Features 20 stories that explore people’s deep intrinsic connections with Lake Erie and the urgent need to protect it
Toronto, Ont. – A new documentary photography exhibition, running from June 5 to July 5, 2021 outdoors at Artscape Wychwood Barns showcases Canadians’ deep personal connections with Lake Erie and highlights why the lake needs to be protected. North of Long Tail, a collaboration between Environmental Defence and documentary photographer Colin Boyd Shafer, contains 20 stories from the north side of the lake — from Essex County all the way to Niagara Region.
North of Long Tail Documentary Photo Exhibit
WHEN: June 5 – July 5, 2021
WHERE: Artscape Wychwood Barns, 76 Wychwood Avenue, Toronto
WHAT: North of Long Tail is a documentary photography project that shows the human side of Lake Erie. The title of the project was inspired by the translation of the lake’s name. “Erie” is derived from the Iroquoian word erielhonan that means “long tail”, which can also describe the lake’s unique shape.
Part art, part call to action, the exhibition seeks to illustrate what could be lost if the Great Lakes are left unprotected. Lake Erie and its shoreline have been impacted by climate change, erosion, plastic pollution, and flooding. One of the biggest threats to the lake are annual massive — and sometimes toxic — algae blooms, which can kill fish and make the water unsafe for drinking or swimming. In 2018, the federal and Ontario governments finalized their action plan to help restore the health of the lake. But they have been slow to move to implement it.
WHO: Stories include a fifth-generation Canadian whose family escaped slavery in the U.S., a Pelee Island theatre owner, a firefighter from Port Stanley, a brewery owner in Port Colborne, a commercial fisherman in Wheatley, a refugee from Syria, and an associate professor from the University of Waterloo.
To read all the stories and see the images from the project, please visit NorthofLongTail.ca.
About ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.
-30-
For more information, to arrange an interview or request images, please contact: Stephanie Kohls, Environmental Defence, skohls@environmentaldefence.ca
