We Don't Need This

[Nate McVey]

I have the letter written and address labels (all you have to do is print them) of all 68 MN Senators as well as addresses (not on labels) for all house of representatives for MN as well. As soon as I hear from ST I will post my email address so we can get this started.

[Nelson380]

Another related iniative that might help focus some attention on your concerns is the The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement of 1972. Currently, the USA, Canadian, and Great Lakes States are in the process of reviewing the agreement for potential revisons and upgrades. It may be useful to make your voices heard by your Federal representatives, Congressional and Executive, as well as you state representatives.

[Surface Tension]

Thanks Nelson.

[Nate McVey]

{TYPE YOUR NAME HERE}

{TYPE YOUR RETURN ADDRESS}

{HERE}

{INSERT DATE}

{INSERT NAME OF PERSON YOU ARE SENDING TO}

{INSERT ADDRESS OF PERSON YOU ARE SENDING TO}

{INSERT CITY, STATE, ZIP}

Subject: Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia in the Great Lakes

Dear {PERSON YOU ARE SENDING TO}

My name is {YOUR NAME} and I am writing to you today to express my concern with the spread of Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) throughout the Great Lakes. This disease has already devastated portions of Lake Huron, Lake Cheboygan, Lake St. Clair and in numerous other bodies of water in that portion of the country. According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources it is unknown how long the disease has been in the Great Lakes and even how it got there. The Michigan DNR is convinced that it is being transported between bodies of water by boats and by transplanting fish from the Great Lakes into inland lakes and vice versa. Here is a quote from the Michigan DNR Director Rebecca A. Humphries, “The continuing march of VHS through the waters of the Great Lakes is a major challenge to our agency and our management options. These new discoveries are extremely unfortunate and further highlight the problems created by the constant introductions of new diseases from outside of the Great Lakes region, the speed with which they can spread, and the threat that such pathogens pose to our natural resources."

As a fisherman I am aware of the diseases that currently affect the Great Lakes and I am diligent in cleaning my boat, trailer and nets before reentering another body of water. The MI DNR has shown that a two to one mixture of bleach and water is effective at killing VHS and other invasive species when used in live-wells and on any fish contact surfaces. Moving fish from one body of water to another is a sure fire way to spread disease. Fisherman need to be aware of this and take precautions such as dumping minnows on land and not in the water and not using minnows from inland lakes in Lake Superior. This is the part that we as responsible fishermen and women have direct control of. By becoming informed and by taking steps ourselves, we can make a huge impact on the spread of invasive species. The following paragraphs will outline where we need your help and the aid of the State of Minnesota.

My main concern is that of the shipping industry in the waters off of Duluth and the North Shore. As you may know, these ships take on ballast water to aid in maneuvering, weight distribution, stability and trim. These ships take on water in one port and discharge it in another. Now this is not the case all the time, mainly because some ships discharge ballast water in designated waters north of Duluth. Ships that stay within the Great Lakes and Seaway, also known as Lakers, have to comply with the “Voluntary Management Practices to Reduce the Transfer of Aquatic Nuisance Species within the Great Lakes.” These voluntary management practices require ships to agree to regular inspections of ballast tanks and regular removal of sediment. While this is a great step, I do not feel it is enough to control the spread of invasive species. When ships drain their ballast water they do not completely empty the tanks to avoid clogging and most standard ballast pumps cannot fully pump out the sediment left on the bottom. When the ship takes on ballast water again, this sediment from around the region is resuspended in the new water and dumped in another port. This is how invasive species are transported and spread at such an alarming rate.

If this disease were to reach the ports of Duluth and Superior think of the economical impact this could have on Canal Park, Barkers Island and the entire North Shore. Imagine 1000’s of dead fish littering Park Point and the impact that would have on the beaches. Imagine the impact on businesses on the North Shore, why would someone stay at a lodge with a beach full of dead fish? These are just some of the problems that could arise from this. That is why steps need to be taken sooner than later.

Thank you for your time and consideration on this matter. I know you have a great interest in protecting such an important part of Northern Minnesota’s valuable resources.

Sincerely,

{YOUR NAME}

Just copy and paste into Word and the formating should be fine. I will post the links to addresses next if that is ok ST

[Surface Tension]

Thanks very much shiner, by all means post the addresses.

[Nate McVey]

Here is the easiest way to do this:

Follow this link and it will bring you to a great site with address (email and snailmail) for all senators and representatives, govenors and the President.

http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml

Good luck, any questions please let me know. Feel free to edit anything in that letter.

[upnorth]

Just gotta say thanks for taking the time to put together something the looks respectable for the rest of us to use.

[Green&Gold]

Sent a copy of the letter to Coleman, Klobuchar, and Oberstar. They have online entry forms, so if you are going to address them, don't bother pasting it into Word. Just follow Nate's link and you will find their forms. Then just fill in the appropriate info and copy the body of the letter in. (Make sure you remember to fill in their name.)

Thanks again for setting this up guys.

[DEADhead]

shiner,

I threw a link to your letter on here in my HSO blog to hopefully gain a little more attention and traffic. Thanks again for your hard work!

[Nate McVey]

Thanks Dead.......and you're welcome

[sachem longrifle]

I did my part on this issue but what's the use? Not to sound defeatist but people having been doing this crap for years and people have been (Contact Us Please) about it and nothing gets done. You get a letter by some politician saying he hears your views and he will introduce some legislation in the next session all while he is taking the money from the very special interests that are causing the problem. This is why the american people hate the career politicians from both parties. But, I contacted my elected "leaders" on this matter because if the big lake is going down, I want to say I at least fought the good fight

[upnorth]

Quote:

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but what's the use? Not to sound defeatist but people having been doing this crap for years and people have been (Contact Us Please) about it and nothing gets done

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You can guarantee that if we all sit on our hands and so OH WELL, nothing is gonna change. If you do what you can, do you have done what you can do.

[Nate McVey]

I understand that these "career politicians" are not going to show up at my door tomorrow and tell me they passed legislation an hour ago and shake my hand, but I (like a lot of other people on this site) care enough to at least do SOMETHING. I appreciate you (and everyone else) doing there part. This country isn't all bad, and good things do happen so I will continue this project and continue to do my part.

[SkunkedAgain]

Thanks for all of the great work guys. I just sent off letters to Coleman, Klobuchar, and T-Paw. Even though I'm a Twin Cities resident, I think that we all understand how this can eventually affect us all no matter where you live. Seeing as that we all live on this earth together, the geographical separation makes no difference.

[MuleShack]

Nice Job putting this together.

I just sent off to coleman, klobuchar and Tpaw.