It’s named Superior for a reason. The largest lake in the world, Lake Superior has a history as vast and deep as its seemingly endless waters. However not so very long ago, following unrestrained industrial pollution and natural resource exploitation, it was in a sorry state indeed. However unlike other similarly afflicted bodies of water around the globe, Lake Superior has, thanks to the diligent efforts of a large number of people and organizations dedicated to restoring its health, made a comeback.
In her new book Sustaining Lake Superior; An Extraordinary Lake in a Changing World, Professor Nancy Langston of Michigan Technological University chronicles the history of the lake, its decline, and its resurrection. She also looks to the future as, seemingly heedless of the lessons history should have taught us, new environmental threats now loom over its only recently rejuvenated waters.
And, as an added bonus for those who – like me – enjoy listening to intelligent and thought-provoking podcasts, the Yale University Press Podcast has recently released a half-hour-long episode titled Saving Lake Superior that features an in-depth interview with Professor Langston.
