Partners

Superior Watershed Partnership & Land Trust

The Superior Watershed Partnership and Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) is an award winning Great Lakes nonprofit organization that has set national records for pollution prevetion and implements innovative, science-based programs that achieves documented, measurable results. The Superior Watershed Partnership implements a variety of conservation and public education projects.

 

Federal/International Governmental Agencies and Organizations

International Joint Commission
The International Joint Commission (IJC) assists governments in finding solutions to problems in the larger rivers and lakes that lie along, or flow across, the border between the United States and Canada. The two countries cooperate to manage these waters wisely and to protect them for the benefit of today’s citizens and future generations.

Environment Canada
Environment Canada (EC) is a department of the federal government responsible for protecting the environment, conserving the country’s natural heritage and providing weather and environmental predictions to keep Canadians informed and safe. The link leads to information pertaining to the Canadian Federal Great Lakes Program implemented by EC.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is the lead federal government department in control of developing and implementing policies and programs in support of Canada’s economic, ecological and scientific interests in oceans and inland waters.

United States Environmental Protection Agency
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established to consolidate in one agency a variety of federal research, monitoring, standard-setting and enforcement activities to ensure both environmental and human health protection. The link leads to information pertaining to the EPA’s Great Lakes National Programs Office.

Binational.net
Binational.net is a collaboration between the United States Environmental Protection Agency and Environment Canada to provide a single window on joint Great Lakes programs.

Great Lakes Commission
The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) is an agency consisting of the Great Lake states, in cooperation with Ontario and Quebec. GLC promotes the orderly, integrated and comprehensive development, use and conservation of the water and related natural resources of the Great Lakes basin and St. Lawrence River.

Great Lakes Information Network
The Great Lakes Information Network (GLIN) is a partnership that provides a place for people to find information relating to the binational Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region.

Great Lakes Fisheries Commission
The Great Lakes Fisheries Commission (GLFC) coordinates fisheries research, controls the invasive sea lamprey, and facilitates cooperative fishery management among Canadian and U.S. management agencies.

Provincial/State Governmental Agencies:

Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change
The Ontario Ministry of the Environment (MOE) is responsible for protecting clean and safe air, land and water to ensure healthy communities, ecological protection and sustainable development for present and future generations of Ontarians. The link directs you to the MOE’s Great Lakes Protection Program.

Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) works to promote healthy and sustainable ecosystems, conserve biodiversity, promote economic opportunities, manage Ontario’s Crown land, and conduct scientific research – applying the findings to develop effective resource management policies. The link directs you to the Great Lakes section of the site.

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) monitors environmental quality, offers technical and financial assistance and enforces environmental regulations. The MPCA finds and cleans up spills or leaks that can affect our health and environment.

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) works with citizens to conserve and manage the state’s natural resources, to provide outdoor recreation opportunities, and provide for commercial uses of natural resources in a way that creates a sustainable quality of life.

Michigan Department of Environmental Quality
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is dedicated to protecting human health and the environment while fostering a healthy economy by effective and efficient administration of agency programs, and by providing for use of innovative strategies.

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) is responsible for preserving, protecting, managing, and maintaining the natural resources of the state.

 

Tribal/First Nations Resources

Fort William First Nation
The Fort William First Nation (FWFN) is an Ojibway First Nation located south of and adjacent to Thunder Bay, Ontario. As of 2008, the First Nation had a registered population of about 1800 with an on-reserve population of more than 800. Due to multiple past and present industrial pollution issues affecting Fort William First Nation, citizens formed the Anishinabek Bitchi Gami Environmental Programs (AGG) to improve the health of the community through grassroots projects that address threats to human and environmental health. The AGG was the first environmental non-profit organization in an Ontario First Nation community.

Red Rock Indian Band
The Red Rock Indian Band (RRIB) is an Ojibway First Nation in Northwestern Ontario. The Council is an independent member of the Union of Ontario Indians, a Tribal Political Organization. There are more than 110 homes on the reserve with a population of 320 residents. In addition, more than 1200 live off-reserve.

Pic River First Nation
The Pic River First Nation is an Ojibway First Nation band on the north shore of Lake Superior near the mouth of the Pic River, Ontario with a registered population (as of 2007) of approximately 960 and an on-reserve population of 480. The mission of the Pic River First Nation is to promote the development of a healthy, safe and self-sufficient community.

 

Municipal Governments

City of Thunder Bay
Located along the north shore of Lake Superior, Thunder Bay is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario with a population of 108,359 (as of the 2011 census).

Township of Nipigon
Nipigon is a township in the Thunder Bay District, Northwestern Ontario and is located along the west side of the Nipigon River and south of the small Lake Helen which runs between Lake Nipigon and Lake Superior. The population of Nipigon is around 1,631 (as of the 2011 census).

Township of Red Rock
The Township of Red Rock, located within the Thunder Bay District, Ontario sits on the shore of Lake Superior about 10 miles west of the Nipigon River where it drains into Nipigon Bay on the north shore of Lake Superior. The population of Red Rock was 942 (as of the 2011 census).

Township of Schreiber
Schreiber is a municipal township located along the northernmost point of Lake Superior along Highway 17. The town had a population of 1,126 (as of the 2011 census).

Township of Terrace Bay
Terrace Bay is a municipal township located on the north shore of Lake Superior east of Thunder Bay along Highway 17. The name originates from a series of lake terraces that were formed as the water level in Lake Superior lowered following the last ice age. As of the 2011 census the population was 1,471.

