Reps. Gillard, Accavitti, Bieda, Clack, Constan, Dean, Gonzales, Hammel, Hammon, Hopgood, Johnson, Rick Jones, Robert Jones, Kathleen Law, LeBlanc, Leland, Lemmons, McDowell, Meadows, Meisner, Melton, Miller, Palsrok, Pearce, Polidori, Proos, Sak, Shaffer, Sheltrown, Spade, Tobocman, Walker and Warren offered the following resolution:

House Resolution No. 104.

A resolution commemorating May 22-28, 2007, as Aquatic Invasive Species Awareness Week in the state of Michigan.

Whereas, Michigan and its economy are defined by the Great Lakes and depend on its great abundance of freshwater for manufacturing, tourism, fishing, public water supplies, agriculture and numerous other uses; and,

Whereas, Preventing the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species ultimately benefits the state of Michigan, and stopping the introduction and spread of these species would reduce the need of the state of Michigan, business, industry and citizens to employ costly methods to control and manage them; and

Whereas, Over 183 non-indigenous aquatic invasive species have been introduced to the Great Lakes; many of which are displacing native species, disrupting habitats and degrading natural, managed and agricultural landscapes and damaging water-based infrastructure, resulting in millions of dollars for control efforts each year; and

Whereas, Michigan has almost 1 million registered boaters and many other recreational, commercial and industrial users of over 11,000 lakes and ponds and over 36,000 miles of streams in the state, many of which are impacted by aquatic invasive species; and

Whereas, Aquatic invasive species awareness is an important first step towards behavior change, which prevents the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species; and

Whereas, The introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species must be addressed by all levels of government, business, industry, environmental groups, community organizations and citizens to protect Michigan and Great Lakes waters from the irreversible damage caused by aquatic invasive species; and, now, therefore be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives, That the members of this legislative body hereby commemorate May 22-28, 2007, as Aquatic Invasive Species Awareness Week; and be it further

Resolved, That all citizens must increase their understanding and awareness of aquatic invasive species and their ecological and economic impacts and take preventative measures to stop the spread and introduction of aquatic invasive species; and be it further

Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, Michigan Department of Agriculture, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Michigan Department of Transportation, Office of the Great Lakes, Great Lakes Fishery Commission, Council of Great Lakes Governors, Michigan congressional delegation, and the Great Lakes Commission.