Classic Lake Erie Sunset

Living along Lake Erie as I do I've become accustomed to stunning sunsets, but when I saw the bright red sun descending an auburn sky this evening, backlighting a plume of steam rising from the Davis-Besse cooling tower, I knew this sunset was going to be extra special, so I grabbed the Nikon and headed outside. I snapped about two dozen shots as the giant ball of fire sank below the horizon.

Winter Gulls

Winter morning

It's a beautiful winter morning on Lake Erie and I want to celebrate it by posting a few pics, so please enjoy them. There are just some things that cannot be conveyed adequately with a photograph but must be experienced, and perhaps this is one of them. So if these photographs capture just a hint of the wonder I feel then it's all good.

This is a good time to thank everyone who has become a regular visitor to this site or who at some time or other has been passing through. A few days ago I looked at my blog stats and realized I have surpassed 10,000 page views. Now I realize that in the scheme of things that's not a huge number and I also realize that some of those views are my own, but it still feels a little gratifying to see the numbers. Thank you all.

When I first began this site a little over a year ago I set out to create a place in which to celebrate the remarkable body of fresh water we call Lake Erie. It has been an unexpected joy. The lake has many issues that need attending to and I have tried to throw a little light on those, yet for me it still holds a sense of wonder and that is what pushes me to keep going, through photographs and stories. My goal this year is to increase my posting output if I can and hopefully generate more response from viewers. I especially welcome your ideas and thoughts.

Lake Erie is a wonderful treasure that calls out to us to be explored. Thank you for joining me on my journey!

Winter returns to the lake...again!

Photo by Rich Norgard

After a mild January and first half of February, winter has returned with a vengeance, sending arctic air down from Canada across the Great Lakes and beyond. A stiff nor'wester had the waves crashing against the shore, coating the rocks -- and anything within reach of the spraying water -- with ice. I braved the cold wind today to snap some photos that I am sharing with you all.

Photo by Rich Norgard

Photo by Rich Norgard

A spring-like winter's day on Lake Erie

Photo by Rich Norgard

As I look out my window the winter scene out on Lake Erie contrasts sharply with the scene a year ago, when ice shanty's dotted the lake. By all accounts this has been an unusually warm winter so far, compared to, say, Alaska, where they are experiencing some of the coldest temperatures and highest snow falls in recent memory.

With the aid of a brisk wind from the northeast, the ice that has accumulated along the shore of Catawba Island is breaking loose and drifting off toward Port Clinton. Many of these mini icebergs make fine rafts for the many sea gulls that hop aboard for a free ride.

One sure sign that this is not your normal winter is the fact that the Catawba Island ferry is running again. The announcement was made the other day that the ferry running from the end of Catawba over to Put-in-Bay will provide service four times per day as long as the lake stays free of ice. Many islanders are taking advantage of the opportunity to hop over here to the mainland to pick up groceries, watch a movie, or visit relatives. However, it's not so good news for pilots who make a living on the Put-in-Bay run.

With apologies to the pilots and the ice fishermen, I'm hoping the warm weather continues. Watching the sea birds ice hop and the sun shimmer off the cold water is more than worth it.

Photo by Rich Norgard

Photo by Rich Norgard

"The Privacy of a Yacht"

There was a time when, if you were a resident of, say, Buffalo or Cleveland, and you wished to take a trip to Chicago, you could go there in a boat. A number of shipping companies maintained regularly scheduled routes to major port cities on the Great Lakes. Passenger traveled on luxury steamers in genuine style. While it is still possible to cruise the lakes, these are strictly gourmet affairs that must be planned well in advance. Boat travel these days is mostly localized ferry service to and among the various islands the dot the lakes. But the days of luxury cruising on the lakes is for the most part a thing of the past.

So in the spirit of nostalgia I wanted to share some advertisements from a century ago. Enjoy!

Closure of lakeshore power plants announced

Energy giant FirstEnergy Corp. has announced that it will close six older coal-fired power plants, four of which are nestled along the Lake Erie shoreline. The company made the decision after it became clear that upgrading the facilities to meet stiff new federal regulations concerning the discharge of airborne pollutants would not be cost effective.

The Ohio plants dotting the Lake Erie shore that have been targeted for closure are Bay Shore Units 2-4 near Toledo, the Lake Shore Plant in Cleveland, the Eastlake Plant, and the Ashtabula Plant. The other two plants to close are the Armstrong Power Station in Adrian, Pennsylvania, and the R. Paul Smith Power Station in Williamsport, Md.

The EPA new air quality standard lowering acceptable levels of mercury and other airborne pollutants from power plants went into effect on December 21st after decades of industry resistance and delay. The new standard is expected to save 11,000 lives annually. The closures will result in the loss of some jobs as well as a decline in tax revenue for the communities affected. 

Bay Shore Unit 1 remains open. Last summer I reported on the high mortality of adult and juvenile fish species that result when the fish either impact or get sucked into intake screens at the Bay Shore plant.

As I reported back then, a study issued by the firm Abt Associates, commissioned by the Clean Air Task Force, found that over 13,000 deaths each year are due to fine particle pollution from U.S. power plants.

I am saddened by the loss of jobs this will cause but, by any measure, this is overall a big win for the American people due to the health benefits from tons of mercury no longer spewing into our atmosphere. My only regret is that this did not happen long ago. If it had, how many more lives would have been saved?