When Samuel deChamplain first contemplated the vast expanse of water the Hurons called "Entouhonoron" in 1615, he hoped he had found the Northwest Passage. To this very day the vast expanse he viewed remains unchanged, and no matter how sophisticated we think we have become, the sight still inspires as much awe and wonder as it did on that day in 1615 when western man first set eyes on it.
And indeed there is good reason. Ontario, as the lake is known today, is the seventh largest body of temperate fresh water in the world and the second deepest of the Great Lakes.
As our nation moved ever westward, our lake served as a principal trade route. Trappers and fishermen plied its waters. Wars were fought, and many a vessel and all its crew found its way to the quiet depths.
Even then, our presence threatened the character of the lake, but never have the acts or omissions of man threatened it so seriously as today.
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