Northeast Michigan Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative

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Northeast Michigan Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative

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Hands in the dirt. Feet in the water. Hearts in the community.

11/04/2026

☀️ A day of learning and brainstorming at Harrisville Harbor was a fun change of pace for Alcona Community Schools second graders! And an added bonus? The sun was shining, making exploring even more enjoyable!

NEMIGLSI partnered with Alcona teachers, AuSable Valley Audubon Society, and Michigan Sea Grant to create four hands-on learning stations for students to rotate through.

Here's a look at what they explored:

🌿 Habitat Hike: Michigan Sea Grant led students on a hike to discover the four essential parts of a habitat. Can you name them? (We'll share the answer below!)

🐦 Bird Watching: AuSable Valley Audubon Society encouraged students to slow down, observe, and practice identifying birds using binoculars and the Merlin app. They spotted geese, blue jays, a loon, and gulls!

🦉 Owls & Mice: NEMIGLSI led an interactive game demonstrating how owls use their hearing and vision to hunt for food.

🗑️ Harbor Cleanup: Alcona teachers guided students in picking up trash in different areas of the harbor, helping them begin to understand the connection between human activity and marine debris, and how a little awareness can make a big difference.

But the learning doesn't stop here!

Through this experience, students are building a stronger connection with Harrisville Harbor. Now, they'll put their ideas together and brainstorm a project they can work on throughout the remainder of the school year to benefit the harbor and their community.

NEMIGLSI works alongside organizations across the region to create and support experiences like this. Learn more and get involved at NEMIGLSI.org.

👇 Did you guess the four parts of a habitat? Food, water, shelter, and space!

10/22/2026

What an incredible day at the 3rd Annual Eco Careers Expo!

More than 350 8th-grade students stepped out of the classroom and into a world of future possibilities. With 20+ vendors hosting hands-on, interactive booths, our students got a real feel for future career paths that connect them to the environment, and could keep them in northeast Michigan if they chose! 🛠️🔬

It was a regional effort, bringing together students from nine school districts across six northeast Michigan counties for a day dedicated to career exploration and inspiration.

Thank you to our sponsors who made this event possible:
Michigan Works Northeast Consortium
Mi-STEM Network’s Northeast Michigan Region
Awakon Federal Credit Union
Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan
Michigan Dept of Labor & Employment Opportunity
Kirtland Community College
Northeast Michigan Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative

Check out some of our favorite moments from today! 📸

Tell us, which interactive booth looks like one you would love to visit? 💬👇

MichiganWorks EducationInAction

10/07/2026

Attention Middle & High School Students 🎬
The Thunder Bay International Film Festival's Student Short's submission window is now open! Grab your camera (or smartphone!) and get creative while showing your passion and connection to the Great Lakes.🌊🎥

Whether you want to highlight Great Lakes conservation, share a story of freshwater exploration, or show what life in the Great Lakes region means to you, it all works for the Student Shorts Film Competition.

Who: Students in grades 6th – 12th (enter solo or as a team!)
Length: 3 minutes or less
Cost: FREE to enter!
Prizes: Cash awards thanks to Friends of Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and The Sunset Project for top winners & a chance to have your film screened on the big screen!

Submissions open NOW with a deadline of December 15th.
👉 https://thunderbayfriends.org/studentshorts/

10/04/2026

🌿 Have an idea for an environmental or outdoor education project? MAEOE offers grants of up to $1,000 to help current members bring hands-on learning experiences to students and communities.

With spring and fall grant cycles, now is a great time to explore the opportunity and start planning your project!

Learn more about eligibility, application details, and deadlines: https://maeoe.com/grants

10/02/2026

How about a little beehive education?! 🐝🐝
This opportunity is very cool and will definitely be remembered by your students for years to come.

Schools and nonprofits can apply for support for educational beehives and bee programming — giving students the chance to observe bees up close and learn the vital role pollinators play in our food system.

Take action now - the application window closes at the end of October.

Learn more and apply here:
https://www.wholefoodsmarketfoundation.org/

10/01/2026

Northeast Michigan Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative is excited to announce our Logo Wear Collection is now available! 🎉

Shop online and choose the styles, sizes, and colors you love. And, of course, you’ll find our logo along with the words that capture what we’re all about:

🌱 Hands in the dirt.
💧 Feet in the water.
❤️ Hearts in the community.

