FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — October 17, 2024
Great Lakes Islands Alliance Summit hosts over 100 at Les Cheneaux Islands
LES CHENEAUX ISLANDS—The Great Lakes Islands Alliance (GLIA) proudly concluded its successful fifth Great Lakes Islands Summit, held from September 22 to 25, 2024 at Les Cheneaux Islands, having attracted over 100 attendees, representing thirteen Great Lakes islands and a handful of other Great Lakes community members who engaged in meaningful discussions on critical issues facing island communities.
This year’s Summit featured over a dozen dynamic panels and presentations covering a variety of topics, including emergency preparedness, fundraising, transportation, media engagement, and youth involvement. Participants had the unique opportunity to explore the stunning landscapes and historic structures of the Les Cheneaux Islands during a guided boat tour, narrated by representatives from the Les Cheneaux Islands Association. Attendees also heard from the Les Cheneaux Youth Advisory Committee, as well as from experts representing community foundations, Island newspapers, emergency response teams, local educators, administrators, and others. A highlight of the summit was a moving drum ceremony presented by the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians at the historic Hessel School House, showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the region.
The Summit afforded Great Lakes Islands residents the opportunity to network and share ideas in ways that are more limited in their home communities. Notably, the bi-national composition of GLIA provided attendees with the chance to reflect on differences across international borders. Joe Shorthouse, of Manitoulin Island, in Ontario, remarked, “As a Canadian, I was impressed with how the citizens of the Les Cheneaux area enhance tourism with the development of natural history experiences. The level at which Americans in the Great Lakes regions are emphasizing tourism and destinations blew me away. I always come back and inform people on Manitoulin what I learn from GLIA.”
Local commerce in Les Cheneaux benefitted significantly from the Summit, with functions patronizing area businesses including Cedarville Hotel, the Islander Bar, Snows Bar & Grille, Ang-Gio’s, Les Cheneaux Distillers, Little Buoy Bakery & Café, Cattails Cove, and others. In total, the four-day event brought in over $35,000 to the economies of Hessel and Cedarville.
GLIA extends heartfelt thanks to the local partners who made the event possible, especially the dedicated host committee, Mark Clymer and Paula Badour with Clark Township, and Sydney Meadows and Teresa Carmichael with Les Cheneaux Islands Chamber of Commerce. Special appreciation goes to our major sponsors: the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation; Climate Strong Islands Network, a fiscally sponsored project of The Ocean Foundation; Resource Recycling Systems; Mackinac Island Community Foundation; Clark Township; the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy; and The Stewardship Network.
Looking ahead, the GLIA Steering Committee is thrilled to announce that the next summit will take place on Beaver Island in Northern Lake Michigan in the fall of 2025. For more information and updates, visit glialliance.org.
About Great Lakes Islands Alliance
The Great Lakes Islands Alliance (GLIA) is a voluntary, bi-national, collaborative network that brings together individuals from year-round island communities across the Great Lakes. These are culturally, socially, and ecologically rich communities with deep connections to place, each in their own way. Living and working on islands comes with a unique suite of challenges – and these are often markedly different compared to the mainland. Through GLIA, islanders benefit from regular information sharing, peer-to-peer learning, and relationship development. Islanders benefit from hearing about solutions and experiences from other islands.
Media Contact:
Philip Rice
Communications Specialist
Great Lakes Islands Alliance
price@stewardshipnetwork.org
GLIA Islands Summit participants aboard the Isle Royale Queen III embark on a guided tour of historic landmarks in the Les Cheneaux Islands. Photo by Peter Huston
GLIA members learn about the construction of a wooden boat at the Great Lakes Boat Building School from Tom Coates (left). Photo by Matt Preisser
GLIA Summit participants at Hessel School House hear a drum ceremony by members of the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians. Photo by Joe Shorthouse.