“Providence Bay is an ongoing experience of sanctuary and paradise”

Writer waxes eloquent on a delightful once and future home

To the Expositor:

I have observed that there is nothing quite like the Providence Bay “issue” to provoke strong opinions on the part of local and seasonal residents alike. Over the past weeks, several letters to the editor about the marina and the beach have prompted me to offer the following remarks.

My father, Jerry Gordon, grew up in Providence Bay at a time when one had to wade out quite a way to find clean water for swimming; the shore was so full of bark and debris from the log booms that were the livelihood of many in the community. Despite this inconvenience, he loved this place. When I was growing up in Providence Bay, we frequently had to avoid the places on the beach where the sawdust washed up on shore from the commercial fishing ice-boxes at the dock and from the upstream sawmills, enterprises that were the livelihood of many in the community. Despite this inconvenience, I loved this place. My children and grandchildren now avoid the places on the beach where the dead and decaying algae wash up—a result of our increasing pollution of the Great Lakes. Despite this inconvenience, they love this place. Obviously, each generation must address the environmental consequences of our own actions added to those of the past. But what an impoverished life it would be if we only focussed on the negative.

Yes, there are admittedly fewer large sandy areas on the beach than there were a half a century ago. However, there are also a great many more beautiful and fragile wildflowers and native plants that make up a very special ecosystem for at-risk species of butterflies and birds. The changes from 50 years ago are in part the natural evolution of a dune ecosystem. I never ceased to be amazed at the gorgeous and breathtaking loveliness of this wild ecosystem in all the seasons, readily observable on a stroll along the boardwalk. The diversity is what makes it sustainable over time. I like to imagine my great grandchildren enjoying this someday.

The only “weeds” in sight are the phragmites I reported to the MNR five years ago when the patch was quite containable, to no avail. It was heartening to read the Expositor article last week, ‘Public engagement campaign launches to stop the spread of phragmites.’ I hope that the local volunteers who fought a losing battle with the reeds on Providence Bay beach over the past couple of summers are not too discouraged to support this new effort. I hope the municipality will maintain their commitment to never again put a tractor and cultivator on the beach in a misguided effort to “groom” it. A large part of the phragmites spread is directly attributable to this practice.

The beach is a beautiful asset owned by everyone. Perhaps everyone has a concrete role to play in maintaining it. It takes no effort at all to say it is the job of the municipality, or to criticize the residents of Providence Bay for somehow failing to maintain our wonderful landscape. It takes much more effort to personally step up and join the local volunteers on a beach cleanup day. There is no reason why we can’t have a wild ecosystem section of the dunes co-existing happily with a clean recreational section of the beach.

I find myself wondering what would happen if we shifted our approach to this fantastic bit of the planet. What would happen if we promoted that “evolving wilderness” aspect of our special Providence Bay instead of using images of the “fluffy beach” taken half a century ago for advertising? What would happen if visitors to the area were met by local enthusiasm about its attributes, instead of local negativity about areas that need improvement? What would happen if every person who complained about the “state” of the beach would spend half a day on the beach in the summer with a rake and a garbage bag? What would happen if we actually acted on the beach management plan written by the leading authority in Great Lakes ecosystem health, paid for by the taxpayers of Central Manitoulin? What would happen if we all became a little more informed about the sacred natural world around us?

I have seen so many positive changes in Providence Bay over the past decade of my renewed residence here. I appreciate the efforts by local dog walkers who frequently carry extra bags to pick up trash and other tourist’s doggie business. I applaud the work of Manitoulin Streams to address the health of the River. I am thankful to the municipality for responding to requests for more garbage containers open for longer periods in the spring-summer-fall seasons. I appreciate the many volunteer hours that went into installing a wonderful playground on the beach. I acknowledge the time and effort spent to refresh the interpretive centre displays. I am blown away by the many hours and personal resources spent by one dedicated individual (kudos to Ken Niles, harbourmaster) to make the marina a thriving centre of fishing and boating activity.

Isn’t it encouraging that there are new local tourist businesses who do promote Providence Bay in a positive way, attracting visitors from around the world? Isn’t it nice that volunteers tend the community flowerbeds? Aren’t we blessed to have an active local agriculture society that is committed to good events programming at the fairgrounds, and for the thorough, timely cleanup after the events? Isn’t it commendable that one local resident put time and resources into creating a dirt bike track where young people come for recreation from all over the north? Aren’t we lucky to have community volunteers operating a morning coffee hour at the curling club where local residents can meet up and socialize? Isn’t it great that young people have chosen to move here and open up businesses? Isn’t it innovative that one local resident collects the “guck” on the beach for garden fertilizer? Isn’t it uplifting that so many people gather along the roadside to watch the glorious sunsets over the bay?

I am so proud of the positive contributions of so many of my neighbours to maintain and promote this place as a quality destination. I moved back home to Providence Bay after over 35 years in urban southern Ontario because, in the words of William Butler Yeats, “…always night and day, I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore; while I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey, I hear it in the deep heart’s core.” Dwelling in the landscape of home at Providence Bay is an ongoing experience of sanctuary and paradise.