The book can be trying to read if you love the great lakes and grew up near them as i did. History of the great lakes water quality agreement the ijc reported on pollution issues in the great lakes and their connecting channels several times from 1918 to the late 1960s as part of its responsibilities under the boundary waters treaty. Modeling the pollution of a system of lakes article pdf available in applied mathematics and computation 1782. Great lakes water quality international joint commission.
The cuyahoga runs through the center of cleveland, ohio, and had long been a dumping ground for waste and sewage from the industrial development along its banks. Despite improvements in recent decades, the great lakes remain a dumping ground for pollution ranging from livestock waste to mercury emissions, a u. The great lakeserie, huron, michigan, ontario, and superiorhold 20 percent of the worlds supply of surface fresh water and provide sustenance, work, and recreation for tens of millions of americans. The study could potentially help with future cleanup and pollution prevention efforts by. New book chronicles the great lakes history and threats. Great lakes areas of concern are designated geographic areas within the great lakes basin that show severe environmental degradation. An environmental history great lakes books series ashworth, william on. What gets thrown in the great lakes, stays in the great lakes we need to take control of the 10,000 tons of plastic entering the lakes each yearwhether we recycle, reuse, or just.
Council of great lakes region with up to 40 million basin residents drawing their drinking water from the great lakes, protecting the quality of these vast water bodies is not optional. Epa 905b95001 the great lakes an environmental atlas and resource book r. Fishing the great lakes is a sweeping history of the destruction of the onceabundant fisheries of the great inland seas that lie between the united states and canada. Coeditor mark neuzil, a journalism professor at the university of st. The largest great lakes fish harvests were recorded in 1889 and 1899 at some 67,000 tonnes 66,000 long tons. Scientists use many sources of data to understand pollution in the great lakes. First it was furs, followed by lumbering, minerals and heavy industry. These are general or comprehensive histories covering a wide range of subjects.
Through the text great lakes by kimberly valzania students should become aware of the great lakes, their location, some history, and their purpose and use. They pledged to clean up and protect the great lakes ecosystem. History of the great lakes water quality agreement. Winner of 2012 independent publisher book award, best regional nonfiction.
As egan explains in his new book, the death and life of the great lakes, the clean water act took steps in battling industrial pollution. Mar 31, 2017 mapping great lakes pollution president trumps budget proposes eliminating the epas great lakes restoration initiative. Publishing history this is a chart to show the publishing history of editions of works about this subject. History of the great lakes region free history books.
No one of the lakes is larger than lake baikal or lake tanganyika east africa. In the great lakes, pollution prevention efforts coalesced in the u. The death and life of the great lakes is prizewinning reporter dan egans compulsively readable portrait of an ecological catastrophe happening right before our eyes, blending the epic story of the lakes with an examination of the perils they face and the ways we can restore and preserve them for generations to come. It has become the most hunted and the most found shipwreck in great lakes history. Protecting the great lakes national wildlife federation. Researchers are finding alarming amounts of plastic in the open water, tributaries, and shorelines of the great lakes. For his seventh book, dempsey makes a turn for the positive, narrowing in on the detroit river, its history and its environmental recovery.
Water pollution is defined as a change in the chemical, physical and biological health of a waterway due to human activity 1. Browse, borrow, and enjoy titles from the great lakes digital libraries digital collection. But because the lakes are so extensive, border so many states and two countries. This graph charts editions published on this subject. Mitchells work, which explores life and times during the american civil war from a grand traverse perspective, was released by suttons bay publications last spring. Lawrence river basin sustainable water resources agreement helps the u. This compact natural history of the great lakes region is really a passion ate plea for an awakening to the crises faced by the lakes and surrounding land. The major axis of the lake extends from westsouthwest to eastnortheast for 241 miles 388 km, and the lake has a maximum width of 57 miles.
The five great lakes, huron, ontario, michigan, erie and superior have a total coastline of almost 11,000 miles. With the longest continuous coastline in the united states. The agelong history of fishing on the great lakes is as aweinspiring as the lakes themselves. New research tackles great lakes regional problems great. In his book the death and life of the great lakes, author dan egan chronicles the history of the worlds largest group of freshwater lakes as. The death and life of the great lakes offers compelling. The 18th century fur trade polluted lake superiors shore. Even if you think you know the environmental narrative of the great lakes i thought i did egans book will give you much to consider. Ashworth uncovers no startling new toxic threats or corporate crimes here, but the book is, if unintentionally, an interesting glimpse of how far pollution control has come in the past 20 yearsand how very far it has to go. The combined area of the great lakessome 94,250 square milesrepresents the largest surface of fresh water in the world, covering an area exceeding that of the united kingdom. Garbage in the great lakes often washes ashore in new states or countries. The great lakes have always had an economy based on resource extraction, notes ashworth, author of nor any drop to drink. William ashworth describes the formation of the lakes, the impact of european settlement, and their current state of pollution.
