Many Northlanders came together this weekend to pay tribute to the world's largest freshwater lake.
Across the U-S and Canada, citizens celebrated Lake Superior Day.

Every third Sunday in July, two countries come together to celebrate Lake Superior.
They were celebrating and raising awareness about the Great Lake.
The Lake Superior Bi-national forum's goal is to protect the lake's basin from pollution and other types of threats.
Many activities were planned and at Brighton Beach in Duluth, where people were walking for the largest body of freshwater in the world.

"We're trying to draw attention to the barrels of military waste that were dumped into Lake Superior, many of which are near the water-intake pipe for the City of Duluth," said John LaForge, co-director of Nukewatch.

Across the bridge in Superior, The DECC received an environmental stewardship award from the Lake Superior Bi-National Forum.

"They composted all the food waste, about 80 percent is composted. Surplus food is donated to local food banks," said Bruce Lundberg of Lake Superior Bi-National Forum. " And food and beverage containers and cardboard are all recycled."

According to the Lake Superior Binational Forum, Lake Superior is the cleanest of the five great lakes.
But there's a problem-aquatic invasive species.

"Since 1883, we've had 88 non native species," said Doug Jensen, Minnesota Sea Grant, aquatic invasive species program coordinator. "Seventy-one are ones that are well-established in the lake, and 66 are those that everyone is concerned about that are invasive."

Jensen says the most destructive species in the Great Lakes is the Sea Lamprey.

"Only one in six or seven fish survive a sea lamprey attack," Jensen said.

Jensen says the Great Lakes provide a combined 5-billion dollar sport and commercial fishing industry each year, but stopping aquatic hitchhikers comes at a hefty price.

"Nationally, there's been 138- billion dollars annually in terms of the cost for all invasive species," Jensen said.

And many say the quality of the water, determines the quality of life here in the Northland.

"Lake Superior is a gift, and when opened, we see how beautiful it really is," said Britney MacDonell, Superior Cathedral 8th-Grader.

The Minnesota Sea Grant says 99- percent of Minnesota boaters take action to prevent the spread of invasive species.