GREAT LAKES UNTAMED

It takes two hundred years for a drop of water from Lake Superior’s shores to flow through the five Great Lakes into the Atlantic Ocean. Along this 4000-kilometre journey, development forces beavers and grey wolves to live together, scientists work to contain invasive carp, freshwater preserves shipwrecks downed by oceanlike waves, and divers explore newly-discovered underwater caves.

A polar vortex paralyzes fish and ducks attracting dozens of bald eagles. Wolves hunt a deer trapped by a frozen lake. Baby black bears use snow as insulation while ruffed grouse use it as camouflage from a lynx. This is the story of how snow and ice shape life in the Great Lakes.

Spring in the Great Lakes is marked by extreme and unpredictable temperatures. Evolution’s marvels such as glowing rocks are on full display during this calamitous time. Here, the world’s largest surgeon spawning has inspired tales of ancient sea monsters. Black bears, moose and wolves prowl forests containing the only photosynthetic vertebrate in existence.