NEMWI To Host Two Webinars on Great Lakes Policy As Its Great Lakes Primer and Orientation Program Continues
The Northeast-Midwest Institute (NEMWI) is hosting two important webinars next week on key policy issues impacting the Great Lakes as part of its ongoing 2023 Great Lakes Primer and Orientation Program. First, it will host a session on the impact of harmful algal blooms (HABs) in the Great Lakes on Monday, July 17th, at 2 pm EDT. Second, it will host a webinar on the efforts to keep invasive carp out of the Great Lakes on Tuesday, July 18th, at 2 pm EDT.
The Great Lakes Primer and Orientation Program is presented with the support of the Erb Family Foundation and is intended to introduce Congressional staff to critical topics relating to the Great Lakes and the work of the Great Lakes Task Forces. This series of webinars is introducing Congressional staff and other policymakers in Washington, D.C., to issues that are directly impacting the Great Lakes community.
HABs in the Great Lakes – Monday, July 17th, 2 p.m. EDT
Record HABs driven by nutrient loadings have affected water quality, fish populations, tourism, and the economy across the entire Great Lakes region. A bloom in western Lake Erie in August 2014 resulted in a drinking water advisory for the city of Toledo, Ohio, restricting water use for 400,000 people for three days. These events throughout the region severely impact the quality of life to all living in the Great Lakes community.
The webinar will focus on the science behind HABs; federal, regional, and state efforts to reduce HABs throughout the Great Lakes region; and conservation efforts authorized through the farm bill aimed at reducing nutrient runoff through agricultural production across the region. Participating organizations include:
Invasive Carp and the Great Lakes – Tuesday, July 18th, 2 p.m. EDT
The introduction of Asian carp to the Great Lakes would greatly endanger the $7 billion fishery that helps fuel the region’s economy. These invasive species pose a significant threat to existing native fish populations, while also creating a dangerous safety risk to recreational boaters and other users of the Great Lakes, and thus would have a devastating impact on the region. In response to the threat, federal, state, local, and nongovernmental organizations have been crafting a multifaceted strategy to prevent the spread of invasive carp into the Great Lakes, especially through the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS).
The Invasive Carp Regional Coordinating Committee (ICRCC) was formally established in early 2010 under the name Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee and represents the collective efforts of international, federal, state, and municipal agencies to combat the spread of invasive carp into the Great Lakes. The ICRCC provides oversight and coordination of interagency prevention activities through the development and implementation of an annual Invasive Carp Action Plan and complementary Monitoring and Response Plan.
The webinar will focus on the current activities that the ICRCC is engaged in to prevent the spread of invasive carp into the Great Lakes, including an overview of its 2023 Invasive Carp Action Plan. Participating organizations will include:
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