Township of Marathon
Marathon is a town located in the Thunder Bay District, on the north shore of Lake Superior north of Pukaskwa National Park. The population of Marathon was 3,353 as of the 2011 census.

Township of Wawa
Wawa is a township located within the Algoma District, Ontario along the northeastern shore of Lake Superior. Formerly known as Michipicoten, the township was officially renamed for it’s largest and best-known community in 2007. As of the 2011 census, the population of the Wawa township was 2,975.

 

Local Organizations

Earth Care Thunder Bay
EarthCare Thunder Bay is a partnership between the City of Thunder Bay and the community to work together on issues of community sustainability, climate adaptation, and greenhouse gas reduction. Their mission is to lead the community in securing the environmental health of the region, and thereby improve the social, cultural, and economic well-being of future generations. There are eleven working groups that operate under the guidance of EarthCare.

Lakehead Regional Conservation Authority
The Lakehead Regional Conservation Authority (LRCA) is a community-based environmental agency. They are responsible for the wise management of renewable natural resources in the Thunder Bay watershed. Conservation Authorities undertake a broad range of programs including: flood control, floodplain management, wetland protection, erosion control, reforestation, conservation lands, and conservation education

Thunder Bay District Health Unit
The Thunder Bay District Health Unit (TBDHU) provides public health information and monitoring for residents of the Thunder Bay District in Northwestern Ontario.

EcoSuperior Environmental Programs
EcoSuperior is an incorporated non-profit organization operated by a volunteer board of directors. The mission of EcoSuperior is to achieve greater environmental stewardship in Northwestern Ontario and the Lake Superior Basin through engagement, education, collaboration, action and leadership.

North Shore Steelhead Association
The North Shore Steelhead Association is a non-profit organization concerned with the conservation and preservation of fisheries in the tributaries of Lake Superior. The primary concern of the founding members was the protection and enhancement of the north shore migratory rainbow trout (steelhead) fishery, but includes all cold water species that use Lake Superior’s tributaries in their lifecycle.

Thunder Bay Field Naturalists
The Thunder Bay Field Naturalists club is a non-profit organization dedicated to the study of natural history, the wise use of natural resources, the preservation of natural areas, and teaching the public to understand and protect nature.

Environment North
Environment North is a registered charitable organization that functions as a regional coalition of environmental organizations and individuals. Through research, education and community advocacy they promote sustainable communities and conservation of our resources. As such, their goal is to benefit the community by protecting the environment and increasing the public’s understanding of the environment.

Canadian Lighthouses of Lake Superior

Canadian Lighthouses of Lake Superior Inc. (CLLS), is an umbrella organization that represents a movement to restore, preserve, maintain, and promote lighthouses that dot the northern shores of Lake Superior. Incorporated under the Ontario Historical Society CLLS’s duty is to provide public access to these unique heritage locations.

 

Academic Institutions and Research Centres

Lakehead University
Lakehead University (Lakehead or LU) is a public research university located in Thunder Bay, Ontario with a second campus in Orillia, Ontario. Lakehead hosts this website as well as the Remedial Action Plan office for the Thunder Bay, Nipigon Bay, Jackfish Bay and Peninsula Harbour Areas of Concern.

Confederation College
Confederation College is a provincially funded college of applied arts and technology located in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

University of Minnesota Duluth
The University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) is a public research university and a regional branch of the University of Minnesota system located in Duluth, Minnesota. UMD hosts such research centres as the Centre for Water and Environment, the Great Lakes Maritime Research Institute (GLMRI), the Large Lakes Observatory (LLO) and the Minnesota Sea Grant Program

University of Michigan – Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessment Centre
The Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessment Centre (GLISA) is one of eleven centres across the U.S. focused on adaptation to climate change and variability. GLISA integrates information from a wide array of scientific fields, develops collaborations between entities with similar goals, and helps inform decision makers throughout the region with sound science. GLISA offers a unique approach to building climate literacy, long-term sustainability, and facilitating smart decision making across the eight Great Lakes states and the province of Ontario.

Wisconsin Sea Grant
The Wisconsin Sea Grant is a statewide program of basic and applied research, education, and outreach and technology transfer dedicated to the stewardship and sustainable use of the Great Lakes and ocean resources

Great Lake Observing System
The Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS) is one of 11 regional associations of the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS), working to enhance the ability to collect, deliver, and use ocean and Great Lakes information. IOOS is a partnership among federal, regional, academic and private sector parties that works to provide new tools and forecasts to improve safety, enhance the economy, and protect our environment.

 

Funding Opportunities

Great Lakes Guardian Community Fund
The Great Lakes Guardian Community Fund (GLGCF) was created by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment to help communities take action to protect and restore their corner of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Basin.

Great Lakes Sustainability Fund
The Great Lakes Sustainability Fund (GLSF) was created by Environment Canada to accelerate the work being done on Canada’s remaining Areas of Concern, and provides technical and financial support to initiatives that serve to protect and restore the environment.

Ontario Trillium Foundation
The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) enables Ontarians work together to enhance the quality of life in their communities. The OTF believes that communities across Ontario are rich in talent, creativity and drive, and their grants stimulate communities to build upon these assets.

Great Lakes Protection Fund
The Great Lakes Protection Fund’s (GLFP) mission is to identify, demonstrate, and promote regional actions to enhance the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem.

Great Lakes Restoration Initiative
The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) is a U.S. initiative started in 2012 to address long-standing issues and emerging challenges that need to be addressed to revitalize the Great Lakes ecosystem.

 

Other Sites of Interest

Lake Superior Day

Just Naturally Speaking Blog from Nipigon, Ontario.Courtesy of Betty Brill

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