We could not provide our programming without our volunteers. Learn more about who they are and why they volunteer with Inland Seas.
Ray Hale, Volunteer Crew Member
“Ray has been there day after day working as an integral part of the team on every major project: Inland Seas cabin top rebuild, Utopia deconstruct, Utopia winter cover, Utopia engine shaft, Utopia metal prep, Inland Seas winter cover and bubbling system. He has also accepted the lead responsibility for the hydraulic steering overhaul on Inland Seas (WOW). We all want to applaud and appreciate the team of crew members who dedicate time keeping the boats in such good shape. Ray is modest about his role in the ship’s maintenance, but he has a unique skill set and shared that “he has always been able to fix machines” which is what he did at GM as a machinist. He believes in the mission of Inland Seas just as much as his son does and that is why he volunteers helping the crew with boat repairs.” ~Reported by volunteer Jack Messer
Gina Harder, Volunteer
“It was truly an honor to be selected as Outstanding New Volunteer for 2018. I quickly realized that educating people (especially future generations) on the vital importance of the Great Lakes is extremely fulfilling.
Inland Seas Education Association (ISEA) is an organization for which volunteer work can make a lasting impact. This is an age where technology and video screens occupy so much of our time. Real experiences (as opposed to virtual), are imperative. Being on the water in a historic vessel learning about the health and life within the Great Lakes is unforgettable. These are the extraordinary encounters that generate true stewards of the environment. Future scientists, politicians, business people, educators, artists, homeowners, and parents are with us on every sail. Some participants may choose a career to study and preserve the lakes/oceans, others may support legislation and environmentally friendly practices. Hopefully, most will teach others to properly dispose of materials that could ultimately harm the Lakes. The ISEA experience inspires hearts and minds, generates responsibility, and fosters informed decisions regarding the Lakes.
As a volunteer, I found the more time spent trying to “give back,” the more gratifying the experience. Some of my favorite memories are:
- Seeing faces light up as they realize that the Lakes are full of life and also necessary for our life.
- Watching kids squirm and laugh when they get to touch a live fish or crayfish.
- Hearing the “awe, and wow” when microscopic organisms are shown swimming/living in the unseen world of the Lake.
- Seeing the pride and joy in faces as they raise the anchor and sails (they tend to do a little dance or skip).
- Observing the maturity of young people as they sit in silence and embrace the experience of sailing on a schooner.
- As a bonus, volunteers get to be out on the clear blue water, hearing the waves and flapping sails, breathing in the fresh air too! Wow! I can’t wait to get back on the ship.
For those who prefer to be on shore, there are many other ways to contribute. For example, helping with grounds, ship and building maintenance, boat building, cleaning, etc.
Last winter I spent some time helping with the handmade canoe build. A small group of amazing craftsmen (volunteers) shared skills on building a canoe out of strips of wood (which were also cut by hand). Those volunteers spent many hours building, and perfecting this canoe. The beautiful canoe will be raffled and profits go to the organization. What a great gift!
No matter what activities we do while volunteering at ISEA, it is a time to be with interesting, conscientious, and friendly people. It is a continual learning experience and opportunity to help with the important mission of preserving the Great Lakes.”
Bill Small, Volunteer Instructor
“I decided to become a volunteer instructor at Inland Seas after taking my family on a Discovery Sail. All of us were so excited about the experience and I knew right then I wanted to become a part of it. The excellent training program for volunteer instructors not only gave me the ability to learn about each of the training stations, but it also provided the opportunity to meet and network with other instructors, both new and experienced. 2018 was my first season as an instructor on the schooner and it lived up to all of my expectations. It is very rewarding to share in the excitement of the participants and know you are helping them better know and respect the Great Lakes. I am looking forward to another exciting season in 2019 as I get ready to participate in the training classes again this year to further expand my knowledge of the program and reconnect with the other volunteers.”
