September on Lake Michigan

It's September on Lake Michigan.  The water is rough and kids can still enjoy the beach.  It's too rough to go in the water though due to rip currents.
This looks like a very active kid.

Autumnal Equinox on the Great Lakes

Autumnal Equinox.  Yes, the trees are turning brilliant colors: gold, vermilion, rust, and all combinations of patterns and shapes.  This is a scene I painted at Hoffmaster State Park on the wooded dunes of West Michigan.

At the park you can hike the trails and see displays of how the sand dunes were formed and the species of plants and animals found therein.

For more information about the Great Lakes, my book, The Dynamic Great Lakes may be ordered here: Barbara Spring, 1416 Lake Ave. Grand Haven, MI 49417.  Send $17.00 and your address and I will send you a book

The Great Lakes Change

The Dynamic Great Lakes  http://www.publishamerica.net/product95488.html is about changes in the five Great Lakes and their connecting waters.

The new 4th edition for 2010 has new information and it is available for $9.95 from the publisher.

The book encourages people to be aware of the importance of these freshwater seas.

Kite Boarding

Dangerous conditions on Lake Michigan today with wind gusts.  The red flag is warning people not to go in the water, but some cannot resisit the temptation to fly on a kite board.

Great Lakes diporeia and research vessel

Research vessels on the Great Lakes are important since there is much we need to know.
Diporeia are wanted since they are food for fish and sustain life in the Great Lakes.

Peregrine Falcons, Bald Eagles and Ospreys Oh My!

The peregrine falcon, the American bald eagle and the fish eating osprey are indicators of a healthy environment.  I am thrilled every time I see one of these birds along the shoreline of the Great Lakes.
Before DDT was banned, these birds had become nearly extinct in this area.  After DDT was banned, the Great Lakes very slowly purged of this economic poison that had magnified in water through food chains.  These birds at the top of the food chain started to return.

Rachel Carson's book, Silent Spring, made people aware of what was happening to our environment.  Citizens (and I was one) went to their local governments and state governments to protest the widespread use of DDT.  Finally, the U. S. banned its use and Canada followed.

Read more about the Great Lakes and its fish, birds and ecology in my book, The Dynamic Great Lakes. Presently the best place to get the new updated book for $9.95 + s&h is from the publisher:

http://www.publishamerica.net/product95488.html

Lake Ontario

Thirty-four miles from Niagara Falls the Niagara River empties into Lake Ontario, the last Great Lake in the flowing river of freshwater seas.  On the Canadian shore in the Province of Ontario, a peregrine falcon that started its peregrinations from a tall building in Detroit follows the shoreline.  The falcon passes the industrial city of Hamilton, then passes Burlington, Oakville, Mississauga and then spots the tall buildings of Toronto.  The swift falcon lands on top of a tall building where she can dive upon birds.

Cities with tall buildings are a good habitat for peregrine falcons and benefit the cities by cutting down on nuisance birds.  From the top of a skyscraper, the falcon can see sailboats on the lake and freighters passing the second largest city on the Great Lakes.

Read more about the Great Lakes in The Dynamic Great Lakes.  Here is the best place to order:  http://www.publishamerica.net/product95488

http://canadianbrownfields.ca/travel/vancouver Here is a link to photos of Toronto