"A Paradox of Abundance: The Great Lakes in North American Environmental History"

With 20% of the world's freshwater, and ecosystems under severe stress from toxic pollution, invasive species, land use pressure, and global climate change, the Great Lakes basin has received intense public attention in Canada and the United States. The region is also in a fragile economic condition, a virtual Rust Belt of dislocation as manufacturing has moved to other parts of the world. The region's current ecological and economic vulnerability is, paradoxically, a consequence of its tremendous abundance. Professor Heasley will discuss the opportunities, costs, and problematic outcomes for a border region and vast inland maritime system seemingly blessed by infinite resources. She will focus on the development of joint U.S.-Canadian management of the St. Lawrence River and Great Lakes, and its significance in North American environmental history.