Image: Laura Pontiggia
By Jeff Kart
This story originally appeared on Mr. Great Lakes and is republished here with permission.
1 — BaySail in Bay City is offering Windward Bound Voyages.
They take place on board the 65-foot Appledore V schooner.
Teenagers from 14-18 can join a professional tall ship crew to learn about navigation, sailing, and the Great Lakes ecosystem.
Windward Bound graduates are eligible to join a year-round training program and enjoy future sailing opportunities as volunteers,
The voyage schedule includes a trip from Bay City to Buffalo, New York, in June, and others through August.
A limited number of scholarships are available for teens from Bay, Midland, Saginaw and Isabella counties.
For a complete schedule and an application, see BaySailBayCity.org.
2 — The Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge is seeking public comment on a plan to allow commercial guides for wildlife observation and photography.
Officials say wildlife observation and photography by the public was previously determined to be compatible with a refuge conservation plan.
Officials are seeking comment on a similar plan that expands this use to include commercial guiding for wildlife observation and photography.
Comments are being taken for two weeks, ending June 14, at the refuge website and on its Facebook page.
All commercial guides would be required to apply for a Special Use Permit and steps would be taken to minimize impacts to wildlife.
3 — All four of the state’s fisheries research vessels are back on the water, beginning their annual surveys of Great Lakes fish populations for the Department of Natural Resources.
The surveys are designed to examine and collect information on fish communities and their habitats.
The research vessels are based in Marquette, Alpena, Charlevoix and Harrison Township.
They work throughout the Great Lakes, beginning as soon as ice has cleared and continuing into November.
On Lake Huron, work is done by the research vessel Tanner, the DNR’s newest vessel which was launched in 2016. This vessel focuses on assessments of lake trout and walleye populations, and broader fisheries assessments in Saginaw Bay and the St. Marys River.