Late, Great Lakes: An Environmental History - Paperback

by William Ashworth (Author)

The Late, Great Lakes is a powerful indictment of man's carelessness, ignorance, and apathy toward the Great Lakes. With the longest continuous coastline in the United States, they hold one-fifth of the world's freshwater supply. Author William Ashworth presents a compelling history of the Great Lakes, from their formation in the Ice Age, to their "discovery" by Samuel de Champlian in 1615, and, finally, to their impending death in our time. Ashworth systematically deals with the wild life that once flourished in the region-beaver, salmon, whitefish, and trout-and describes the threatening elements which have displaced them-the predatory sea lamprey, the alewives, toxic waste, and volatile solids.

Back Jacket

The fact is that the Great lakes as a whole-not just Erie, but including it-are in far worse condition now than they were in the 1960's. The damage to them has reached crisis proportions; it is compounding annually; it may be irreversible; yet still the politicians congratulate themselves for building their little sewage treatment plants and saving the Lakes, and still the signboards.

Author Biography

William Ashworth, one of our leading writers on environmental subjects, is the author of several books on water-resource politics and the American water crisis, including Nor Any Drop to Drink (1982). Mr. Ashworth lives in Ashland, Oregon, and in 1982 received the first annual Award for Outstanding Achievement from the Oregon chapter of the Sierra Club.