ISEA Book Signing, Saturday January 17th, at Horizon Books, Traverse City

Join author Heather Shaw and ISEA Founder Tom Kelly for a book signing at Horizon Books on Saturday January 17th, 2 - 4 pm.  Heather will be signing several of her recent books, including It's OK Not to Share, Uncommon Conservation (the story of the Grass River Natural Area), A Colorful Cast (about Paul Welch and the growth of the arts in Traverse City), and Aboard the Schoolship, the story of ISEA.  Also participating will be artist and instructor Paul Welch.  

Schooner Inland Seas Crew & Instructors at Escanaba this past July

R. M. Young Co. Assists ISEA After Lightning Strike

The R. M. Young Company, based in Traverse City, has replaced the lightning-damaged weather instruments on our schooner Inland Seas.  R. M. Young donated a new Wind Monitor, Wind Tracker display, and repaired the temperature/relative humidity display.

Many thanks to our good friends at R. M. Young Company.  Your continued support of the Inland Seas Education Association will keep us sailing and teaching about the Great Lakes. We use these instruments as part of our education program and to provide information to the National Weather Service.

Tom Kelly
Captain/Founder

Remains of our Wind Monitor after being hit by lightning on October 3rd

Replacement Wind Monitor supplied by the R. M. Young Co.

Crew Hoist Training at Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City

This morning Inland Seas' crew got some valuable training from the U. S. Coast Guard on how to handle a helicopter evacuation.  We trained right under the helicopter, which gave us an understanding of the noise and rotor blast that we could expect in an actual rescue. Hopefully we will never need to do this, but now we are much better prepared.

Final Briefing on the Flight Line



Our Dolphin Helicopter, 6527, taking off



Lowering the basket, trail line hanging below.



Our crew pulling in the trail line to guide the basket "on deck"

Our group with 6527 & USCG hanger in background

Our instructor, Lt. Chris Breuer

Thanks to Lt. Breuer, the crew of 6527, and all the USCG staff at Air Station Traverse City for this training.

--Tom Kelly, Master,  INLAND SEAS 

Local Tall Ships Featured at Traverse City Exhibit

Inland Seas joined forces with the Traverse Tall Ship Company and the Maritime Heritage Alliance to put together an exhibit featuring the ships of the three organizations.  The display will be up until the end of May at the Traverse City Convention and Visitor's Bureau.  Stop in and see the display.  Thanks to the Convention and Visitor's Bureau for hosting this exhibit.  --Tom K.

Pram Building Class, Week 8

This week our students applied the first top coat of paint to the prams.  One is blue (M blue!) and one is green (for that other school?).  The interiors are white.  A second coat will be applied next week.

Following the painting, Chuck gave a short lesson on boat terminology.  Each student got handouts to help them learn the names of all the parts of a boat. 

Inland Seas Featured in Crusing Grand Traverse Bay Interview

ISEA is featured in a video interview about protecting water quality in Grand Traverse Bay.  Steve Morse, a long-time friend of ISEA, developed this program to inform boaters about the need to protect Grand Traverse Bay's water quality, and the work of two organizations involved with this work, ISEA and the Watershed Center.  Click here to see the video.  You can see Steve's entire program about Grand Traverse Bay from a boater's prospective by clicking here.

Inland Seas at her dock in Suttons Bay  - ISEA Photo

--Capt. Tom

2013 Volunteer Instructor Training to Start this Saturday, January 5th

Inland Seas Education Association's Volunteer Instructor Training Class begins this Saturday at NMC's  Great Lakes Maritime Academy/Water Studies Institute, Traverse City, Room 112, at 9 am.  No prior teaching or science experience is needed.  Sign up now or just show up.  Click here for complete details. 

Schoolship Instructor Nancy Powers Teaching the Fish Station

Inland Seas Underway in Little Travese Bay Last Season.

Become an ISEA Volunteer Instructor

Become an Inland Seas Education Association (ISEA) volunteer instructor and help provide students with a unique Schoolship experience! Volunteer instructor training sessions will take place on Wednesday evenings from 5:30-8:30pm OR Saturday mornings from 9-12pm at NMC’s Water Studies Institute, GL 112 (715 E Front St, Traverse City, MI). The Wednesday and Saturday sessions will cover the same material and can be attended interchangeably. Each session will have a hands-on component that will provide the opportunity to experience the station!

Saturday January 5th & Wednesday January 9th, 2013: Introduction to ISEA’s Schoolship Program: Safety and the Basics

Come learn about the responsibilities of volunteer instructors, and get an introduction to our various education programs. You will also explore topics including the formation of the Great Lakes, physical and chemical characteristics of the lakes, current threats to the Great Lakes ecosystem, and challenges facing the world’s freshwater supply.

