Lake Pergusa, May 1997. Racetrack not visible from this angle. Il Lago di Pergusa, maggio 1997. Non si vede lÕautodromo da questo angolo.
Lake Pergusa, May 1997. Racetrack not visible from this angle.
Il Lago di Pergusa, maggio 1997. Non si vede lšautodromo da questo angolo.

Lake Pergusa, located in the center of Sicily, is a unique treasure among the world’s lakes. A salinated body of water, it turns bright red as a part of its natural cleansing process. It is also a key spot for European bird migrations. Named as the mythological place where the goddess Persephone was taken into the underworld, Lake Pergusa has been hailed by poets and historians for more than two thousand years as a marvel of flora and fauna. However, over the past four decades the lake has been under severe environmental attack due to the presence of an auto racetrack that encircles its entire three mile perimeter, as well as other violations of the surrounding habitat.

In October 1999, after a 20-year struggle waged by environmentalists, the local racetrack authority agreed to remove the track and cooperate in the restoration of the lake. But because this project is not a political priority in Sicily, it remains stalled. Meanwhile, each year Lake Pergusa continues to shrink and now hovers on the brink of disappearing altogether. . .

This Web site is dedicated to increasing international awareness about the importance of Lake Pergusa to the world’s ecosystem, and about its scientific and cultural value in Italy and beyond. You may use this site to find out more about the history of the lake, its natural properties, and the steps environmentalists have taken over the past 20 years to save and protect it. It is our hope that by garnering international interest in and support for the project, we will encourage Sicilian authorities to move forward on the restoration before it is too late.

Please contact us if you have ideas for resources and funding that may help us in this mission, or if you would like to lend a hand to the project in any way. Also feel free to join the Lake Pergusa e-group at www.egroups.com/group/LakePergusa.

Marguerite Rigoglioso (speaks English and Italian)
U.S. coordinator, The Lake Pergusa Restoration Project
mrigoglioso@earthlink.net

Maria Cimino (speaks Italian only)
Sicilian coordinator, The Lake Pergusa Restoration Project
nerigio@virgilio.it

Yvonne Kohler (speaks English and Italian)
Sicilian member, The Lake Pergusa Restoration Project
atishaserlingpa@yahoo.com

World Wildlife Fund Italy (speak English)
Via Garigliano 57, 00198 Rome, Italy
tel. 001-39-06-844971
Copyright 2001, Marguerite Rigoglioso