June 06, 2025
This week marks Great Lakes and Fresh Water Week, a time when Michigan celebrates its more than 11,000 inland lakes, tens of thousands of miles of rivers and streams, 6.5 million acres of wetlands, 3,200 miles of shoreline along the Great Lakes, 230,000 acres of coastal dunes, and vast groundwater resources.
It’s a week when the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) encourages Michiganders to connect with our freshwater resources and learn more about their unique wonders and vital importance to Michigan’s future.
EGLE staffers know a lot about connecting with Michigan’s freshwater resources. MI Environment asked them to share some of their Great Lakes memories.
I spent the summer of 2024 traveling the entire eastern coast of Michigan conducting vegetation surveys in coastal wetlands. I was fortunate enough to not only support Great Lakes Wetland research and protection, but to also see some amazing ecosystems that I would have never found otherwise. The Coastal Wetland Monitoring Program helped me expand my knowledge while having so much fun out in the field, even if some days got a bit crazy! The Great Lakes have given me so many opportunities and memories over my lifetime, but the summer of 2024 takes the cake!
Pictured: EGLE staffer Alex Adams-McDevitt in the water.
I joined state employees and friends kayaking around Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. We explored caves, waterfalls, and cliffs while appreciating the pristine waters of Lake Superior. It was my first time ever kayaking. It set a high bar! It was a lot of work but so fun!
Pictured: EGLE staffer Sydnie Burch’s photo of kayaking with others at Pictured Rocks.
Summers are just better when on or near a Great Lake. My spring starts with fishing on Lake Erie as soon as the ice is gone and then on to Lake Michigan and Superior until the leaves fall. Enjoying the big lakes always makes me proud of the work I get to do with the rest of EGLE and the EPA and Coast Guard for protecting the Great Lakes.
Pictured: EGLE staffer Jay Eickholt’s photo at Grand Marais.
The George family had a great time this last Memorial Day weekend, climbing on the rocks in Presque Isle Park and hiking to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain to take in the majestic views of Lake Superior.
Pictured: EGLE staffer Dale George and family at Lake Superior.
Growing up in Muskegon, I have many memories of Lake Michigan and of all the other Great Lakes and lakes and rivers that my family visited while vacationing and camping in Michigan. But in summer 2018, I had the unique experience of taking a trip on the M/V James L. Oberstar, an 806-foot ore carrier, with a 31,000-ton capacity. My brother-in-law, Captain Joe Ruch (retired in 2019 after 40 years working on the Great Lakes) invited us to take this five-day trip. We joined the Oberstar in Detroit, made our way up the Detroit River, through Lake St. Clair, up the St. Clair River, into Lake Huron, through the Soo Locks and into Lake Superior. The final destination was Marquette, where we loaded taconite before doing the whole trip back to Detroit. It was a wonderful trip and something that most Michiganders do not have an opportunity to experience. If you are a “boat nerd” and follow the lake freighters, the Oberstar back in Captain Joe’s days was the boat with beautiful flower boxes, flamingos/holiday decorations, and flying a MSU flag, unless he lost a bet on a game with one of his crew!
Pictured: EGLE staffer Suzann Ruch's photo aboard the M/V James L. Oberstar
When I was a middle schooler, my folks took me fishing on our boat – the 7 C’s – near Muskegon Lake and Lake Michigan. The fish I caught was apparently huge. I reeled and reeled until my fingers were frozen in place, yet the line trailed out a great distance. A call went out on the marine radio reporting of my ongoing battle and pleading “don’t cut her line.” The marine radio erupted in hoots and horns were heard signaling up and down the lake. I caught an 8-pound brown trout, entered the specs into a contest at school and won first place. The thing I recall the most is how it made me feel – like an accepted member of the fishing community. Water fortifies and is medicine for the soul.
Pictured: EGLE staffer Regina Young as a child holding an 8-pound brown trout.
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