Taking a Cue from Edward Abbey

By Kara Steeland
ASC Microplastics Adventurer

The steel-hulled boat rocked gently as we sat on the back, readying to jump into the frigid water of the Georgian Bay.

On the way to a weekend backpacking trip, we’d detoured to explore the historic W.L. Wetmore shipwreck by snorkel. The steamship sank in November 1901, after colliding with one of the many limestone reefs and shoals that lurk below the water’s surface in northern Lake Huron.

Before taking the plunge, we collected our first water sample for the ASC Microplastics Project. I looked into the water, wondering if microplastics drifted there above the glacially scoured bedrock and century-old ship.

On that sunny summer day, the sunken remains of the old wooden steamship recalled the fury and wildness of these vast waters. 

With roughly 25 shipwrecks in the Fathom Five National Marine Park, the area served as a reminder that humans have been impacting the planet since long before microplastics appeared in our soaps and other products. Unfortunately, the mistakes we make now have a resounding, ecosystem-wide impact, compared to the heap of sunken wooden planks and old boiler on the bottom of this remote bay. 

As we hiked along the jagged shoreline on day one, the expanse of deep blue water stretched out beside us, fading into a mosaic of turquoise, cerulean and aqua. After a night in the mosquito-laden white cedar and fir forest, we woke to the sun reflecting off calm water and a lake-scented breeze blowing through the tent screens. 

I waded from the sun-warmed rock into the cold water to collect a sample and took a picture to try to capture the magic of the crystal clear water. It was hard to imagine that microplastics might be drifting around in this beautiful, seemingly pristine ecosystem.