Words From The Warden

Over the past couple of weeks, I have found our slightly modified liturgy to be especially meaningful. While I do not consider myself an outdoorsman, I have always appreciated outdoor activities. These recent weeks, with a liturgy focused on creation, have prompted me to reflect more deeply—sometimes even painfully—on our relationship with the natural world.

Kim and I often take our camper to Ohio's beautiful State Parks. Among our favorites are Maumee Bay, located just east of Toledo, and East Harbor, near Port Clinton, both situated on the shores of Lake Erie. Lake Erie itself is truly a treasure. It is the shallowest of the Great Lakes and offers excellent opportunities for perch and walleye fishing, boating, and enjoying some lovely beaches.

During our recent stay at East Harbor State Park, I noticed significant changes. The once expansive, almost white sandy beaches have been reduced to narrow strips of sand. Although the park is well maintained and the lake remains beautiful, the beaches are disappearing. Other remarkable changes have occurred around Lake Erie as well.

Growing up in the 1960s, I visited my grandparents in Lorain, Ohio, an industrial town on the Black River and Lake Erie’s shore. At that time, steel mills, ore refining plants, and Steinbrenner’s American Shipbuilding shipyards released tons of waste into the lake every year.

Further east, Cleveland—then Ohio’s largest city—sits on the Cuyahoga River, which carried millions of tons of industrial waste into Lake Erie. To the west of Lorain is Toledo, Ohio’s fourth largest city at the time, located on Lake Erie’s western basin. The Maumee River travels from the Indiana border through Toledo and into Lake Erie, contributing both industrial waste and agricultural runoff.

Pollution during this era was severe. In 1969, the Cuyahoga River was so polluted it actually caught fire. In 1970, a Toledo businessman and politician swam in the toxic Maumee River to demonstrate that a person’s skin would not be eaten away by the polluted water. Those were challenging times for the lake.

In 1972, President Richard Nixon vetoed the Clean Water Act, but Congress overrode his veto, responding to public demands for cleaner water. The Clean Water Act became the primary federal law aimed at eliminating pollution and restoring the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation’s waters.

The Act has made a positive impact. In addition, the decline of heavy industry along our waterways has contributed to the improved condition of Lake Erie. Today, the most significant pollutants are unregulated agricultural wastes.

We have the responsibility to be good stewards of the earth that has been entrusted to us. God has given us the gift of creation, the gift of intelligence, and the gift of time—although no one knows precisely how much time we have. It is possible for us to make meaningful changes both in our personal lives and in how we interact with the natural world. Prayer, thoughtful reflection, and action together are a powerful force for positive change.

Peace,
Henry Zaborniak, Sr. Warden