I went out in search of wildlife recently, specifically fox and deer. On the recommendation of a friend, I visited the Middleground Island, in the Saginaw River in Bay City. Unfortunately, the wildlife saw me coming and all hid from me. But while walking around, I was touched by another aspect of this island, but not in a good way.
You see, years ago some people with great minds decided this island, set in the middle of a river, would be a wonderful place to dispose of highly toxic industrial chemicals. Now a portion of this island is home to a restricted, Superfund industrial landfill, in addition to deer and fox. And eagles and people…
Set on the south end of Bay City, this island has the potential of great beauty.
Industries have grown along the riverfront.
An old gate along the edge of the landfill, and close ups of the two signs.
An abandoned shack at the entrance.
This sign says it all (and yes, I was outside the fence).
Another sad commentary.
Don’t get me wrong. Bay City is a great place, and has been growing and improving for years. The downtown riverfront is beautiful, with parks, bandshells and marinas. A major new development was recently announced for a former industrial site that is being cleaned up. I find this island landfill, however, to be a good(?) example of the how problems were addressed in the past.
Thanks for visiting. I will get something more cheerful up soon. The holidays are here, so that should be pretty easy!!!
Sad my friend,sad. You have done a good job of capturing indifference, neglect, and strength. Nature will overgrow our selfishness and carelessness. I hope something good can come of it.
ReplyDeleteNicely done sir. I like it's starkness and the bleak loneliness you've captured. The muddied water is a sad but wonderful shot. I like them all.
Thank you Tess. As I looked over the scenes, it made me feel sad. Not so much with the present, but the past. This site is a remnant of the "if nobody sees it, it doesn't exist" school of waste disposal. The grayness of the day actually helped these pictures. A bit different for me, but I enjoyed putting together a story with the pics. I have several others, but I did not want to clutter up my page.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting.
Steve,
ReplyDeleteYou should present your photo journal to your local elected officials.
Thanks for visiting Julie. The local officials really do not have much say over this site (as I understand it), it is an EPA regulated site. Some cleanup has been done, and I believe it is continuing. The purpose of these pictures was not to change anything, but rather an exercise for me, as an amateur photographer, to capture the feeling evoked by this site.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for you suggestion, I am pleased that so many people have been moved by my pictures. I suppose one of the purposes of photographs is to make people think, and I must have succeeded in this case.