Thursday, June 18th, 2009

Washburn, WI     

Inland Sea Society and regional and state agency representatives will unveil the recently completed Lake Superior Water Trail map Thursday at 7 p.m. at STAGENORTH in Washburn as part of the kick-off to the Inland Sea Kayak Symposium. The Wisconsin Lake Superior Water Trail stretches 400 miles from the city of Superior to the Montreal River at the Michigan border.  The full-color, detailed map guides travelers to safe and legal access and camping sites along Wisconsin’s wild and scenic north coast.

The 2009 Inland Sea Kayak Symposium combines food, art, and kayaking – all with a commitment to community and sustainability. Organized by the Inland Sea Society, the Symposium, now in its nineteenth year, offers kayak instruction, guided Apostle Island tours, seminars, presentations, and loads of fun and food. A four-day event held at Thompson’s West End Park in Washburn, it kicks off Thursday, June 18 and closes on Sunday, June 21.

Thursday evening’s program will highlight the Lake Superior Water Trail map, as well as a panel of kayakers who have circumnavigated Lake Superior. Rick Hoffman of Illinois, who happened upon the Lake Superior Water Trail map planned his trip via water to the Symposium using the Water Trail Map. Leaving from Superior, Wisconsin, Rick will be getting off the water at the Symposium, and will be there talking about his experiences using the Water Trail Map.

The National Park Service’s Rivers & Trails Program partnered with the Inland Sea Society, a conservation organization, to organize a local advisory committee to lead the completion of this unique map. Funding was provided by the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management under the Coastal Zone Management Act and the National Park Service Challenge Cost Share Program..  Local, county, state, and tribal advisors contributed to the final product.

The Northwest Regional Planning Commission supported the project and completed a detailed survey of  the public access points identified in the Water Trail Map.  The map and report is online in a user friendly book format at: http://maps.nwrpc.com/coastal/lake-superior-water-trail.  The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources also supported the project and will be posting the map to their website in mid-June.  

To view the map or get more information on the Inland Sea Kayak Symposium visit www.inlandsea.org.

DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THIS MAP