Blog Posts

The McKSchmidt Questions

7/30/2018

A Grassroots Effort to Prioritize Clean Water

You don’t think it can happen to you until it does. Or to someone living right around the corner.

On Friday, July 27th, we received an urgent message from our Congressman warning residents of Parchment, a community fifty miles southeast of our home, to stop drinking the city’s water immediately. Congressman Fred Upton warned “ . . . any resident on the City of Parchment’s water supply system to immediately stop using their water for drinking, cooking, making baby formula and food, or rinsing fruits and vegetables. High amounts of the chemical PFAS have been found in the water supply of the City of Parchment.

"Boiling water will not remove PFAS. Common residential filters do not treat PFAS. Swallowing PFAS is the primary way it can get into your

body . . . It is advised that farm animals and pets do not drink the water."

Once again, a community in the Great Lakes region is in crisis because of the quality of water. But this is not just a Parchment issue. It could be ours as well. Recent news stories have warned that PFOS and PFOA chemical substances (polyfluoroalkyl) may be seven to ten times higher in our country’s drinking water than recommended by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The health risks are numerous and serious. As a result, a bipartisan group in Congress is calling for an increase in EPA involvement in addressing the PFOS and PFOA issue.

But the EPA has been gutted, funding significantly reduced, authority limited. How do we prevent another Parchment? Toledo? Flint? How do we clean up and protect our sources of fresh water?

Fourteen years ago, President George W. Bush declared the Great Lakes a national treasure and commissioned a study to assess the health of the world’s largest body of fresh surface water and create an action plan to address the challenges. And yet, the lakes remain at risk. Our water remains at risk. The challenges are more serious, more numerous than when I first began this journey; when I made it a priority to help build the political will necessary to clean up and protect these waters so integral to so many lives.

While there has been progress over the last nine years, it is slow and limited. Beaches continue to be closed because of E. coli contamination from sewage overflows caused by antiquated water treatment facilities; consumers are warned to limit consumption of fish; pharmaceuticals, plastics, and chemicals pose risks to the safety of the drinking water and the health of the ecosystem; aging oil pipelines threaten Lakes Michigan and Huron; invasive species, like the Asian carp, could decimate a $6 billion fishing industry; and Lake Erie—considered the bellwether lake—is being choked to death by algae.

We cannot afford slow and limited.

As a result, every week for the foreseeable future, I am going to pose a question to those in office—and those seeking my vote—about an issue effecting the quality of Great Lakes water. I am going to place the burden of research and explanations on the politicians’ shoulders; ask them to explain their plan for addressing the issues; their plan to prevent—rather than react—to a water quality crisis.

The question will be posted on Mondays—on my website and Facebook page. And while the specifics may be tied to the Great Lakes, the issues facing the quality of our water are universal—apply to all governments, all agencies across North America. So regardless of location, I hope you join the campaign. Just copy and paste the question on emails to your elected officials and those running for office. And please help spread the word.

Responses will be posted only on this website under the McKSchmidt Questions. As I gave my representatives a head start, I hope you find the responses—and lack of responses—as telling as I do.

Will you join me in making the quality of our water a 2018 election issue?

The McKSchmidt Questions: Week 1

Week 1

Why I care: After reading about the toxic algae blooms that shut down Toledo’s water supply in 2014, the discovery of lead in Flint’s drinking water that same year, the 2017 uncovering of toxic chemicals dumped by Wolverine World Wide in the 1960s and 1970s that affected the groundwater in Kent County, and the July 2018 report that the groundwater in as many as 15 Michigan communities may have levels of PFAS chemicals that are 7 to 10 times higher than what is recommended by the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention--higher in the city of Parchment, MI--I am no longer taking clean, safe drinking water for granted. Neither should you.

Question: What are you doing to ensure our drinking water is clean and safe?

(Copy and paste the above and email it to your existing and potential representatives.)