James Bielak, Volunteer Crew Member
James Bielak is being highlighted as a member of our Crew team that has been busy all winter helping with boat maintenance, often using his own workshop to accomplish tasks. Turning pins. Repairing hatch covers. Repairing the cabin top. Grinding metal. Scraping paint. He can AND will do it ALL. With a mind for details, his latest accomplishment is the creation of a task list and tracking tool to aid the Captain with the management of the hundreds of details needed to ready both ships for sailing this summer. He is also one of the crew members who has faithfully sailed 2-3 times each week and is at the ready to fill in when there are unexpected openings. When it’s time for downrigging, he is there. When it’s time for up rigging he is there. James understands teamwork and will be one of the many hands on a line, mousing shackles, and cleaning the decks.
James is a retired geologist who has worked in many interesting places around the world. He has a passion for Inland Seas, sailing and helping promote Inland Seas’ mission of creating Great Lakes curiosity. He believes the work we do with students, teaching the next generation about caring for 20% of the world’s surface fresh water that surrounds us here in the Grand Traverse Bay region, needs to be done with great integrity and respect. He and his wife, Blair, have a beautiful home on the west side of Traverse City and are now both retired. They will travel to Scandinavia this Spring, missing the “wet runs” (smart guy, as we anticipate there might still be ice on the bay!).
Anne O’Dell, Volunteer Instructor
“When I retired from the Frankenmuth School District in 2013, I knew I wasn’t ready to step away from learning and teaching…and then Inland Seas entered my life!
“I first attended the Inland Seas Volunteer Training sessions in 2014. It became apparent that I would be comfortable with learning one station at a time. During the past four years, this approach worked well as I began teaching other stations. I loved being a part of introducing new information, encouraging questions and digging deeper into finding out what the students knew and what they wanted to know more about.
“Then in the spring of 2018, I dove into the role of lead instructor. I can honestly say the reason I had the courage to do so was because of Sue Chrostek. I’ve always loved teaching, but Sue’s enthusiasm and “You can do this, Anne” encouragement was contagious.
“This new role provided me with an opportunity to observe the big picture taking place on the Schoolship. When I could view every station in action, whether it be the students identifying a copepod, cradling a fish or testing the pH level of the water, I was inspired to know that this hands-on experience may just trigger an interest and/or a career with saving the Great Lakes. It also reminded me of the creativity and hopefulness that the students bring to this program. I already have the dates on my May calendar to be a lead instructor. I can’t wait!”
Frank “Fishman” Simkins, Volunteer
“It was in the fall of 2012 and I had just retired and, like a lot of retirees, was wondering what I was going to do with all of this free time, so I went to the website and was intrigued by the program they were offering. I have always had a great passion for nature and loved being outside and on the water, and the thought of sailing on a schooner like the ones that sailed on the Great Lakes in the 18th and 19th Century was exciting to me.
“I attended all the trainings and the wet run, which by the way was very wet and cold, but it was great fun and I learned so much from the other volunteer instructors that I didn’t really notice the weather that much. Soon I was shadowing a fish instructor and the next sail I was teaching. What a great experience. I chose to teach fish because I’ve been a fisherman all my life and figured it would be a good station for me to start with. I remember after that first day of talking fish with 5 different groups of youngsters, that this volunteer position is so important for the future of our Great Lakes. I felt like I was really reaching some of these young people and it was so important for them to have these experiences with the fish and Lake Michigan.
“This year will be my 7th season with Inland Seas Education Association and over the past few years they have kept their promise to keep me busy and fill my thirst for knowledge. I eventually learned to teach all the stations on the boat and became a lead instructor. I also liked sailing equally as well so I also trained to become a crew member. During the off season I keep busy entertaining the fishes and turtles in the education center.
“The Inland Seas Education Association offers a great opportunity for volunteers to really make a difference in young people’s lives. There are so many distractions for young people these days and so much information in the news and in conversations of adults about all the problems in the environment throughout the world. It is good for them to disconnect for even a short time. For some of these kids, a science trip aboard the Inland Seas will be their first hands on experience with nature, sailing, and being on the water. It may help them to connect with nature and the experience may even shape their lives. At least it will be something they will remember for a long time.”
Read Frank’s blog post about sailing under the Mackinac Bridge on the schooner Inland Seas.
Fred and Elaine Hall, Volunteer Crew and Instructors
“We first became involved with Inland Seas when Fred Sitkins saw us out working in our yard and stopped to invite us to help with an open house. We thought it was to be a one time event, but once we became more familiar with Inland Seas’ mission of preserving the Great Lakes, we decided to become more involved.
