Great Lakes Echo (https://greatlakesecho.org/category/recreation-2/page/31/)
Outdoor, resource-based recreational activities.
A firefighter who couldn’t swim until college now devotes time and energy to keeping people safe on the Great Lakes. Bob Pratt of Michigan was named 2011 Lifesaver of the Year by the National Drowning Prevention Alliance.
Is there a Great Lake that is best? Maybe.
That’s certainly fodder for partisan bickering. But perhaps each lake should be recognized for the best of something. So tell us.
By PAIGE HOUPT
Capital News Service
LANSING- Some lawmakers want to sink ships, aircrafts and cement structures in the Great Lakes to spur Michigan tourist revenue. Some tourism officials question if the expensive and lengthy process of cleaning and sinking a vessel or aircraft will provide enough economic revenue. Others are concerned about environmental impacts. But with nearly 10,000 shipwrecks at the bottom of the Great Lakes, recreational diving is already a popular activity in the state. “Recreational diving tourism is a huge tax revenue source in other states such as Florida and California,” said Rep. Greg MacMaster, R-Kewadin.
Sony Corp. and Intel Corp. selected five students from Arthur Hill High School in Saginaw, Mich. to search for Great Lakes shipwrecks.
Seventeen state troopers who ordinarily patrol Michigan’s roads also serve underwater.
They recover bodies and crime weapons. But they also patrol shipwrecks, documenting features and artifacts.
Outside Magazine just named 32 best trails, each with a different claim to fame — “Best Trail that Doesn’t Exist,” “Best Trail for Getting High,” etc. Four titles are awarded to trails in our Great Lakes states:
Best Prehistoric Trail: Ice Age National Scenic Trail, Wisconsin
Best Trail for Donating Blood: Superior Hiking Trail, Minnesota
Best Canoe Trail: Northern Forest Canoe Trail, partly in New York
Best Burrow: Freedom Tunnel, New York
The only one of these along a Great Lake, however, is Minnesota’s Superior Hiking Trail. This can’t be the only Great Lakes trail worthy of a spot on their list! So help us out. Name your favorite Great Lakes trail and its claim to fame in the comments below!
Bike sharing is increasingly popular throughout the Great Lakes region. Minnesota has a statewide system; Lansing, Mich. recently began exploring the idea; and B-cycle, of Waterloo, Wisc., recently was named the fifth most innovative transportation company by Fast Company Magazine. B-cycle also has locations in Chicago and Madison. Perhaps such systems could help recruit riders to fight climate change.
Ahhh, winter in the Great Lakes states – hot cocoa, sledding, cuddling up by the fire and…surfing? Surfing isn’t your go-to activity in 20-degree weather? Well, me neither. But on Friday, Daily Surf Videos chose their Wave of the Week video featuring dedicated surfers trekking out in the winter months to catch some of the Great Lakes best waves. When a large storm crosses, it can make for double overhead surf, compared to 2- or 3-foot waves typical in the calm summer months.
A group of Great Lakes surfers is teaching swimmers to protect themselves from rip currents, the primary reason for 74 Great Lakes drownings in 2010.
Fewer lifeguards means a greater need for such training.
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality’s mission to guarantee clean and safe recreational water resources includes an assessment plan to make the public aware of problems.
DEQ said it has five related goals: 1) enhance recreational waters, 2) ensure edible fish, 3) protect and restore aquatic ecosystems, 4) ensure safe drinking water and 5) protect public safety.