“Even one voice can be powerful.” Don’t be afraid to ask.

You can make change happen.

To whom it may concern:

Nature has healing powers and we’ve only got one earth. We think it is everyone’s duty to treat the earth with care.

We live right on a lake and have appreciated its beauty in all seasons. We love this lake and know that it is important to and is valued by the members of our community. Our lake is in trouble. There is an extensive web of brown weeds extending across the lake caused by synthetic fertilizer runoff. The lake offers a number of benefits in different ways to this community, and we would really like to do something to help take care of it! We ask that we promote the cleaning of the lake. Excess nitrogen in the water can cause algal blooms. Algal blooms can cause eutrophication. If the weeds aren’t native, predators in the lake won’t eat them, and they will continue to take up the dissolved oxygen in the water; this could harm fish and other organisms that live in the lake. We haven’t seen as many geese or muskrats lately; we hope that cleaning away the algae will help to bring back the biodiversity that makes this place so dear to its residents and guests. In addition to these potential environmental and biochemical consequences, the weeds detract from the beauty and natural appeal of the lake.

We can look out at the glassy blue-green surface of the lake and give thanks for nature’s boundless beauty. We hope that soon we’ll look out at the lake and see the placid clean beauty typical to it.

The voice of nature is always encouraging. ~ Henry David Thoreau