“We decided to attend the instructor training sessions at the Maritime Academy during the winter of 2014. We found the training sessions to be very interesting and informative, but also overwhelming. It seemed to be too much information to master all at once. So, we started doing benthos together, then branched out to the different stations as time went on. It has been very helpful to observe the other instructors teaching the stations, everyone seems to add their own touch to teaching. It is very satisfying to watch young minds open up to information being presented to them and to occasionally see them have an “AHA” moment!
“Fred attended crew training sessions and was a crew-in-training for several years. He became a member of the crew last fall and enjoys that work. He also has spent time this winter helping to get the ships ready for the summer sailing season.
“We enjoyed getting to know the other instructions, as well as the staff and especially the interns because they are always full of excitement to start their new careers.
“We have made the trip to Hessel for two years and are signed up to go again this year. It is always fun to go to a new spot on the water to see what we will discover about the Great Lakes. We also discover things about the boat, the staff, boaters in neighboring slips, kids catching big fish and donating them for the crew’s dinner, local ice cream shops…the list goes on!
“This year we plan to go to Green Bay for the Tall Ship Festival to see what new adventures await! Hopefully we have hot sunny weather by then!”
Harold Lassers, Volunteer
“I love the opportunities that ISEA creates for volunteers. The Schoolship gives great opportunities to give, teach, learn, and create. And we get to do it out on the water with excited young students.
“I get a special joy working with the ISEA team of informal inventors. We are always inventing new educational approaches, educational equipment, and solutions for problems on the boat. The staff and volunteers form an amazing team of diverse creative people. We find lots of fun and unusual projects. We needed a boat that looks stable but isn’t, we needed a model boat that promptly and reliably capsizes as soon as the cargo is removed. We needed to manage long delicate sensor cables on a pitching boat with untrained students. Weird and fun problems, excited kids, engaging creative people — I call it paradise!”
Mike Foley, Volunteer Instructor
“I have been interested in natural sciences virtually all of my life – collecting rocks and butterflies, fishing, and experimenting with my Skilcraft geology and chemistry sets. After getting a degree in geophysical engineering, I lived and worked as an exploration geologist on 6 continents for more than 37 years. I moved with my family to Traverse City in 2012, and when I retired at the end of 2018, I set my sights on volunteerism and earning a Naturalist certificate through NMC’s Extended Education program. I was already a trail ambassador with TART and did some work with the Conservation District and the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy, but when I met Sue Chrostek at the Discovery Center open house in February, I was really motivated to embrace Inland Seas’ mission – inspiring curiosity, stewardship and passion for the Great Lakes through experiential learning and scientific investigation. It is my privilege to have the opportunity to work with students aboard the Inland Seas and Manitou, to do citizen science and further build my knowledge of the Great Lakes ecosystem, to volunteer alongside people with similar passions, whether experts or greenhorns like myself, and to help build a community who appreciate and want to protect the incredible natural environment that we get to call home!”
Chris Raterink, Volunteer Instructor
“I moved to Suttons Bay in late March of 2019 and, while walking the dog, I met and had a conversation with one of my new neighbors. During the conversation of the many things to do, she mentioned Inland Seas and the Schoolship Program. After hearing about this volunteering opportunity, I contacted Inland Seas and before I knew it I was in training and preparing to be a Volunteer Instructor.
“After the nerves subsided and the sails began, I realized that I was hooked. The program is fantastic, the weather, well, you can’t complain about the weather when you are out in Suttons Bay sailing. There is such a reward at the end of each sail when the kids leave with big smiles and an appreciation for our Great Lakes.”
Andie Birkhofer, Volunteer Instructor
“I first heard about Inland Seas through my professor, who would frequently share local volunteer opportunities with us. Inland Seas stood out to me because my interests as a student lined up well with the goals of the program. I myself wanted to learn more about the health of the Great Lakes, and also wanted to become familiar with some of the research methods used to monitor lake health. All my life I had only been on the shores of the Great Lakes, and actually going out sailing has given me a new sense of wonder towards them. Each sail feels wildly different, because each student brings their own unique interests and personality.
