hunters and the general public should not kill abnormally-behaving deer themselves, but instead report them to the closest DNR field office during business hours or the DNR Report all Poaching Line at 800-292-7800 after hours and on weekends.

 

For more information on EEE, including detailed information addressing hunters' concerns, visit the Michigan Emerging Diseases Web site at www.michigan.gov/emergingdiseases , and follow the link for "Current Issues in Michigan - EEE."


Minnesota

Couples fined nearly $3,500 for overlimit of perch

Two couples face fines of nearly $3,500 for overlimit of perch on Lake Mille Lacs. The group was cleaning the fish near their recreational vehicle (RV) on Oct. 16 when contacted by Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer Dan Perron of Onamia, who was following up on a Turn-In-Poachers (TIP) call.

 

"I got out of my truck and walked around the back of the RV where two men were cleaning fish and noticed a big pot full of fillets," Perron said.

 

When asked, the men didn't know how many perch they had in possession. They also said they had more in a couple of freezers. "I asked one of the women how many fish they had in the freezer and she said, 'A few,' " Perron said. "She opened 

her freezer and I saw many bags of frozen fish fillets. There were probably 100 perch in the freezer. A check of the other freezer produced another 100 perch."

 

Charged with overlimit of perch were John C. Hansen, 52, and Lucille V. Hansen, 50, both of Whitehall, Wis., and Wallace R. Mortenson, 67, and Marian R. Mortenson, 65, both of Maple Grove. The Hansen's had 196 perch between them, or 116 over the limit. The Mortenson's had 182 perch, or 102 over the limit. The perch limit in Minnesota is 20 daily and 40 in possession per individual.

Each was fined $872.

 

Anyone witnessing a fish or wildlife code violation is encouraged to contact the nearest conservation officer, law enforcement agency or the toll-free TIP hotline at 1-800-652-9093.


Wisconsin

Van Roy Cormorant Bill approved 14-2 in joint committee

The Joint Committee on Finance joined the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources in voting in favor of Assembly Bill 486, the Wisconsin Cormorant Bill. State Rep. Karl Van Roy (R-Howard), the principal Assembly author, says that his measure has passed the final hurdle before going to the floor of the Assembly for a full vote.

 

"I'm pleased that the finance committee joined the natural resources committee by supporting my common sense, environmentally sound bill to control an overpopulating and practically invasive species," said Van Roy. "The economic and environmental costs of not acting far outweigh the costs of solving the problem."

 

Van Roy says his cormorant bill is the creation of months of

research and conversations with fish, bird, and Great Lakes habitat experts and came at the request of several Brown County constituents. The bill is cosponsored and supported by several other area legislators including Senators Lasee and Cowles, and Representatives Krawczyk, Bies, and Gard.

 

"Great Lakes states from New York to Minnesota have already created cormorant control programs because cormorants have been found to be the culprits behind habitat destruction, fish population declines, water pollution, and a reduction in available nesting sites for other, threatened bird species," said Van Roy. "This bill brings us in line with the rest of the Great Lakes states and Canadian provinces."

 

AB 486 will now go to the floor of the Assembly for a full vote. It must then pass the State Senate before moving onto the Governor's desk for his signature.


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