My Email Contact List:
Currently in office
President Trump: https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
U. S Congress: https://upton.house.gov/contact/
U.S. Senate: https://www.stabenow.senate.gov/contact
U.S. Senate: https://www.peters.senate.gov/contact/email-gary
Michigan Governor: https://somgovweb.state.mi.us/GovRelations/ShareOpinion.aspx
Allegan County State Senator: https://www.senatortonyaschuitmaker.com/contact/
Allegan County State Representative: http://gophouse.org/representatives/southwest/whiteford/contact/
Laketown Township Supervisor: terry@laketowntwp.org

Those seeking my vote
https://webapps.sos.state.mi.us/MVIC/SelectPublicBallot.aspx

How to find you federal representatives
Congress: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
Senate: https://www.senate.gov (Top left side of home page)

How to find your state representatives (each state varies slightly)
Legislator: Search for legislature.yourstate.gov
Senator: Search for yourstatesenate.gov

For more information on "Why I Care":

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Walking the Streets of San Francisco Some Twenty Years Ago

7/23/2018

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Reflections

He plays bongos on a street corner,
ragged, but focused. “I used to be
a great artist,” he beams, but
his eyes are blank.
I place a dollar bill in his jar
then see the sign, No begging.
“You still are,” I reply,
and slide him a ten from my wallet.

But that is not all I remember.

Before turning to merge
with the crush of people moving forward,
I notice the reflection of a woman
with cropped hair and a navy suit.
A scarf streaked in shades of blue
is tied, positioned, pinned perfectly
about her neck. To this distant
but familiar face I whisper,

“You still are.”

July's Skosh of Poetry

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"The Box"

7/15/2018

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“Did you know there are over fifty-five thousand shipwrecks recorded on the Great Lakes?” Rubin asks, looking up from his book.

We are sitting in the cockpit of our sailboat, docked in its slip as the sun begins painting the evening skies with brush strokes of pink, purple, yellow. It has been what I call the perfect Michigan summer day. A cool breeze floated down the channel connecting Lakes Macatawa and Michigan, providing relief from the steamy July sun. All day tiny waves slapped rhythmically against our stern as a parade of boats puttered through the “no wake” zone behind us, heading to—or from—Lake Michigan. We have spent the day on the boat together, talking about little things, big things, lots of things.

“Where did you hear that?” I ask.

“It’s right here,” he says. “Listen to this . . .” He begins reading from one of his favorite adventure mystery authors, Clive Cussler. “The waves on the Lakes can be deadlier than any on the ocean. They pile up thirty feet and come at you much faster. Ocean waves swell and roll from only one direction. Great Lakes waves are more treacherous and relentless . . . And Lake Michigan wins the prize for having swallowed more ships than all the other lakes combined.”

“Let me see that.”

“I’m telling you, you need to write fiction,” he continues, passing the book to me. “You could reach so many more people and share your message about the Great Lakes. Not about shipwrecks, of course. But you know what I mean.”

Titled Flood Tide, the book’s back cover says it’s about an underwater graveyard in the Pacific Northwest . . . a mysterious seaport in the Louisiana bayous . . . a diabolical plot to destroy America! How did the Great Lakes fit into that story? And was it true about Lake Michigan?

Since retirement, Rubin has become a voracious reader. He frequently has several books going at the same time—one on the boat, one at home, an audio in the car. He prefers adventure novels, murder-mysteries, best-selling thrillers. I’m drawn to the more cerebral—nonfiction, poetry, occasionally best-sellers but primarily thought-provoking, inspiring, and preferably uplifting books.

This is not the first time he’s suggested I write fiction. But writing fiction seems foreign to me, an art form of which I know little. Could we write something together? Combine his vivid imagination and propensity for intrigue with my love of language? Weave into the story our mutual love of the Great Lakes? My passion for their health?

As if reading my mind, he leans back against the cushion in the cockpit and begins.

“I think you should write about ‘The Box’ . . .”

And so the story begins in the cockpit of a sailboat on a perfect Michigan summer day.

* Cussler, Clive. Flood Tide. London. Simon and Schuster UK. 1997.

3 Comments

Even Ben Franklin . . .

7/3/2018

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. . . needs a good summer read! Uncharted Waters: Romance, Adventure, and Advocacy on the Great Lakes is now available from your favorite bookstore or on Amazon or other online retailers. I know you’ll enjoy!

Readers World (at 194 River in Holland, MI) received advanced copies of the book to help facilitate a “Picture Perfect Scavenger Extravaganza,” held in concert with my family’s 72nd CONSECUTIVE annual family reunion. One of the “events” was sitting with Benjamin Franklin. Another was photographing all members of the team with a copy of my book. It was a blast! Fifty-one people from all over the country explored West Michigan, many dipping their toes into Lake Michigan for the very first time.

