LET’S CELEBRATE OUR FRESHWATER STORIES
Lovers of water submitted their photography, artwork, videos and poems that best described their connection to freshwater and the Great Lakes. During this year’s #freshwater4change social media Storytelling Challenge, we received student artwork from schools in Elliot Lake and Wawa, and social media submissions from everywhere in between. We’re so grateful to have your Water Stories shared with us! Thank you to all that submitted!
Here’s a look at what freshwater means to us as individuals and as a collective.
@thesuperiorgardener
Beautiful sandy beaches are a five-minute drive away, at my family camp on Lake Superior, and this is where we spent much of our childhood, playing for hours in the water, skipping rocks, and paddle boating, with not a care in the world.
As we get older, it still holds the same emotions. We still meet here for get-togethers large and small, now taking our kids here, to play with their cousins, just like we used to.
And reflecting back, my memories are of only the beach and the water. We’ve spent so much time chatting along the water’s edge that we got to experience Mother Nature’s real beauty at work.
How she looks like perfect glass real early in the morning, then morphs to some angry white caps with no warning, crashing on the shore so fast that we rush to write our names in the sand before the next wave comes and washes it all away.
How she looks like she’s on fire when the sun shimmers off the water just before sunset, and how she takes the world with her as the tide rolls in and out.
To me, freshwater is near and dear to my family. Its memories symbolize hope, and its life brings a feeling of comfort - knowing we have safe, clean water surrounding us here in the heart of the Great Lakes. This vital ecosystem is my beautiful home, and it’s only fair we treat her with the same love and generosity she has so selflessly given to us.
@MKwandering
I can’t even begin to tell you how satisfying it is to paddle out on the lake in the early morning sun. To sip coffee on an island, and to spin it around in time for the rustling of the rest of the world.
I want to dive off the dock at my camp on Lake Huron, on a hot Summer’s day, to drink clean freshwater, and for my children and countless generations, to do the same.
- Minna
@sethbeamer
Camp - just enjoying the beauty of the camp, the lake and environment - just so so special. It wasn't until recent years as an adult I really realized how much hard work went into making it the most special place that it is, and how much still goes in today - thank you. To all of you who have worked so hard to make it the place that it is - you've brought a lifetime full of the best memories to so many, and I am beyond grateful to get to experience it and will do all I can to continue to keep the magic alive!
I Am Water
Poem Submission
by Eliana
I am water, bright and blue
Wide and deep
Strong and cool.
I am water, I do lots of things
I keep people hydrated
And oh, the fun I bring.
I am water, home of plenty
From big whales to small fish
And families of twenty.
I am water, I’ve seen lots of things
Like people making that big catch
And people proposing with rings.
I am water, I don’t feel so good
My people are polluting me
And I wish they understood.
That I don’t want to see my coral die.
I don’t want to my creatures barely live
I don’t want to see plastic bottles swim
I don’t want to see oil spills leak
I don’t want to see my sharks die for just their fins
I don’t want to see half the world die from dehydration.
I just want my creatures to feel free
I just want everyone to be happy
I just want my people to be clean
Just for my body to feel fresh
And for it to be plastic-free.
But what can I do ….. I am water.
@alexandragraves
One of my favourite places to go as a child was Hiawatha to view the waterfalls. I always thought they were pure magic.
For me, it’s childhood memories of waking up before dawn to watch the sunrise while Loons would glide across the lake at our cottage. Sneaking out to go for a swim in the early hours when the surface of the lake looked like glass, and it was coloured with the shades of sunrise. Perfectly quiet, other than the birds and the sounds of my body gliding through the water.
We would often take a boat to a small hiking trail and walk to a cascade of waterfalls, where we could then climb into little ponds and have the waterfalls fall on our backs.
These are the kinds of childhood memories I would love to see future generations be able to enjoy, which is one of the many reasons why preserving freshwater is so important to me.
@freshwaterwise
Anika | Before the Storm
@BlueMar4Change
My all-season freshwater story took place by the lake at my grandparents’ home in Echo Bay. One that my sisters, parents, cousins, and others still hold near and dear in our hearts.
Summer was about swimming, fishing, and exploring in the boat. Topped up by my grandmother’s fresh bread and baking, straight out of the wood-fired oven. The same one that would boil sap that we collected in metal buckets, hanging on trees; a gift of sweet maple syrup.
In the Fall, raking leaves and jumping in piles as the sun shifted, days got shorter and that distinct nip in the air of the season ahead.
A luge course that would spin us giggling and competing for who could slide furthest out on the ice. And of course, a sauna with a jump off the deck into the snow. (Snow angels included).
