My Books are now $9.95 + s&h
August 22, 2011
The Great Lakes System
August 20, 2011
The Great Lakes from Outer Space
Here are the Great Lakes as seen from outer space. These freshwater lakes are a system with each flowing into the next.
Map of Great Lakes
July 25, 2011
This NOAA map shows the depths of all five Great Lakes. Lake Superior some believe is shaped like a wolf’s head with Isle Royale the eye. It is the largest and deepest. Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are the same sea level. Lake Erie waters take a tumble over Niagara Falls and the water arrives in Lake Ontario and then down the St. Lawrence River to the Atlantic Ocean. Read more about these fresh water seas in my book, The Dynamic Great Lakes available from many online bookstores as well as the publisher http://www.publishamerica.net/product23502.html Only $9.95 + shipping for the new updated edition.
An Up To Date Story: King Midas
June 19, 2011
King Midas Then and Now
Many people in the past and to this day have come to the Great Lakes to exploit their resources and poison their freshwater. Some had dollar signs in their eyes and wished to turn these waters into gold but as the fabled King Midas of old quickly found, water is more precious. The story is that he said “I wish everything I touch would turn to gold.” His wish came true. He picked up a glass of water and found he could not drink it because it had turned to gold. Even his beloved daughter turned to gold. He quickly changed his mind. The simple truth is nothing can live without water. We should never steal life sustaining water from our children and future generations for the sake of gold. They will never forgive us.
Sending water outside of the Great Lakes basin is stealing water from the place where it belongs. Water bottling companies are doing just this. When we use water inside of the Great Lakes basin it returns to the lakes and is re used over and over again. When it is shipped outside of the basin it is lost to the Great Lakes.
Nuclear Power on the Great Lakes
March 18, 2011
The Great Lakes are a gift of Ice Age glaciers that melted leaving their freshwater thousands of years ago. Since we do not expect another Ice Age in the near future, we should take care of this tremendous freshwater gift.
If a there should be a major problem at a nuclear power plant that spewed or leaked radiation into the air, water and soil, our freshwater system would be contaminated and the radiation taken up in Great Lakes food chains.Since we are part of these food chains we would be at risk and our children would be at risk. There is too much at stake to continue running these old plants.
Nuclear power plants are not insured. The government would be obliged to pick up the bill for damages to property, but some damages could not be repaired. Isn’t it about time to phase out the 37 aging nuclear power plants in the Great Lakes basin? We have been lucky so far. But as time goes on, the risk grows.
There are many alternatives to nuclear power that would be safer and cheaper.
Wind Power Muskegon and GVSU
February 18, 2011
MUSKEGON –
A timely article from the Muskegon Chronicle
When the head of the Grand Valley State University alternative energy center asked for the city of Muskegon’s help in establishing an offshore wind research buoy in Lake Michigan, there was no controversy.
Axys Technologies Inc.A deployed Axys WindSentinel Offshore Resource Assessment Buoy that is similar to what GVSU plans to place in Lake Michigan.
Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center Director Arn Boezaart asked the Muskegon City Commission for the city to be a co-applicant on state and federal environmental permit applications.
Commissioners quickly voted the city’s support and heaped praise on Boezaart for the activities of the energy center in downtown Muskegon.
Anyone who sat through last year’s hearings on offshore Lake Michigan wind farms proposed by Scandia would be hard-pressed to see the Ludington City Council or the Pentwater Village Council taking such quick action.
The offshore wind turbine issue simply is not as controversial in Muskegon County as it has been in Oceana and Mason counties. County boards in both Oceana and Mason voted against the Scandia proposal, while Muskegon officials remained relatively supportive.
So when Boezaart approached the city of Muskegon this week for a hand on a $3.7 million offshore wind research buoy project, no one asked if the wind testing effort would eventually lead to huge wind turbines being placed on Lake Michigan off the coast of Muskegon.
There was no debate about turbine blades killing birds or about low-frequency turbine noise — topics that would have likely been part of the conversation with Muskegon’s northern neighbors.
“Muskegon has had a willingness to look at offshore wind,” Boezaart told The Chronicle after receiving the city’s support on the research buoy project. “It goes right back to what we saw with the Scandia issue. In Muskegon, offshore wind is viewed as a potential source of jobs and represents new business for the region.”
Boezaart told city commissioners that the offshore wind buoy project is progressing but still has several hurdles to clear before a unit can be placed in Lake Michigan, maybe as soon as this summer.