As for my Skosh of Poetry this month—sometimes a picture tells a thousand words. Check it out.

A Skosh of Poetry

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What They Are Saying . . .

6/19/2018

4 Comments

Uncharted Waters is available July 3rd from your favorite local bookstore
or online retailer.

I wrote the book, Uncharted Waters, so that others might experience the Great Lakes, join me in celebrating and protecting them. This is particularly important in an election year—when we have a chance to choose those who will represent us—when we have a chance to insist elected officials make our lakes, our water, a priority.

That was my goal.

As July 3rd approaches, the official publication date, I grow increasingly nervous. For this is my story, the story of a former Fortune 500 executive learning to sail, learning to love, learning to fight for the water and life she holds dear. In sharing it with the world, I feel vulnerable. Naked.

And so I asked people I respect and hold in high esteem to review it—to tell me what they think. And this is what they said . . .

I hope you buy the book—and enjoy it. Maybe even laugh a little. Smile a lot. But above all, I hope you realize we can never take the health of these lakes for granted. Their future is in our hands.

Shop your local indie bookstore

Amazon

Purchase Books

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I Needed Math and English

6/3/2018

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I was raised to believe I could make a difference, that I could use my talents to help create a better world. According to my parents, the key was a strong, balanced education. Math and English. Science and Art. History and Physical Education.

They were right.

When I graduated from East Lansing High School, I was going to follow my great passion for writing and become a famous author. I turned my back on that dream after experiencing life without money, after standing alongside a road in South Africa. Hot, sweaty, covered in dust, I had no choice but to sneak into the plush motel before me and steal drinking water. Poor, without access to clean water, I had to steal water to survive.

When I returned to Michigan State University to finish my undergraduate degree, I switched my major from English to Business, determined to never again be poor. After earning an MBA, I spent the next twenty-four years working my way up the corporate ladder, eventually becoming a President for Baxter Healthcare. Reporting to the Chairman and CEO of this Fortune 500 company, I was responsible for bridging relationships between the executives of the top hospitals and healthcare systems in the country with those of Baxter.

My East Lansing education, from kindergarten through the Master’s program, helped me compete and succeed in a world of science and numbers. It also gave me the language skills and the confidence to converse effectively with some of the world’s top leaders.

One day, sailing our boat on Lake Michigan after heavy spring rains, I saw the murky-brown, sewage-laced waters of the Grand River flowing into a lake I have loved since childhood. Spilling out of a crevice in my mind was the long-buried memory of a twenty-two-year-old woman standing on the side of a road, willing to risk everything for a drink of water.

At that moment, I knew I was meant to be doing something different with my life.

Replacing my briefcase and business suit with a notepad and foul weather gear, I journeyed into uncharted waters to help create the political will necessary to clean up and protect these magnificent Great Lakes. For while we can live without a lot of things, access to clean, safe drinking water is not one of them.

A recent recipient of the Outstanding Alumni Honor Roll Award from the East Lansing Educational Foundation, I was recognized by Governor Rick Snyder for fighting for “the freshwater that makes our state so unique” and demonstrating “the difference that committed individuals can make . . .”

I am honored and humbled by the recognition. But the credit goes to my parents, mentors, teachers, principals, school board members—anyone who touched my education. My schooling, across that full spectrum of disciplines, provided me the foundation I needed to succeed in two very different worlds: as a Fortune 500 executive and now, as a published blogger, photographer, and author of this summer’s adventure-travel memoir, Uncharted Waters: Romance, Adventure, and Advocacy on the Great Lakes.

To succeed in today’s environment, we need schools that provide a strong education across all disciplines. Math and English. Science and Art. History and Physical Education. I am grateful to have grown up in East Lansing, a community that prioritized education.

Science and Art

5 Comments

Reflecting on the Woman Who Wore Purple

5/8/2018

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Outside the Saugatuck Dunes State Park, a park Patty Birkholz helped make a reality

The year was 2015. Patty Birkholz was no longer my state senator but, as always, I was learning from this woman who championed the Great Lakes, who worked tirelessly to protect our watersheds, who advocated for Michigan's state parks.

