The Lakeside View

The Great Lakes drainage basin contains 95 percent of the surface water in North America. It covers nearly 300,000 square miles in eight states and two Canadian provinces and boasts a rich variety of freshwater wetlands communities. Prior to European settlement, however, there were wetlands stretching from the western edge of Lake Erie clear across Ohio, into Indiana, and covering the southern range of Ontario. Agricultural conversion and shoreline development have reduced wetlands acreage in the Great Lakes Basin drastically. An estimated 60-80 percent of pre-settlement wetlands in this region have been lost.