Imagine everything green you see in these pictures

As sparkling lake water like this:

The Great Lakes are shrinking. The water levels on Saginaw Bay, where these pictures were taken, have fallen 54 inches since 1984. I remember the last time they were that low in 1964, but our shoreline then didn't look like it does now.

Then, there were cattails and low marsh grasses. Now, there are eight to ten foot weeds that block the view of the shore line. Then, we had pathways out to the water. Now, you need a machete to cut through this jungle.

There is a battle going on between environmentalists and landowners who live on the shore. I won't try to debate the right and wrong on this issue, but I will lament the loss of access to the water's edge.

This is the closest picture to what it looked like when I was growing up on Lake Huron. It's deceiving because of the angle I took the picture. It's actually looking across the 'cut' - the entrance into our marina. The rest of the shoreline looks like this:

This is the beach beside the house I grew up in. The beach is still there, but the water is out beyond all the green you see. Those are weeds. And not something you want to walk through. There are all kinds of creepy things out there - namely snakes! In all the years I lived there I never had to worry about snakes - until now.The problem is that these weeds are not 'natural' to this area - they were brought in by the ships that travel the Great Lakes - and they grow like - just what they are! Because of state laws residents were unable to stop their growth when they first appeared and now they have overtaken the shoreline. Which brought me to this question - are there little 'weeds' in my life that need to be rooted out now, rather than becoming a major problem later?

This shoreline on Saginaw Bay (in the 'thumb' area of Michigan - think of the state as shaped like a mitten) are wetlands. The state has wildlife preserves not far from here. The birds, fish, natural grasses and wildlife are wonderful, but I still feel sad when I look at these pictures and remember 'back in my day'.

Guess I'm officially old now.

All for Him,

Missy

Labels: Missy