GLIN==> Press Release: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Solicits Public Comment on Great Lakes Study in Ann Arbor (UNCLASSIFIED)

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

For Immediate Release:
Contact:
March 1, 2011
Lynne Whelan, 312-846-5330
	
Lynne.e.whelan at usace.army.mil


U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Solicits Public Comment on Great Lakes Study in
Ann Arbor

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - On Tuesday, March 8, 2011, the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers (Corps) is holding two public scoping meetings in Ypsilanti from
2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest,
located at 1275 S. Huron St., to gather input on the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River Interbasin Study (GLMRIS). The public is invited to attend
these scoping meetings and to provide comments on GLMRIS. Identical
presentations about the study will be given at 2:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., each
followed by the comment period. The purpose of GLMRIS is to evaluate a range
of options and technologies to prevent the transfer of aquatic nuisance
species (ANS), such as Asian carp, between the Great Lakes and Mississippi
River through aquatic pathways. 

Using input obtained during the scoping period, the Corps will refine the
scope of GLMRIS to focus on significant issues, as well as eliminate issues
that are not significant from further detailed study. Issues associated with
GLMRIS are likely to include, but will not be limited to: significant natural
resources, such as ecosystems and threatened and endangered species;
commercial and recreational fisheries; recreational uses of the lakes and
waterways; effects of potential ANS controls on waterways uses such as: flood
risk management, commercial and recreational navigation; and statutory and
legal responsibilities relative to the effected waterways. 

The Ann Arbor meeting is the last one before the public scoping comment
period ends on March 31, 2011. If you plan to make an oral comment, please
register on the GLMRIS Web site. Comments can also be submitted
electronically through the Web site. Each scoping meeting will consist of two
separate three-hour sessions to allow as many attendees as possible. 

 An ANS is a nonindigenous species that threatens the diversity or abundance
of native species; the ecological stability of infested waters; or the
commercial, agricultural, aquacultural or recreational activities dependent
on such water. As a result of international commerce, travel and local
practices, ANS have been introduced and spread throughout the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River basins. Connected primarily by man-made channels, ANS
transfer was impeded historically by the poor water quality of those
waterways. Recent water quality improvements have lessened that impediment
making it more likely for ANS transfer between the two basins to occur.
	
For more information regarding GLMRIS, the meeting agenda and scoping
requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act, visit the GLMRIS Web
site at www.glmris.anl.gov or call Dave Wethington, GLMRIS project manager,
at 312-846-5522 or e-mail at David.M.Wethington at usace.army.mil.
Facebook.com/glmris and Twitter @GLMRIS.

	
###



Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE