Why Lake Norman?

 I chose Lake Norman as my study area due to the mysterious rumors surrounding it that I heard while working as a Park Ranger in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina (NC). I heard from fellow park rangers and locals alike how dangerous and gross the waters of Lake Norman are. Lake Norman is NC’s largest manufactured fresh body of water, spanning four counties, and its shoreline is 520 miles (Norman, 2023). Being manufactured, I would think that it was started on “untouched land,” but it turns out there are ruins of ghost towns under Lake Norman, and aside from the taller buildings and re-location of gravesites, most of the towns were left standing as the lake was filled (Leah, 2023). This made me wonder what else is in the lake and what is causing such high levels of pollution that locals do not think it is safe to swim in it. Another question is, what bio-diversity is in a lake such as this? How does this lake benefit and hurt the ecosystems around it? What, if anything, is being done to conserve the lake?

I plan to answer these questions and more throughout this blog. 

 

 

  Sources:

 

           Digital image of Lake Norman. Campbell, D., & Campbell, D. (2017, September 22). The History of Lake Norman. Our State. https://www.ourstate.com/the-history-of-lake-norman/

 

Leah, H. (2023, June 8). Flooded history: Enormous NC lake hides multiple ghost towns, legendary monster. WRAL.com. https://www.wral.com/story/lake-norman-nc-ghost-town-monster-normie/20899100/

 

 Norman, V. L. (2023, September 21). The History of Lake Norman. https://www.visitlakenorman.org/blog/post/diving-in-history-of-lake-norman/

The importance of biodiversity locally, regionally, nationally and internationally

 

 Biodiversity is the building block of an ecosystem life. The more biodiversity there is, the more animals, plants, and microorganisms there are. This provides the tools needed for cleaner air and water and helps reduce climate change. Not only is it helpful for the environment, but it is also helpful for humans. Both locally and regionally, biodiversity helps with habitats for the native species, better soil and crops for the community, and less pollution in the soil, which means cleaner water for drinking. Nationally and internationally, better crops mean reduced food insecurity, healthy soil and vegetation taking in more CO2, and better economic opportunities (e.g., agriculture, forestry) (Biodiversity and Health, 2015).

 

 

Source:

 

 

Biodiversity and Health. (2015, June 3). https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/biodiversity-and-health

What is Biodiversity?

  Biodiversity explains the diversity within one specific spiecies (e.g., bacteria and other microorganisms, fungi, plants, and animals) within an ecosystem as well as the diversity in the ecosystem as a whole. "Biodiversity is a key indicator of the health of an ecosystem" (Biodiversity 101, 2024). To measure biodiversity scientist survey and monitor species, habitats and the interactions between them and collect data about population sizes and trends, distribution and habitat use, and impacts of management or other human activities. (What Is Biodiversity? Why Is It Important? | AMNH, n.d.).

Source: 

Biodiversity 101. (2024, May 9). https://www.nrdc.org/stories/biodiversity-101 

What is Biodiversity? Why Is It Important? | AMNH. (n.d.). American Museum of Natural History. https://www.amnh.org/research/center-for-biodiversity-conservation/what-is-biodiversity