Did you know? Union Pier, MI, the town in which we live was founded due to Lake Michigan. A "Pier" was built at "Union" the small train station bringing people to the area, thus giving it the name Union Pier. The town was founded by a pier that was built to ship bricks and lumber to Chicago after the great Chicago Fire in October of 1871. Once Chicago was rebuilt, Union Pier turned into a farming and fishing town because few resources of lumber remained. In the 1900's, fishing and farming was replaced by tourism, the main industry of Union Pier that remains today. Though tourism is important to the town of Union Pier, it is also a detriment to Lake Michigan.

Lake Michigan is one of the largest sources of fresh water in the world. It is the main source of freshwater for our hometown Union Pier, as well as the reason Union Pier as a town still exists. Though it is a wonderful place, how we treat the Lake is hurting its well being for the future. We shoot fireworks into the lake, we increase the number of wells dug into the water supply due to the increase in people, we drive motor boats, and we have septic tanks that leaked into the water supply 10 years ago. Not to mention the nuclear plant that powers the county is along the Lake as well as other companies such as steel factories.

What do all of these things have in common? They have and continue to impact how climate change affects Lake Michigan. As temperatures in the Lake rise, one of the most harmful factors is the increase in algae which due to their size are called algae blooms. The fast growth in algae causes an increase in carbon dioxide in the water, harmful to human, fish, and other wildlife. An increase in algae can ultimately lead to beach closures and the killing of fish. Beaches in St. Joseph, MI, which is about 30 minutes from Union Pier were closed recently due to an E. coli outbreak, another sign of the impact of climate change on Lake Michigan.