High School students volunteer at the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth, Minnesota. We call ourselves TEAM Aquarium. We work in specific areas of the Aquarium, sharing our knowledge of Lake Superior with visitors as well as participating in special projects like field trips. This project has shown us that we can take an idea and make it reality by working together as a team. At the symposium, our presentation will address toxins and how they accumulate in organisms and magnify through the food chain. The purpose of the presentation is to make students aware of what bioaccumulation is; to demonstrate the process of biomagnification and how it affects all levels of the food chain; and to provide resources for prevention.

Sandy Beach is a beautiful natural site on the shore of Lake Superior near Wawa, Ontario. The grass that stabilizes the dunes at Sandy Beach was being destroyed by vehicular traffic. With help from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and the local township, the Michipicoten High School Celebrate the Earth Club has transplanted new dune grass yearly and erected vehicle barriers to limit access to foot traffic only. The Celebrate the Earth Club’s goal is protection of the fragile sand dune ecosystem at Sandy Beach. Other parts of the project include construction of a boardwalk, bathroom facilities, and educational signs. During their presentation about the beach rehabilitation project, students will share their experiences with project fundraising, project design and implementation, and community education efforts.

In 1998, the Buckley Community School Environmental II class began a comprehensive biological study on the Platte River near Traverse City, Michigan. The purpose of the Platte River Project was to evaluate the water quality at six sites along the river, and determine whether an existing coho salmon fish hatchery had affected the nutrient levels in the river. Five teams of Buckley Community School sophomores collected samples; sorted and classified biological organisms; and analyzed data. During this presentation, students will describe their findings and explain how their involvement has led to a more comprehensive study of the Platte River.

The concept of the Lake Superior Initiative was first introduced at White Pines Collegiate & Vocational School in 1992 and continues today. By integrating curriculum around the central theme of Lake Superior, and by providing opportunities for students and teachers to work collaboratively, the Initiative has infused a sense of purpose, commitment and undercurrent of excitement in our school and beyond. Our project is predicated on the belief that students who will live and work in the 21st century require in-school and out-of-school experiences which emphasize global issues, environmental concerns, new technologies, networking, and student activism. Since 1992, White Pines students have been involved in a wide variety of experiences and program related to Lake Superior, helped to initiate the first symposium in 1995 in Wisconsin, hosted the symposium in 1997, and attended the 1999 symposium in Minnesota. At the 2001 symposium, students will present a musical workshop titled, Imagine the Evolution, that will actively involve participants in creating a hands-on soundscape representing the evolution of the Great Lakes approximately 12,500 years ago. The sounds will create an aural image of the retreating glaciers and the gradual development of the greatest freshwater lake in the world.

For the past 10 years, students from the Sanilac County Science and Math Center have conducted chemical and physical water tests around Sanilac County. The study helps to inform citizens and members of the Michigan Legislature about the health of the local ecosystem and it’s resources, and provides information on specific areas where the County needs environmental support. At the symposium, students will present their findings from the Lake Huron watershed water quality study, along with two other studies conducted by students: i) the verification of sewage and industrial waste pollution in Lake Michigan; and ii) an investigation of lead content values in tap-water samples.

Bothwell Middle School 8th graders have begun a project to learn more about Lake Superior by conducting interviews, designing a website, creating a display to be included in the Marquette County Historical Society’s year-long exhibit on Lake Superior, and conducting public education programs in the Marquette area. In their symposium presentation, students will conduct a multi-media program and interactive game to teach others about what has attracted people to Marquette, and the recreational and industrial impacts to Lake Superior over the past 150 years.

At Anoka High School, students who participate on the GLEAM Teams are responsible for organizing a project that helps the larger community address real problems. This year’s GLEAM Team have worked with school and community partners to better understand the threats to Lake Superior’s water quality. Team members gathered information and made community presentations, as they tried to generate solutions to the many threats to Lake Superior. In their symposium presentation, students will describe how they have gathered success stories from many individuals and organizations about active stewardship in the Great Lakes basin.