“I teach primarily about water quality, which has proven to be an interesting topic to teach young ones. The water quality station requires some focused work with introductory lab techniques. At my station, I see students who are becoming interested in chemistry, and also, students who are very interested in our pH and DO test results. This is encouraging to me, because I see that these students care for the lakes and are invested in the health of all who depend on them.
“I am grateful for the positive impact that Inland Seas is having on our communities, and am willing to teach on the ships any chance I have!”
Dena Smith, Volunteer Instructor
“I have always wanted to volunteer on the Inland Seas! I grew up in Suttons Bay on a cherry farm and studied environmental science and education at the University of Michigan. When I was unable to find a teaching job, I began working for SEE-North at the UM Biological Station and then as a paramedic, intermittently living in Suttons Bay and elsewhere. I have watched the Schoolship program grow since its beginning, but this year was my first opportunity to participate in the training and schedule time to teach. It has been such a delight to work with other instructors to help share an appreciation for and develop knowledge about our water resources! I have been so impressed with the leadership and so many well-versed crew and instructors that share their knowledge with Schoolship participants. The participants have been extremely fun to work with and seem fully engaged in our program activities. It feels like we positively impact those that have an opportunity to participate in the Schoolship programs and it makes me want to learn more and continue to volunteer, which I hope to, in the coming year.”
Amanda Williams, Volunteer Instructor
“As an elementary teacher, I encourage my students to “make every day an adventure.” Modeling adventure for them is crucial and has sparked my interest with ISEA. In my four seasons with ISEA I have learned about the health of the Great Lakes, fundamentals of crewing, explored numerous islands, sailed four of the five Great Lakes, interacted with inspiring youth and adults, and have made memories I cherish dearly. Seeing the eyes of participants seeing plankton for the first time or jumping in to learn how to coil a line fills my cup. The crew and volunteers truly bring me back year after year. Little did I know when I met them at St. Helena Island Lighthouse in 2016 that this Ohio girl would be jumping on board a schooner many more times. Every day truly is an adventure when volunteering with Inland Seas Education Association!”
Great Lakes Educator, Jillian Votava, reflected on what makes Amanda a great volunteer:
“What makes Amanda Williams a great volunteer? Well, what’s not to love? Amanda’s curiosity for everything is infectious. She loves learning, not only new topics to teach on the ship, but also about the ship itself. I know that students are in great hands with Amanda, no matter what age, toddlers through retirees. I mostly get to see Amanda in the summertime when she spends part of her vacation time from her classroom with us. I’ve seen her teach Benthos and Plankton, then scurry around as a crew-in-training deckhand all in one day.
“Most recently I was graced with her presence on a 5-day overnight charter with the Chicago Hope Academy. Amanda agreed to come on as both a deckhand and an educator for this custom-formatted program. Having an extra educator on board was excellent, it allowed me to break the group of 11 students into smaller watches and have them always engaged with something. Amanda remained flexible with me as we had to tweak our program each day, and sometimes on the spot, to accommodate weather, rolling seas, and bouts of seasickness. One of my favorite memories from this last trip was on Day 3 when I asked Amanda to lead a journal activity instead of the science activity for the day. She created a memorable activity, more or less on the spot, that included looking for lighthouses on the charts, reading short stories about women who worked the lighthouses, and learning to sing songs and shanties.
“I love that each one of our volunteers brings something unique into the program with them. In Amanda’s case she is a role model for so many of the young ladies who participate on our programs, showing others what it means to be independent, yet personable, all while embodying the spirit of Inland Seas, and curiosity about the world around her.”
Marta Slocum, Volunteer Instructor
“As a first year volunteer I have to honestly say that what I have enjoyed the most is the feeling I get each and every time I have the chance to sail. It is truly a privilege to spend time on these boats and on these waters. The crew are amazing to watch each and every sail. My fellow volunteers have been: fun, understanding, helpful, encouraging, informative, inspiring, amusing, and patient! My most memorable moment happens several times each sail, you may have heard it in the plankton area, it sounds something like: “WOOW..What was that?” or “LOOK LOOK, What the heck?” The connection is made at that moment between student and Plankton! I love it!”