“When you look at an issue that has great complexity—like our water—it takes time to fully understand the science, the economic tradeoffs, and the potential long-term ramifications of

legislative decisions,” Patty explained to me on a train ride from Holland to Chicago. She, in her customary purple attire, and I were travelling to the annual conferences of the Healing Our Waters Coalition and Great Lakes Commission.

“About the time you finally understand and are in a position to make good, knowledgeable decisions, you are term-limited out of office,” she continued.

That was Patty. She always got me thinking. Did the magnitude of the challenges facing the Great Lakes scare off legislators? Was it more politically astute to prioritize issues in which one might report quicker progress to constituents? Issues that did not require the massive amounts of learning, the time-consuming coalitions, compromises, building of bridges between parties? Was it more prudent to wait and react to a crisis in the Great Lakes than to be a leader in prevention?

I first met Patty when I began writing about the Great Lakes thirteen years ago. Instrumental in the passage of the 2008 Great Lakes Compact, Patty explained to me the intricacies of the long, politically-charged journey to get agreement on a document that would oversee water withdrawals from the Great Lakes and promote conservation. It was an agreement designed to prevent a crisis. And because she was concerned withdrawals would become politicized, Patty worked with Michigan’s scientific community to create an assessment tool to guide the state’s water withdrawal decisions. Whether it was discussing ballast water legislation or the challenge of addressing excessive agricultural runoff without handcuffing the state’s top industry, when it came to the Great Lakes, Patty was a wealth of information. And passionate leadership.

Patty passed away last week, suddenly, unexpectedly. A victim of cancer. And while we did not know each other well, her death fills me with sadness. And with resolve.

The Great Lakes remain at risk. They are under attack by the invasion of the Asian carp and other aquatic invasive species, by an aging oil pipeline lying underneath the Straits of Mackinac, by an increase in algae growth caused by agricultural and industrial runoff that puts our drinking water at risk, by limited funding available to clean up the sins of the past, by the threat of climate change, and antiquated water treatment facilitates.

We need legislators like Patty. We need leaders willing to shoulder responsibility for the Great Lakes, to do the hard work to prevent crises, to ensure all have access to clean, safe water. They are the people who will receive my vote this November. I hope you will do the same.

5 Comments

After the Hurricane

4/19/2018

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It is the last, lone leaf on the oak tree that calls to me, that pulls my thoughts away from the all-consuming conundrum that has shadowed me for months

I was born with “Responsibility” tattooed across my shoulders. First—and always, with family. Then with career. And when we moved to Michigan and I learned of the issues plaguing the Great Lakes, restoring their health became my purpose, my passion, my responsibility. The same with protecting the native wildflowers, traveling companions discovered on my solo journey up the coast exactly ten years ago.

But what if “responsibility” has painted such a strong hue across the prism of my soul that none of the other colors gifted me at birth can shine through? What if this role has evolved into a false sense of self-worth? A role that is out of balance with what is healthy for me? or others? What if I am like the oak tree in springtime, holding on when it is time to let go.

Sometimes, it takes an event of cataclysmic proportion to trigger life’s most important questions.

A decision made by a loved one ripped through me six months ago. Like a hurricane roaring through the valley, the decision upended my life, consumed my waking—and then my sleeping hours—with worry. It cast me into a darkness the likes of which I have never experienced before. “The back of the hand to everything,” Mary Oliver says in her poem Hurricane.

The back of the hand to everything.

I just finished reading Sue Monk Kidd’s When the Heart Waits: Spiritual Direction for Life’s Sacred Questions. In it she says, “a crisis is a holy summons to cross a threshold.” Like Dorothy, in the Wizard of Oz, when something turns your world upside down, you have a choice. You can embark on a journey of growth and transformation, or you can continue in your same old patterns.

I have no choice. The old patterns are not serving me well. And so, God sent me a hurricane . . . followed by a plethora of poets and authors whose honesty and willingness to share their own stories are like streaks of light streaming from the blackness.

“We may like to think we’re individuals living out our own truth,” Monk Kidd writes, “but more often we’re scripts written collectively by society, family, church, job, friends, and traditions.”

One of the scripts she describes is that of the Little Red Hen that “did it all.” Efficient. Competent. Ruled by a duty-at-all costs mentality, the Little Red Hen gives unceasingly—even to the point of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion.

