Location
Western UP Center for Science, Mathematics and Environmental Education
809 Hecla Street, P.O. Box 270
Hancock, MI 49930
Ph. 906-482-0331
Contact:
Shawn Oppliger, Project Director
shawn@copperisd.org
Website: http://lakesuperiorstewardship.org
Goal
The primary goal of the Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative (LSSI) is to prepare K–12 students to become knowledgeable citizens, concerned about the Great Lakes and actively engaged in stewardship activities that will contribute to the recovery, restoration, and future protection of the Great Lakes and their watersheds. The LSSI provides sustained professional development for teachers, makes grants to schools, assists with stewardship projects, and facilitates school-community collaborations and public forums.
Community Context
The LSSI focuses on schools and communities in Baraga, Houghton, and Keweenaw counties. This area encompasses the school districts of the Copper Country Intermediate School District and the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community. The percentage of Native American children is eight times the state average and four times the national average. This rural and remote region is one of the most economically challenged areas in Michigan, with 44.6 percent of the students qualifying for free or reduced lunch programs. This three-county area lies primarily within the Lake Superior watershed—one of the most pristine and unique ecosystems in North America—and includes nearly 300 miles of Lake Superior shoreline. Lake Superior is the largest body of fresh water (measured by surface area) on the planet, containing more than half the water in the Great Lakes system and close to 50 percent of North America’s surface freshwater.
The area served by the LSSI has its roots in the use of natural resources—logging, copper mining, agriculture, and fishing—to build the local economy of the past century. After the copper mines closed in 1968, local communities had to look for more sustainable sources of economic development. Recent efforts to integrate manufacturing and technology into the local economy are meeting with success. While residents still value the area’s natural resources, the focus is shifting toward recognizing the recreational potential and scenic amenities that are closely linked to these diverse resources. Recognition of and pride in the area’s unique cultural heritage has also grown steadily in the past decade.
Identified Community Needs
Under the leadership of the Western UP Center for Science, Mathematics and Environmental Education teachers, school administrators, community organizations, and local, state, and federal government agencies identified a variety of community stewardship needs that could be addressed by students, teachers, and community partners through their work with the LSSI. These needs include:
- Monitoring and protecting water resources
- Controlling invasive species
- Protecting the historic character of communities
- Maintaining open space for public use
- Protecting and restoring wetlands
- Identifying and addressing the cause(s) of decline in certain fish and wildlife populations
- Reducing mercury contamination in the region’s fish populations
- Increasing public understanding and engagement in decision-making processes about issues that affect the region’s resources.