My Watermark is Lake Superior, Ontario.

I remember standing on a dock when I was 5 years old, I remember my father and three of my brothers leaving the dock on a 19-foot sailboat to go on a trip of probably 150 miles over 10 days on Lake Superior – and I was left behind. I think from that point on, I really wanted to get on Lake Superior, and I did!

The most beautiful place that I have been to on the north shore of Lake Superior is the mouth of Willow River east of Pic River and Marathon down into Pukaskwa National Park. I think that’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve been on Lake Superior. It’s sheltered from the main lake, it’s a nice bay with this beautiful sand beach. I’ve only been there once, and that was before Pukaskwa became a national park, but just a stunning place.

I’m far from an expert, but I started working with the North Shore Remedial Action Plan in 1995. I was employed to help get these Remedial Action Plans on the north shore moving along, and it’s just gone from there. I think whether it’s about the Remedial Action Plans, the broader Lake Superior, or even all the Great Lakes, to me, it’s about the connecting with lakes. How do you engage people so they actually connect with Lake Superior, and to me, that is the essence (of what we’re trying to do).

I think a lot of people live on the north shore of Lake Superior and may not be mindful, aware, or interested in Lake Superior. I feel part of my job is to get them interested in Lake Superior and enable them to connect with the lake.