Michigan residents hoping to protect Great Lakes waters by eliminating harmful aquatic pests can now find a solution in the form of a decal.
The simple, three-inch square decal goes on sale Oct. 1, and aims to raise money to help fund efforts to control aquatic nuisance species, including zebra mussels. The fingernail-sized mussels are thought to have been brought to the lakes by a vessel from Asia.
"This is a great way for someone in the general public to fund a cause that can have long-standing implications in the future," said Rep. David Palsrok, R-Manistee.
The decal costs $35, with $25 going to the Great Lakes Protection Fund and the other $10 funding Secretary of State administrative fees. The goal of selling 2,000 by the end of the next fiscal year - Sept. 30, 2005 - would garner $50,000 for the fund. The goal of selling 500 each year thereafter would bring in an additional $12,500 per year.
The adherent decals are intended to be placed on flat, smooth vehicle surfaces.
The idea isn't to completely eliminate nuisance species, Palsrok said, but rather to control them and ensure new species aren't introduced to the Great Lakes. He said one of the biggest salmon fisheries is found in the Great Lakes, and the most serious threat to the salmon population is the Asian carp, a fish that can grow as big as four feet long.
"The Asian carp is very aggressive, and would compete directly with a salmon for food," Palsrok said. "When these species are introduced they tend to dominate the environment."
Zebra mussels also pose a real danger to other native species, said Sen. Patricia Birkholz, R-Saugatuck.
"The first time I saw them, they were just a fingernail-sized mussel I'd notice here and there," said Birkholz, the chair of the Senate Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs Committee.
They block parts of exhaust systems and get stuck in intake valves in boats, Birkholz said.
Invasive species are without question one of the greatest challenges facing the Great Lakes because they can decimate native species, said Ken Silfven, spokesman for Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land.
"When it comes to invasive species, there is no one simple answer," Silfven said.
