In 1975, when I was in 8th grade, my science project was “Is Lake Erie Really Dying?” I did water quality experiments and decorated my poster area with objects found along the shores of Lake Erie, including “glass shapes” (glass bulbs with filaments – rejects from the Fisher-Body Plant), trash, plastic bottles, tampon applicators, pop-tabs and much more. I studied the fish species in Nine-Mile Creek that flowed into the Lake near my house. They were all carp. As kids, we thought nothing of taking pot-shots at rats and carp in and around the streams flowing into the Lake. There were always large numbers of dead fish washing up on the lakeshore. There was graffiti on the steel walls of the marina along I-90 that read “HELP ME I’M DYING”. I believed it back then! Happily, Lake Erie has bounced back and many new fish species are thriving in the Lake. It is no longer dying and we should celebrate our lakefront in every way possible!