Protect, appreciate, and learn about the Great Lakes

Today through June 8 is Great Lakes and Fresh Water Week, according to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s recent proclamation.

Michigan is home to 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, according to the proclamation.

Visit Alpena, the Alpena Area Convention and Visitors Bureau website, claims that there are more than 100 accessible bodies of water (300,000 acres of open water) in the four-county Northeast Michigan region alone — Alpena, Alcona, Presque Isle, and Montmorency counties.

Freshwater is the state’s most significant natural resource, especially since the Great Lakes hold 84% of North America’s surface fres