The other, lake michigan, is completely inside the united states. Pcbs in great lakes sediments pcbs havent been manufactured and imported to north america since around 1980, but the effects of these highly toxic compounds once used as coolants and insulating fluids in transformers, capacitors and electric motors are still felt in the complex food web of the great lakes. Four of the great lakes are on the border between canada and the united states of america. In recent years, stricter regulation and ambitious cleanup campaigns have reversed that neglect, but agricultural runoff remains a serious problem. The alliance developed its 2017 great lakes action agenda to outline our federal priorities for lawmakers, which includes keeping a careful eye on plastic pollution. Outflows from the great lakes are relatively small less than 1 percent per year in comparison with the total volume of water.
The late, great lakes is a powerful indictment of mans carelessness, ignorance, and apathy toward the great lakes. The cuyahoga river fire in june 1969 also resulted from industrial oil pollution in an american waterway and raised concerns about the fate of the great lakes in general. Later on, commercial fishing emerged as a new industry creating business and income for the locals. Over the past 50 years, pollution in the great lakes has been a rising concern. Under trump, the epa has cut back on enforcement of clean. This book relates the fascinating story of the griffon its background, information about the many 22 claims of discovery made in the past 200 years none yet proven, the excitement of possible recent discoveries including the most recent one. Great lakes book shelf great lakes and seaway shipping.
Lake michigan was the location of the first recorded big great lakes disaster, in which a steamer carrying 600 people collided with a schooner delivering timber to chicago. Plastic debris makes up 77% to 90% of the total shoreline debris continued. Dan egans deeply researched and sharply written the death and life of the great lakesnimbly splices together history, science, reporting and personal experiences into a taut and cautiously hopeful narrativeegans book is bursting with life and yes, death. Although the great lakes are large, they are sensitive to pollutants. Check out the new look and enjoy easier access to your favorite features.
Pollution decades of industrial use degraded much of the great lakes shoreline and waters. Canadian panel that monitors great lakes water quality, states the efforts to clean up the lakes over the past 25 years are a mix of achievements and challenges. As epa pulls back under trump, serious pollution rises on great lakes. Along the x axis is time, and on the y axis is the count of editions published. The great lakes fishery commission was established in 1955 by the canadianu. All together, by volume, they are the largest group of fresh water lakes in the world. The founders of great lakes brewing are dan and pat conway. Students will have a space to ask questions that will be recorded on an inquiry wall. The great lakes environmental assessment and mapping project a group of about 20 american and canadian researchers and environmentalists produced the data for this map, which illustrates the cumulative impacts of human activity across the great lakes. Although dated, because some of the places described have changed considerably, i. Sep 14, 2004 despite improvements in recent decades, the great lakes remain a dumping ground for pollution ranging from livestock waste to mercury emissions, a u. Exploring the death, and life, of the great lakes mpr news. A recent report from the international joint commission, a u.
Author william ashworth presents a compelling history of. Minnesota, wisconson, illinois, indiana, michigan, ohio, pennsylvania, new york and ontario. Along with amazing technological advances, the industrial revolution of the mid19th. The north american great lakes huron, ontario, michigan, erie, and superior are so big that they border 8 states and contain 23 quadrillion liters of water.
Author william ashworth presents a compelling history. Epas boat, the rv mudpuppy ii, takes samples to tell us what kind of contamination is in the sediment, the amount of contamination present, how deep the pollution is, and where that pollution is located. Discussion questions for the death and life of the great lakes. The industrial pollution of the 1950s and 60s is just the. Hes already written six books about the region, covering a range of topics from sturgeon to the consequences of exporting great lakes water. The national wildlife federation led efforts to negotiate and pass the great lakes compact. Theres still time to order great lakes books for the children on your list. Environmental crisis in the late 1960s exhibit give. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Paul, minnesota, and i saw a need for an indepth look at groundbreaking research that may shape the future of the ecologically unique and economically vital great lakes basin. Great lakes brewing company, a brewery and brewpub in cleveland, ohio, was founded in 1988.
