MICHIGAN AUTHORS FESTIVAL
Michigan Library Association
Annual Conference November 5, 1999
Hyatt Regency Hotel
Dearborn, Michigan
“NANCY WASHBURNE has created a unique book that
fills a void for snorkelers worldwide and especially in Michigan.
A lifelong resident of Michigan and experienced scuba diver in some
of the most exotic dive locations in the world, the author discovered
that there was no information on Michigan’s inland lakes from
the snorkeling point of view. Although her book surveys all of the
state’s public access lakes to support snorkeling as a leisure
activity, it also contains a wealth of information including lake
size, fish, aquatic plants and more.”
Clark Bunting, Senior Vice President & General
Manager Animal Planet, Discovery Networks – USA
“ As a
lifelong snorkeler in Michigan, I found ‘Snorkeling Guide
to Michigan Inland Lakes’ remarkably informative and useful.
I believe it will help to open a fascinating and unexplored world
to snorkeling enthusiasts from beginners to experts.”
Dr. Bruce Manny, U.S. Geological Survey,
Ann Arbor
“ For those
who thought that to get a great snorkeling experience you needed
to go to the ocean, this new guide will be a wonderful surprise.
A must-read for anyone looking for new and exciting family activities
in Michigan this summer.”
DETROIT FREE PRESS
Eric Sharp, Free Press Outdoors Writer
Inland Lakes
Hold Wonders for Snorkelers
The other day
Craig Porter, a friend from Dearborn, brought son Devin, 10, and
daughter Reka, 7, to our place in Grayling for a long weekend.
The children brought masks, fins and snorkels, and we spent a
few hours swimming over the flats and weed beds of Lake Margrethe.
We saw crayfish,
clams, snails, bluegills, perch, walleyes and bass. We found a
rod and reel that a fisherman had lost, a snorkel, and bits of
an old military tank that someone had dropped into the lake to
use as a boat mooring.
It was a great
introduction for the kids to a marvelous underwater world that’s
available to all Michiganders. And by coincidence, anyone interested
in such exploring can buy a wonderfully useful book, “Snorkeling
Guide to Michigan Inland Lakes” (Nanmar International Inc.
$18.95) in which writer Nancy Washburne offers pocket summaries
of 480 lakes scattered around both peninsulas.
When we think
of underwater activity, we tend to think of Jacques Cousteau-ish
oceanic adventures or scuba diving in the Great Lakes. But, as
Washburne says, “I’m interested in seeing fish and other
underwater creatures, not wrecks, and in Michigan there’s
a lot more to see in the inland lakes.”
There’s
also plenty of opportunity. Most of the lakes she writes about
have state and municipal accesses that let snorkelers get to excellent
sites without a boat, and the water is often amazingly clear.
I’ve been
diving for 45 years, and when not using scuba gear I still do
free dives while holding my breath to poke around the bottom.
That’s a necessity on ocean reefs, but in most inland lakes,
once you pass the 20-foot mark there’s little to see and
icy water at the bottom makes for chilly diving even in a wet
suit.
That’s
why Washburne’s book is written for people who will spend
their time just lying on the surface, breathing through the snorkel
while they look through the mask. In many lakes she explored,
underwater visibility is 20 feet or more, and 90 percent of the
critters live in the weeds, downed logs and other shallow areas
where sunlight penetrates.
“We see
all kinds of fish, turtles and crayfish,” says Washburne,
who uses a video camera in an underwater housing to record the
experience. “The other week we were in a lake where my husband,
Martin, had some carp 2- 3 feet long swim right up to his mask.
They didn’t seem the least concerned.”
That’s
something I also like about inland lakes. Even spooky fish like
carp and trout, which flee if a wading angler gets within 20 feet,
let snorkelers swim within inches.
This book will
also be helpful to fishermen, because it details not only the
kinds of fish in each lake but where Washburne found them.
“Snorkeling
Guide to Michigan Inland Lakes” is available at many bookstores.
You can mail-order it from Nanmar International, 320 Whitehills
Drive, East Lansing 48823, or fax 1-517-336-6751 anytime.
MICHIGAN OUTDOORS MAGAZINE
Dennis Knickerbocker
April 1998
This is an unusual
book and unusually useful for anyone wishing to get started in
snorkeling or just learn more about Michigan’s many lakes.
“This is
a pioneer survey, really”, said author Nancy W. Washburne,
founder of a Lansing travel agency and a world-traveling snorkeler
for the past 20 years. “To my knowledge, no similar work
has been done on inland lakes anywhere in the nation.”
Snorkeling Guide
provides short descriptions and assessments of 480 Michigan lakes
of all sizes, from overlooked gems in the western Upper Peninsula
to multiple-use waters in Oakland County. She tells how to get
there, how to access the lake, what you’re apt to see, and
the best times for undisturbed snorkeling--or fishing.