Wear it with pride and help us spread the vibe, connection, and power of place-based stewardship education throughout Northeast Michigan!

👉 Check out the shop here:
https://omegashop-109480.square.site/nemiglsi

Also linked to our website https://nemiglsi.org

09/28/2026

Don’t you just love seeing place-based stewardship education in action? 💙

The excitement, curiosity, and learning were thriving along Bush Creek in Hillman as third graders explored their local Thunder Bay River watershed, discovering different types of fish and macroinvertebrates.

Of course, putting on waders and grabbing a dip net is a lesson in itself! For over half of the students, this was their first time wearing waders. But before long, those waders and nets became tools for hands-on science happening right in front of them.

This field visit, made possible with support from Michigan Sea Grant, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Northeast Michigan Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative, kicked off an ongoing Salmon in the classroom project for Hillman’s third graders to study local fisheries and their ecosystems.

And the learning doesn’t stop at the creek! Students will have a tank in their classroom where they can continue observing and learning from the fish and other organisms they discovered during their field visit.

Want to learn more about place-based stewardship education projects and opportunities? Visit nemiglsi.org to find out how you can get your classroom involved or how you can support this kind of hands-on education across Northeast Michigan!

09/23/2026

🌊🐟 What a great day at Tawas Point State Park! 🌿

Check out some of the moments captured during a recent field visit with 5th graders from Whittemore-Prescott Elementary School!

In a few weeks, these students will receive their sturgeon as part of the sturgeon in the classroom program. This visit served as a kickoff event connecting their classroom learning to the natural environment. Students got hands-on experience exploring nature, macro invertebrates, fish, and marine debris - including learning about prevention and the importance of protecting our Great Lakes.

A huge THANK YOU to Great Lakes Great Responsibility, MSU Extension, Michigan Sea Grant, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and our own NEMIGLSI for leading this amazing educational experience and helping connect students with the Great Lakes we all have a responsibility to protect!

While on this field visit one student was awe stuck by Lake Huron stating this was his, “first time at a big lake.” These are the experiences that inspire the next generation of Great Lakes stewards! 💙🌊

09/17/2026

Please help up celebrate Stephanie Dege, a teacher who has been working with NEMIGLSI for years. She was recently selected as one of 50 educators nationwide (and the only one from Michigan) to receive a Voya Unsung Heroes Award!

The award gives her access to a $2,000 grant that will directly support her classroom's ongoing Place-Based Stewardship Education (PBSE) marine debris prevention efforts. For the past four school years, Dege's students have been doing hands-on work to protect Great Lakes waterways, with a goal of visiting all the lakes! This funding is taking them to the finish line with a trip to Lake Ontario this June!

"With this journey, our students will achieve their ultimate goal of completing hands-on stewardship work across all five Great Lakes!" -Stephanie Dege

Learn more in this article: https://www.truenorthradionetwork.com/news/posen-teacher-stephanie-goebel-wins-2-000-voya-grant-competes-for-25-000/article_c2e47058-0e8c-4ba3-a3e0-b26383d723c3.html

Images, a past school photo, and a case study created a few years ago when this PBSE project began

09/08/2026

EDUCATORS - this is a great professional development opportunity!
Dive into the deep-sea with NOAA Ocean Exploration's workshop that will highlight the tools and technologies currently being used in ocean discovery! And of course, how to bring that excitement into your classroom!

What’s Included:
-Hands-on activities aligned with current science standards
-Guided tours of free online ocean education resources
-Practical strategies for classroom implementation
-A- take-home resource bundle, Certificate of Participation, etc.
- Lunch and an educator stipend

There are actually three training opportunities in the Great Lakes Region:
- September 26: Greater Cleveland Aquarium, Cleveland, OH
- October 3: Door County Maritime Museum, Sturgeon Bay, WI
- October 10: Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, Alpena, MI

Visit https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/professional-development-opportunities/current-professional-development-opportunities/ now to save your spot for this full day, in person workshop.

Address

500 W Fletcher Street
Alpena, MI
49707

Website

http://www.nemiglsi.org/

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