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Sunday, January 27, 2008

Lake Erie – Look at What’s “Beyond The Surface”


Usually local Cleveland programming can be bland an uninspiring. But one local series, called “Lake Erie Beyond the Surface” is the exception to that rule.

This half hour show features one of the most amazing and diverse resources to which the Cleveland area has access: Lake Erie. This series digs deep into life in and around the lake, not just in Cleveland proper, but also in other areas along its shores. The series has already aired two episodes; the third installment is scheduled to air Saturday February 2 at 7:00 PM on WKYC, Channel 3, and is broadcast in HD.

The lake has made an amazing recovery since the 1960s (I can still remember the awful smell from way back), but outside influences from things such as invasive aquatic species and runoff from pesticides and fertilizers can again endanger this lake.

Years ago, a friend of mine was entertaining a visitor from Georgia, who asked to see Lake Erie as she had never seen any of the Great Lakes. My friend took her to Mentor Headlands to see the beach and the lake. The Georgia visitor was stunned at the lake's size, and said, “That’s not a lake, that’s an OCEAN!” To people that are unaccustomed to the Great Lakes, they can seem like they are vast and almost limitless. But, as Wikipedia says, Lake Erie “is the tenth largest lake on Earth and, of the five Great Lakes of North America, is the fourth largest by surface area, the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume.” So while Lake Erie seems like it is an endless resource of fresh water, its diminutive nature relative to the other Great Lakes may make it the most fragile.

Those living near Lake Erie benefit from it in the form of boating, fishing, the beaches, not to mention the commercial opportunities in shipping, agriculture, and other trade. Of course, let’s not forget the annual winter annoyance of lake effect snow (sometimes you have to take some bad with the good).

Everyone that lives on the shores of Lake Erie should view “Lake Erie Beyond the Surface.” It will give you a new appreciation for this amazing natural resource.







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1 comment:

mary said...

Nice to see the lake is back to being in good shape. When I lived there it was still the "burning" river.