Lake Superior (known as Gichigami, or ‘big lake’ in Ojibwe) is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area and the third largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh water. The lake straddles 150 miles of Minnesota’s northeastern border, with its most western edge ending along the city twin ports of Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin.
February 26, 2007 - MPR’s Stephanie Hemphill reports that commercial fishermen along the North Shore of Lake Superior could be allowed to bring more lake trout to market. A bill addressing the issue received a first hearing. Commercial trout fishing has been essentially banned on Lake Superior since the 1960s.
April 27, 2007 - MPR’s Bob Kelleher looks at one of the impacts of extreme low water levels of Lake Superior. The lake is about 18 inches below normal, creating a problem for shippers who now must load lighter to avoid hitting bottom. It has also renewed frustration over the Federal Government's harbor dredging program.
September 3, 2007 - Lake Superior is known for its pristine water, but one oil spill could ruin all that. U.S. Coast Guard cutters, like the Duluth-based Alder, carry first response equipment in case of a major oil spill. The Alder crew was practicing the system on the big lake and MPR's Bob Kelleher went along to see how it's done.
November 19, 2007 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer interviews nature photographer Craig Blacklock about his art and devotion to the pristine landscapes of Lake Superior. Blacklock is using his book "Minnesota's North Shore" to educate Minnesotans about development around Lake Superior. Blacklock says those landscapes could easily be ruined by irresponsible land development. The photographer says he's devoted to the area because the raw nature of the big lake captures his imagination.
April 1, 2008 - MPR’s Bob Kelleher reports that there are urgent new efforts to keep a virus that's deadly to many kinds of fish out of Lake Superior. The disease, known as VHS, has quickly spread through the other Great Lakes. Minnesota officials say if it reaches Lake Superior, VHS could jump to inland waters and devastate the state's fishing industry.
May 12, 2008 - MPR’s Bob Kelleher reports that Lake Superior's low water in 2007’ revealed something disturbing…gaping rusted holes in much of the underwater steel in the Duluth-Superior harbor. The aggressive corrosion, discovered just a couple of years ago, has caused extensive damage below the water line. The cause is still a mystery, but studies have begun to identify some leading suspects.
July 7, 2008 - MPR’s Bob Kelleher visits the Split Rock Lighthouse as it undergoes a large restoration work. The lighthouse is 130 ft above Lake Superior's blue waves, but the lake's notoriously bad weather and winds have taken a toll on the iconic structure.
November 27, 2008 - Curt Brown discusses his book “So Terrible a Storm: A Tale of Fury on Lake Superior,” which chronicles The Great Storm of 1905, also known as Mataafa Storm of 1905. The cyclone storm brought death and destruction for those on Lake Superior during the intense weather event.
January 15, 2009 - MPR’s Bob Kelleher reports that efforts to help Lake Superior sturgeon become self-sustaining is entering a critical phase. Lake Superior sturgeon were nearly wiped out in the big lake about a century ago. In the 1980's, wildlife officials began restocking sturgeon. Those fish are just now reaching the age to reproduce - but they don't have a good place to do that. Crews have been busy this winter, trying to build the perfect sturgeon love nest.
May 14, 2009 - MPR’s Stephanie Hemphill reports that critics of Minnesota's new ballast water permit system will argue in court that the system doesn't do enough to protect Lake Superior from invasive species. They say with a deadly fish virus infesting every Great Lake except Lake Superior, the state needs to act more quickly and more effectively.