PHOTO BY STAND UP FOR GREAT LAKES/FACEBOOK
Beginning August 1, three men from the Stand Up for Great Lakes organization will paddleboard Michigan’s Chain of Lakes, which runs from Six-Mile Lake near Ellsworth and ends at Elk Rapids Dam. Joe Lorenz, Kwin Morris and Jeff Guy organized the paddle in order to raise awareness of environmental issues plaguing the Great Lakes. They also hope to educate the public about the Chain of Lakes Water Trail.
The men were supposed to paddle across Lake Ontario in June, but the COVID-19 pandemic and closed Canadian/U.S. borders canceled their plans. They started their adventures in 2015 when they went 60 miles across Lake Michigan in 25 hours. That trip raised $10,000 for the Great Lakes Alliance. Then they raised $7,000 for Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in June 2017 when they crossed 90 miles of Lake Huron in 28 hours. They also paddled for 60 miles in 21 hours across Lake Superior in 2019, while raising $15,000 for the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. The last trip they completed was 70 miles across Lake Erie and they raised $17,000 for the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research.
They will begin the 60-mile trip with all the food, clothes and other supplies that they will need for the nearly 20 hours they will be paddling. They will also carry straws that filter lake water and make it safe to drink. Safety boats and emergency medical technicians will follow them the whole way, as well as a photojournalist who will capture all the important moments.
This year they are asking the public to come out and join them as they paddle.
“We ask that a person donates and joins in!” Lorenz says. “We want people to feel comfortable on the water trail, so they do their part in protecting it as well.”
“Our overall goal is to help keep the Great Lakes awesome,” Guy says. “Our hope is that people will join us in donating to this great cause.”
For more information or to make a donation, visit standupforgreatlakes.com.
