New DNA sampling results indicate that invasive Asian carp may have made it nearer to Lake Michigan than previously thought. Asian carp DNA was detected north of downtown Chicago at the Wilmette pumping station, which sends Great Lakes water into the Chicago River system.

Asian carp threaten to damage Great Lakes ecosystems and its $7 billion fishing industry. The voracious carp wreak havoc on food chains by devouring huge quantities of tiny plankton that native fish would otherwise consume.

The carp results were released just as the Obama Administration took a surprising stance by opposing Michigan’s request for a Supreme Court injunction that would force Illinois to immediately close the navigational locks in a Chicago that could be providing a path for the carp to Lake Michigan.

The action came as a surprise given that President Obama has in his first year in office brought much needed progress for the Great Lakes in the form of his Great Lake Restoration Initiative, obtaining unprecedented funding levels for the Great Lakes, and his $5 billion commitment to Great Lakes restoration.

But advocates warn that much of this progress will unravel unless action is taken -- emergency measures and permanent solutions -- to protect the Great Lakes from the invasive bighead Asian and silver carp poised at the edge of Lake Michigan.

Last month, the Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court to force Illinois to close the Chicago canal locks that provide an artificial connection between carp-infested waters and the Great Lakes. Michigan also seeks permanent ecological separation of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River basin.

It is still unknown what action the Supreme Court will take on the matter.

Jennifer Janssen is a contributor from the Great Lakes Regional Center of the National Wildlife Federation. She writes about connecting with nature, supporting solutions to climate change and protecting the Great Lakes. She can be reached at janssenj@nwf.org.