Remember "Jaws," the thriller novel and movie in which leaders of fictitious beach town Amity ignored a lurking killer shark so as to not upset the town's busy beaches and economy?
A growing number of bacteria-related beach advisories in West Grand Traverse Bay this summer just may be our region's killer shark. And the deafening silence from most of our local "leaders" -- surprise! -- appears to be the equivalent of sticking their collective head in beach sand.
Amity at least had do-gooder Chief Brody, who sounded the alarm about threats to the public health. Traverse City appears to have no such voice when it comes to escalating E. coli levels in the bay. Indeed, even some local environmental watchdogs seem to downplay the occasionally questionable water quality.
It's telling that water pollution problems are being drowned out by the local full-speed-ahead development crowd; its loudest voices insist the region's biggest issue is that developers can't build whatever they want, whenever they want, wherever they want. Pesky zoning ordinances and, God forbid, a tuned-in public, are making it tougher for them to make money.
Of course, some community leaders greatly enjoy seeing their stalking horses conjure up phony issues intended to shift scrutiny and take the focus off foundational problems. One such tired whine recently resurfaced in a local publication: "Oh, woe, Traverse City's an impossible place to pursue development."
It's nonsense, of course. But by having their stand-ins create debate on that topic, our leaders can avoid dealing with real and difficult problems like polluted beaches.
This area, thanks mostly to its natural features and attractions, escaped some of the economic erosion that's undermined Michigan for nearly a decade. Indeed, the local chamber's own economic forecasts point to slow, but steady growth, despite the wobbly state economy and problems in the home lending industry.
So then, are we really supposed to believe that a stalled downtown development -- apparently reliant on millions in public dollars to create some municipal parking -- is a make-or-break issue for Traverse City?
Maybe it's just a sign of the times that no one in a position of power here seems to care that beach-goers risk illness over a dip in the bay.
But if northern Michigan gains a reputation for polluted beaches and waterways, it'll spread like wildfire through tourism channels, statewide and beyond. If that happens, all the development in the world won't salvage the region's economic fortunes. Whether or not the area's civic and business leaders want to acknowledge it, northwestern Michigan's future is directly tied to the environment, what is, was, and will continue to be our Golden Goose.
If we kill the goose and lose our reputation for pristine waters, beautiful beaches and scenic views, though, the least of our problems will be how much public parking there is downtown.
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