Photo courtesy of Stephenson National Bank & Trust Don Fassbender, President of Great Lakes Scuba Diving & Lake Preservation accepts a donation from Theresa O’Brien, Trust Administrative Assistant of The Stephenson National Bank & Trust. These funds will help equip volunteer Scuba divers and surface support with gear necessary to remove tons of trash that remain hidden beneath the waves.

Great Lakes Scuba Diving & Lake Preservation is a non-profit organization with a goal of cleaning the underwater environment throughout the Great Lakes watershed. The group’s journey started in Marquette where many hours were spent Scuba diving on Lake Superior and witnessing first hand the accumulation of trash at the lake bottom. To date, they have removed over 12 tons of tires, two refrigerators, water heaters, countless car batteries, and much more from this harbor alone.

Until recently, it was nearly impossible to host underwater cleanups without the support of a dive shop and a source for compressed air for the divers. To solve this problem, a small group of like-minded individuals banded together to raise enough money to purchase a compressed air system. Through their work, Marquette’s harbor is nearly complete. Other organized cleanups will be hosted in harbors throughout the U.P. and beyond.

Donations support the removal of tons of trash that have found it’s way into Lake Superior, the worlds largest body of fresh water. More information can be found on Facebook www.facebook.com/greatlakesscubadivers and online www.greatlakesscubadivers.com