I am grateful to have grown up in Northern Ontario, connected to nature and water.
@Emily_Tithecott
I remember that when I was young, every road trip had many stops between destinations for hikes or opportunities for nature exploration. If these hikes didn’t end with a high view, they often would bring our family to water for rest and reflection.
To every culture, water brings a sense of safety, community, and peace.
@bowyerlynda
The lakes have always been a source of peace and tranquility for me.
I was raised on Lake Simcoe and spent my summers canoeing along the shoreline, and my winters snowshoeing and fishing in ice shacks out in the bay. When my husband and I settled in the Sault and had our children, we spent our weekends and holidays exploring the coastline of Lake Superior, Georgian Bay, and the myriad of lakes and rivers in between. It was, and is, a privilege to have those opportunities to create precious memories.
@jesspositano
Being near water is like love, mostly because it gives you a heightened state of awareness in which we are mindful, receptive, undimmed by familiarity, and ready to be transformed. That is why the best experiences, like the best love affairs, never really end. Being near water, always provides this feeling. Taking that one step further. Having access to freshwater is a luxury that I will forever be grateful. It is our responsibility & duty to help preserve this magic. Be the change you want to see in the world.
@AbbyObenchain
I am a Great Lakes girl. They are embedded into my DNA. My father was born in Chicago, close to Lake Michigan. As a child and teen, my mother spent countless hours on the beaches of Wequetonsing and Harbor Springs, Michigan. I was born a few blocks from Lake Michigan and lived walking distance from this magnificent body of water my entire childhood. I lay in the sand at Harbor Springs and first dipped my toes into the cold, clear waters of Little Traverse Bay as a newborn. I learned to hunt Petoskey stones from my father and later taught Bill, my children, and my nephews.
In early adulthood, Bill and I moved inland for a time...north Idaho...central Michigan..central Wisconsin...central Missouri. When we moved to the eastern tip of Lake Superior in 1992, I felt like I was coming home. The Great Lakes have always nourished my body and soul, bathed my children, brought us countless days of rest and joy, helped me feel peace. They are a part of me and are one of the strongest drivers of my fight to stop climate change.
They are under enormous threat, both because they are among the fastest-warming lakes in the world and because they are by far the largest body of freshwater in the world.
In the coming decades, people will be coming for Great Lakes water. We ignore climate change at their — and our — peril. On this World Water Day, I honour the Great Lakes and all they have given to me and my family.
@jodrebek
I love to explore and play in the refreshing crystal clear waters of Lake Superior. I have seen changes that cloud her beauty and want clear, clean water for all peoples.
~ Jody
My first memory is travelling from where I lived in Ottawa to my grandmother's camp in Goulais Bay on Lake Superior. I remember the trees overhanging the road along the drive, the sunshine peeking through the trees in a flash and go fashion, and the Forget-me-not flower-covered driveway in. I remember running to the water, hearing children's laugher and water splashing echo through the air, and then walking out onto the long wooden dock to see the open water, children playing and feeling the warm sun belting down. I just wanted to dive in. I think I did! I am still mesmerized by water as an adult and feel so grateful to share my story with my children, family, and friends by Lake Superior.
@MARNIeStone
Growing up near the Great Lakes is such a gift. There is an energy here that is so special. The sound of the waves. The way the sun sparkles off the top. The way it feels to jump into clear, clean & crisp water on a hot summer’s day is a gift!
To be able to go to the tap & fill a glass with beautiful, refreshing, clear clean water is a gift.
There have been many incredible moments spent on/near these Lakes...I am so thankful for that & want to preserve their beauty for many generations to come.
Jeremy Bachusz, LSSU Lakers Alumni
I grew up camping and fishing on small ponds and lakes and would spend all day reading and learning the water. My love for fishing spread to the Great Lakes and eventually into fly fishing the many rivers of Michigan. I became very passionate about the flow of the streams and how rain, snow, and temperature can change the clarity, depth, and overall flow. What started as a love for catching fish turned into a form of therapy for me. I played hockey at Lake Superior State University and would fish St. Mary’s river with my teammates whenever we could. Our team was a team on and off the ice. Time has passed and I have since planted my roots in Squamish, British Columbia. This was with intention. And one of my intentions was to be within walking distance to the Squamish and Cheakamus rivers. I love to catch fish but rivers have become a place where I gravitate for reflection and rejuvenation. The constant flow and the sound bring calmness and clarity. As soon as I hear the water flowing I feel at peace with myself and my surroundings. I hope to pass this love and stillness to my three kids while we explore the beauty of freshwater together.
