Sunset over Chicago, photo by kevindooley.

A search for “Great Lakes” from the Absolute Michigan pool on Flickr yields nearly 2,000 photos. A search for “Michigan Great Lakes” on all of Flickr, over 20,000.

When I think about Michigan’s body & soul, at the very core are the Great Lakes that surround us and the rivers and lakes that feed our mighty sweetwater seas. There is no place in the world that is as blessed by water as we are, something that struck me when I watched Kevin McMahon’s brilliant movie Waterlife. This wonderfully shot and edited film explores the splendor and the imperiled state of lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario. It shows threats like toxins, sewage, invasive species and falling water levels and the effect that each and all have on the lakes, all accompanied by solid and very accessible science.

One threat that the scientists who are working to save our Great Lakes can’t do much about is that of the profound apathy towards these threats that we all show. In this interview with Kevin McMahon from Circle of Blue, McMahon talks about the challenge of telling the story of the slow death of the Great Lakes through a mass media that is only interested in the latest crisis.

There has always been a feeling of permanence I’ve associated with Lake Michigan and its siblings. The width of North Beach, the color of the water under the Mackinac Bridge, the sunrise over Lake Huron or the waves hitting the Pictured Rocks can all change from day to day or season to season, but you always know that you can return another time for a fresh experience.

Waterlife made me question that.

I really enourage you to explore Waterlife and to watch it.

And, if it’s not too much trouble, to do what you can to preserve one of the world’s greatest treasures.

This photo is part of Kevin’s Book set (slideshow). Check it out bigger.