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PUBLIC COMMENTS NEEDED TO STRENGTHEN “BEACH
GROOMING” PERMITS
The Michigan Department of Environmental
Quality (MDEQ) has public noticed a new general permit to address
shoreline management activities, or as they are infamously known,
“beach grooming” activities.
Please take a moment to provide comments
to the DEQ so we can strengthen the proposed permit to protect our
coastal wetlands.
While we need the Michigan Legislature
to increase protection for our coastal wetlands by clarifying a
confusing statute to develop an improved approach to regulating
shoreline vegetation removal and shoreline management activities, the
efforts of the DEQ to bring shoreline management activities into the
permitting process is a good first step. The permit process for such
activities is essential to limit adverse impacts to Great
Lakes coastal wetlands and for effective enforcement of
violations. However, the proposed new General Permit for Limited
Great Lakes Shoreline Management Activities does not limit the scope
of the activities to ensure that significant adverse impacts are
minimized.
However,
reasonable modifications can be made to the proposed General Permit
including:
- The amount of sand
relocated by leveling needs to have a maximum limit of 25 cubic
yards per lot. Without a limit, the amount of substrate that can
be moved could be extremely large and result in significant
negative impacts.
- The amount of sand
to be disturbed by raking, dragging, or pulling (i.e. grooming)
needs to be limited to 25 cubic yards (maximum) per lot.
- The amount of fill
for construction of a path needs to be limited to 25 cubic yards
of material for a path 6 feet in bottom width and 50 cubic yards
for a path 12 feet in bottom width.
- The provision
allowing mowing of previously mowed areas needs to be removed
from the General Permit categories. Allowing mowing of previously
mowed areas in Saginaw Bay and Grand
Traverse Bay is inequitable for a statewide permit
providing preferential treatment to a few vocal self
interests. More
importantly, the potential adverse impacts of this provision are
quite significant.
Written comments on the Proposed General
Permit Category must be received by May 6, 2007 and should be sent to:
Ms. Peg Botswick
Michigan Department of Environmental
Quality
Land and Water Management Division
P.O. Box 3045
Lansing, MI
48909-7958
Click here to view the MDEQ
proposed new General Permit for Limited Great Lakes Shoreline
Management Activities.
While individual comment letters are preferred, we are also
circulating a sign-on letter (attached) in support of reasonable
modifications to the proposed General Permit for Limited Great Lakes
Shoreline Management Activities that will serve to meet the goals of
the DEQ and shoreline property owners while ensuring the public
interest in protecting coastal wetlands. To sign-on to the letter, please email
Jennifer McKay (jenniferm@watershedcouncil.org)
with your organization's name, as well as the name and title of the
signatory. The deadline for signing-on is next Tuesday, May 1, 2007.
2007 AMERICAN WETLANDS MONTH (MAY) THEME
ANNOUNCED
May is American Wetlands Month. American Wetlands
Month is a wonderful opportunity to conserve wetlands and help
educate others about their importance. Join thousands of Americans
each May in celebrating the uniqueness, beauty and importance of
wetlands. The theme for 2007 is Alien Invaders: Invasive Species and
Wetlands. Because they are
alien to North American wetland landscapes, species like Purple
Loosestrife and the New Zealand Mud Snail wreak havoc on the plants
and animals that are native to our wetlands. Every year, thousands
more of these invasive species are introduced into our waterways,
costing us billions of dollars in economic losses and causing
irreversible damage to some of our most beautiful and valuable
landscapes.
To learn more about how invasive species are
endangering the health of our wetlands and what you can do to stop
their spread, sign up for the Izaak Walton League's email newsletter.
Wetland Sights and Sounds
is a weekly email newsletter that runs from mid-March through
mid-May. Each issue will include a profile of one of the nation's
least wanted wetland species, a highlight of conservation efforts to
stop its spread, photos, sound files, and helpful links and
resources. Sign up today by visiting <http://www.iwla.org/index.php?id=214>.
BILLS INTRODUCED TO COMBAT AQUATIC INVASIVE
SPECIES
Sen.
Carl Levin, D-Mich
introduced two bipartisan bills aimed at protecting U.S.
waters from the threats posed by aquatic invasive species. The
National Aquatic Invasive Species Act and the Asian Carp Prevention
and Control Act would help combat these harmful species that damage U.S.
aquatic ecosystems and natural resources.
The
National Aquatic Invasive Species Act would reauthorize and
strengthen the National Invasive Species Act of 1996 to protect U.S.
waters by preventing new introductions of aquatic invasive species.
The legislation, which Levin is sponsoring along with Sen. Susan
Collins, R-Maine, would regulate ballast discharge from commercial
vessels; prevent invasive species introductions from other pathways;
support state management plans; screen live aquatic organisms
entering the United States for the first time in trade; authorize
rapid response funds; create education and outreach programs; conduct
research on invasion pathways, and prevention and control
technologies; authorize funds for state and regional grants; and
strengthen specific prevention efforts in the Great Lakes.
The Asian
Carp Prevention and Control Act, which Levin is sponsoring with Sen.
George Voinovich, R-Ohio, and Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wisc., would
list three species of Asian carp – the bighead, black and silver carp
– as injurious wildlife under the Lacey Act. By doing so, Congress
would prevent the intentional introduction of these species into the Great Lakes by prohibiting the interstate
transportation or importation of live Asian carp without a permit.
Congress passed the original Lacey Act in 1900 and the Lacey Act
Amendments in 1981, which make it unlawful to import, export,
transport, buy or sell fish, wildlife and plants taken or possessed
in violation of federal, state or tribal law. This legislation would
not interfere with existing state regulations of Asian carp, and
permits to transport or purchase live Asian carp could be issued for
scientific, medical or educational purposes.
In
addition to Levin, Voinovich and Feingold, other cosponsors of the
Asian Carp Prevention and Control Act include Sens. Debbie Stabenow,
D-Mich., Norm Coleman, R-Minn., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Barack Obama,
D-Ill., and Richard Durbin, D-Ill.
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