My yellow highlighter is all over these pages for I see myself in this childhood story. The only difference is that, unlike the Little Red Hen, I have people who are willing to help. My challenge is learning to let go, to stand aside and let things evolve along a path not of my choosing. For one who likes control, that is a tough lesson. So is learning to love myself enough to establish boundaries, to find a balance between caring for myself and caring for all the people and things I hold dear. And while I know that means allowing uninterrupted “play time”—and lots of it, too often "nurturing me" falls to the bottom of the to-do list.

The trees in Oliver’s Hurricane “push new leaves” despite the late season. Now in my sixty-sixth year, I am determined to do the same. Braving the arctic winds of April, I wander the dunes framing the coast of my beloved Lake Michigan, “playing.” Camera in hand, I photograph the oak leaf. The next time I return, the leaf will be gone, replaced by the unfurling hope of spring.

Resources:
Monk Kid, Sue. When the Heart Waits: Spiritual Direction for Life's Sacred Questions. Harper Collins. 2006
Oliver, Mary. "Hurricane." A Thousand Mornings. The Penguin Press. 2012. pg. 21

6 Comments

Mentors Matter

3/30/2018

7 Comments

Photo by P. Havlik

I have not thought about my first mentor in decades, not until I saw a young woman standing on the edge of a dune, photographing a Lake Michigan sunset. Evening after breathtakingly beautiful evening.

“Can you do it?” asked Nick Sharkey, the managing editor for the East Lansing/Meridian newspaper, The Towne Courier. “This is an explosive story and I need someone to cover it who will provide all points of view in a factual, unbiased fashion.”

That was in 1970, when the media was still governed by the Fairness Doctrine, a policy introduced by the Federal Communications Commission in 1949. Abolished in 1987, the Fairness Doctrine required news outlets to present all sides of a story in an honest, balanced manner.

I had just turned seventeen and had been hired by the newspaper to cover traditional high school events like proms, homecoming courts, and school plays. But East Lansing High School, situated across the street from Michigan State University in the late 1960s and early 1970s, was anything but traditional.

A group of students were protesting a planned presentation by a representative from the Air Force Academy recruiting at the high school. The protests were peaceful. Most of the students said it was their way of objecting to an illegal and immoral war in Viet Nam. Others said they were demonstrating because the right of free speech was allowed only to certain organizations, not others.

The students were suspended. But their actions would influence a full school board review of suspension policies and result in a new procedure for the selection of outside speakers that would involve students as well as faculty. The Reserve Officer Training Corps would continue recruiting on campus, but other organizations were invited too.

The students made a difference.

So, did Nick Sharkey. He was the first, although not the last, to teach me what it means to mentor another. Writing that story would be a turning point in my life. It would eventually lead to a full-time job at the newspaper, a position that not only funded my college education, but also introduced me to the skill, the discipline, and the joy of writing.

I had forgotten about Nick until a month ago. My publicist said I needed a professional photograph of myself for my upcoming book, Uncharted Waters: Romance, Adventure, and Advocacy on the Great Lakes. Initially I planned on contacting a local photography studio. And then I saw P. Havlik, a Holland High School student, photographing sunsets, and I knew what I wanted to do. When I read the following blog on her website, I knew what I had to do.

If you ever see a bad picture of yourself, just think of a sunset. We have all tried getting the perfect picture of a sunset on a camera. The thing is . . . a camera just simply cannot contain and capture all of the beauty in the actual sky. Just like it cannot contain and capture all of the beauty in you.

At fifteen years of age, she was stretching the sunset beyond the skies. And while it can be risky to mentor others, it is only when we reach out to another that we create the human chain of hope needed to heal a wounded world.

P. Havlik's photos may also be found on the Home page and on the About page.

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Almost 100 Votes and It’s a Tie!

2/5/2018

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The anchors and the reader

The votes for the Uncharted Waters book cover are in! Ninety-four people weighed in—47 selecting the porthole, 47 choosing the chart. Over 58% percent of women voted for the porthole, 70% of men preferred the chart.

The art/the science. The right brain/the left. The porthole/the chart.

