It's all about the water by Dave Murphy

There is much to love about Michigan, but rather than discuss the variety, I’m going to focus on one key attribute that sets Michigan apart:  Freshwater.  Beautiful, abundant, life-sustaining freshwater as no other state in the nation and no other place on earth can claim.

We have the Great Lakes – truly one of the gems of this planet.  We have the largest lake fully contained within the United States and it’s named after our state – Lake Michigan.  Lake Superior has long been recognized as the world’s largest freshwater lake by surface area.  More recent studies reveal that Lakes Huron and Michigan are essentially one body of water, making them the mega-freshwater lake of the planet.

However we name or differentiate these massive bodies of water, they truly merit the title of “freshwater seas.”  On more than one occasion, I’ve brought friends and relatives to the 450-foot high, Lake Michigan Overlook at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, only to hear them ask, “Where’s the other side?”  They may have studied the Great Lakes in school, but until they actually experienced the vastness of this body of water, they simply hadn’t a clue.

And we can hardly forget the countless other spectacular inland lakes and rivers that adorn the state’s two peninsulas.

Michigan has far and away the greatest amount of freshwater shoreline of any state in the nation…so much that it rivals all but a handful of states for the most shoreline of any type – salt or freshwater!

These massive amounts of freshwater have long been both utilitarian and recreational assets to businesses and residents.  But they can be even more.

We are perhaps finally realizing an even loftier role for this incredible resource – a role that will be the key to Michigan’s future.  Our planet is effectively downsizing.  Population is soaring and natural resources are declining.  Changing planetary weather patterns may make many ocean coastal areas uninhabitable or volatile climactic places in which to live.  Major cities and agricultural regions around the world and even within the United States have overtaxed their freshwater resources.  Telecommunications and technology make the global economy more about someone’s skill sets than about where a person lives.

If you can find an old fashioned globe and hold it in your hands, give it a slow spin and carefully study this amazing planet.  Scan the northern and southern regions, the various continents, the oceans, and the mountain ranges…take it all in.  And I challenge you to find a place on this earth more appealing when the most vital resource of all – freshwater – is considered.

This is Michigan’s future.

To make the most of this opportunity, it is essential that we do everything within our powers to protect this resource.  This requires farsighted change.  We must find ways to slow the drain of the water as it passes into the Saint Lawrence Seaway.  We must avoid any attempts to take large volumes of water from the region.  We must cease activities that harm water quality, whether from invasive species, industrial or municipal uses, storm runoff, or boater pollution.  And we must partner with all those on this planet who seek to find smarter, more efficient, and cleaner ways to manage our collective resources.  These changes will be short-term expenses when compared to the massive investment opportunities of our freshwater.

Certainly we desire a continued balanced economy with a range of occupations.  But it’s not difficult to imagine Michigan as THE ultimate place to reside, raise a family and recreate for the rapidly increasing number of people who can choose where they want to live.  Already we see entrepreneurs and high-level corporate executives choosing homes in our communities because of these freshwater resources.  The future will see more and more folks working from where they live.  We must promote our freshwater resource as the defining element of where to live and work, while simultaneously preserving this resource.

On a planet and within a solar system where the single most precious resource is freshwater, this is both the greatest feature to love about Michigan, as well as our hope for the future.