In real estate, the term “fixer upper” usually refers to a property that requires restoration to meet its full potential. Many of our cruising grounds could easily be referred to as “fixer uppers,” as enumerable rivers, lakes and coastlines need serious restoration. The impact of human activity on an ecosystem can be devastating. Restoration efforts can offset and redeem bodies of water once written off as beyond hope. One such transformative example is the story of Lake Erie. Once considered an almost dead body of water, it has become a thriving boating and fishing destination. The Lake Erie drainage basin borders Canada and four U.S. states: Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and New York. The shores of Lake Erie are intensively developed with industry, agriculture, urbanization and sewage treatment plants. The plight of Lake Erie may be demonstrated in a quote from Dr. Seuss. Written in 1971, The Lorax highlighted environmental neglect and pollution. It included this line, “They’ll walk on their fins and get woefully weary in search of some water that isn’t so smeary. I hear things are just as bad up in Lake Erie.” This Great Lake had a well-known pollution problem. Those who attempted to enjoy its waters recreationally were careful to not ingest the water, only swam in shallow areas treated with bleach, rinsed off immediately after contact and never ate fish from the lake. SMOKE ON THE WATER Since the 1800s, a lack of governmental oversight led to unchecked dumping of chemical pollutants, waste and pesticides into the lake and its surrounding tributaries. Floating mats of algae, oil slicks and rancid debris made much of the waterway unsafe for swimming or fishing. Lake Erie’s contributing rivers were so congested with oily industrial waste that river fires were common. In 1969, sparks from a nearby train track ignited a fire on Ohio’s Cuyahoga River. While one of the river’s smaller fires (extinguished in under 30 minutes), it ignited a national awareness of the
Lake Erie Lighthouse
Mike Elnicki catching coho salmon on Lake Erie
Presque Isle Waterworks Lighthouse
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SUMMER 2022
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