Many people, government agencies, and organizations are engaged in work to protect
the Lake Superior basin. Despite this work there are present and future pressures
facing the lake and watershed including:
  
   > the mining of 2-billiion year old greenstone for road building aggregate
   > the contamination from suphide mining
   > the damming of free-flowing wilderness rivers for hydro-electric power
   > extensive intensive industrial forestry operations in the boreal forest
   > significant economic dependence by communities upon dwindling natural resources
   > the incremental loss of shoreline habitat especially rare wetlands
   > pollution from leaking septic systems, dump and landfill sites, storm water
     and nutrient runoff

In response to these pressures LSCWC will promote a Strategic Watershed Protection
Approach for effectively protecting and restoring basin aquatic ecosystems and protecting
human health.

This Strategy has as its premise that many water quality and ecosystem problems
are best solved at the watershed level rather than at the individual waterbody or
discharger level.

Major features of a Strategic Watershed Protection Approach are:
  > targeting priority problems, promoting a high level of stakeholder involvement,
  > integrated solutions that make use of the expertise and authority of multiple agencies,
  > and measuring success through ongoing monitoring,data gathering and plan review.

The challenge of protecting Lake Superior begins with getting people involved!