Michigan honors Lake Superior

Governor Rick Snyder proclaimed July 17 Lake Superior Day to highlight the beauty and regional significance of the world's largest freshwater lake. Honored annually since the early 1990s, Lake Superior Day is celebrated around the basin on the third Sunday in July with activities to acknowledge and appreciate all that the lake has to offer and educate citizens about lake protection activities. At 917 shoreline miles, Lake Superior represents nearly 28 percent of Michigan's shoreline. Tourists and recreational users are drawn to the region's unmatched natural beauty. The area's natural resources also sustain local economies and provide jobs. Lake Superior plays a significant role in the Great Lakes Waterway by allowing the transportation of critical raw materials from the upper reaches of the Great Lakes basin down to the cities of the lower Great Lakes and the world. Lake Superior continues to face environmental challenges, including the threat of new aquatic invasive species, pollution from its watersheds, and toxic contaminants accumulating in fish and wildlife. Michigan has a lead role in protecting, restoring, and monitoring the natural assets associated with Lake Superior. In 2010, more than $9 million in Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding was awarded to groups in Michigan to help protect and restore the big lake. Ultimately, protecting Lake Superior depends on efforts from residents, schools, municipalities, tribes, religious groups, businesses, and other organizations who are encouraged to take action in their homes and communities to protect the lake and its watershed. To learn more about events around the Lake Superior basin, visit the Lake Superior Binational Forum at www.superiorforum.net. The DEQ Office of the Great Lakes offers information on Lake Superior and the other Great Lakes at www.michigan .gov/ deqgreatlakes. Environmental information about Lake Superior can be found at www.epa.gov/greatlakes/lakesuperior/index.html. Copyright © 2011 State of Michigan Published: Mon, Jul 25, 2011