I’m writing with good news.
Construction is resuming on a critical project to stop invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had abruptly halted work on the Brandon Road project in late July without explanation or warning.
With your support, we immediately stepped up to lead the call to get construction moving again and quickly made Brandon Road a regional priority.
We called for construction to restart and then helped bring together more than a dozen other Great Lakes organizations to demand action. Behind the scenes, we met with Great Lakes legislators, coordinated with regional partners, and worked to build pressure in Washington. And last month when the Illinois Department of Natural Resources announced that juvenile invasive carp were discovered a mere 80 miles from Lake Michigan – closer than ever before – we sounded the alarm. We kept up the pressure publicly by speaking out in the media and making the stakes clear.
The overwhelming response from the entire region shows that we are, and will continue to be, united in support of this critical project. People from across the political spectrum and throughout the Great Lakes came together to demand that this project move forward – the bipartisan Congressional Great Lakes Task Force, the Great Lakes states, anglers, boaters, skilled construction workers, environmental organizations, and countless fellow Great Lakers.
That united response mattered, and now, construction is moving again. But we cannot let up. Invasive carp would cause irreversible ecological and economic damage if they reach the Great Lakes, threatening the region’s $5.1 billion fishing and $16 billion recreational boating industries. The Brandon Road project includes a suite of deterrents to stop these carp from entering the Great Lakes via a chokepoint on the Illinois River. We simply cannot afford any further disruption.
That’s why we’ll continue leading the fight to ensure the project stays on track – both at the construction site and in Washington, D.C. We get results when we speak out together, which is why we’ll need you by our side as the project moves forward. We’ll be watching and pushing to make sure construction continues, funding is provided, and the lakes are protected.
Thanks for your support, which makes this critical work possible.