Peter Sorensen and his new Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center might be all that stands in the way of Asian carp, zebra mussels and other nasty critters forever changing Minnesota's lakes and rivers -- and the fishing, swimming and boating they provide.
The center at the University of Minnesota is up and running, launched with $3.8 million from the lottery and Legacy Fund. Its ambitious goal: to slow the spread of invasive species and eradicate them from state waters.
But with the number of infested lakes and rivers growing yearly -- and with more Asian carp showing up in our rivers -- some think it's too late to get the genie back in the bottle.
Not Sorensen, director of the center. "You can't just throw up your arms and give up,'' he says. "It's not too late.''