Wow of the Greats
Did you know?
The Great Lakes basin spans more than 1200 kilometres and provides water consumption, transportation, power and recreational activities to the people who live in two provinces in Canada, eight American states and 64 First Nations.
We all share these waterways and have a responsibility to look after them.
In Sault Ste. Marie, the land on which you are standing is Anishinaabeg territory. Specifically, it is the traditional territory of the Bay Mills Indian Community, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Garden River, and Batchewana First Nations. We acknowledge them as the traditional custodians of the land, water, and species. We pay respects to their ancestors and to them as current land protectors.
Together, we have so much to protect.
How often do we think about freshwater here in Canada or the US?
Do we wonder as to where our drinking water comes from? Whether it’s safe or not? Can we dive off the dock into the water or wade in from the shoreline, on a hot summer’s day? In the cold of winter, will the lakes freeze over so that there will be ice to skate on?
Are the fish safe to eat? Are there invasive species that may cause nuisance or harm to our daily living and to the 6000 or so species that also rely on freshwater to live?
On any map, anywhere, you can pinpoint the Great Lakes. How amazing to live in a place like this. Have you ever wondered why that is?
It’s because these waterways truly are GREAT.
And we must respect them in this way.
We live in an area blessed with an abundance of water, on a planet where there is scarcity.
Read about the Great Lakes Ecoregion
We live in an incredible place, where the Great Lakes hold nearly twenty percent of our planet’s freshwater. At the nexus of these Greats, we reside by the only outflowing river, from Superior. A lake so immense, it reaches depths of over 1300 feet (396 metres) and holds ten percent of earth’s freshwater. Lake Huron, home to 30,000 islands and the largest freshwater island in the world, Manitoulin. The Great Lakes combined, support over 6000 species, and us, human beings.
Bottom line, over 40 million people in Canada and the US rely on the Great Lakes for drinking water.
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UN-Water
Water Facts
We are in the UN Decade of Action, with a strategic focus on water as goal number 6. Many factors impact water, including climate change and our ever-increasing use of water on a personal and global level.
The US, followed by Canada, have the highest amount of freshwater use, per person and per year from the environment, according to the Government of Canada.
The United Nations View on Water Scarcity
“There is not a global water shortage as such, but individual countries and regions need to urgently tackle the critical problems presented by water stress. Water has to be treated as a scarce resource, with a far stronger focus on managing demand. Integrated water resources management provides a broad framework for governments to align water use patterns with the needs and demands of different users, including the environment.”
In a nutshell, we must look after water, and water will look after us.
For What Are We Without Water.