There are thousands of islands in the Great Lakes. Most are small and only suitable for wildlife. But a few have residents year-round. Elizabeth Miller of Great Lakes Today reports on a plan to build cooperation among these islands.
Year-round island communities like the one at Put-in-Bay on Lake Erie鈥檚 South Bass Island face challenges we don鈥檛 have here on the mainland. Peter Huston works for Put-in-Bay鈥檚 Chamber of Commerce, says, "It鈥檚 being able to have a reasonable year-round economy, transportation, food."
Other islands have these problems, too. So the goal of this week鈥檚 Great Lakes Island Summit is to have a days-long conversation about the challenges of island life and to find ways to collaborate.
The idea comes from the , a group that supports 15 islands around that state. But the would be a little different.
鈥淲e are a collection of several states and provinces, so in order for us to be able to solve some problems we鈥檙e going to have to work as a greater group,鈥� explains Huston.
Huston says one idea presented at the summit is a passport program to attract tourism to all the Great Lakes islands.
Twelve islands were represented at the summit including Canada鈥檚 Pelee Island, and Harsen鈥檚 Island near Detroit.
is a collaboration of ideastream, WBFO Buffalo and WXXI Rochester.
