Oil and Water

Loreen Niewenhuis is an author, adventurer, and Great Lakes speaker. She has completed a trilogy of 1,000-mile adventures exploring the Great Lakes and has written three books about the Great Lakes [A 1,000-Mile Walk on the Beach *a Heartland Indie Bestseller*, A 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Walk *winner of the Great Lakes Great Reads Award*, and A 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Island Adventure]. To learn more about her work, or to book her as a speaker, go to http://LakeTrek.com

There are underground and underwater pipelines carrying oil throughout the Great Lakes Basin. 

Map of pipelines

Five years ago, this reality became shockingly apparent in southwest Michigan when one of Enbridge Energy Company's pipelines ruptured near Marshall, Michigan spilling nearly a million gallons of heavy crude oil into a creek that fed into the Kalamazoo River. 

The Kalamazoo River flows through Battle Creek where I currently live. It has taken years and hundreds of millions of dollars to clean it up.

Enbridge owns and maintains many of the pipelines in the basin, including the one submerged in the water at the Straits of Mackinac (the 5-mile wide waterway separating Michigan's upper and lower peninsulas). This pipeline is 61 years old. 

"I can't even imagine if we had some kind of spill that sent oil into the Great Lakes," said US Senator Stabenow. "We remember what happened in the Kalamazoo (River)."

"After experiencing one of the largest inland oil spills in U.S. history, Michiganders know all too well that a pipeline break can have devastating consequences for our environment and our economy,” said US Senator Peters. "One can imagine what a disaster it would be for a similar oil spill to occur in the Great Lakes."

A study done at the University of Michigan found that a rupture in this pipeline would devastate the Great Lakes. Read about that study HERE. 

Michigan's U.S. Senators Stabenow and Peters have teamed up to propose legislation to protect our Great Lakes from oil spills. Even if you're not a Michigander (or even living in the Great Lakes Basin), this is sound legislation to protect these inland seas containing 84% of the fresh, surface water in North America. 

Read more about the legislation HERE.

And contact your representatives in Congress if you support its passage.

Tales from the Book Tour

Loreen Niewenhuis is an author, adventurer, and Great Lakes speaker. She has completed a trilogy of 1,000-mile adventures exploring the Great Lakes and has written three books about the Great Lakes [A 1,000-Mile Walk on the Beach *a Heartland Indie Bestseller*, A 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Walk *winner of the Great Lakes Great Reads Award*, and A 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Island Adventure]. To learn more about her work, or to book her as a speaker, go to http://LakeTrek.com

I was delighted to return to the senior center in Georgetown, Michigan (near Grand Rapids). 
They had me speak to their group in the spring about my Great Lakes Walk and they booked me again to give my Great Lakes Islands presentation.

The room fills up!

The group is engrossed with a video taken on Manitoulin Island

Many venues that have booked me in the past are booking me for return engagements.

I now have three presentations 

correlating with my books:

The first is about my hike all the way around 

Lake Michigan.

The second is about my hike touching 

all five Great Lakes.

And the third is about my adventure exploring

the islands of the Great Lakes.

I am now booking events for 2016.

Contact me at:  LakeTrek@gmail.com

Book Club visit

Loreen Niewenhuis is an author, adventurer, and Great Lakes speaker. She has completed a trilogy of 1,000-mile adventures exploring the Great Lakes and has written three books about the Great Lakes [A 1,000-Mile Walk on the Beach *a Heartland Indie Bestseller*, A 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Walk *winner of the Great Lakes Great Reads Award*, and A 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Island Adventure]. To learn more about her work, or to book her as a speaker, go to http://LakeTrek.com

I recently had a lovely time speaking to the 

Book Club at the library 

in Schoolcraft, Michigan.

The room was packed!

Marilyn Jones reads a poem she wrote just for me

Poem by Marilyn Jones

Here's the last part of the poem 

"Our Unique Peninsula":

I couldn't wait to read her next book

of other Great Lakes I haven't seen,

It feels like she's an old friend now

that's the sign of a good author, Loreen!

Thanks to this special group, the librarians who coordinated my visit, and to Marilyn for the gift of her poem.

Keynote Speaker

Loreen Niewenhuis is an author, adventurer, and Great Lakes speaker. She has completed a trilogy of 1,000-mile adventures exploring the Great Lakes and has written three books about the Great Lakes [A 1,000-Mile Walk on the Beach *a Heartland Indie Bestseller*, A 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Walk *winner of the Great Lakes Great Reads Award*, and A 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Island Adventure]. To learn more about her work, or to book her as a speaker, go to http://LakeTrek.com

I was asked to be the keynote speaker at the annual meeting for the Grass River Natural Area in Bellaire, Michigan.

This conservation area protects almost 1,500 acres along the beautiful Grass River, the waterway connecting Clam Lake to Lake Bellaire 

(see the previous blog post for a look at this important preserve).

The meeting was held at Shanty Creek. 

Shanty Creek overlooking Lake Bellaire

Executive Director, Haley Breniser, introduces me

Over 100 people attended this dinner meeting

I enjoy speaking to crowds of any size to share my love of our Great Lakes. I have travelled to eight states for speaking engagements and am currently booking events for 2016.

[contact me at LakeTrek@gmail.com to inquire about your events]