Sat January 12th & Wed 16th, 2013: Weather and Limnology Station

What is a Van Dorn bottle? In this session you will learn how students collect samples of fish, water, plankton, and benthos aboard the Schoolship. You will also learn how to collect weather data by measuring wind speed and direction, visibility, cloud types, air and water temperature, and water clarity.

Sat January 19th & Wed January 23rd, 2013: Benthos and Fish

What actually lives at the bottom of the bay? Why are fish an important part of the ecology and economy of the Great Lakes? In this session you will learn how to identify sediment types based on color and texture. You will also learn how to identify bottom-dwelling (benthic) organisms and how these organisms play an important role as nutrient recyclers in the lake. You will also learn how to identify fish and will be introduced to the life history, ecology, and economic importance of fish in this region.

Sat January 26th & Wed January 30th, 2013: Plankton and Water Chemistry

What are plankton and where are they found? How are organisms affected by water quality? In this session you will learn how to identify live zooplankton using our micro-video system and discuss the vital role plankton play in the aquatic food web. You will also learn how to measure pH and dissolved oxygen and discover what levels are considered healthy for aquatic organisms. We will also discuss the thermal structure of the lake and how this structure adapts to each season.

Sat February 2nd & Wed February 6th, 2013: Seamanship and Stewardship

How does a boat float and what makes it move? What is stewardship and what does it mean to me? In this session you will learn about buoyancy, mechanical advantage, the simple physics of sailing and about schooners and their importance in the maritime history of Grand Traverse Bay. You will also learn how it is possible to become stewards of the Great Lakes in your everyday lives. We will discuss stewardship ideas and how to encourage students to practice stewardship at their home and in their school. 

 One Day Volunteer Training Sessions April 3 and April 16, 2013 from 9:00am-5:00pm

If you were unable to attend the volunteer instructor training course this January, ISEA will be holding intensive one day training classes to prepare you for teaching on the Schoolship. The one day versions will be held at the Inland Seas Education Center in Suttons Bay.   Please contact Emily Shaw, eshaw@schoolship.org or 231.271.3077, if you are interested in the training sessions so that materials can be provided. You are not required to attend every session, but are encouraged to participate in the sessions you are interested in teaching.

Schooner Inland Seas Ready for the Winter

With all systems laid up and the cover in place, Inland Seas is ready for winter.  We will be busy all winter with maintenance items, but hopefully we will get through the coming snow and ice and be ready for spring, our 25th season!

Winter cover in place. 

Inside the whale.

When the sun shines it can be quite pleasant inside, even in mid-winter.

Nice job on the lay-up and cover, Capt. Ben, Bob and Capt. Jan.    ---Tom K.

Inland Seas Heads to Winter Berth in Traverse City

Today we motored Inland Seas to Greilickville (Traverse City) and the Center Point Building dock, our winter berth.  The crew consisted of captains Tom Kelly and Ben Hale, Bob Hagerman and guest crew Bill Pierce.  We were joined in Traverse City by former crew member Don Gorski, who helped us shift the boat from the Harbor West fuel dock to the winter berth.  We had a perfect day for the trip, with light wind and smooth seas.

We were greeted warmly at the Center Point Building by owner Dave Mathia, so that made us feel much better.  We greatly appreciate the hospitality of Dave Mathia and the Center Point folks who have provided our winter dockage for many years.  Thanks also to Dave Conrad of Bay Breeze Yacht Charters for his assistance this morning.  It is this type of community support that makes Inland Seas Education Association possible.

Bill Pierce at the the helm.  Note the winter cover frame in place. 

R-4 bell buoy off Lee Point with gull supervisor.

With best regards, Capt. Tom

Freshwater Summit in Traverse City, October 26

The Freshwater Summit will be held on Friday, Oct. 26 from 9 a.m-4 p.m. at the Hagerty Center, 715 E. Front St. in Traverse City.

Preregistering is strongly encouraged, as the Summit usually sells out. Walk-ins cannot be guaranteed.
The registration deadline for the fifth annual Freshwater Summit is Tuesday, Oct. 16. Click here to register online. The cost is $30, which includes lunch.


If you cannot register online and want to pay by credit card, call Denise Baker at 231~935~1514 ext. 4. If you prefer to pay by check, mail a check payable to the Watershed Center, postmarked by Oct. 15, to 13272 S. West Bay Shore Dr., Traverse City, 49684.

