SAULT STE. MARIE — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Lake Guardian research vessel opened for public tours today while docked at the Museum Ship Valley Camp.
At 180 feet, the Lake Guardian is the agency’s largest research vessel. Its crew travels the five Great Lakes to monitor and report on water quality and ecological health.
The open deck event allowed visitors to see firsthand the work researchers conduct on the lakes.
“The Great Lakes are critically important economically, culturally, and anybody who has been to the Great Lakes knows how special they are,” said Matthew Pawlowski, a physical scientist. “So studying them and restoring them and protecting them is really important.”
The crew will continue research work through October before docking the vessel in Milwaukee for the winter.