Huntington Beach, Lake Erie Coast-to-Coast: Comparing Ohio’s Shore & Culture to Eastern Australia’s Kati Marie McArdle Michigan State University August 2011 Manly Beach, Sydney I) Introduction COAST-TO-COAST Many have spent hours of their lives staring across water. Be it a lake, ocean, pond, or river, bodies of water and their surroundings have captured humankind’s attention. However, these ponderous hours do not fully address the extent to which human activity has damaged these coastal environments. Human activity, especially sea/lakeside development, has caused pollution, eutrophication of waters, endangerment of aquatic species, and alteration of the very makeup of the water. In this investigation, the coastal cultures—social attitudes, awareness and concern, and economic functions—of Eastern Australia’s and Northern Ohio’s shorelines and coastal cultures are examined and compared. Doing so asks the question, how do attitudes towards the Pacific Ocean in Australia compare with those towards Lake Erie in Ohio, and what do these attitudes reveal about the state of progress towards healthy aquatic and coastal environments? Key Terms and Locations Cultural Eutrophication: the excessive increase of a lake’s nutrients due to human activity (McGucken, pp. 2). Pollution: any combination of harmful chemicals, refuse, nutrients, sewage, and the like that end up in waterways. Climate Change: long-term alterations in global weather patterns, such as increases in temperature and storm activity, commonly regarded as a possible consequence of the greenhouse effect. Ethos, Pathos, and Logos: Rhetorical means of persuasion, as described by Aristotle, which appeal to credibility (ethics), emotion, and logic, respectively. Huntington Beach: a reserve of the Cleveland Metroparks, located in Bay Village, OH, west of Cleveland. Lake Erie: the second smallest lake (by surface area), and smallest and shallowest (by volume of water), of the five Great Lakes. Ocean Acidification: the centuries-long decrease in the oceans’ pH levels, caused by their absorption of atmospheric, human-induced carbon dioxide. Threatened Species: a variety of plant or animal that is susceptible to extinction in the future. Includes threatened, endangered, and critically endangered 2 COAST-TO-COAST categories. Australian marine threatened species include the Australian sea lion, dugong, and the Macquarie perch. Those in Lake Erie include several species of mussels, the lakeside daisy, and, until recently, the Lake Erie water snake. Southern Ocean: a circular stretch of water located between Australia and the Antarctic, it is the second smallest of the geographic oceans, covering 8 million square miles (Rose, 2008). II) Secondary Research A range of experts has weighed in on the current states and ongoing problems of both the Pacific Coast of Australia and Lake Erie. These scientists have considered the impacts that humans have had on water sources, and how these changes are detrimental to the productivity of the water, ecologically as well as economically speaking. On both sides of the ocean, research has been conducted and results published to identify the problems experienced by major bodies of water, and to recognize the importance of addressing those issues. Many have voiced the critical need for community education, and some organizations have implemented educational strategies into their work. In Oceans, the authors illustrate the key role of the Southern Ocean in climate change: The cold waters provide rich nutrients for huge numbers of plankton and algae, which absorb carbon dioxide. The Southern biggest carbon sink in the world…Parts of [it] are a half times faster than anywhere Ocean is the warming up over two and else…(pp.180) Fortunately, many Australian entities are on the same page as these scientists, and offer advice and resources for free to the public. SA Water’s website, www.sawater.com.au/SAWater/Education/, provides information and links in a user-friendly format for citizens concerned about water quality and usage. Similarly, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s web domain, www.gbrmpa.gov.au/outlook-for-the-reef, includes condensed, readable summaries of many of the problems facing the ocean—from climate change to loss of coastal habitats—and therefore the reef system. 3 COAST-TO-COAST Lake Erie, despite that it is a fraction of the size of the Southern Ocean, has also garnered a sizable fan base, in the form of committed, concerned individuals and groups, over the past few decades. In Erie, the Lake That Survived, author Burns identifies seven problems that require serious attention: 1. Soil loss from land, leading to siltation of streams, harbors, marshes, and spawning reefs. 2. Loss of shoreline marshes. 3. Destruction of fisheries of certain species. 4. Entrance of pathogenic bacteria and refuse into the lake. 5. Excessive loading of phosphorous to the lake, causing severe eutrophication. 