EAST LANSING, Mich. – This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Summer Discovery Cruises presented by Michigan Sea Grant and Michigan State University Extension, in partnership with the Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority.
The 2011 season offers more than 20 educational cruises around themes such as fisheries, wildlife, wetlands, shipwrecks, lighthouses, weather, shipping and more.
New cruises for the 2011 season include:
- Aliens Among Us – offers participants an up-close encounter with Great Lakes invasive species.
- No Child Left on the Shore – addresses the problem of too many young people having limited exposure to the great outdoors. This cruise will cure anyone suffering from nature-deficit disorder and make sure that no child is left on the shore.
- Night Watch – provides a nighttime look at marine navigation and its reliance on the stars, the skies and lighthouses that have guided mariners for centuries.
- Fireworks! – introduces participants to the importance of pyrotechnics in maritime history while fireworks burst over Lake Erie.
Most cruises are 2 to 2 1/2 hours in length, with longer cruises lasting 4 to 6 hours. Tickets for shorter cruises are $20 for adults and $10 for children ages 6 to 17. Tickets for longer cruises are $25 for adults and $15 for children ages 6 to 17. As part of the 10th anniversary celebration, early registration discounts of $5 are offered on all adult Summer Discovery Cruises booked by May 31.
Cruises depart from Lake Erie Metropark, with cruises on the lower Detroit River and Lake Erie, and Metro Beach Park, cruising Lake St. Clair.
Summer Discovery Cruises began in 2001 with support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and DTE Energy. Since that time, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have joined in supporting the Summer Discovery Cruises that have instructed more than 8,000 informal learners in southeastern Michigan.
To learn about the Great Lakes by being on the Great Lakes, visit the Summer Discovery Cruises website at www.discoverycruises.org.
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