Great Lakes Untamed

The Great Lakes make up the world’s largest freshwater ecosystem, containing as much as one-fifth of the planet’s supply. Each lake is a vast body of water with its own mood and story. And each plays a part in a much larger system, carrying water on a journey that spans half a continent and more than three centuries. Follow its dramatic path east and discover how this enormous watershed nourishes a rich, diverse web of life, from endangered loons and piping plovers and loons to beavers and wolves to monarch butterflies on their epic migrations south.

Winter comes hard and fast around the Great Lakes, a throwback to the Ice Age that once gripped this region 20,000 years ago. For the many animals that live in and around these vast bodies of water, they must adapt to a world of thickening ice, blankets of snow, and a dome of ultra-cold air called the polar vortex. Enter a world of ice-fishing otters, glowing flying squirrels, singing cod, and other remarkable creatures, all trying to carve out a life in one of the most extreme, unpredictable environments on the planet.

After a long, brutal winter, spring casts a warm glow over the Great Lakes of North America, unleashing frozen waters, and revealing of host of natural marvels and mysteries. From the glowing, lava-like rocks of Superior to the wild spotted salamander eggs of Huron to Bessie, the giant serpent of Erie, we explore the visual wonders of the season from lake to lake. We also reveal how the area’s inhabitants take advantage of the rich bounty springtime offers, while scientists battle to protect native species from new, invasive creatures.