6. Loading of a vast array of toxic materials into Lake Erie. 7. Killing and removal of large amounts of fish from the lake ecosystem, due to water passage through electrical generating stations, industrial intakes, and municipal water works (pp. 251-252). Burns echoes the research and sentiments of years of research and observation, much of which can be applied to the rest of the Great Lakes system. In fact, many, if not all, of these problems need addressing, in their own forms, in Australia. III) Methods Conducting in-country research, as well as observation and study in Ohio, provided adequate raw data. I employed the following methods of observation and data collection: Photography: documenting visits and scenery provided valuable, visual reference. Conversations with experts and citizens: The speakers often referenced the ocean and/or Great Barrier Reef when discussing environmental impacts. Interaction outside of formal class time with locals also provided insight. Personal experience at home and abroad: Being in the vicinity of a vast body of water, be it an ocean or a lake, has a strong effect on me; I seem to remember time spent there more clearly, and pay more attention to my surrounding environment. Proximity to water is intriguing, and leaves me in a contemplative, pensive mood. 4 COAST-TO-COAST IV) Findings Spending quality time at some of Australia’s and Ohio’s most notorious, and critical, beaches, and gathering data through other methods has illuminated some remarkable commonalities of the two locations, as well as some stark differences. Comparing several factors—the concerns of government, businesses, and citizens, and the functions of each body of water—is conclusive, and allows for recommendations to be made. A significant portion of our program and subsequent conversations focused on the Great Barrier Reef, clearly an important topic for Australians. Many organizations, including AIMS, GBRMPA, Passions of Paradise charters, and James Cook University faculty, expressed a high level of concern for the current and future state of the reef. From dive excursion companies who wish to protect their livelihood to schools hoping to educate young students about the state of the reef, everyone has reason to weigh in. The Great Barrier Reef represents many interests, and its relevance can be approached using all three rhetorical appeals. Credible organizations such as AIMS actively endorse continuing research and protection of the reef. Visitors to the GBR feel a strong emotional connection to the reef and its inhabitants, and are concerned. The tourism industries in places like Cairns and Townsville have, logically, incentives to maintain the health, and desirability, of the reef for their customers. Thinking of the Great Barrier Reef as an irreplaceable resource conveys its meaning and importance for these different parties. When considered as a non-renewable resource, the Australian attitude towards the reef makes sense in a cultural context. As our study abroad group learned, many resources such as water are scarce in Australia, so the population has a strong incentive for conserving their uses of them. The ocean is no exception: whether it is providing a harvest for the fishing industry, a draw for visitors and travelers, or a source of raw material for drinking water, it is widely accepted as something to be careful with. The ocean in Australia, then, is valued first and foremost for its economic value as a sea of resources, and secondly as an intrinsically worthy, aesthetically pleasing natural wonder. 5 COAST-TO-COAST Ohioans also have good reason to take care of our lake and shore. Just days after the conclusion of the Australia program, the Lake Erie water snake, found almost exclusively on and around the Lake Erie islands, was down-listed as ‘threatened’ from its former endangered status. Its initial habitat destruction and target as a hunted animal, as well as its recent recovery, can both be attributed to human activity. This is a testament to the concern as well as the ignorance of coastal dwellers. Many locals recall the 1969 Cuyahoga River fire that was the result of an oil slick and accumulation of debris. This outrageous event, which most area schoolchildren have at least heard of, obviously caused public outcry and spawned a movement to clean up the rivers. Burns admits that “[t]he rivers, if not inviting, are nevertheless no longer repulsive; most of the beaches are open and many of them are clean.” (pp. 260) All the same, it is not uncommon to come across a water quality warning at the top of the stairs leading to Huntington, especially after a rainstorm. With recreation being a top use of the lake, the inability to have contact with the water presents a problem. As the most significant, distinguishing natural feature of Northeast Ohio, Lake Erie plays a role in everyone’s lives. It is a place where people grew up, and where they bring their families. I certainly have a personal interest in advocating for its protection, as does everyone who calls this area