B.14. MICHIGAN AQUATIC NUISANCE SPECIES STATE MANAGEMENT PLAN: 
UPDATE 
B.14.1. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF MICHIGAN’S PLAN 
The Michigan Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) Management Plan was prepared by the 
Michigan Office of Great Lakes and the Department of Environmental Quality and was 
published in 2002 (available at http://www.deq.state.mi .us/documents/deq -ogl- 
ANSPlan2002.pdf) . The Management Plan updates the state’s 1996 Non-indigenous ANS State 
Management Plan. The Plan recommends three implementation actions to (1) coordinate 
policies and legislation to reduce ANS impacts, (2) develop materials and activities addressing 
prevention, control, monitoring, research and policy making, and (3) establish a collaborative 
network for ANS research and monitoring. The Management Plan states that more work is 
needed to prevent and control ANS, but notes the progress made since the 1996 Plan. Many 
vectors could bring ANS into Michigan, and the Management Plan includes specific strategies to 
better address this issue. 
B.14.2. CLIMATE CHANGE AND AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES IN MICHIGAN 
Climate change models project that temperature increases over the next century could 
result in an earlier peak snow melt in the spring and higher evaporation rates in the summer 
months. These factors could lead to lower inland stream flow levels in the summer and reduced 
water flow into the upper Great Lakes. Lower water levels may impede shipping traffic and 
prevent more introductions through ballast water releases; however, changes in water flows also 
could alter native habitats making them more vulnerable to ANS (Magnuson et al., 1997). 
Certain ANS may shift their ranges in response to climate change. State staff are 
concerned about species such as the Asian carp finding their way into state waters. An electrical 
barrier in the canal separating the Mississippi River from Lake Michigan currently prevents the 
Asian carp from entering Michigan waters. If water levels are altered by climate change, the 
efficacy of the barrier could be reduced, allowing the Asian carp to pass into state waters. 
B.14.3. THE MICHIGAN PLAN’S CURRENT INTEGRATION OF CLIMATE 
CHANGE 
Table B-13 summarizes how the Michigan Plan addresses and incorporates the projected 
effects of climate change. The Michigan Management Plan recognizes the need to closely 
monitor state waters and carefully coordinate control activities and information sharing. The 
Plan update also refers to focusing prevention and management strategies on the most likely 
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