Why I Love Water

A few years ago, I picked up the sport of rowing, and that really kick-started my passion for lakes, rivers, streams, oceans… really any body of water. They’re so tranquil, beautiful, and serene, and I always feel better when I’m near water.  I now row for Indiana University, and throughout our season I see lakes in all sorts of conditions. I’ve rowed on Wisconsin’s own Devil’s Lake, which is so uncontaminated that there are special rules about cleaning all the boats before they can touch the water. On the other hand, I’ve also rowed in the river running through Oak Ridge, Tennessee, a place also known as the “Secret City.” If you haven’t heard of it before, Oak Ridge was one of the main sites of the Manhattan Project. Unfortunately, Oak Ridge put their nuclear power plant right on the banks of the river now used as a race course, and, as you can imagine, the water is polluted beyond belief. There’s very little life in the river, and my teammates and I all get a weird rash whenever we go there. This year while we were in Oak Ridge, a doctor actually pulled me from racing because I had too many cuts on my hand, and “if that disgusting water gets in the cuts you’ll get a terrible infection that would probably need surgery.”

                Seeing lakes like the one in Oak Ridge makes me so sad because water is such a beautiful and precious thing. All of humankind, myself included, have contributed to the decimation of the bodies of water that hydrate us, home wildlife, and allow over half of the men on Facebook to post a "fish pic." Because of rowing, I have personally and repeatedly seen the differences between a natural, clean lake and a polluted lake, and this has made me profoundly interested in doing anything I can to help clean up the water of the world. With my economic and mathematical background, I quickly reached the conclusion that some form of environmental economics would be the most efficient and useful way for me to utilize my talents and skills to help accomplish this goal, and LAKES has been making this possible. Rowing, which is something I love to do, was ultimately what inspired me to undertake the exact type of research we’re doing in Menomonie. I just hope I can play a small part in helping Lake Menomin become the type of beautiful lake I’d be thrilled to row on.

Rowing in Bloomington, IN on Lake Lemon, one of the cleaner lakes I've seen

The whole gang enjoying a relaxing pontoon ride on Lake Menomin