A recent poll shows just how much people in the Great Lakes region care about the freshwater lakes.
More than four-thousand people in states and provinces on the Great Lakes were surveyed by the International Joint Commission.
Sally Cole-Misch is a public affairs officer for the IJC. She said the majority of people surveyed said the same thing.
“Most people, 78 percent actually feel that the Great Lakes should be protected because of their economic significance to the region, which is actually very true. Just take tourism, that’s 17-billion dollars a year to our region's economy.”
Cole-Misch said 55 percent of respondents said they want protections for the lakes even if it means an increase in cost of products.
And she said economic concerns weren’t the only thing keeping people on the side of the lakes...respondents also want protection for recreational and wildlife purposes.
A link to the survey results is here.