A quote that I believe encompasses the necessity and beauty of Lake Erie and how it came to be:

“All Ohioans benefit on a daily basis from the legacy of the Pleistocene Ice Age. The rich agricultural soils formed on glacial deposits across two-thirds of the state produce a bounty of vegetable and animal products that are consumed by Ohioans and constitute a valuable export. Waterways formed in association with the ice sheets, such as Lake Erie and the Ohio River, are avenues for transport of these and other products. These bodies of surface water as well as abundant supplies of groundwater stored in some glacial sediments provide a nearly limitless supply of this vital commodity for both domestic and industrial use” (Hansen, 1997).

(Photo courtesy of The Nature Conservancy)

Lake Erie’s Future

While it is doubtful the lake will face as drastic changes as it did during the Pleistocene Epoch, it is in fact likely that Niagara Falls will, in time, migrate up stream causing it to converge with Lake Erie waters. However by the time that takes place, the basin of Lake Erie will have lowered significantly.

Lake Erie is facing more immediate dangers due to algal growth, increased influx of sediment, and toxic materials. Because of the immense changes in agricultural technology in the late 1800s, the land’s natural filtration system diminished and took its prevention of sediment contamination along with it, allowing sediment full of pesticides and fertilizers to flow straight into the lake (Hanson, 1989). Due to climate change, the east coast is subject to more intense storms and warmer winters/ prolonged summers. This equates to an increase in erosion which creates more runoff. If heightened efforts against algal blooms and runoff prevention do not occur soon, the lake will affect the local inhabitant’s health and can have a large negative impact on the tourism.

The Lake Erie Peninsula and its Personal Importance

The peninsula, know as Presque Isle Bay, was also formed due to glaciers. Because of its direct impact with the every-changing water, its edges have been shifting and changing for a very long time. An early pioneer even noted in a log that the edge of the bay had moved a number of feet since he first measured.

This land is made up entirely of sand, clay and the pebbles of both foreign and native rocks. History shows that this material has been known to be transported from different areas around the lake which would help to suggest why the peninsula is further east than when it was discovered. It is believed that a great deal of glacial deposits got pushed upon the basin that later became the lake after the initial glacier retreated. This sediment has been left to be moved by the waves ever since (Ingersoll, 1885)

I grew up in Erie, Pennsylvania just minutes from the Lake Erie Peninsula. My childhood is filled with fond memories of the lake. Never would I have thought that I would be grateful for a glacier, but I think about Lake Erie so differently now. The thought of the entire area I grew up in being a huge glacier and then just sediment in a basin is an odd thought. That being said, I really have gained a new perspective and am boastful of my new knowledge.