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This page presents overviews of natural resources of the Great Lakes, such as fossil fuels (e.g., oil, gas, coal), nonfuel minerals (e.g., salt, limestone and dolomite, gypsum), fish, forest, etc. Natural resources of the Great Lakes are very important in our everyday lives. For example, gypsum is used in wallboard, cement, as a fertilizer in agriculture to regulate acidity, and as a stiffening agent in bakery products such as bread, cake, and cake frostings. Gypsum was discovered along the shores of Lake Erie in the early 1800's and was first used as a soil conditioner. Gypsum is currently mined in only one location in Ohio, Ottawa County, and is used primarily in the manufacture of wallboard (Geofacts No. 11).
The Great Lakes as human life resources also provide a variety of outdoor recreation opportunities including boating, fishing, swimming, canoeing, hiking, etc. Major recreation areas of Lake Erie are Bass island, OH; Niagara Falls, NY; Presque Isle, PA; and Cuyahoga Valley and Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, OH, etc. However, there are serious environmental problems such as toxics, organic pollution, phenols, heavy metals, etc. Human's management and efforts can protect our resources in the Great Lakes.

FS-071 Brownfields and their development.

GS-018 Guide to Put-in-Bay (South Bass Island, Ohio): Historical places, natural features, and island ecology.

FS-080 Lake Erie: Past, present, and future

EP-079 The Great Lake Erie. 
- Chapter 10. Lake Erie Coastal Uses
- Chapter 12. Effect of Human activities on the Ecology of Lake Erie
- Chapter 14. Recovering From Phosphorous Enrichment 
- Chapter 15. Toxics in Lake Erie

FS-062 Scenic byways, trails, and corridors, and their impacts.

To request these materials, please visit OSG website. 

Great Lakes Environmental Issues

• Who owns the resources of the Great Lakes? 
• How (environmentally) insulting can we get? 
• What happens when nutrients enter an estuary? 

2. Great Lakes Instructional Materials for the Changing Earth System

• What happens when nutrients enter a lake?
• How might global warming affect recreation around the Great Lakes? 
• Should we develop winter or summer recreation?

Land use, fisheries, and erosion
From The Great Lakes: An Environmental Atlas and Resource Book (1995)

Map of Recreational and Protected Areas 
From The Great Lakes: An Environmental Atlas and Resource Book (1995)

Lake Erie Bathymetry
From Great Lakes Forecasting System (GLFS)