On July 3, people from communities all along the Great Lakes — including Dunkirk — will gather on the shores, standing side by side, holding hands.

Along Lake Erie in Chautauqua County, there are many public beaches, marinas, boat launches, vacation resort areas and sportsmen clubs. The area is also known for its great fishing areas and historic designations. Most of the people living here realize what a treasure the lake is to the area and what an economic benefit it is to the county.

To demonstrate their appreciation for the Great Lakes and to call on Congress to continue funding for protection of this great resource, people from communities all along the Great Lakes will gather on the shores, standing side by side, holding hands.

In Dunkirk, people will be joining 53 other communities around the Great Lakes on July 3 at Wright Park Beach in a symbolic effort to let the area know how important the lakes are to the community. People will gather at 9:30 a.m. and at 10, they will form a line, holding hands and stretching across the beach, showing symbolically their support and protection for the lakes. The event is expected to be done by 10:15.

This event is in coordination with the Dunkirk Festivals and endorsed by local legislators who appreciate the valuable asset the lake is to the area.

All Hands on Deck is an organization that was formed to build nonpartisan support for legislation, regulations and funding based on unbiased science to sustain the health of world’s water resource by providing an annual event and actions to celebrate our waters. This event will increase public awareness of the importance of sustaining the lakes’ ecosystem. By unifying water organizations, water issues, water activists, water sports enthusiasts and business owners, we visually show a united front and increase awareness and actions to protect water.

The Great Lakes, Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario together are the largest surface freshwater system on Earth; only the Polar icecaps contain more water. The Great Lakes contain 84 percent of North America’s surface fresh water, and 21 percent of all the surface fresh water in the world. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Great Lakes are “a dominant part of the physical and cultural heritage of North America.”

According to the U.S. National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, the lakes are threatened by erosion, spills and persistent toxic chemicals, habitat destruction, wetlands damage and eradication, runoff pollution from residential, municipal, industrial, agricultural sources, invasive species — plants, animals, micro-organisms, water level extremes and climate change and diversion (e.g. proposals to provide water to other parts of the world).

Locally, Dr. Sherri Mason from SUNY Fredonia has conducted major scientific research in the Great Lakes leading to a ban on plastic microbeads. She and others at the college are continuing research regarding pollutants in the lakes.