OUR PRIDE

There are many reasons to take pride in our  lake.

Lake Superior is one of the world’s greatest natural wonders  providing habitat for a  diverse wildlife          population and a home for you and 600,000 people.

Being the headwaters of the Great Lakes and the origin of the St. Lawrence Seaway, Lake Superior is a center of industry with mining, manufacturing, pulp and paper, and  transportation providing an economic base for those who live and work in the region.

People from all around the world visit our lake to enjoy many recreational  activities, from fishing and hunting to skiing and boating, all framed against a backdrop of the world’s most breathtaking scenery.

Lake Superior Fun Facts

Lake Superior is:

...the world’s largest freshwater lake by       surface area and the third largest by       volume.

...so big it could hold  all the water from the other four Great Lakes  and three more Lake Eries !

Lake Superior contains 10 percent of the world’s fresh surface water, enough to submerge  all of North and South America under one foot of water.

If the Lake Superior shoreline was a highway, it would extend 1,826 miles (2,938  kilometers), or the distance from Duluth, Minnesota to Miami, Florida.

OUR PROBLEM

Even though Lake Superior is the least populated and the cleanest of the Great Lakes, there are still serious concerns about the environmental health of the basin.

Factories and plants, both industrial and municipal, create point sources of        pollutants that are released into the atmosphere or the water.

Careless residential use and disposal of toxic substances such as pesticides, fertilizers and solvents, among others, cause these pollutants to eventually find their way into our lake.

Sources outside the basin also release toxic substances into the air which travel long distances and eventually settle in our lake.

Although there are many regulations covering the use and disposal of toxic substances in the basin, this was not always so. Our past actions have created a great deal of water  pollution.  These pollutants can harm us and must be eliminated.

These toxic substances can have a devastating effect on our ecosystem, resulting in loss of habitat and causing deformities and reproductive problems in the region’s wildlife.

OUR PART

“The solution to these problems begins with you.”

There are several programs available in virtually every community in the basin that allow you to participate directly in the cleanup and restoration of Lake Superior.  For a list of programs in your area, call 1-888-301-LAKE.

As a resident of the Lake Superior basin, you must ensure that  you are not a source of toxic substances. Many of the day-to-day products you may use such as pesticides, fertilizers, weed  killers, cleaners and polishes can contaminate the air and water. Whenever possible, you should use natural alternatives to these products. Also, household products such as motor oil,  anti-freeze, batteries, paint thinner, oil-based paint and degreaser must be recycled or disposed of properly in order to avoid contaminating the environment.

The responsibility for protecting and restoring  our Lake Superior Basin lies with you and everyone else who calls it home.

Make your voice heard.

Make it known to everyone that Lake Superior is your lake  and that you care about protecting it.

GET INVOLVED!