Just about everyone has noticed the quite distinct red-sailed, emerald green hulled schooner traversing the waters around Leelanau County. This is the 77-foot schoolship, Inland Seas. A beloved ship to many, she has been around for more than 28 years now. Thomas Michael Kelly, the ship’s first captain, would be filled with joy to know that his original visions are being carried on well beyond his passing back in January 2016.
As Inland Seas Education Association (ISEA) sails into the 2019 summer season, the organization is celebrating 30 years of inspiring curiosity and encouraging stewardship in the Great Lakes region.
Join Inland Seas Educational Association, the Leelanau Conservancy, Leo Creek Preserve, Leelanau Conservation District, Grand Traverse Stewardship Initiative, Northport Energy and Leelanau Montessori for an afternoon of Earth Day activities on Sunday, April 22, from 1-4 p.m.
There are approximately 250 volunteers helping out at the Inland Seas Education Association. “We’d be unable to function without all the amazingly talented and amazingly dedicated volunteers,” says executive director Fred Sitkins. There are doctors, lawyers, teachers, fish biologists, interior decorators, housewives and retirees of all kinds, including retired school administrators, pipe fitters and electronic hospital equipment salesmen.