Lisa's Seven Day Field Trip
Lower Michigan and Lake Michigan's Eastern Shore
Map Courtesy of Merriam-Webster's
Atlas
The following field trip has been designed
for earth science educators of all academic levels.
Modifications could be made
according to group dynamics and individual needs.
Our journey through the lower peninsula
of Michigan begins at Capital City Airport in
Lansing. We will follow the
Grand River from Lansing to Grand Rapids to Grand Haven
where it empties into Lake Michigan.
Our trip will then continue by following the Lake
Michigan shoreline north to Muskegon,
Silver Lake, Ludington, and Traverse City. The final
days of our adventure will take us
to Mackinac Island then south to Grayling before returning to Lansing.
The amount of travel required for this
trip is significant, but I feel that it is important to
explore various locations along the
Grand River since it is important geologically, hydrologically and environmentally.
It is also imperative that we are able to compare different dune structures
along
the eastern shore of Lake Michigan.
The glacial features of Michigan are not only represented
by the sand dunes, but by very indicative
landforms of Mackinac Island and Hartwick Pines in Grayling.
The locations for this field trip were
chosen because they represent all of the aspects of geoscience
covered by the TIG program.
Although we will be able to visit a museum and planetarium,
many of the places we will visit allow
us to really see how Michgan was and is being shaped by
environmental processes. The
west side of lower Michgan is a great place to see geosciences in action.
