Great Lakes

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Fred Sitkins readies Inland Seas for more sailing adventures

It’s a special year for the Inland Seas Education Association. Make that another special year: the organization is on track to serve its 200,000th person this year in its 37th season. At the same time, the ISEA is launching the bidding phase for construction and expansion on its Suttons Bay campus. “We’ve served 192,123 participants since our founding in 1989,” says Skyler Singleton, communications coordinator for the Suttons Bay organization. The numbers continue to grow each year. “We reached nearly 10,000 participants in 2025 alone, so we are definitely on track to hit that 200,000 milestone this fall.” Executive director Fred Sitkins says expansion of the campus will enable it to continue to grow and serve even more. “It’s going to be really strong. Every year is a little bit better,” he says.

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Supreme Court reaffirms Great Lakes public beach access

The public has the right to walk the Great Lakes shoreline, even along privately owned beaches. The United States Supreme Court reaffirmed that right on Tuesday. The court declined to hear an Indiana case filed by riparian land owners who live along the south shore of Lake Michigan.

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This Land, This Water

Traverse City author Jerry Dennis will read “This Land, This Water: A Winter on the Great Lakes”, excerpted from his book “The Windward Shore” at the July 14 oil pipeline protest at the Mackinac Bridge.

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Reflections on 50 years of Sleeping Bear

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Leelanau writer Kathleen Stocking reflects on her father, Pierce Stocking, who passed away the day after selling his vast tracts of land near Glen Arbor to the federal government. That land is now part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

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Leelanau Conservancy launches 25th anniversary speaker series, May 4

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To mark its 25th anniversary, the Leelanau Conservancy will hold a speaker series over the next two years that features national environmental and conservation leaders. The series is part of an effort to engage members and the public on topics important to Leelanau County.

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Jerry Dennis’ The Windward Shore a walk on the wild side

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As autumn recedes under the lowering, snow-filled skies of winter, curl up in a warm place with the newest book of essays by celebrated nature writer Jerry Dennis, with wood engravings by the incomparable Glenn Wolff. Or better yet, follow the writer outside, as he takes you on a guided exploration along The Windward Shore: A Winter on the Great Lakes.

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Jerry Dennis, Glenn Wolff sign at Black Star Farms

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Glen Arbor’s Cottage Book Shop will host author Jerry Dennis and illustrator Glenn Wolff (who will have engraving prints on hand) who will sign their book The Windward Shore: Great Lakes in the Winter from 11-2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19 at the Vintage Cottage Holiday Market at Black Star Farms in Suttons Bay.

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An interview with Holly Wren Spaulding

As a writer, activist, teacher and artist, Holly Wren Spaulding has suppressed society’s notion of cookie-cutter success while confidently choosing a less-traveled path that benefits her audience and community members. Most importantly she knows what she needs to feel fulfilled. Because Holly is a woman of numerous proverbial hats, she possesses a unique ability to shed inspiration on those who are passionate about so many things but can’t find the label that is often required for validation.

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Onekama third graders explore civil liberties with Ray Franz

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n early March 2011 I invited the Representative of Michigan’s 101st District, Ray Franz to come and speak with my students at Onekema Elementary School about his role in our State’s government, I asked him to speak of current issues in Michigan that would be of interest to a typical third grader, and to answer student questions regarding our natural resources, energy, transportation, and our civil liberties.

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Glen Lake Association offers boat wash workshop

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A boat wash workshop will be held on April 28 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Leelanau Community Government Center Community Meeting Room, lower level. Learn protocol for washing your own watercraft and recreational equipment and the importance of using the boat wash at the DNR site on Little Glen Lake.

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