SUTTONS BAY — Inland Seas Education Association has publicly launched its $11.1 million Campaign for the Future of Great Lakes Education, an initiative aimed at transforming its Suttons Bay campus and boosting its capacity to serve students and educators across the region.
The announcement came during a community Waterfront Vision event Wednesday, where the organization outlined a long-term plan to expand its educational reach through new facilities, staff and programming centered on hands-on Great Lakes stewardship.
“This campaign builds on the momentum of property acquisitions, new vessels, and growing interest in our programs,” said Fred Sitkins, executive director of Inland Seas. “The enthusiastic response to our waterfront vision underscores the community’s understanding that the Great Lakes are essential to our health, economy and quality of life.”
Inland Seas has already raised 73% of its fundraising goal. When completed, the campaign will allow the nonprofit to serve 10,000 people annually—up from nearly 7,000 in 2024—through science-based programming delivered on land and water.
The expansion includes unifying the waterfront campus with strategic property purchases. Since 2021, Inland Seas has acquired land parcels north and south of its existing site, including the Millside Building and the nine-acre Leo Creek Preserve. A second schooner, Alliance, was added to the fleet in 2023, allowing for greater on-water learning capacity.
Plans for the Millside Building include a new vessel maintenance facility and a multi-use educational space to host watershed exploration programs, volunteer training and teacher professional development. New facilities will also allow for more in-depth investigations and collaborative student projects, particularly for K-12 learners.
Staffing has grown alongside the physical footprint. The organization has hired a second captain, a first mate, a Great Lakes educator, a communications coordinator and a liaison based in Detroit.
For more information or to support the campaign, visit schoolship.org/campaign or contact Sitkins at 231-271-3077 ext. 101.