Several readers asked about the target audience. According to the marketing expert on the publishing team, the book will appeal to men and women over the age of 30, particularly

boaters and outdoor enthusiasts. I am told because the book blends humor, adventure, inner reflection, and environmental information, comparable books include Bill Bryson’s Walk in the Woods, Cheryl Strayed’s Wild, and Keith Foskett’s Balancing on Blue.

So, now what?

I received excellent feedback on both covers, comments I intend to share with the designers. However, the ability to address these two critical observations could be the tie-breaker.

Porthole: Many found the subtitle, “Romance, Adventure, and Advocacy on the Great Lakes” too difficult to read. Since the subtitle describes the book, this is NOT GOOD.

Chart: Several women thought the caliper resembled a medical instrument used in surgery. This, too, is NOT GOOD. We will need to find a different navigational tool if we use this cover.

Like the majority of women, I voted for the porthole, Rubin for the chart. And while we bet a buck on the outcome of the vote, since it’s a tie, no money will exchange hands. That’s probably a good thing.

Thank you so much for joining me on the journey! If you’d like to read a few of the many thoughtful comments I received in addition to those posted following the February 1st blog, see below.

Additional Comments from Readers

The one with the porthole sucked me right into the water. The water message was clear but I quickly noticed the words: romance, adventure and advocacy on the Great Lakes. It felt like a book about water but with aspects that would appeal to me even if I wasn’t a boater. “Gee, I’ve seen the lake, book sounds interesting. Think I’ll pick it up to read at the cottage this summer.”
Well, I know who picked which in your household as the same was here. I like the one with the pic and he likes the one with the map. However, . . . that did change when I pointed out that the nautical measuring device looks like a medical instrument used on women. He screamed "OW!" Just saying . . .
Porthole more engaging and jumps off the shelf. It is the brighter color and special focus that grabs me.
I’d go with porthole. Though I don’t think people will think too deeply about it, your chart is about explored and documented waters, hardly uncharted.
Porthole! The instrument on the chart cover looks like forceps! If you re-work the chart cover without the instrument, I’d prefer that one.
We both like the porthole. It shows water and makes us eager to “open” it!
My husband likes the porthole better because he can’t identify the shoreline as a Great Lakes shoreline. (It is the northern coast of Lake Superior.)
I like the chart, but the porthole would grab one’s attention at the bookstore!
The porthole is more pleasing to the eye.

Chart has more pizzazz
While I love the sunset photo in the porthole, the chart just grabbed my eye more. I walked away and relooked at the screen, and still the chart catches my attention. Maybe it is because I'm a skipper and nautical charts fascinate me? But I do feel the content of the book stands out more on the chart.
Chart peaks my interest as I can read quickly what the book will be about. The porthole cover, one has to read around the porthole, thus taking more time.
I LOVE the porthole, but it is the bolder color of the sub-title that would get my attention on the cover featuring the map. The porthole invites me into a special (secret?) adventure, and I like the clean simplicity of the cover. That said, the chart TELLS me more about what the book is about: Romance, Adventure, and Advocacy (which is WHY I would be inclined to buy the book!) . . . and I missed that important sub-title on the porthole cover.
I like the chart because I am a map and chart guy.
I like the rough edges of the coast. Seems more mysterious. The porthole is lovely but it’s crisp and clean-no mystery.
I vote chart. Gives me a feeling of being in charge rather than below deck looking out.
I like the chart. To me it reflects the unknown of what lies ahead more than the porthole.
At first, I liked the porthole because of the image of the water. However, the more I looked at it, the less I liked it. Mainly because it seems too perfect. The chart has less emotional pull although the instrument lying on it is intriguing. Overall, I would vote for it because it speaks to the title and has a little intrigue to it.
I like the chart. It says (to me) travel and adventure.
The chart, since I am a sailor.

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Available
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Recent Publications

12/12/2018
Holland Sentinel
"What happened to Pure Michigan?"

8/11/2018
Holland Sentinel
"Regulations key to Great Lakes health"

6/21/18
Lansing State Journal
"East Lansing Schools Provided Me A Foundation to Succeed"

5/2/18
Holland Sentinel
"Mentors Matter"

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We can live without a lot of things, access to clean, fresh water ​is not one of them.

A Grassroots Effort to Prioritize Clean Water

The McKSchmidt Questions: Week 1

Additional Comments from Readers

We can live without a lot of things, access to clean, fresh water
is not one of them.