Great lakes simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The natural history of a changing region, by wayne grady, 2007. Smart news keeping you current the 18th century fur trade polluted lake superiors shore with mercury thats never gone away the areas elevated mercury levels arent healthy for fish. Water and air pollution have altered the course of the earths history. The historical society of michigan has bestowed its 2019 state history award in the books. The great lakes lake huron, ontario, michigan, erie and superior span 750 miles from west to east, and are situated across 9 stateterritory borders. May 14, 2019 hes already written six books about the region, covering a range of topics from sturgeon to the consequences of exporting great lakes water. Pollutants that enter the lakes are retained in the system and become more concentrated with time. There are a total of 43 areas of concern within the great lakes, 26 being in the united states, 17 in canada, with five shared by the two countries. Free online great lakes history books and articles, covering the 17th to the early 20th centuries. Mapping great lakes pollution president trumps budget proposes eliminating the epas great lakes restoration initiative. Histories of particular topics of great lakes history are found on more than a dozen subject webpages about great lakes history. An agreement among the great lakes states and the canadian provinces of ontario and quebec the great lakesst. An environmental history great lake books series great lakes books reprint by william ashworth isbn.
That fact is no doubt whats behind two publications posting maps earlier this month, only a couple of days apart, showing the environmental stresses on the great lakes. Pollution prevention and toxics reduction great lakes us epa. In the early days, local native american tribes fished the great lakes for survival. Those reports included recommendations for action, which formed the basis for the first great lakes water quality agreement in 1972.
Great lakes, chain of deep freshwater lakes in eastcentral north america comprising lakes superior, michigan, huron, erie, and ontario. This was due to cleanup work done on both sides of the u. The good news is that we all have the power to reduce the amount of plastic we use, and thereby limit the amount of plastic that ends up in the great lakes. Id recommend it to anyone planning to spend some time in or around the great lakes. But it failed to deal with biological pollution, which. Apr 02, 2018 our april pick for the pbs newshournew york times book club, now read this is dan egans the death and life of the great lakes. It forms the boundary between canada ontario to the north and the united states michigan, ohio, pennsylvania, and new york to the west, south, and east. With the longest continuous coastline in the united states, they hold onefifth of the worlds freshwater supply. Making laws to reduce pollution in 1972, the united states and canada created the first great lakes water quality agreement. Great lakes plastic pollution alliance for the great lakes. The death and life of the great lakes by dan egan, paperback.
The great lakes may responsible for providing water for over 30 million north americans, yet this is only one reason why reducing pollution is so critical. The commission coordinates fisheries research, controls the invasive sea lamprey, and facilitates cooperative fishery management among the state, provincial, tribal, and federal agencies. Info on geological history, explorers, tribes, locks, and modern issues the lakes face. Jan 06, 2020 great lakes now contributor john hartig is a board member at the detroit riverfront conservancy. I settlement the modern history of the great lakes region, from discovery and settlement by european immigrants to the present day, can be viewed not only as a progression of intensifying use of a vast natural resource, but also as a process of learning about the. The study could potentially help with future cleanup and pollution prevention efforts by tracking high concentrations of. Great lakes plastic pollution flows out from our shorelines because we leave it there. In the early 1990s, great lakes named one of its craft beers burning river pale ale, a beverage described as assertively hopped with citrusy and piney cascade hops. But to go back from the present into the realms of the past is history, and in that direction the tracings of the ages are as wonderful as they are real. Though lake trout, whitefish, freshwater herring, and sturgeon were still teeming as late as 1850, margaret bogue documents here how overfishing, pollution, political squabbling, poor public policies, and commercial. Epa administrator william reilly and the great lakes governors on april 12, 1991, the action plan served as a snapshot of ongoing activities and launched a number of new activities. The report states that compliance with environmental regulations in the great lakes. The ijc reported on pollution issues in the great lakes and their connecting channels several times from 1918 to the late 1960s as part of its responsibilities under the boundary waters treaty. Ship dog of the great lakes, a childrens book about a wisconsin dog.
But it helps to have a concise discussion and history of those problems and egans book does this admirably. Spencer, one of the geologists who have made special study of the creation of the great lakes, says that the last touch in the completion of the north american continent has been the. The great lakes regions powerful economy includes jobs in a wide variety of sectors. There is talk, too, of utilizing great lakes water for agriculture in arizona and the arid great plains states.
1406 1022 144 495 414 302 16 741 247 1533 126 316 67 1354 1205 940 561 1580 1379 1033 924 824 1365 1020 1295 1049 74 301 552 719 525 1477 890 1272 284 1017