1989
- ISEA founded by Tom Kelly, John Elder, and Peter Doren
- IRS 501(c)3 status granted
- Established ISEA office in downtown Traverse City
- First Schoolship programs begin aboard the chartered schooner Malabar
- Over 1,100 participants this year
1990s
- Zebra and quagga mussels arrive in Lake Michigan
1990
- National Geographic Society documentary film, Great Lakes – Fragile Seas, airs featuring ISEA
1991
- First six-day summer adult program aboard chartered schooner Manitou
1992-1994
- Fundraised $750,000 to build the schooner Inland Seas and cover initial operating expenses
1992
- Schoolship and summer programs aboard Malabar, Manitou, and Cygnet
- Over 5,000 participants sailed with ISEA since inception
1993
- Treworgy Yachts contracted to build Inland Seas [View Ship Plans]
- ISEA received ASTA “Sail Training Program of the Year” award
1994
- Inland Seas launch day in Palm Coast, Florida – May 18
- Commissioning Ceremony for Inland Seas in Traverse City – July 30
- First students sail on Inland Seas – August 2
- Over 10,000 participants sailed with ISEA since inception
1995
- First Young People in STEM Program
1996
- New dock built for Inland Seas in Suttons Bay
1997
- First trip to Milwaukee with Inland Seas for the Wisconsin Lake Schooner Education Association teacher training class
- Over 25,000 participants sailed with ISEA since inception
1999
- ISEA’s 10th anniversary
- Students discover Cercopagis, fishhook water flea, in Lake Michigan during a Schoolship program
2001
- ISEA received ASTA “Sea Education Program of the Year” award
2002
- Purchased Northern Lumber property site in Suttons Bay and began renovations for new Inland Seas Education Center
- First Invasive Species Field Program offered
- Over 50,000 participants sailed with ISEA since inception
2003
- Opened Inland Seas Education Center
- First boat building program offered
- Governor Jennifer Granholm participates in the Schoolship Program aboard Manitou
2004
- First round gobies discovered in Grand Traverse Bay
- First Great Lakes Discovery Program offered
- Sloop Liberty donated to ISEA
- ISEA received DTE Energy “Achievement in Excellence Award for Sustainability”
2005
- First sail training programs offered onboard Liberty
- First family programs offered in Inland Seas Education Center
2006
- Opened Invasive Species Exhibits in the Inland Seas Education Center
- Wetland Demonstration Project completed on Inland Seas’ waterfront
- Hamm Outdoor Classroom Pavilion constructed
2007
- Began after-school boat building classes with Suttons Bay High School students
2008
- Over 75,000 participants sailed with ISEA since inception
2009
- ISEA’s 20th anniversary
- Inland Seas participates in first Michigan Schooner Festival in Traverse City
2010
- Inland Seas sails to Chicago to take part in the Tall Ships Chicago 2010 event
2013
- Founder Tom Kelly retires at year’s end
- Fred Sitkins hired as ISEA’s second Executive Director
2014
- ISEA’s 25th anniversary
- Schooner Inland Seas turns 20 years old
- Inland Seas Education Center building is 100 years old
- Sold sloop Liberty to Whistling Winds Classic Yacht Charters in La Mesa, CA
- Suttons Bay Visitor’s Center first housed in ISEA’s Education Center
- Over 100,000 participants sailed with ISEA since inception
2015
- Next Gen and Diving Deeper Schoolship programs created
- Microplastics programs developed and offered
- Joshua Davis performed aboard Inland Seas
2016
- Founder Tom Kelly passes away in January
- Young People in STEM trips become three days
- Schooner Utopia donated to Inland Seas [View Ship Plans]
- ISEA hosts the Grand Traverse Stewardship Initiative hub in Suttons Bay
2017
- Underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) programs developed and offered to schools and the public
- Teachers from four Great Lakes states participate in a 4-day Great Lakes Watershed Field Course
- Four new two-hour programs developed and offered
- Education Center and Museum mortgage paid off (early) in December
2018
- Received Friend of Education recognition from the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International for “dedication in helping people, especially teachers and students, to experience the Great Lakes through hands-on experiential learning activities aboard a tall ship schooner”
- Major retrofit of schooner Utopia made possible by grant from Impact 100 TC
- Average number of public participants on public sails sets record at 25
2019
- Completed schooner Utopia retrofit
- Grand opening of the Capt. Thomas M. Kelly Biological Station campus
- The schooner Inland Seas participated in the Cleveland Tall Ship Festival and the Green Bay Tall Ship Festival
- The schooner Utopia participated in the Green Bay Tall Ship Festival and the Duluth Tall Ship Festival
- Over 130,000 individuals impacted by ISEA programs since inception
2020
- Developed digital resources for schools unable to attend in person due to COVID-19
- Adapted Schoolship programs to serve individual families and smaller groups who were learning at home during COVID-19
- Created digital volunteer training videos
- Completed a significant age-related hull repair to the schooner Inland Seas
- Formalized Early Elementary programs as a regular offering
- ISEA purchases property directly adjacent to current campus
2021
- The schooner Inland Seas sailed in Lake Superior for the first time
- Remodeled exhibits in the Capt. Thomas M. Kelly Biological Station Education Center to focus on the Great Lakes food web
- Conducted Great Lakes programming with partners in four of the five Great Lakes
- Teachers from seven of the eight Great Lakes states participate in the Great Lakes Watershed Field Course
- Over 150,000 individuals impacted by ISEA programs since inception
2022
- Inland Seas purchases the schooner Alliance expanding their sailing fleet to further Great Lakes education
- The schooner Inland Seas made two trips to Detroit in one year (Summer and Fall) for the first time in ISEA history
- Introduced Watershed Exploration programs, adding year-round program availability
2023
- ISEA staff and volunteers bring schooner Alliance from Georgetown MD, to Suttons Bay, MI in 34 days
- Began schooner Alliance retrofit to better serve participants by expanding available bunk space
- ISEA furthers its partnership with the DRSL and our combined efforts on the Detroit River
- Two full-time staff hires, Capt. Lily Heyns and Great Lakes Educator Liam Fries
- Introduced the new “Great Lakes Challenge Station” onboard our programs
2024
- Presented 24 Watershed Exploration programs to 12 SEEDS sites across Northwest Michigan
- Completed renovation of schooner Alliance main cabin to accommodate 18 overnight guests
- Hired full-time staff: Julie Johnson as School Partnerships Coordinator, Chris Symons as Education Coordinator, Lauren Sheffer as Great Lakes Educator
- Hosted programs at seven different away ports: Chicago, Charlevoix, Houghton, Marquette, Sault Ste. Marie, Hessel, and Detroit