Those reading that headline and saying, “sign me up” should attend Inland Seas Education Association’s (ISEA) virtual open house event for new, prospective, and returning volunteers Wed. March 10 from 6pm to 7pm. RSVP here.

The 2021 Spring Schoolship season starts on May 6, with training for volunteers leading up to it.

Juliana Lisuk, the volunteer coordinator for ISEA says the open house will cover volunteer roles, with an emphasis on on-board instructor and crew positions for this spring and summer season.

“During the spring season (May to mid-June), crew and program instructor volunteers help operate the ship and deliver programming for our half day Schoolship programs. During the summer season, there are opportunities to support a variety of programs from public day sails to multi-day transits,” she explains.

Not sure if you have your sea legs yet? Here’s more from Lisuk:

Leelanau Ticker: A quick rundown of the activities aboard the ship?
Lisuk: Volunteers and students become scientists for the day and assist in the collection and analysis of samples from the Great Lakes. Students get to handle and learn to use all of the equipment, including trawl nets, plankton nets, PONAR grab, Secchi disks, and Van Dorn bottle. In small groups, they rotate through hands-on learning stations to explore fish, plankton, the bottom of the lake (benthos), and water quality. They also get to steer the ship and raise the sails. Throughout the program they deepen their connection to the Great Lakes and learn ways to become environmental stewards.

Leelanau Ticker: Your ports of call this summer?
Lisuk: Primarily, volunteers will help with our 3-4 hours programs that depart from our dock in Suttons Bay. There are also opportunities throughout the summer for some volunteers to join us in delivering programs at away ports. This summer, Inland Seas is planning to deliver programming from Traverse City, Hessel, Detroit, Trenton, Charlevoix, Marquette, Houghton, and Sault Ste. Marie, among others. 

Leelanau Ticker: What inspires you about the volunteer program?
Lisuk: Even for volunteers who have been with us for many years, each program presents new opportunities to learn whether through a question from a participant, a new organism that was found, or sailing in all types of weather. The exchange between students and volunteers truly exemplifies our mission of promoting Great Lakes curiosity and passion in people of all ages. To have an intergenerational team of volunteers, staff, and students working together to operate the ship and learn about Great Lakes ecology is a unique and special experience.

Leelanau Ticker: What are some of the coolest discoveries for those aboard on Inland Seas?
Lisuk: For many students, sailing on Inland Seas is their first time being on one of the Great Lakes so that in and of itself is an exciting experience. Also, when they participate in a program on our ship, they have access to a learning platform and equipment that encourages them to get curious about what is happening under the water and discover through a very hands-on approach.

Students get to touch sediment from the bottom of the lake and find out what is living down there, they look at zooplankton under a microscope that look like tiny aliens, they get to raise sails and steer a 77' long ship, conduct wet chemistry experiments, and usually get to hold a fish. Understanding how these elements are all connected through the greater freshwater ecosystem and the effect humans have on the system, is a powerful takeaway. 

Details on the virtual open house can be found on ISEA's website.

Check out this video with what previous volunteers aboard the Inland Seas Schoolship — including Omena’s Gina Harder, Suttons Bay’s Bob Weyand, and Cadillac’s Amanda Williams Bedell — have to say about their tall ship and teaching experiences.