What happened to such sacred land?

[Sight]

I had an experience like this today.

I went to a lake, that I used to fish at with my father years ago, on a picknick with my family today. It'd been five years or so since I'd seen the area last. Where once, the lake water had been dark blue and clear, it was now a sickly green color. Where once the forests had been greener, fuller and richer, everything seemed paler. Across the lake a few miles in the distance, peeking just over the horizon, was a coal mine that I could only guess had been constructed in the time since I had last been there. I watched as the ore was moved by great orange dozers in the distance, while the water lapped at the ground beneath my feet. Two powerlines exited the lake to my left, carrying the "precious" electricity from the power plant that was now just a few miles down the road. I had taken a camera with me, to get a picture of what I remembered as a beautiful wilderness. I didn't even get it out of its case.

This may seem a bit trite to some, but it's ironic to me that on "Mother's Day" in the United States, people forget the mother that we all share.