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 |
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. |
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 |
- 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
|
“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
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 |