North America's Forgotten Great Lakes

Whatever is said, The Great Lakes should be protected at all costs. The way I see it we have an inland sea of fresh water to be treasured.

I've lived in Quebec and Ontario for forty years in six different, greatly separated communities. Without any effort on my part I've managed to never live more then a half hour away from great lakes water system and for over thirty years I could see the local lake or river from my home. It really makes clear how important the water way is in the establishment of our society.

I lived 3 blocks away from Lake Michigan for a few years. It was truly amazing. In the summer, you rarely ran your air conditioning due to the beautiful cool breeze you’d get off the lake. I loved all the lake gulls too.

As a native Michigander, it was so cool to hear about all the other 'Great Lakes' that drain into our watershed! And you even pronounced The Straits of Mackinac right! Thanks for the informative video :)

Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron deserves a mention (see avatar at left). Lake Manitou is the largest interior lake on Manitoulin Island, thus making it the largest lake literally inside the Great Lakes. It is the largest lake in a lake, on the largest freshwater island in the world.

Living in Southern Ontario all my life I feel very fortunate to be close to all the Great Lakes except Lake Michigan. I have to tell ya that one cannot even imagine the awe and fascination I feel standing on their shores. These bodies of water are huge! I often liken them to fresh water seas.They can be very calm one moment and can turn very choppy with high waves and stormy the next. These massive bodies of water are not without their own sets of mysteries and legends and they should be respected.

I live next to Lake Winnebago, the Fox River does indeed flow north. As a geologist, what was said about the glaciers and isostatic rebound (land lifting back up after the glaciers melted and their weight was gone) is also correct. Very nice job going through the history of Great Lakes region. Very well informed and put together.

I grew up near Lake Champlain. Yes, it is a “great” lake, although not a Great Lake. I’ve traveled around all of them, including Nipigon and the smaller but no less beautiful tributary lakes of Boundary Waters / Quetico. There are not many places in the world that approach the majesty of Superior and the others… maybe Baikal and the massive northern Canadian lakes. This is an ecosystem well worth protecting and balancing with the millions of people living within it.

Very interesting! I've lived a long the southern shores of Lake Erie for most of my almost 60 years of life. Though Erie is the shallowest of the major Great Lakes, it has the highest primary production, biological diversity and fish production of all the Great Lakes. (Returning to a Healthy Lake - Prepared by the Lake Erie Biodiversity Conservation Strategy Core Team)

Living close to St. Clair all my life, we were taught about the lake to great extent. Moving away from Michigan for a few years taught me that not many people know about our tiny and humble lake. ❤

I’ve lived in Ontario my whole life and I’ve come to know a lot of these lakes pretty well. I grew up right by Lake Simcoe, had a cottage on Georgian Bay, my Grandparents lived in Toronto not too far from Lake Ontario and I’m currently living in North Bay next to Nipissing. Fascinating bodies of water these lakes all are

Thoroughly enjoyed watching this video. Thanks for sharing.

Great presentation. A lot of varied information, not just geologic but also historical. Good stuff.

I grew up around Lake Nipissing and French River. Always makes me so happy when it gets talked about because no one knows about them. Thank you 😊

I'm from northern Ontario. Lived on lake Nippissing and canoed the French river as well as fished the Nipigon. Coupled with being a professional geologist, this video is amazing!!. Academic grade content well researched and delivered. Thank you for showcasing the great lakes region in such a way....cheers sir!!.

As a native Buffalonian, who loves the entire Great Lakes region, and has a genuine interest in so many topics most would find mundane, this video scratched so many of my little intellectual interest itches. I love it! Even if it does make me a bit home sick. I don't currently live anywhere near the Great Lakes (or many Lakes at all) because of work & life etc. But it's weird how much of an appreciation I have for things I took for granted. Niagara Falls for instance. You grow up like 30 minutes away from it, and you don't think much of it. People travel from all over the world to see them. But if you're from the region it's just kinda somewhere your parents brought you to get you out of the house, or like where you bring your friends from outta town, because they gotta see it. Now I understand entirely how unique the Falls are & have a picture of em hung on the wall above my desk so I can look at em every once in a while.

As someone who lives on Lake Erie in OH, I loved you highlighting all the smaller lakes. There are so many other glacially created Lakes and rivers in the Great Lakes region that need to be protected/restored. My hometown Toledo has been working on restoring the Maumee River which is the largest inlet in Lake Erie, supplies about 5% of Lake Erie's water. There are quite a few Lakes that try to claim the title "6th Great Lake," the Georgian Bay and Lake St Clair are others. I'd personally give the title to Lake St Clair as its waters seem to struggle the most with pollution and deserve to be cleaned up. Western Lake Erie where I live, gets all the crap that dumps down the Detroit River and gets so polluted we weren't even able to drink the water for a few days just a few years ago.

Fabulous explanation and history of the Great Lakes. I would also like to add, greetings from the Great State of Michigan. Thank you for this video and yes a new subscriber.

I’ve lived in Chicago now for about ten years and have really come to love and appreciate the Great Lakes region. Fantastic video, thanks!

Great to find this video, thanks! and was glad to see you talk about Lake Michigan-Huron as one lake.