home. V) Implications Studying the attitudes in Australia and Ohio towards the coastal waters was a unique lens through which to view these societies. It revealed some of the consciousness of these areas, and how the residents interact with their aquatic environments. Most significantly, I learned about the gravity of the threats facing the oceans and the lakes, and how Western culture can be damaging to these incredible ecosystems. Despite the physical and geographic differences of the two areas, both are faced with comparable ongoing hazards that threaten aquatic species, the success of businesses, and the outdoor culture of the community. Fortunately, a variety of approaches have been proposed to deal with the most serious of the problems facing the waters. Community education is a powerful tool in instigating changes in attitude and action, as shown by the 6 COAST-TO-COAST success of some of SA Water’s incentive programs and reimbursements. The movement towards awareness of environmental issues and implementation of lifestyle changes is gaining popularity and momentum in Australia and Ohio could certainly benefit from the same sort of progress. In response to the research question posed at the beginning, it is evident that Australia’s east coast and Northeast Ohio have more in common than meets the eye. Both have growing coastal communities that put pressure on the shores and waters, and have strong incentives to maintain the health of these environments. The two societies, however, differ in their overall attitudes. Australians have a focus on resources, and concern for exploiting the precious valuables provided by the land and sea. However, the generosity of these resources is limited, and the growing numbers of coastal residents and visitors will strain what seems to be the endless mine of the sea. Likewise, Ohioans have an admiration for Lake Erie and the surrounding area, if not a more parochial view that is more limited than the Aussies’. However, Cleveland depends on the lake, and Ohio depends on Cleveland, so this state of 11.5 million people has good reason to clean up our rivers and ultimately our lake. Still, there is a sense of frustration, as if Cleveland, ‘the mistake on the lake,’ and its beaches are already too far-gone to save now. It is certainly discouraging to walk on the sand, avoiding the tangled mess of seaweed, plastic, and other debris that accumulates along the tide line. And images of the Cuyahoga engulfed in flames are still fresh in some minds. Ohioans lack a sense of ownership and responsibility for Lake Erie, despite the fact that most area residents are supplied with drinking water from the lake. Perhaps the problems with the lake have not yet interfered with our lives enough to merit more than a fleeting thought. Ask almost anyone in Australia or Ohio about the protection of the ocean/lake, and they would probably respond that more could be done—by the government, by businesses, by citizens—to clean up the water. But thoughts must shape attitudes, and then turn into actions, before steps can be taken. In Australia’s case, the need for preservation of natural areas from the encroachment of development is evident. The Sydney Olympic Park is a superb example of maintaining the integrity of the outdoors while allowing people to 7 COAST-TO-COAST enjoy and experience it. The amount of development and nautical traffic around the Great Barrier Reef is unsettling, and could be remedied by conserving, and limiting access to, certain portions of the reef system. Ohio also has work to do, and it could start in my hometown of Westlake. Though not adjacent to beach property, no one in Westlake is more than a 15minute drive away from the lake. The schools, council, and businesses could be supportive of efforts to protect and revitalize our close neighbor. Most students have spent time at Huntington, so incorporation of the ecology of the lake into the public education curriculum would be prudent. The city Service Department could campaign to increase recycling participation, with the lake as the largest beneficiary. And the several local restaurants that specialize in seafood dishes could commit to using only sustainably caught, local fish. The possibilities are many, and the resources and opportunities are right in front of us. Because the vitality of coastal biospheres matters to everyone, action needs to be taken in every nation, at every level—from the federal Australian government to the boater from Westlake—to ensure that our waters, regardless of size, continue to provide revenue, resources, and recreation for all. Please see my blog that accompanies this project, http://forgoodnesslakes.wordpress.com/about/ VI) Works Cited Burns, Noel M (1985). Erie, The Lake that Survived. New Jersey: Rowman & Allanheld. Print. Butler, Alan. “Temperate Marine Systems.” McGucken, William (2000). Lake Erie Rehabilitated. Akron: The University of Akron Press. Print. Rose, Paul, and Anne Laking (2008). Oceans. London: BBC Books. Print. 8