Plan OK’d to battle outside species invading the Great Lakes

TRAVERSE CITY- Despite a tight budget, Michigan officials proposed an ambitious plan Tuesday to fight invasive species, clean polluted sites and otherwise restore the state's portion of the battered Great Lakes.

Lt. Gov. John Cherry and the state Office of the Great Lakes released the blueprint. It would benefit the environment but also help Michigan escape the economic doldrums by promoting tourism and other industries dependent on healthy waters, Cherry said.

''We believe there's a blue water economy like there's an auto economy and a green energy economy,'' he said in a phone interview. ''As other parts of the country find they have more and more difficulty providing water for their communities, Michigan becomes a more attractive place.'' The plan carries no overall price tag - perhaps wisely at a time when Michigan's strapped environmental agencies are cutting back. Cherry urged consideration of a bond issue to generate cash for Great Lakes programs but said the plan emphasizes steps that could be taken without extra money.

It also envisions a big boost in federal assistance. Advocates are campaigning for the Great Lakes to receive a generous share of the spending President-elect Barack Obama is requesting to stimulate the economy.

A Bush administration initiative called the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration proposed a wide-ranging, $20 billion cleanup and restoration in 2005, but it has gone mostly unfunded as costs have risen. The Michigan plan is designed to complement the region-wide collaboration package.

''The Great Lakes are Michigan's natural asset and we need to manage them like any person would manage their own assets,'' said Donna Stine, policy director for the Michigan United Conservation Clubs.

The MUCC organized a series of meetings around the state last year to gather public recommendations for the plan.

Its laundry list of proposals targets problems that have long bedeviled the region's aquatic ecosystems.

They include preventing more invasive species from getting into the lakes; protecting wildlife and fish habitat through wetlands restoration and land-use planning; working toward elimination of toxic releases; cleaning 14 ''areas of concern'' with high levels of pollution; limiting agricultural and municipal runoff; and promoting sustainable development, particularly in coastal areas.

For each issue, the plan outlines measures that could be taken with existing funding, those needing more money and those requiring new legislation or rules.

Example: It suggests working with other states on laws prohibiting discharge of invasive species into the lakes and educating the public about preventing the spread of invasives. Neither would require new appropriations.

But the plan also seeks new spending to combat invasives, including a $1 million rapid-response fund and money for increased monitoring and research.

Additionally, it proposes ''implementation teams'' to track progress in carrying out the proposals on federal, state and local levels. The teams would be partnerships of government officials and interested citizens, Cherry said.

The Michigan Healing Our Waters Coalition, an umbrella group representing watershed councils and other groups, praised the plan and urged Michigan's congressional delegation to steer federal economic stimulus dollars to the region.

''With shovel-ready projects to clean up toxic sites, fix our sewers, and restore critical wildlife and fishery habitats, these funds would immediately create thousands of jobs on top of bringing millions of dollars in economic revitalization to our local communities,'' the coalition said in a statement.

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On the Net:

-Great Lakes plan, http://www.michigan.gov/documents/deq/MI-GLPlan-262388-7.pdf

AP-CS-01-13-09 1625EST