Josephine Marcotty

For many years I've been going to Lake Superior where, as they warn us  kayakers and sailors, "the lake is the boss." And so she is. This is where I love to watch the weather come in -- the big storms, the brilliant sunsets, and the big winds that color the lake. This is where my daughter learned to swim in cold water, and where I expect my grandchildren will do the same.  But in recent years I've seen more and more chocolate colored water along the edges after a big rain. The beach closure signs are posted during some weeks in almost every summer, and algae blooms are increasingly common. I fear that we will lose that breathtakingly clear water, and that, in the end, pollution will be the boss of the lake.  We are exceedingly fortunate to have such a place -- and so many places in Minnesota where the water is special.  It's up to us to keep them that way.