Ready for March Madness? Let’s Take a Look at Another Fab Five…

Marisa Tricas — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 21:58:46 +0000

(Photo: Ryan_Fung/Flickr)

In the spirit of March Madness, let’s remember the legacy created by a sports revolution.

From the University of Michigan, the Fabulous Five, Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson, changed the game of college basketball and were considered the greatest recruiting class of basketball players ever known. These iconic players shocked the world through their style, brotherhood and basketball skills that are unmatched in college basketball to this day.

Similar to the Fab Five of basketball, 35 million people honor another Fab Five: Erie, Michigan, Superior, Huron and Ontario.

The Great Lakes

Even ESPN announcer Dick Vitale would agree that the five Great Lakes are some of the most important players for water issues to people and wildlife in the United States. These water bodies form the largest group of freshwater lakes in the world, holding a total of 18 percent of the world’s freshwater supply. More than 35 million people live in the Great Lakes Basin, as well as animals like bald eagles, moose, grey wolves, trout, perch and river otters.

A subspecies of the Walleye, the Blue Pike went extinct in the 1980s. (Photo: NOAA)

Unfortunately, the Great Lakes are in trouble. Due to climate change, algae blooms, invasive species, and a multitude of other problems, the Great Lakes have become so polluted and overused that it is going to take a lot of teamwork to heal them.

Does anyone remember the Blue Pike? Probably not. In the 1950s, 50 percent of the commercial catch coming out of the Great Lakes Basin was the Blue Pike. This native freshwater fish could be found in the millions and was extremely valuable to the economy and the ecosystems in the region. The Blue Pike could easy have been deemed the MVP of the fishing world but sadly, they no longer exist today.

Help the Great Lakes From Fouling Out

To avoid other native species going extinct, we need to face the ecological challenges in the Great Lakes Basin. One of the challenges is the annual ice cover on the lakes rapidly shrinking due to global climate change. This increases evaporation rates, which decreases the levels of water in the lakes. Low water affects the communities surrounding the lakes for cargo shippers, marina operators and other businesses, greatly impacting the economy.

Just as the Michigan Five persevered through trials and tribulations, the Great Lakes can persevere — with our help! Don’t just be a spectator; join our team and help the Great Lakes by participating in the HOW Coalition and future Great Lakes Days to assist the Great Lakes and make them the champions they should be.

Take Action! Protect the Great Lakes from an invasion of Asian carp by sending a message to your Member of Congress today, urging them to advance the “Stop Asian Carp Act.”

Take Action to Preserve Wildlife in the Great Lakes

Marisa Tricas — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 14:00:25 +0000

Did you know that whooping cranes find partners for life? (Photo credit: Steve Szabo)

For people living in the Great Lakes area, the whooping crane is an iconic species. In the mid-1880s, 1,400 cranes would migrate between Canada and the upper Midwest down to the Texas Gulf Coast and across the Southeastern U.S. each year. By 1940, however, only 20 cranes were recorded in making the annual migration. In order to keep protecting the whooping crane and the other important species of the Great Lakes region, action needs to be taken to protect the Great Lakes habitat itself.

Much More than a Body of Water

The crane’s name derives from its “whoop” or honking call, which has become a familiar sound to the people of the Great Lakes. A native to North America, the crane can grow up to five feet in length and has a wingspan of more than seven feet. The whooping crane is an important part of the Great Lakes ecosystem, but due in part to habitat destruction and human development these beautiful birds were on the brink of extinction.

With the help of non-profits and government organizations, the number of whooping cranes has grown to about 570, and is still growing. But in order to continue protecting whooping cranes and other waterfowl, we need to continue to protect all of the Great Lakes.

Show your Support on Great Lakes Day

On February 28-29, 2012, citizens working to protect the Great Lakes region will assemble for the big event of the year called Great Lakes Day. Passionate citizens from the 8 Great Lakes states (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin) come together with lawmakers from Capitol Hill to discuss the Lakes’ ecological importance. In addition, clean water advocates, like the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, collaborate with the Great Lakes Commission and Northeast-Midwest Institute and host training sessions for advocates on the need for continued funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

With the possibility of more budget cuts for participating organizations, we need to bring a message to the Hill: the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is a sound investment that produces results. The preservation of these iconic bodies of water means the conservation of numerous species, including the whooping crane, that depend on healthy waters to prosper.