This year’s theme is Our Changing Great Lakes. Highlights include:

•Dave Ulrich, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative~Change the Great Lakes for the Better

•Ralph Bednarz, Michigan DEQ~Lakes Assessment Survey•Guy Meadows, Ph.D., Great Lakes Research Center~Secrets Beneath Lake Huron

•Dr. Dave Hyndman, MSU~Grand Traverse Bay Watershed Climate Change

•Matt Herbert, The Nature Conservancy and Randy Claramunt, MDNR~Restoring Critical Fish Spawning Reefs

You’ll also learn about Boardman River dam removals, inland lake fish shelters, Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, clean boating and more!

You can download a complete agenda soon. Agendas will also be distributed at the Summit. Please note that agenda may be subject to change.

If your lake association is a member of the Network of Lake Associations, you can send two representatives free, but you must register all names by October 16 with Denise Baker at dbaker@gtbay.org.

If your organization or business would like to have a booth, please contact Denise Baker at dbaker@gtbay.org by October 16. Non-profit booths are $50, and business booths are $200. You must pay an additional $30 for lunch for each person staffing your booth.

The Freshwater Summit is generously sponsored by AMEC, Cambria Suites and Great Lakes Environmental Center.

The Freshwater Summit is co-hosted by the Watershed Center, NMC Water Studies Institute, Michigan Sea Grant, The Nature Conservancy, Conservation Resource Alliance, Grand Traverse Conservation District, Inland Seas Education Association, Network of Lake Associations, Rotary Water Committee and Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council.

First Week of 2012 Spring Schoolship

Classes this week were Suttons Bay Middle School (2 classes), Traverse City Central High School, Inland Lakes

First Trawl: 4 gobies and a banded killifish

Our brand new 1" braided anchor line

Capt. Ben Hale at the wheel

Secchi Disc in the rain.  Central HS.

Ready on the throat!



Sassy Sailor Gals



Tom Kastle in Traverse City this Friday, April 13th

Long-time Inland Seas musician, instructor and crew member Tom Kastle will be at Horizon Books this Friday at 8pm.  Join Tom and many of his ISEA friends for an evening of song, coffee and conversation.  See you there!  --Capt. Tom

Tom Kastle at the helm of Inland Seas last August on the LSSU Oceanography Cruise

Volunteer Instructor Class Wraps Up 3-21-12

The final review session of the 2012 Volunteer Instructor Class was held last evening at the NMC Water Studies Institute classroom.  Each shipboard teaching station was set up so new instructors could practice their newly aquired knowledge.  Thanks to the veteran instructors who helped teach this and all the sessions this winter.  Thanks also to Emily Shaw, ISEA Educaiton Coordinator, who lead the Volunteer Instructor Class this year. 
There is still an opportunity to teach with ISEA this year.  Attend the all-day intensive class on April 4 and get the preparation you need to teach aboard the Schoolships Inland Seas and Manitou.  Call Emily Shaw at 231-271-3077 for registration information.

Kristin Miller reviews the Benthos Station

Bill Maul leads the Water Chemistry Station

At the break I took this photo of big cumulonimbus off to the east.  The beams of light converging on the Hagerty Center are reflections of the ceiling lights in our classroom.

--Tom K.

This Week at ISEA

Monday Morning 1-9-2011 at ISEA



This Week at ISEA:

Tueday 1-10-12: ISEA Great Lakes Seminar on Climate Change and Great Lakes Water Levels.  7pm at the Education Center in Suttons Bay.  Free.

Wednesday 1-11-12: Great Lake Association of Science Ships meeting, Traverse City. 

Wednesday 1-11-12: ISEA Volunteer Instructor Training Class #2.  Free.  Call ISEA to register.

Thursday 1-13-12: Great Lakes Captain's Meeting, Traverse City.

Friday: 1-14-12: Great Lakes Captain's Meeting, Travrese City.

Friday: 1-14-12:  "Handy Billy" a great Maritime band will be performing live at Horizon Books on Friday, Jan. 13 at 8:30 pm - 10:30 pm. Come on down and plan to tap your toes, clap your hands, and join a sing-a-long or two.  Check out Handy Billy on Facebook. 

2012 Volunteer Instructor Class #1, January 4th

ISEA Education Coordinator Emily Shaw leading the first session of the Volunteer Instructor Class

This first class of the Volunteer Instructor Class was an orientation to the organization and an overview of the shipboard education program.  We had 30 people in attendance, of which about half were new volunteers and half were veterans. 

If you would like to help to teach on the Schoolship this year, it is not too late to join us.  Our 12 week class meets every Wednesday evening from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at Room 112, Great Lakes Campus of NMC.  Call Emily at the ISEA office to register 231-271-3077.  The complete class schedule is available by clicking here.

