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Effects of erosion here, elsewhere, significant

Members of the Marquette Senior High School Environmental Club are, from left, Finn Swaty, Katelyn Jasmin, Aubrey Palmer, Althea Bruggink, Olivia Moffitt and Hannah Young. (Photo courtesy of MSHS Environmental Club)

Lake Superior has brought beauty and joy to generations of citizens of Marquette. From the first memorable moment of plunging into its shockingly cold waters to the many long strolls along its picturesque shores, locals develop a special connection with this lake.

Unfortunately, climate change is increasingly causing Lake Superior’s waters to rise and fall drastically, destroying our beloved shoreline through erosion. Lakeside properties, as well as public lands, are losing their natural barrier against Lake Superior’s notoriously vicious storms.

This cannot continue. Addressing and combating erosion in Marquette is essential to the continued safety and enjoyment of this beautiful body of water, and its stunning shoreline, which are cherished by residents, tourists, and wildlife alike.

Erosion of Marquette’s beaches is not elusive to anyone who has walked its shores. A simple trip to the M-28 beach after a storm, a beach day with friends during the warm days of summer, or a walk around Presque Isle will reveal the damaging effects of erosion: trees leaned over a precipitous ridge or sections of beach grass destroyed by a loss of the ground underneath them, their roots lacking soil to grab hold of.

But erosion doesn’t just affect the lake’s natural edge and shoreline ecosystems, it affects infrastructure as well. Examples of this include both Marquette’s Lakeshore Boulevard and Iron Ore Heritage Trail, both of which have been broken up by powerful waves and loss of supporting soil.

Due to the hard work of Marquette city officials to raise money, both of these valuable community assets were able to be repaired and reinforced against further storms; however, repairs like these are not cheap.

According to Marquette City Manager Mike Angeli, approximately $10 million was allocated to the reconstruction and relocation of Lakeshore Boulevard-3.5 million of this money alone going to the movement of the road inland. Unfortunately, as can be imagined, moving the road inland does not deal with the root of the problem, erosion, but rather avoids it.

Fortunately, the second phase of this project will include shoreline restoration like planting of dune grass and natives as well as dune creation and is scheduled for the spring of 2021. These natural and holistic methods of mitigating shoreline erosion are essential to the continued use of Marquette beaches. Without them, the city will be continually forced to avoid erosion rather than face it, requiring more money in the process.

In addition to destroying shoreline and infrastructure, erosion leads to the most prevalent pollutant in lakes, streams, and reservoirs nationwide: sediment. While sediment, a natural component of soil, may not seem like a large problem, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, in excess it can cause significant damage. By clogging storm drains and making the water murky, sediment “\”increases the potential for flooding,” “prevents vegetation from growing in water,” and “prevents animals from seeing food.” In Michigan, according to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, “sediment is the greatest pollutant by volume impacting our lakes, streams, and wetlands.”

Furthermore, although natural erosion does occur, the EPA states that it accounts for a mere 30%, the other 70% coming from “human use of land” including things like agriculture, shoreline development, and laying of impervious surfaces such as roads and parking lots. It is therefore obvious that while natural sediment pollution does occur, humans alone create the majority of this pollutant.

As a community, we need to, and can, stand up and work together to help combat erosion through comprehensive and natural methods. Calling congress, contacting city officials, and volunteering for the Superior Watershed Alliance are only a few ways to do this. Whatever method you choose, we as a community will not only be taking the first steps toward mitigation of erosion; we will be making a contribution to solving the multi-faceted issue of climate change.

That is precisely why choosing to specifically focus on erosion is so important, because solving a complex global issue in one step is impossible. Each different sub-category of issues caused by climate change must therefore be tackled separately, with each community doing its part to help. Only through working step by step will our environment slowly be rebuilt towards a more sustainable and healthy state; and here in Marquette, erosion is an easy way to start.

Any small, local action to combat Lake Superior’s shoreline erosion, including mulching, avoiding walking off trails, and planting beach grass is a step towards a more sustainable future.

It is time for Marquette to set the precedent of protecting what we love.

Editor’s note: Members of the Marquette Senior High School Environmental Club prepared this op-ed.

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