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On June 28, the Mittlefehldts set out in their canoe from Houghton, heading for Lake
Superior on their voyage toward Sault St. Marie. On July 13 their Web site reported the father and daughter had reached
the area of Mackinac Island. Covering about 20-30 miles a day, visiting communities and writing stories along the way, they
hope to reach New York City by September.
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HOUGHTON - Two 21st-century voyageurs, a father and daughter, recently completed the Lake Superior leg of their Great Lakes odyssey
- from Duluth to New York by canoe--logging stories of fresh water stewardship, creative cooperation and sustainable living on their Web site-- Cross Currents: Paddle to the Sea, which now
features profiles of three Copper Country community leaders the pair met during a stopover in Houghton.
Bill and Sarah Mittlefehldt of Anoka, Minn., departed from Duluth on June 16 and made
a stop in Houghton on June 27-28. They paddled three and a half weeks on Lake
Superior, averaging 20 to 30 miles a day. On July 10 the adventurous pair left the Sault
St. Marie lock and dam system and headed down the St. Mary's River toward the Mackinac Bridge
The latest report on their site noted the Mittlefehldts had reached the area of Mackinac Island on July 13.
With 300 lb. of gear in their covered canoe, Bill and Sarah are not just on a canoe-camping trip.
Said Bill, 53, "We're going primarily to gather stories about sustainable initiatives in the
first year of the millenium as a gift to the next generation."
Sarah, 21, who built up canoeing skills during family vacations in northern Minnesota,
added, "It's not a fight (against nature) but a yielding to what you want to do with your life."
Their partner, Anoka High School staff member Tim Sheie, posts the Mittlefehldts'
stories and photos on the Web site as he receives them, with an update of their location.
During their June 28 visit to Houghton, Bill and Sarah met with Joan Schumaker Chadde, education program coordinator of the GEM Center for Science and
Environmental Outreach at Michigan Tech University in Houghton; Kristine Bradof, the
GEM Center's community coordinator; and retired regional community planner Steve
Albee of Hancock. The Mittlefehldts chose to feature Chadde, Bradof and Albee on
their Web site as models of environmental stewardship and community partnership.
Chadde, who had contacted the Mittlefehldts through her cooperative work with the
Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth, told them about the GEM Center's many educational
programs in Copper Country schools, including Family Science Nights, Forest and Pond
Field Trips, Earth Week Programs, and Teacher Training Workshops.
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Sarah and Bill Mittlefehldt of Anoka, Minn., check their Global Positioning System (GPS)
before leaving Houghton on the Lake Superior stage of their canoe trip through the Great Lakes from Duluth to New York
City. The father-daughter team is collecting stories about teamwork and collaboration in communities they visit.
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On their Web site Bill and Sarah wrote about Chadde's contagious energy and the successes of the GEM Center programs: "By tapping
into the energy of youth, the Center is commited to a sustainable vision for the future of the area's natural resources."
The Mittlefehldts had comments about Kristine Bradof's nine years of work at the Center and her current leadership of the
Common Ground Workshop on Sustainable Development in the Keweenaw.
"Kristine has managed to build teams which represent 34 local businesses, government
agencies, large landowners, educators and health care advisors to explore their common
ground," the Web site article notes. "Specifically, this group has been discussing
opportunities for sustainable development in the region."
The Mittlefehldts found that "(Kristine) is optimistic that the region is growing its
capacity for sustainable development. More partners are perceiving the value of working together through a shared vision of the future."
Another article on the Cross Currents site summarizes Steve Albee's 25 years as a
regional planner for the Western Upper Peninsula Planning and Development Region
(WUPPDR), noting especially his efforts to raise the level of understanding of the Lake Superior Watershed.
"Many citizens had preferred to ignore or deny that there were any problems associated
with erosion, fish tumors or mineral contamination of the watershed," wrote the
Mittlefehldts. "But through a two year process, Steve and his partners in
Houghton-Hancock began to see the problem and to perceive that together they could do something about it."
The article recognizes Albee's efforts in organizing community leaders to do something about the Torch Lake Area of Concern.
"Steve played a key role in bringing the Michigan Department of Enviromental Quality, the US EPA and the local Public Action Committee to the same table," the Mittlefehldts noted.
Said Albee, "(Bill) kind of rejuvenated my interest in the whole Lake Superior Basin as
an ecosystem, just by the idea that he was undertaking this canoe trip with his daughter
... I've been on Lake Superior in a canoe, and I know how challenging that is."
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Sarah Mittlefehldt pushes off from shore near the Super 8 Motel in Houghton as her Dad,
Bill Mittlefehldt, guides their covered canoe. Carrying about 300 lb. of equipment in water-tight bags, they relay
stories about sustainable living and stewardship to their Web site at Anoka High School in Anoka, Minn.
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Bill Mittlefehldt, a career public educator and certified state energy auditor, is currently working with the Minnesota Office of Environmental
Assistance and a National Science Foundation team. He has taught at Anoka High School and Anoka-Ramsey Community College in Anoka, Minn., and
has worked with the President's Council on Sustainable Development, the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and the Minnesota Business Partnership.
Bill's daughter Sarah graduated this year from Carleton College in Northfield, Minn.,
where she majored in social ecology with a concentration in environmental science.
Sarah spent a Coastal Ecology semester in Zanzibar, was a Minnesota Department of
Natural Resources Fish and Wildlife intern and participated in a seven-week field study
with the Wild Rockies Field Institute along the Rio Grande, 2000.
The father-daughter team stops in selected ports along the way, where they split up to
collect stories of community collaboration, creativity and partnerships. Bill and Sarah
said they hope to discover "creativity working in the grassroots of North America."
Noted Sarah, "We're keeping our eyes and ears open along the way, too."
An example of a creative lifestyle that caught their eye, she said, was a shop called
SOLutions in Cornucopia, Wis. The owners sold photo-electric cells as well as handmade jewelry and pottery.
Bill said the business initiatives in his own community were models of sharing quality
training, with applications to the environment, community and health.
"This notion of continuous quality improvement can be applied to every system that
supports our lives - business, community and environment," he noted.
Watch the Cross Currents Web site, for an update on Bill and Sarah's
adventure through the Great Lakes.
- Michele Anderson
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