Summit aims to help land managers control invasive plants

GARY | Local land managers agree it is important to control invasive plant species, but say it is getting increasingly difficult to find the funds to make that happen.

Restoration project helps Valpo park go native

VALPARAISO | Rogers Lakewood Park might qualify for a guest shot on one of those "ultimate makeover" reality shows as the parks staff tries to convert it from that carefree look to something more native.

Sale of varieties of aquatic plants banned

When most people see aquatic plants like flowering rush, yellow flag iris and parrot feather, they see beautiful plants that enhance the beauty of ponds.

Report: Asian carp could reach all five Great Lakes

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. | Asian carp could find enough food and breeding areas to become established in Lake Michigan and the other four Great Lakes within 20 years if allowed to gain a foothold, according to a new scientific report.

Valparaiso pushes back against invasive plants

Volunteers Josh Boothe, left, and Cody Meulemans dig out invasive plants Wednesday from the side of Vale Park Road.

Valparaiso pushes back against invasive plants

Volunteer Tony Schultz, of Valparaiso, pulls invasive plants along Vale Park Road on Wednesday while volunteering during the city's annual control effort.

Valparaiso pushes back against invasive plants

Valparaiso firefighter Don Yokovich throws invasive plants pulled from the side of Vale Park Road into the trash Wednesday during the city's annual control effort. Parks Department horticulturist Steve Martinson said the worst species is the Asian bush honeysuckle. "If we didn't stop this pl…

Valparaiso pushes back against invasive plants

Valparaiso Parks Department worker Ben Ringling uses a tractor to put invasive plants pulled Wednesday from the side of Vale Park Road. The city closed the road from 9 to 11 a.m. for the annual vegetation control effort.

Valparaiso pushes back against invasive plants

Volunteer Bill Schoech, left, of Valparaiso, and Valparaiso Parks Department worker Ben Ringling push invasive plant species into a truck Wednesday after picking them from the side of Vale Park Road.

VLACD gets grant to study lakes vegetation

VALPARAISO | The Valparaiso Lakes Area Conservancy District received an $18,400 grant from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to help fight invasive plants in several area lakes.

Valparaiso seeks volunteers for Vale Park Road cleanup

VALPARAISO | It takes a lot of work to maintain the natural beauty of Vale Park Road between Valparaiso Street and Campbell Street, and the city is looking for volunteers to help keep the road looking good.

Industry, environmental groups spar on ballast water rules

The Great Lakes shipping industry says it is pleased with a New York state environmental agency's decision to delay rules requiring vessel operators to meet the "most stringent" ballast water treatment in North America.

Carp solutions rankle region residents

HAMMOND | Finding a cost-effective way to separate the Great Lakes and Mississippi River watersheds to combat invasive species may be a Herculean task.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Governors are fighting controls on new invasive species

I'm not sure how to explain why three Great Lakes governors are actually arguing against tough controls on new invasive species. But that is just what happened in September.

EDITORIAL: Let feds, not states, set shipping rules

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo should refrain from establishing shipping rules that are more stringent than the federal government requires.

Governors pen letter to N.Y. to amend ballast rules

Governors of Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin sent a letter last week to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo asking him to not implement environmental rules they say will imperil Great Lakes shipping.

Governors pen letter to N.Y. to amend ballast rules

Republican governors of Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin sent a letter to Democrat New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo asking him to not implement environmental rules they say will imperil Great Lakes shipping.

Feds award nearly $1 million in grants for Great Lakes projects

GARY | Public and private interests gathered Monday at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore for an announcement of nearly $1 million in federal grants aimed at protecting the Great Lakes.

Vale Park extension in line for a scrubbing

VALPARAISO | The two-minute vacation needs a maid.

Advocates reach invasive species deal with EPA

Advocacy groups in March reached a deal with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in a legal dispute over discharges of ship ballast water that could contain invasive species.