This book tells the story of the volunteers, regional elected officials, journalists, and scientists who refused to let their local New Jersey lakes deteriorate. For decades storm water runoff, inadequate septic management, weed growth, eutrophication, and Harmful Agal Blooms turned lakes Hopatcong and Greenwood into environmental problems and public health emergencies. Yet with the determination of a grassroots movement to restore the lakes, local organizations demanded better. Regional planning boards emerged and local commissions appointed volunteer members to pursue scientific studies and large-scale remediation. Through the tale of lakes Hopatcong and Greenwood, this book offers an optimistic and practical example of how local residents, leaders, and organizations can make substantial progress in environmental rehabilitation and preservation in their own backyard.