Our friends retired near the shore of Lake Michigan about 10 years ago built a lovely home. Luckily–it turns out–they couldn’t afford lake frontage. My wife and I and I visited 4 years ago, and a highlight was our walk along the stunning beach at the base of lakeside bluffs. Just a few years later, they write:
“Our biggest environmental concern right now besides big oil (fracking in particular), Australia (our future?) and climate change is the lake. It is at historic highs. Erosion of the bluffs has houses and roads along the lake are under siege. Houses are actually falling in and there are almost no beaches which mean fewer tourists and falling house prices. When we got here there were beaches 20′ to 30′ wide up and down the coast; nothing even close now. Its the lake, the bluff, literally. Climate change probably part of the problem; no winter ice to protect the shore and more severe storms. The bigger cause is cyclical water levels exacerbated by climate change. “
-Randy Hudson