In spring of 2013, I began my first body of color photographs: exploring the edges of Lake Erie. I was motivated by the fact that Lake Erie is a vital resource and yet it is troubled..
For over 150 years, industry has thrived on Lake Erie's shores, in part because its rivers and excellent harbors make transportation relatively cheap. Lake Erie offers the richest fishing of the Great Lakes. Natural areas have been preserved, and the coast is accessible, so tourism and recreation thrive.
But beneath the lake's surface all is not well. Aquatic biologists warn that the lake is as sick as it was in 1969 when the Cuyahoga River caught fire. Although fish are plentiful, they are so contaminated by mercury that they should not be eaten more than twice a month. In four of the last five years, blooms of toxic blue-green algae have invaded the western third of the lake. This occurs when heavy spring rains carry the manure and fertilizer used on farms into rivers that flow into the lake causing massive algal blooms in the western third of the lake.
My photographs allow the viewer to travel around the lake and actually see what surrounds it. It is my hope that the photographs will help motivate us all to recognize the fragility and importance of our lake, and to act boldly and wisely to preserve it for future generations.
For over 150 years, industry has thrived on Lake Erie's shores, in part because its rivers and excellent harbors make transportation relatively cheap. Lake Erie offers the richest fishing of the Great Lakes. Natural areas have been preserved, and the coast is accessible, so tourism and recreation thrive.
But beneath the lake's surface all is not well. Aquatic biologists warn that the lake is as sick as it was in 1969 when the Cuyahoga River caught fire. Although fish are plentiful, they are so contaminated by mercury that they should not be eaten more than twice a month. In four of the last five years, blooms of toxic blue-green algae have invaded the western third of the lake. This occurs when heavy spring rains carry the manure and fertilizer used on farms into rivers that flow into the lake causing massive algal blooms in the western third of the lake.
My photographs allow the viewer to travel around the lake and actually see what surrounds it. It is my hope that the photographs will help motivate us all to recognize the fragility and importance of our lake, and to act boldly and wisely to preserve it for future generations.