Lorax on the Lake
As a kid I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent frolicking in the waters of Lake Erie. My drinking water came from Lake Erie for many years. I have eaten the harvest of Lake Erie. I hope to frolic, drink and eat for many years.
But I breathe deeply while I can.
Dr. Seuss said it in 1971 in his book “The Lorax” but under pressure from the Ohio Sea Grant College Program removed the line: “I hear things are just as bad up in Lake Erie.”
The original text read:
“They’ll walk on their fins and get woefully weary
in search of some water that isn’t so smeary
I hear things are bad up in Lake Erie.”
The Ohio Sea Grant College Program reportedly wrote to Dr. Seuss, argued the conditions had improved and asked him to take the “Lake Erie” line out. Dr. Seuss agreed and it was removed from future editions.
Today, the National Sea Grant College Program is a program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) within the U.S. Department of Commerce. It is a network of 33 Sea Grant colleges working with scientific research, education, training and extension projects intended to help with the conservation and practical use of the coasts, Great Lakes and other marine areas.
I see that the more things change the more they remain the same.
“UNLESS someone like you
cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better.
It’s not.”
-Don Rysdale, former resident of Niagara Falls
