Huron 2022 Whitefish

Sault Tribe pilots effort to restore whitefish to Great Lakes region

Huron 2021 Native Trout

Efforts to control invasive fish leads to resurgence of native fish populations

Huron 2018 Pipeline hit by boat

"Shorelines covered in oil"

Huron 2016 activists

Activists take action opposing nuclear waste burial

Huron 2014 Manitoulin Island

Wikwemikong begins capping polluting oil wells

Huron 2011 Saginaw Bay

Federal funding allocated to save Saginaw Bay

Huron 2011 GeorgianBay

6,000 dead birds on Georgian Bay shore 

Huron 2007 Sandhill crane

Revival of the sandhill crane on Manitoulin Island

Huron 2006 Prothonotary warbler

Prothonotary warbler population increases

ISS-36 Lake Michigan and Lake Huron

"A degraded multicultural aquarium"

Huron 2005 Shortnose cisco endangered

Shortnose cisco reassessed as "endangered" 

Huron 2004 Georgian Bay Shore

Georgian Bay shore designated a world biosphere reserve

Huron 2003 Salmon Dwindle

25 years after the introduction of invasive mussels, salmon population destroyed

Huron 1999 shorebirds

No place for shorebirds

Huron 1997 Complacency

The danger of complacency for Lake Huron

Huron 1996 Hurricane Huron

Hurricane Huron

Huron 1987 Cisco Endangered

Shortnose cisco species declared "threatened"

Huron 1987 Bruce Peninsula

Fathom Five National Marine Park and Bruce Peninsula National Park established

Huron 1986 Dow Chemical Plant

Dow Chemical floods Saginaw Bay with pollutants

Huron 1985 Dow Chemical blob

The Dow Chemical “blob” leads to pollution discoveries

Huron 1983 Dow Chemical Spill

Pollution spill kills 100,000 fish

Michigan 1978 waterqualityagreement

Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement

Huron 1972 Sudbury

The infamous Sudbury superstack on Georgia Bay

Huron 1971 SaginawBay

Saginaw Bay watershed becomes a dumping ground

Huron 1960s cisco

Blackfin cisco and Deepwater cisco declared extinct

Great Lakes 1955 Great Lakes Fishery Commission

Great Lakes Fishery Commission Treaty

Michigan 1946 failtoimplement

The US and Canada fail to implement fishing regulations in an effort to eradicate the sea lamprey

Great Lakes 1938 Sea Lamprey

Sea Lamprey invade all of the Great Lakes

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Purple loosestrife invades wetlands

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Sea lamprey destruction

Huron 1923 Blackfin Ciscoe

The last sighting of the Blachfin Ciscoe in Lake Huron

Huron 1916 Dow Chemical Plant

Dow Chemical’s dichlorobenzol poisons Saginaw Bay

Huron 1898 Mallard Shooting

Duck hunting on the St. Clair flats

Huron 1883 papermill

Paper mill pollution creates dark, foul smelling ecosystem

Rollway on Cass River, by Jenney, J. A. (James A.)

Sawmills on the Saginaw River deforest the region

Huron 1871 alarming

An alarming diminution of fishes

Round Island, by Jenney, J. A. (James A.)

A labyrinth of bountiful islands

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Perpetual beauty of Georgian Bay

Huron 1828 plentyfishafford

"These waters plenty fish afford"

Huron 1679 Deer

"The place in which deer most delight"

Huron 1669 Fishing Grounds

The great fishing grounds of Manitoulin

Huron 1652 ottawafire

Ottawa set fire to Manitoulin Island

Huron 1623 monstrous

Monstrous fish

Huron 1615 Trout

Trout as long as four feet and a half

Superior 10000 Sault Ste. Marie

Baw-wa-ting’ became the fifth stopping place for the Anishinabe migration

Huron 10000BCE Anishinaabe

Third stopping place in the migration of the Anishinaabe likely the shores of the Detroit River

Superior 10000 Skywoman

Skywoman

hist-4722-photo-Lake Huron Overview

Lake Huron

Chemical Waste

Previously relaxed environmental regulations allowed nearby industrial plants and mining operations to dump their waste into the Great Lakes without any repercussions. Resultantly, sludge at the bottom of the waterways and lakes of the basin contain myriad toxic chemicals ranging from PCBs to radioactive waste.

Invasive Species

Invasives such as the Asian carp, sea lamprey, alewife, zebra mussel, and the round goby are just a few of the species that have wreaked havoc on the Great Lakes. These invasive species decimate native populations both by lacking predators and creating low oxygen environments which trigger the production of bacteria that cause botulism. In the 1960s, Alewives made up 90% of the fish in the Great Lakes, posing a major threat to native populations. 

Water Levels

Water levels frequently vary within the Great Lakes. This is in part a natural phenomenon resulting from glacial rebound, but drastic fluctuations are due to changing precipitation levels - a result of global warming - and increased water runoff from human development. Environmentalists advocate for allowing natural water level fluctuations in surrounding wetlands. These changes contribute to the decline of the wild rice paddies, which are sacred to the native populations of the surrounding areas. Demand for drinking water, irrigation and climate change, leave many to worry about a future decline in lake levels.

Development

During the nineteenth century, much of the land surrounding the Great Lakes was cleared and cultivated for industrial and residential development. Building, mines, power plants, coastal roads & recreational infrastructure has been disrupting natural environments for centuries. Deforestation and improper waste disposal has destroyed fish spawning grounds, introduced heavy metals to the ecosystem, and triggered rapid warming of the lake waters. Enbridge Line 5, a 645-mile oil pipeline in the Enbridge Lakehead System, now runs through the Straits of Mackinac. If struck, the pipeline has the capacity to spill across hundreds of miles of shoreline, taking years to clean up and decimating the ecosystem. 

Diminished Fisheries

Early commercial fishing operations received dangerously relaxed regulations. Fish populations were extorted year-round, and over time were not able to reproduce enough to keep the species from extinction. Seasonal regulations were eventually placed to allow for natural breeding cycles, but in some cases the damage was irrevocable. Efforts to manage fisheries have been further complicated by many accidental and purposeful species introductions, pushing out native fish. 

Most Pressing Issues

Alliance for Great Lakes

The Alliance for Great Lakes works with scientists, policymakers, businesses, community groups and everyday citizens to protect and restore the lake.

Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council

The Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council works to maintain the environmental integrity and economic and aesthetic values of lakes, streams, wetlands and ground water in Michigan’s northern lower peninsula.

Lake Huron Centre For Coastal Conservation

The Lake Huron Centre For Coastal Conservation is dedicated to the conservation of Lake Huron’s natural shoreline environment.

Michigan Sea Grant 

Through research, education and outreach, Michigan Sea Grant is dedicated to the protection and sustainable use of the Great Lakes and coastal resources.

Great Lakes Observing System

Great Lakes Observing System works to make real-time and historical data publicly available to the larger Great Lakes community, benefiting data users and decision makers.

How You Can Help