The Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition is the only grassroots group which focuses solely on environmental issues across all of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The U.P., as it is known, is a forested peninsula (85%) that is surrounded by three Great Lakes (Superior, Huron, and Michigan). It is a sparsely settled region of small towns founded originally on the extractive industries of lumbering and mining (copper, iron, gold). During the 20th century, the regional population hovered between 300,000 and 320,000, with its largest city, Marquette's population about 26,000 (1998). UPEC has drawn its numerical and organizational strength from the two major population centers of the region -- the Marquette area and the Houghton-Hancock area -- which also house its two major universities (Northern Michigan University and Michigan Technological University). The Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition (UPEC) is made up of 200-300 paid memberships and a collection of 15-20 other nature conservancies who specialize in environmental issues affecting the U.P. UPEC is a nonprofit, registered 501(c)(3) organization operating under a constitution originally ratified on January 24, 1976. Since the beginning the purpose has remained unchanged: to protect and maintain the unique environmental qualities of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan by educating the public and acting as a watchdog to industry and government.