Mary McKinney Schmidt

Fresh Water-Healthy Lives

Mary McKinney Schmidt
Writer and Great Lakes Advocate

Home
Home is worth fighting for. It is worth protecting

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. (Photograph courtesy

of Pat

Roehling.)

Stories Include:

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:

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:

Heroes

he good new

is we know

democracy works. When people

take time to get informed and

involved, things happen!.

Stories Include:

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 ideas on how best to get

involved,

see

Deck Night

Look for monthly updates the first

week of each month. The last

update

was

August 8, 2008. See

"From the Eyes of a Helmswoman"

under

Boataholics

To view spring wildflowers at

Sleeping Bear Dunes National

Lakeshore, visit

Spiritual

Connection.

And to see the latest photographs

from recent hiking trips along the

coast of western Michigan, visit

Heroes Continued.

Taking That First Step

This morning, like most mornings, I ran inland for roughly an hour. It is part

of my daily ritual, providing me time to reflect, to meditate and, of course,

to sweat.

My cool down walk along the shores of Lake Michigan is my treat to

myself. My heart sings when I see this magnificent body of fresh water,

touch its soft white sand beaches that stretch for miles, and look up at the

towering dunes steadied by strong, tall northern trees. This is sacred

space.

Yet, scientists say it is in danger--the ecosystem of the Great Lakes

threatened with irreversible damage if something is not done immediately.

I shake my head in disbelief. How could this happen? More importantly,

how do we reverse the slide?

The challenges facing the Great Lakes are daunting, so overwhelming it is

easy to feel powerless as an individual. I have lived my adult life in

corporate America, most recently in a position reporting to the CEO of one

of the largest healthcare manufacturers in the world. I know nothing about

getting involved as an individual-- without the backing of a $10B

corporation and the support of millions of people.

Even so, I know I cannot remain silent. While I have traveled to places of

spectacular beauty, none touch my soul like the Great Lakes. In my heart,

these waters are home.

So, I talk about the Great Lakes and all I am learning.

In the process, I have discovered I am not alone in my passion for

protecting these great waters. Neighbors, family, friends—even those who

live outside the region--are interested in understanding the past decisions

that have brought us to this tipping point and the tradeoffs needed in

finding solutions. Almost always, the first question someone asks ask me

is “what can I do?”

It is the same question I ask myself during my early morning runs. Over the

years, I have found if I can still the constant chatter of my mind as I run in

the first light of sunrise, answers to the toughest questions often surface.

I ask “what can I do to protect these waters I love?” The answer seems

obvious. Get educated, energized and engaged. No problem with the first

two. It is engagement that holds the most uncertainty.

“You are responsible for your efforts on this earth, not necessarily the

results,” a friend tells me.

And so I have embarked on a journey of faith, taking one step at a time. For

me, the first step was to begin writing.

Spiritual Connection

gnoring the deteriorating state of

the Great Lakes would be like

turning my back on God

Visit

Introduction

Mine is the story of a woman who ran with the wind kissing her cheeks,

the soft sand cushioning her steps as the waves nipped at her ankles; all

the while her feet actually struck pavement. I am a woman who chose to

breathe the stale air of hotel rooms, tolerate crowded airports, and

negotiate in hot, windowless conference rooms while my soul cried

silently, unnoticed. And then, one day, I decided to listen, to honor the

voice within. And from the strength of the land and the water, I began to

recreate my life.

To follow the story of my transition from Ritz Carlton and Four Season

Hotels to Lake Michigan Campgrounds and Marinas, look for "hints" of

chapters from my upcoming book on this website.

Also included are

columns I wrote for the daily newspaper,

The Holland Sentinel

A commitment to learning, caring,
and getting involved...

Dark, murky waters along the Saugatuck
State Park beaches reflect the damage
caused by heavy rains. In addition to
eroding sediment and sending it swirling
down fast-flowing rivers, storms also
cause municipal water treatment facilities
to dump thousands of gallons of raw
sewage into Lake Michigan. Unfortunately,
despite bipartisan support for legislation
designed to provide financial assistance to
municipalities with antiquated sewage
treatment facilities, the bill remains stalled
in Congress. I am told what is lacking is
the political will to make Great Lakes
waters a priority. To learn more, click on
Lighthouses.

Over three thousand dead gulls, loons and
cormorants littered the beaches of
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in
2007. To learn more, read "Don't Look Far
for Phosphorus"

Pitcher's Thistle, an endangered plant,
graces the northern beach at Saugatuck
State Park. To see other dune wildflowers,
visit Spring Wildflowers at Sleeping Bear
Dunes National Lakeshore.

Leland Harbor, like many harbors along the
coast of western Michigan, depends on the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to keep the
harbor dredged. And while it is a financial
issue for the small, lakeside communities
that depend on summer tourist traffic, it is
a safety issue for boaters like myself.
Unfortunately, convincing Congress to
allocate the necessary funding, continues
to be an annual battle. To learn more, visit
Lighthouses.

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