Tales from the BOOK TOUR...part 13

This has been the busiest month of my Book Tour, and this last leg took me all the way to St. Louis!

Second Year Anniversary of Lake Trek Finale

Today marks the second anniversary of the completion of my hike around Lake Michigan, a journey of just over 1,000 miles.

It is amazing to look back on that adventure. In some ways it feels like just yesterday, and in others so distant. It is nearly miraculous that the book about my adventure has been out for over six months, and I'd like to thank Crickhollow Books of Milwaukee and Philip Martin, my editor, for doing such a fantastic job editing and publishing the book.




I'd like to thank everyone who has embraced this book about "my" lake. A 1000-MILE WALK ON THE BEACH spent four weeks on The Heartland Indie Bestseller List this summer. And I've met hundreds of people on my book tour who share a love and concern for Lake Michigan and all of our Great Lakes.



What happens now? Well, I have many events still on my scheduled book tour (see sidebar here or go to LakeTrek.com). The big finale of my book tour will be a week-long tour of Madison, Milwaukee and Chicago in early December. Then, I will begin training for my NEXT ADVENTURE.

Next year I will undertake another 1000-mile hike,
one that lets me touch all five Great Lakes.

Please "LIKE" my fan page on Facebook (if you haven't already) and tell me about YOUR favorite place on the shores of the Great Lakes. Which Great Lake is YOUR favorite? Which park is YOUR favorite? Where have YOU found the best rocks? Where is YOUR favorite place to walk the beach? What is YOUR biggest concern about our Great Lakes?

I will announce my hiking route soon here and on my Fan Page, so stay tuned!!

ADOPT-A-BEACH

http://www.greatlakesadopt.org/

There is still time to be part of the largest beach clean-up in the world!

Tales from the BOOK TOUR...part 12

I took some time to focus on my second book released this year, my novella, ATLANTA. And it seemed logical to launch the novella in Georgia. I was able to take my Lake Trek book along, too, and to introduce a Southern audience to both works.

One gentleman in Savannah came to my author event wearing an "M 22" t-shirt. Those of you who have traveled the NW corner of Michigan's Lower Peninsula will recognize this as the designation of the road that winds through some of the most beautiful places in Michigan.



It is a joy to have had one book published this year, and I am thrilled to have a second book come out on the heels of A 1000-MILE WALK ON THE BEACH. My novella, ATLANTA, grew out of my years living in this Southern metropolis. I tried to capture the neighborhoods, the vibe, the lives, and the energy of this unique city. Though I only lived there for a handful of years, Atlanta still has a place in my heart.

If you live in Atlanta, Macon, or Savannah, please ask for the novella, ATLANTA, at your indie bookstore. If you live elsewhere, you can support Kazoo Books (a great indie bookstore in Kalamazoo) by ordering my novella from them through Amazon.com.

My novella will be featured in the October issue of Atlanta Intown!
Look for it next month!

Thank you!

Decatur book festival

Having a great time at the DECATUR BOOK FESTIVAL!









Tom Perrotta reading at the festival (above).








Stop by booth #314 and say HELLO!

Location:Decatur, GA

Separation of the Mississippi and Great Lakes Water System

The alarms are finally going off regarding the environmental destruction caused by invasive species. Six attorneys general in the Midwest have called for a coalition to demand the separation of the Mississippi River system from the Great Lakes water system.

From the AP news story:

"...the officials invited colleagues in 27 other states to join a lobbying campaign to separate the two watersheds, contending they have as much to lose as the Great Lakes do from migration of aquatic plants and animals that can do billions in economic damage and starve out native species.

"We have Asian carp coming into Lake Michigan and zebra mussels moving out of the Great Lakes and into the heart of our country, both of which are like poison to the ecology of our waters," Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette said. "This is not just a Great Lakes issue. By working together, we hope to put pressure on the federal government to act before it's too late."

Zebra mussels (in photos) have caused the power industry BILLIONS of dollars in the 25 years they have inhabited the Great Lakes. The mussels clog intake pipes which must be continually cleaned of the tenacious invaders. The zebra mussels have also negatively impacted the fishing industry in the Great Lakes by disrupting the ecosystem.

If the Asian Carp enter the lakes and establish a breeding population, they will out-compete native and stocked species in the lakes. The round goby (an invasive fish transported from the Black Sea to the Great Lakes in ballast water) is already doing this to the perch in the lake.

Separation of these water systems appears to be a logical and necessary step to protect our nation's waters from invasives. Another no-brainer is to FINALLY mandate that all ballast water must be treated so that no new invasives get a free ride from the other side of the world to our Great Lakes.

To see the dramatic spread of the zebra mussel, click on the dynamic map HERE.

Sleeping Bear Dunes

Here are a few more photos from
the place recently voted
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACE IN AMERICA!

A Win-Win-Win-Win Situation for the Great Lakes

I have blogged about the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) several times. This is the largest investment into our Great Lakes in two decades and is a five-year plan to fund programs to improve the health of our lakes. The funding targets five specific areas:

1. Cleaning up toxics and areas of concern
2. Combating invasive species
3. Promoting nearshore health by protecting watersheds from polluted run-off
4. Restoring wetlands and other habitats
5. Working with partners on outreach

With the stalled economy, this ambitious program has been scaled back in the budget each of the years it has been included thus far. Still, it is doing a lot of good on many levels in the Great Lakes Region.

On August 23, the EPA announced that the GLRI is setting aside $6 million for federal agencies to sign up unemployed workers to complete projects "in federally-protected areas, on tribal lands and in Areas of Concern in the Great Lakes Basin."

"These projects will help to restore the Great Lakes and put Americans back to work," said EPA Great Lakes National Program Manager and Regional Administrator Susan hedman. "In a sense, we will be using these funds to create a small-scale 21st century Civilian Conservation Corps."

This complex approach to a complex set of problems will benefit the Great Lakes Region on many levels. As I've mentioned before, the Brookings Institution (a nonpartisan group) estimated that for every $1 invested in the GLRI will give back $2 to the region.

This benefit must actually increase if the GLRI is used to employ the unemployed in the region. Those wages will be taxed in the region supporting schools, roads, and other community services. Those wages will be spent in the region supporting local businesses.

Win-win-win-win.

Contact your represenatives in support of the GLRI, and learn more about the program and the projects it funds HERE.

Tales from the BOOK TOUR...part 11

The book tour took me to NW Michigan in mid-August.


A big thanks to the bookstores that hosted me along the way and to the indie booksellers who recommended
A 1000-MILE WALK ON THE BEACH
to their patrons, and to their patrons who told
friends and family about the book.