Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area. Let’s protect it!
The 1987 amendment to the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement required the development of Lakewide Management Plans (LaMPs) to ‘restore and maintain the biological integrity of the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem’. Developed in 1991, the Lake Superior LaMP has assessed the condition of the Lake Superior ecosystem, including its ecological impairment, emerging issues and their causes, and gaps in knowledge which require further research and monitoring. The Lake Superior Binational Program, under which the LaMP is implemented, is a collaborative effort between Canada and the United States that identifies, addresses, and monitors progress on environmental issues affecting Lake Superior. The entire LaMP document can be accessed at the Lake Superior Binational Forum website.
The Lake Superior Binational Forum and EcoSuperior have both worked to implement the goals of the LaMP. EcoSuperior’s recent projects to support the LaMP objectives addressing chemical contaminants include a fluorescent light recycling program in Thunder Bay and other north shore communities, support for thermostat recycling by the private sector, a program to encourage safe disposal of pharmaceuticals, and education to increase awareness of the hazards of burning garbage through the use of multi-media display called Bernie the Burn Barrel. We have helped organize and promote several e-waste collection events in Thunder Bay and region. We have also addressed chemical pollutants of emerging concern, such as triclosan, found in personal care products.
EcoSuperior promotes LaMP efforts to protect and restore Lake Superior at Lake Superior Day events, through the Lake Superior Binational Forum website and through publication of articles in EcoNews. We gratefully acknowledge the funding from the Ontario Ministry of Environment that supports our LaMP activities and programs.
Page last updated on Wednesday, May 25, 2011