Former U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland, secured an initial $1.4 million federal “earmark” from the U.S. Department of Energy to explore offshore wind on the lakes. GVSU has received further financial support from the Michigan Public Service Commission, the public utility Wisconsin Energy and the University of Michigan’s Phoenix Energy Institute.
As the research project grew and evolved, the group is now seeking to place a floating buoy with sophisticated wind measuring devices in various locations in Lake Michigan from April through December. GVSU also is working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to place the research buoy.
To get federal and state approval to put the 5-by-18-foot anchored platform in Lake Michigan, a permit is needed, including a co-applicant with riparian rights to the lake. The city of Muskegon has extensive park property on the lake, giving it riparian rights.
The city has agreed to be a co-applicant with GVSU to win approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment. The buoy project also needs the approval of the U.S. Coast Guard, Boezaart said.
The city’s involvement is that of co-applicant and will not cost the city any money and minimal staff time, City Manager Bryon Mazade said. The city has a longstanding partnership with GVSU to locate the college’s energy center in a business park on the city’s Muskegon Lake waterfront.
“The city being on board with this project puts out a strong message for the community and the region,” Boezaart said of the city’s willingness to explore offshore wind development.
GVSU and its research partners are working on final negotiations with a potential vendor of the buoy and test equipment. Much work needs to be done to get a buoy placed yet this year, Boezaart said.
Muskegon city commissioners quickly gave their approval and credited Boezaart with creating positive activity at MAREC since he was appointed to head the energy center in 2009.
“MAREC is a valuable thing,” Commissioner Clara Shepherd said. “I want to commend MAREC for the great job being done.”
Vice Mayor Steve Gawron told Boezaart that the city stands as a partner with GVSU on energy issues and would like to see as much develop from the energy center as possible.
Published in the Muskegon Chronicle
Email: dalexander@muskegonchronicle.com
Water Bottling Companies
May 22, 2010
Bottling companies are destroying the trout streams in Michigan by sucking out the ground water. These tributaries to the Great Lakes replenish the Great Lakes water. This practice is not sustainable since it destroys fisheries and ultimately, by shipping Great Lakes water out of the watershed, bottle by bottle, may destroy the Great Lakes if the practice spreads and continues.
The plastic water bottles create waste that does not break down. These plastic bottles are not recycled except in certain states. Plastic water bottles should not be reused since they become toxic when used over and over.
I try to avoid plastic where possible since it does not break down and ends up in our waterways, oceans and landfills. Remember the line from the film The Graduate: “The future is plastics.” True. Let’s say forever and ever.
Instead of buying bottled water, we should be spending money on upgrading our wastewater treatment plants. Water from the tap is often cleaner than bottled water.
The Dynamic Great Lakes Satellite View
May 11, 2010
Satellite View of the Great Lakes
Satellite pictures of the Great Lakes show their immense size. Their waters flow from the highest, Lake Superior down into Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. These are called the upper Great Lakes. From there to the shallowest Lake Erie and then over Niagara Falls into deep Lake Ontario. The water then flows toward the Atlantic through the St. Lawrence River.
Read about these freshwater lakes in my book, The Dynamic Great Lakes.
a critically acclaimed book
All Great Lakes Connected
March 5, 2010
The Great Lakes are a marvelous freshwater system shared by the United States and Canada. Only Lake Michigan is entirely within the United States.
Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario are all connected and have their outlet through the St. Lawrence River to the Atlantic Ocean.
Many shipwrecks lie on the bottoms of these powerful lakes. The cold fresh water preserves them but since zebra mussels entered the lakes accidentally, these shipwrecks are encrusted with them. It is illegal for divers to take things from these shipwrecks.
There are places where glass bottomed boats will take tourists to see what lies below.
Great Lakes Map: The Freshwater Seas
February 20, 2010
Ships and Exotic Species Enter from the Atlantic
Canada and the United States share the freshwater seas. Water never stops to show a passport. The Great Lakes have a rather small watershed compared to their sizes.
These freshwater lakes behave like seas due to their sizes from northernmost Lake Superior to their outlet through the St. Lawrence River. Many unwanted species such as the zebra mussel, the quagga mussel and gobies have entered through the St. Lawrence Seaway that opened the Great Lakes to global shipping.
Read more about this topic in The Dynamic Great Lakes. The best price is presently at Barnes & Noble online. bn.com
