A lot of environmental news – too much – is bad news. I hope my new book contributes a little cheer and hope to the field.
Heart of the Lakes: Water in the Past, Present and Future of Southeast Michigan is a good news story about the precious freshwater resources in the geographic center of the Great Lakes and how their stewards have come to appreciate them. Beginning with the early development of the region, the story travels downstream in both place and time to chronicle the startling turnaround of its aquatic fortunes. Treated like garbage receptacles at one time, the St. Clair and Detroit Rivers, Lake St. Clair and the western end of Lake Erie are now recognized as critical assets and amenities. And, if the community continues to exercise vision, even better things are in store.
I tried in writing the book not to write a single, linear narrative, but to stop here and there for a closer look at a site of geographic interest or tell what I found an interesting story of a particular steward. Among a few surprises to me:
- Many lives were lost to provide drinking water to southeast Michigan in 1971.
- What is now a Macomb County suburb was once the local capital of healing baths.
- A river that probably killed a man in the 1980s has made a remarkable comeback.
- There’s an effort to make the Detroit River a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site for years because of its role as an escape route to freedom for escaping slaves.
The book is a companion to Waterfront Porch: Reclaiming Detroit’s Industrial Waterfront as a Gathering Place for All, authored by Detroit River rescuer and friend John Hartig. As MSU Press observes, the book “details the building of a new waterfront porch alongside the Detroit River called the Detroit RiverWalk to help revitalize the city and region and promote sustainability practices. It is a story of one of the largest, by scale, urban waterfront redevelopment projects in the United States, and gives hope and proves that Detroit and its metropolitan region have a bright future.”
I’m looking forward to sharing the stage with John, and celebrating some good environmental news with him.