Water

Lake Erie Islands inspire music through natural beauty

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An island chain in the waters of Lake Erie between Ohio, Michigan, and Ontario finds itself at the center of the latest in a series of water-inspired musical compositions from Ohio-based GC Creative Studio. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3RE7jjlxokg#! The Lake Erie Islands have been popular Great Lakes tourist destinations for many years, featuring restaurants, shopping, entertainment venues, vineyards, and a variety of other attractions. This summer, however, it was the archipelago’s natural beauty that drew musicians Greg Slawson and his wife Candice Lee, co-founders of GC Creative Studio. “We believe that the Lake Erie Islands are among this region’s greatest natural treasures,” said Slawson.

Water

“Sweet Seas. Portraits of the Great Lakes” documents Great Lakes life and industry

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Echo showcased the photography of Mark Schacter in our Flash Point feature last August. Next month, Schacter’s book “Sweet Seas. Portraits of the Great Lakes” hits bookstore shelves with its collection of 160 Great Lakes photographs. Check out the preview below. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nkw-NZzExf4

Schacter, a native of Thunder Bay, Ontario, specializes in landscape and industrial photography.

Echo

Digital artists create animated wind map

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Photo: Hint.fm. Two digital artists recently released an animated map illustrating the speed and direction of surface winds across the U.S.

It’s ever changing patterns are driven by wind data from the National Digital Forecast Database kept by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The database also feeds information to the administration’s Great Lakes current map released last month to help the public better understand lake currents. Unlike the water current map, the wind map is not affiliated with the federal agency. Visual collaborators Fernanda Viégas and Martin Wattenberg warn the data is not reliable and that no one shouldn’t use it “…to fly a plane, sail a boat or fight wildfires.”

They refer to the wind map as a personal art project.

Water

New books highlight Lake Superior’s allure

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Lake Superior has long entranced us — with its fickle, dramatic beauty and threats, with its historic legacies and legends, with its immensity and with the people who live along its shores.

Now two new books highlight some of the reasons for our fascination and our awe.

Water

Comedy on tap (water)

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I recently got an email about a free comedy show in Ann Arbor, Mich. Featuring Canadian stand-up comedian Derek Forgie.  Derek is not a typical comedian.  He’s an activist whose entire show is about the bottled water industry. He prides himself on being raised on tap water (according to one of his YouTube videos), entertains a crowd while serving up a great lesson about water quality and why tap water is (much) better than anything bottled.  One of his four reasons: the price. Forgie compares paying for bottled water to buying an Oh Henry candy bar for $10,000.  He asks if you would buy a dollar candy bar if someone were to charge you ten thousand times what it’s worth. The Ann Arbor show was in collaboration with Food and Water Watch, a national consumer advocacy group.

Wildlife

Guitars and melodies to stop spreading invaders

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As an angler and mandolin player, I’ve often wondered what it is about the two seemingly disparate hobbies that draws me to them. And I’m not alone. Most anglers I know have an acoustic lying around somewhere, and most guitar pickers I know have some pretty good trout stories. Well, that’s research for another day. But Bret Shaw, an environmental communication specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Extension, is looking to tap into this connection to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species in the Great Lakes region.

Wildlife
The 2011 winning Ohio Wildlife Legacy Stamp. Image: Ohio Department of Natural Resources

Spot. Snap. Stamp.

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If you live in Ohio and see a salamander scattering past, don’t scream and swat it. Shoot it, instead. With a camera, that is. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Third Annual Wildlife Legacy Stamp photo contest is underway. Focusing on a different animal each year, this contest hopes to promote the diversity of Ohio’s wildlife.