Grand Traverse Humanists welcome author and adventurer Loreen Niewenhuis. In 2009, Loreen Niewenhuis walked the perimeter of Lake Michigan and wrote the bestselling book, A 1000-MILE WALK ON THE BEACH. In 2012, she took another long journey, covering 1000 miles of shoreline touching all five Great Lakes. The book about this adventure, A 1000-MILE GREAT LAKES WALK, explores the entire Great Lakes system. Finally, in 2014, she launched off of the shoreline to visit many of the islands of the Great Lakes. In 2015 her book A 1000-MILE GREAT LAKES ISLAND ADVENTURE was released.

Loreen will take you to islands in each of the five Great Lakes and their connecting waters. In words, photos, and video, you’ll explore the geology of the largest system of freshwater lakes in the world and why there are tens of thousands of islands in the Great Lakes basin. She’ll reveal how these islands are diverse in both geological underpinnings and in the life forms existing on the islands. She will also explore some of the scientific research on the islands that she assisted with during her island odyssey. From the wolf-moose study on Isle Royale to the conservation of the endangered piping plover on the Manitou Islands, Niewenhuis will open your eyes and minds to the complexity of life on our Great Lakes islands.

Loreen Niewenhuis has a M.S. degree in the biological sciences and a M.F.A. in writing. She raises important questions about preserving our wild places and protecting the fragile ecosystems on which we all depend.