The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District is accepting applications for the
Patrol Boat Operator Original Entrance examination beginning Friday, February
26, 2010 through Friday, March 26, 2010. To view the job annoucement and apply
online, visit our website at www.mwrd.org and click on employment.
Sincerely,
Employment Services
WSJ Blogs/Washington Wire 2:37 pm February 26, 2010
By Jonathan Weisman
Oy, do we have a problem!
Rep. Don Manzullo (R., Ill.) knows his gefilte, he knows his Jewish calendar and he knows his trade laws. And boy, does he have the whole megillah down pat.
At a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing Thursday with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, he revealed a terrible tragedy in the making. A gefilte fish processor in Thomson, Ill., has nine containers of Asian carp, mashed up into gefilte and that slimy sauce and ready to be shipped to Israel for Passover. But it seems the Jewish State has imposed a 120% duty on imported gefilte, drying up the market. More Carp.
Biologists intensify hunt for Asian carp near lake: Invasive species yet to be found north of Romeoville barriers By Chicago Tribune 2/17/2010
By Joel Hood, Chicago Tribune
Feb. 18--Fisheries biologists launched the next phase in the hunt for Asian carp on Wednesday, using nets and electric current to corral fish in warm-water discharges along the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal.
Crews from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plan to continue searching for Asian carp in Chicago-area waterways through next week, part of a nearly $80 million federal attack plan to prevent the spread of the invasive species into the Great Lakes.
"This is an endeavor to search, destroy and certainly understand this adversary," said Marc Miller, director of the Department of Natural Resources. "This plan is about defense in depth, not relying on any one method to keep carp out of Lake Michigan." More info.
Study: Cost of closing Chicago locks exaggerated By Chicago Tribune 2/17/2010
By Joel Hood, Chicago Tribune
Feb. 18--A Wayne State University business professor projects a $70 million a year increase in transportation costs in the Chicago region but an otherwise modest impact if Illinois is forced to close its navigational shipping locks to keep out Asian carp.
John Taylor, an associate professor of supply-chain management at Wayne State, and a transportation consultant told reporters today that Illinois officials and some in the boating and shipping industries have exaggerated the economic impact of lock closure. Many jobs would be lost, Taylor said, but others would be gained by the creation of new truck and rail terminals to carry freight to their final destinations. More Info.
Feinstein seeks to ease curbs on water delivery to farmers - latimes.com: "Feinstein seeks to ease curbs on water delivery to farmers Her legislation would for two years loosen Endangered Species Act restrictions on pumping from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta designed to protect salmon and delta smelt."
US SAILING Q&A with Nicholas Hayes - The Author of "Saving Sailing"
CONTACT:
Jake Fish
US SAILING Communications Manager
jakefish@ussailing.org
(401) 683-0800
US SAILING had the opportunity to speak with Nicholas Hayes, the author of “Saving Sailing”, following his presentation at US SAILING’s 2010 National Sailing Program Symposium last week in League City, Texas. Hayes touches on a number of topics including what he learned at NSPS, youth sailing, the categorization of the sport, sailing as a family activity, the perception of sailing, and much more. Read what Hayes has to say…
I wanted to let you know that a public stakeholder meeting has been scheduled for Friday, February 12, 2010 in Chicago, IL. The Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework will be presented to the public, and representatives of the Federal government will be on hand to answer questions and listen to comments.
Details on this meeting are below: Who: Senior representatives from:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency;
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service;
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers;
U.S. Coast Guard;
White House Council on Environmental Quality; and
Great Lakes states;
When: 3:00 – 6:00 p.m., Friday, Feb. 12
Where: Room 331
Metcalfe Federal Building
77 W. Jackson Blvd. , Chicago , Ill.
The meeting also will be available via live web stream at: http://epa.gov/greatlakes/live Those who cannot attend the meeting in person can submit questions on the Web site.
Please feel free to contact me if you have additional questions.
Thank you
Ronna Landy Beckmann
Office of the Regional Administrator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 5
312-886-0689
History was made in January during two separately conducted, private ceremonies involving three foreign Diplomats, representatives from a Chicago boating organization and over 14 months of effort to make it a reality.
L/R: Chicago Sail and Power Squadron Administrative Officer Dr. Jenou Olech, outgoing Commander Squadron Wayne C. Toberman, Consul General Ping Huang, Peoples Republic of China in Chicago, and Zongguang Guo, Consulate Consul.
Photo By: Li Ding
L/R: Chicago Sail and Power Squadron Administrative Officer Dr. Jenou Olech, Awardee Commercial Attache, Consulate General of the Republic of Turkey in Chicago Suleyman Sozeri (who also accepted membership on behalf of H.E. Consul General U. Kenan Ipek) and membership presenter, outgoing Squadron Commander Wayne C. Toberman.
Photo by: Hale Ekinci
The presentation of these Diplomatic Memberships marked a “first” in the history of this preeminent, 65 year old, 125 member Boating Safety Education Organization and very possibly (though incomplete records rule out an absolute certainty) for the entire 400+ Squadron International network of the 100 year old, 44,000 member United States Power Squadron organization as well!
The USPS is a National (with International participants), non-military, non-governmental, purely volunteer-based, Safe Boating oriented, Educational organization. It was chartered during a period of endless small watercraft related deaths and tragedies in the early 1900’s, with the express purpose of educating the public on subjects directly related to safe and considerate boating on our Nations waterways, lakes, rivers, and throughout the coastal regions.
100 years later, USPS sanctioned, certified volunteer-instructor presented classes (specifically from the Chicago Squadron, in this instance) begin with the Americas Boating Course, which introduces the novice or beginning boater to the boating “rules of the road” or basic safe and proper operations of recreational pleasure craft. The public then has the opportunity to register for additional classes from the organization’s ever expanding curriculum of elective courses including Navigation, Piloting, Engine Maintenance, Weather, and a host of other classes and short seminars.
The key to the significance of this entire series of events is the phrase “ever expanding”. USPS just began instructing a three phase course of study in 2009 ending with the issuance of an International Boat Operator’s Certificate to the participants, which acts much the same for boaters as the International Driver’s License does for automobile drivers when they travel overseas. Never before has there been such a universally accepted or recognized means for a US boater to enjoy a foreign country’s waterways and vice versa. With this International effort in place, it only seemed natural, if not long overdue, to include the members of the diplomatic corps here in Chicago in the Chicago Sail and Power Squadron in an atmosphere of shared understanding, camaraderie, and the enjoyment of the Nation’s greatest lakefront that’s such a major part of life here in Chicago all year long.
1/31/2010
By The Blade, Toledo, Ohio
Feb. 1--The Obama Administration said it will host a White House summit on Feb. 8 to discuss the Asian carp crisis with Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, and Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn.
The 2:30 p.m. meeting, which the administration has closed to the public, will include Nancy Sutley, chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the U.S. Coast Guard. Read More from Workboat.com
COAST GUARD PROPOSES CHANGES TO AIS CARRIAGE REQUIREMENTS
By WorkBoat Staff 2/1/2010
At present, you are required to have an AIS unit if your boat is over 65' in length and goes on international voyages or operates in a vessel traffic service area, or if you carry 150 passengers or more for hire. (Towboats at least 26' long and over 600 hp are also included).
Proposed U.S. Coast Guard changes to AIS regulations call for adding boats with 50 or more passengers for hire, high-speed boats (30 knots or faster) that carry 12 or more passengers for hire, dredges or floating plants operating near channels, and vessels that haul hazardous cargo. Plus, the VTS-area requirement is being expanded for all U.S. navigable waters.