Free Seminar Tonight on Stormwater Treatment Techniques

Suttons Bay, MI – The Inland Seas Education Association will present a seminar focusing on stormwater treatment within the Great Lakes watershed at 7:00pm on Tuesday, November 8th, at the Inland Seas Education Center in Suttons Bay. The program will be presented by Sarah U’Ren, Program Director at the Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay. This seminar is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

Outfall of Broadway Street Drain in Suttons Bay

Plume of contaminated water in Suttons Bay from Broadway Drain after rain event.

The Watershed Center is a non-profit organization located in Traverse City, dedicated to the protection of our water resources in Grand Traverse Bay. They work within the entire 1,000 square mile watershed to advocate for clean water through public education and on-the-ground projects. One such project currently underway is working towards improved runoff filtration systems in Suttons Bay and Traverse City. Land use management within the watershed is an important aspect of maintaining water quality, as poor land use practices can lead to public health concerns and degraded ecosystem health. “By managing runoff from the three largest storm drains in Suttons Bay, we hope to drastically decrease public health risks at local beaches associated with runoff,” says U’Ren.

COAST GUARD AIR STATION TRAVERSE CITY OPEN HOUSE THIS SATURDAY

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. – The United States Coast Guard Air Station in Traverse City is hosting an Open House on Saturday, October 15, 2011 from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. The Open House will highlight the Coast Guard’s mission, equipment and highly trained personnel serving the Great Lakes region as well as celebrate the remarkable achievements of 100 years of Naval Aviation. The Centennial of Naval Aviation will bring with it several aircraft rarely seen in Northern Michigan including the C-130 Long Range Patrol Aircraft, the HU-25 Falcon Patrol Airplane and the newest fixed-wing aircraft in the Coast Guard inventory, the HC-144 Ocean Sentry.

Rain or shine, meet the real-life heroes of the United States Coast Guard, the Coast Guard Auxiliary and first responders from the Grand Traverse Community. Get a close-up look at their rescue equipment and learn firsthand why they are known as the “Great Lakes Guardians.” Rescue demonstrations using the Air Station’s MH-65C Dolphin helicopter will showcase their unique capabilities at 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.

Static displays will include:
MH-65C Dolphin rescue helicopter
C-130 Hercules Long Range Patrol Airplane
HC-144 Ocean Sentry Patrol Airplane
HU-25 Falcon Patrol Airplane
25’ Coast Guard rescue boat from Station Charlevoix
Coast Guard Auxiliary Airplanes
Cherry Capital Airport’s Striker 3000 Crash/Fire Rescue Truck
Civil Air Patrol Search Airplane
GT Sheriff Dive Team & rescue vessel
Red Cross First Response Vehicle
and more…

Pizza and drinks will be available for purchase with all proceeds benefiting Air Station Morale activities. This event is open to general public and completely handicapped accessible.

For more information on this event, please contact the Public Affairs Officer at Air Station Traverse City, LTJG Chris Breuer. During non-business hours, please contact the duty desk at 231-922-8212.

Traverse City Record Eagle Editorial Features ISEA's 90,000th Student Achievement

This mornings's Traverse City Record Eagle Editorial page featured the ISEA Schoolship and its 90,000th student.  Read all about it at http://record-eagle.com/ourview/x857817/90-000-plus-Schoolship-educates-entire-generation

Jerry Dennis Publishes New Great Lakes Book

This from Jerry Dennis:

Dear Friends,

I'm pleased to announce the publication of The Windward Shore: A Winter on the Great Lakes, my first full-length book since The Living Great Lakes. It’s available now in bookstores coast to coast, on land and online. I hope you’ll check it out. The cover art and interior wood engravings are by the incomparable Glenn Wolff, with whom I’m always delighted and honored to collaborate. If you like the book, tell your friends!

For those of you in the area, the official launch party is this Friday, September 30, at Horizon Books in downtown Traverse City, MI. The festivities run from 6-8 pm, with Chateau Chantel wine, cheese, and a motley crew of book lovers, friends, street musicians, bewildered passersby, and my mom and dad. I’ll be talking about the book and reading a bit from it, and of course can be persuaded to sign copies of the highly collectible, virtually priceless first edition, while they last.

More about the launch party is here: http://www.horizonbooks.com/event/book-launch-party-jerry-dennis-windward-shore-winter-great-lakes

For more about the book, including a link to an excerpt and a schedule of events to come, go to my website: http://www.jerrydennis.net/

Hope you’re enjoying the change of seasons. Onward to winter!

Best Wishes,
Jerry