Fresh Water-Healthy Lives

Mary McKinney Schmidt
Writer, Photographer
, and Lake Michigan Advocate
Copyright 2008 Mary McKinney Schmidt
Home
Home is worth fighting for.  It is worth protecting
    Why this website?
    The goal of this website is to
    encourage people to get engaged
    in prioritizing the clean up and
    protection of Great Lakes waters.
    For a collection of ideas on how
    best to get involved, see new
    information and photos under
    Deck Night.

    Look for monthly updates. The last
    update was April 28, 2009.  See
    new stories and photos on this
    page and under Boataholics and
    Heroes Sections of the website.   

    Navigating this site
    To navigate this website, double-
    click on underlined phrases (some
    are blue, some black, some
    purple) or select one of the six
    tabs across the top of each page.

    If you have suggestions or
    comments, please contact

    mary@freshwaterhealthylives.org

   Copyright 2008 Mary McKinney Schmidt
    Boataholics
    I have found boataholics to be
    people of passion for the Great
    Lakes.  So, too, are those who enjoy
    fishing, swimming, surfing, building
    sandcastles, or just walking the
    beach.  
    Stories iin this section iInclude:
  • Little Things Count in Selecting
    Destination Ports
  • Spiders, Swallows, and Tire Cleaner
  • "Clean Marina" Magic Makes it Easy
    Lighthouses
    When one is caught in a storm,
    nothing is more important than
    scanning the horizon for a
    lighthouse, finding a harbor that will
    provide safety and refuge.  This
    section of the website is devoted to
    lighthouses and other matters of
    great importance.
    Stories include:
  • Plan Collecting Dust While Lakes
    Churn
    Spiritual Connection
    Ignoring the deteriorating state of
    the Great Lakes would be like
    turning my back on God. Stories
    include "Can One Person Make a
    Difference?".  Also see:
    Heroes
    The good news is we know
    democracy works.  When people
    take time to get informed and
    involved, things happen!
    Stories Include:
  • 4th Graders Take Action
  • In Search of Balance
    To learn more about the author, Mary McKinney Schmidt, click Here.
    Tell me the Weight of a Snowflake*
    “Tell me the weight of a snowflake,” a coal-mouse asked a wild dove.

    “Nothing more than nothing,” was the answer.

    “In that case, I must tell you a marvelous story,” the coal-mouse said.

    “I sat on the branch of a fir, close to its trunk, when it began to snow—not
    heavily, not in a raging blizzard—no, just like in a dream, without a wound
    and without any violence.  Since I did not have anything better to do, I
    counted the snowflakes settling on the twigs and needles of my branch.  
    Their number was exactly 3,741,952.  When the 3.741,953rd dropped on
    the branch, nothing more than nothing, as you say—the branch broke off.

    Having said that, the coal-mouse flew away.  

    The dove, since Noah’s time an authority on the matter, thought about the
    story for a while, and finally said to herself, “Perhaps there is only one
    person’s voice lacking for peace to come to the world.”  

    *Author unknown
    Deck Night
    Many of my column ideas for The
    Holland Sentinel stemmed from
    “Deck Night” conversations.  As I
    began to research the many
    challenges facing the Great Lakes, I
    found an interested audience among
    those who gathered together on
    Thursday evenings to watch the sun
    slip below the Lake Michigan
    horizon.     
    Stories include:
  • Practical Steps Can Make a
    Difference
  • Taking Political Action
    Creating Great Lakes Harmony
    The ecosystem of the Great Lakes is at a tipping point, the Great Lakes
    Regional Collaboration reported in 2005.  The influx of aquatic invasive
    species, the frequency of sewage overflows, toxic pollutants (such as
    mercury, PCBS and pesticides) found in nearby soils and the loss of
    wetlands and other coastal habitat have placed the ecosystem in grave
    danger.  The damage to 20% of the world’s fresh surface water could be
    irreversible if steps are not taken immediately, the study concluded.

    What is an ecosystem anyway?

    In his book, The Great Lakes:  The Natural History of a Changing Region,
    Wayne Grady defines an ecosystem as "communities of living organisms
    interacting with one another and with their physical environment. " He
    goes on to explain ecosystems are the mutually beneficial relationships
    between plants, animals, and non-living elements which share a common
    habitat.

    After spending months hiking along the eastern coast of Lake Michigan,
    I've come up with my own definition.  

    An ecosystem, I believe, is the harmony of all voices in the Universe,
    singing praise to the Creator.  When one voice is destroyed or diminished,
    as is happening to the Great Lakes, it throws the music of the world off
    key.  Rather than a cohesive sequence of sounds intended to produce an
    aesthetically pleasing melody, over time the degradation becomes like
    fingernails, screeching across a blackboard. The piercing sound of pain
    touches all.

    The beauty of the eastern shore of Lake Michigan is stunning! To allow the
    degradation of this ecosystem is criminal.  But it is in our hands.  Until we
    make the Great Lakes a priority--implementing changes around our
    homes, insisting on legislation that restores and protects these waters,
    we are destroying 20% of the world's fresh surface water.

    We can live without a lot of things, clean, fresh water is not one of them!  
Sharing Lake Michigan Magic
Coming Soon!
Wildflower Collection Note Cards and Envelopes
Lighthouse Collection Note Cards and Envelopes
Spring Beauty
Marsh Marigold
Deptford Pink