Boating on Lake Lanier’s 692 miles of shoreline meander past picturesque parks, picnic areas and campgrounds. Lakeside camping at US Army Corps of Engineers Parks, plus well-appointed accommodations at Lake Lanier Island’s Emerald Point Hotel and Renaissance Pine Isle on the southeast side of the lake offer many options for enjoying all that Lake Lanier offers for an overnight stay, a long weekend or a week-long vacation.

The area is served by I-85, I-985 and GA 400, with easy access to the lake.

More than 8 million visitors choose Lake Lanier for weekend getaways, daytrips and extended vacations. It has been called the Crown Jewel of US Army Corps of Engineers lakes. MORE

For those in the southwest, Lake Mead, albeit much deeper than Lake Lanier, has 550 miles of shoreline when the lake is full compared to Lanier’s 692 miles - and the shoreline of Lake Mead is not populated extensively like that of Lake Lanier. It’s noteworthy to add that Lakes Mead is also at “drought level.” LINK
Lake Powell in Utah, which has over 2,000 miles of shoreline is also at an extremely low level. LINK

Drop into the Mid-west, America’s breadbasket, and another story is unfolding, one that could affect the entire United States, especially as it impacts our ability to produce food:

Alteration in Timing and Amount of Water

Water supply, demand, allocation, storage, and quality are all climate-sensitive issues affecting the regional economy. Farming and ranching use over 50% of the region’s water resources. Ground-water pumping for irrigation has depleted aquifers in portions of the Great Plains by withdrawing water much faster than it can be recharged. Under today’s irrigation demands, water table levels are thus dropping in parts of the southern Great Plains. The projected climate-induced changes in water resources are likely to exacerbate the current competition for water among the agricultural sector, natural ecosystems, and urban, industrial, and recreational users.

The region produces much of the nation’s grain, meat, and fiber, including over 60% of the wheat, 87% of the sorghum, and 36% of the cotton. The region is home to over 60% of the nation’s livestock, including both grazing and grain-fed-cattle operations. Recreation, wildlife habitat, and water resources are also found on the landscapes of the Great Plains. The Prairie Pothole region provides important habitat for migratory waterfowl. Surface water in rivers, streams, and lakes, and groundwater in aquifers provide water for urban, industrial, and agricultural uses, as well as riparian and aquatic ecosystems. Soil organic matter is a major resource of the Great Plains as it provides improved soil water retention, soil fertility, and long-term storage of carbon. MUCH MORE

This story began with the drought in Georgia, but when I stared delving into Lanier’s size and used Lake Mead for comparison, I noted the drought conditions there, the level of Lake Powell, and then checked on the aquifers that supply the Mid-west, and from those observations, it becomes obvious drought has become a national issue that our government is failing to prioritize. We need to look to the future, determine how we will survive in a world that is changing by the day - and instead of making war, we need to be concentrating on desalinization plants to help a growing population cope with a water fresh water supply that is dwindling on a global basis.

True disaster preparedness, depending on where you live, is also insuring that your family has enough water; no matter how much food you store, water is the essential ingredient to everything we do; ignoring climate change and the consequences associated with failing to prepare are events that will eventually threaten millions of Americans as well as the entire global community. Everyone’s concerned with the price of oil and how we will handle the future’s energy needs, and that’s well and good, but what good is oil if we don’t have enough water to drink and irrigate our crops? What then?

Food prices are soaring globally because of drought and crop losses. Nations around the world are stopping exports of food because they can’t grow enough of their own. Millions face starvation. America’s farmers are going bankrupt because of the high costs of fuel and fertilizer. Combined with drought, they are quitting or being shut down in droves. The United States now has less then 46 days of food on hand for every man, woman and child in this country. This is an unheard of historic low.

Global demand for grain has caused wheat futures to rocket past gold. Wheat was a far better investment then gold in 2007, shooting up 110%, whereas gold rose only 40%. LINK The situation is far more serious than Americans are led to believe, and hopefully, the devastation captured in the recent photos of Lake Lanier will help to visually shock those who are lulled into complacency by the MSM posting pictures that are certainly true - but tend to minimize the reality of how this drought is virtually wrecking havoc on Lake Lanier.

The war we should be fighting is the coming disaster we could help to mitigate if we would begin to prepare, and for that, we need leadership that looks out for the welfare of the people, not their corporate masters. The upcoming Presidential elections represent more than politics; choosing the right candidate and bringing forth issues central to America’s survival in the upcoming debates and the eventual election represent our ability to survive as a people, and for this reason alone, partisan politics have no place in this election! It’s time to demand truth and accountability, bring forth the issues that affect the nation’s survivability factor in the face of catastrophic climate change - and work to forge a future that will prepare us for a world that is changing far quicker than anyone predicted.

William Cormier

Peace And Mitigating Climate Change Are More Profitable Than War

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