GLIN==> Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant News: Coast Week Offers Something for Everyone

[Irene Miles <miles@uiuc.edu>]

Source: Leslie Dorworth (219)989-2726;
dorworth@calumet.purdue.edu

Coast Week Offers Something for
Everyone

URBANA--Indiana’s Lake Michigan Coast Week, which runs September
11-18, offers one last chance to hit the beach. This time, visitors can
do more than soak up the sun and surf. “It’s a chance to celebrate the
diversity and beauty of the Lake Michigan coastal region through a
variety of events for all ages and interests,” said Leslie Dorworth,
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant aquatic ecology specialist. 

Coast Week is sponsored by the Indiana Lake Michigan Coastal Program and
other regional organizations, including Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant. Over
the course of the week, participants can take part in nature hikes,
festivals, music and educational opportunities. “These events will
highlight the cultural, historical and natural resources of northwest
Indiana along Lake Michigan,” said Dorworth.

The celebration kicks off on the Michigan City lakefront on September 11
from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with activities and displays from many
organizations and associations, including a number of local artists.
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant will display its Water Wheel to Reel in
Information, a game in which players can test their knowledge about Lake
Michigan and other water topics. 

On September 16, Sea Grant will present a workshop titled “Can we Keep
Our Beaches Healthy?” The discussion will focus on issues such as E. coli
contamination in the water, and the health of the dunes. Participants
will learn how beach goers can do their part to keep beaches healthy and
enjoyable. This event will take place at West Beach in Miller, Indiana
from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The week culminates on Saturday, September 18 with a number of events,
including a Wizard of Oz festival in Chesterton, an art fair, a South
Shore tour and a beach cleanup. “The International Coastal Cleanup is the
world’s oldest and largest volunteer effort to clean up our marine and
Great Lakes environments,” said Dorworth. Every year, nearly a million
volunteers around the world spend three hours combing the beaches for
shiny wrappers, discarded cigarettes, deflated balloons and other litter.
“This trash pollutes our waters, harms aquatic life, hampers tourism and
poses health risks for beach-goers,” added Dorworth. 

The cleanup starts out at Washington Park Jaycee Stage at 9:00 a.m. and
ends at 12:00 p.m. For more information, contact Dorworth at (219)
989-2726 or dorworth@calumet.purdue.edu.  If you are interested in
information about other cleanup sites along southern Lake Michigan,
contact the Grand Calumet Task Force at (219) 938-1400. 

To learn more about the Coast Week schedule of events, you can go online
to
www.in.gov/dnr/lakemich/news/coastweek.html.
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The Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant College Program is one of 30 National Sea
Grant College Programs. Created by Congress in 1966, Sea Grant combines
university, government, business and industry expertise to address
coastal and Great Lakes needs.  Funding is provided by the National
Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U. S. Department of Commerce,
the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Purdue University at
West Lafayette, Indiana.

Irene Miles
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant
376 NSRC
1101 W. Peabody Dr.
Urbana, Il 61801
(217) 333-8055
FAX (217) 333-8046