Voyageur Canoe Expedition to Harbor Island - Project Lakewell

From the late 1600s well into the 19th Century, the waters around Drummond Island served as a busy highway of the fur trade. Hundreds of large birch bark canoes laden with goods bound for remote posts west and north of Lake Superior passed the island annually traveling up the St. Mary’s River. In recognition of this rich historical legacy, we are proud to offer an expedition in an authentic 24’ birch bark “Canot du Nord” to the Harbor Island National Wildlife Refuge. The island, shaped like a giant horseshoe, is a pristine virgin wilderness which has has never been timbered or dredged. The main bay is over ½ mile wide. Harbor Island is both zoologically and botanically rich as home to coopers hawks, osprey, northern harriers, loons, bald eagles, rare orchids, gentians, and lobelias.   

Potaganassing River Wild Rice Tour  - With Roger LaBine

Join Roger LaBine for a trip to the rice beds on Drummond by canoe and kayak. The Potagannissing River and the interior lakes of the island support extensive wild rice beds that have provided an important staple food for Ojibway families from the Eastern Upper Peninsula and adjacent Ontario who used the island as a key annual rice gathering site. Once abundant throughout the Great Lakes Region, wild rice populations have suffered heavily from logging activities, disturbance, pollution, and changing water levels. While many wild rice beds in the region have disappeared, rice stands on the island’s inland waterway have continued to thrive, providing rich and unique habitat for an abundance of wildlife. Roger has a deep personal and cultural connection to manoomin, and has been restoring, protecting, nurturing, and educating people about it for decades. We guarantee great teachings, good laughs, and respect for manoomin on this adventure....

Off-Site Adventures

In addition to the dozens of hands-on classes and in depth workshops, our new site on Drummond Island has some unique opportunities for off-site learning adventures. These daily outings with expert guides explore the island’s rich history, ecology, and cultural heritage. Please be advised that many outings have limited space and will be filled on a first-come first-serve basis, so early registration is recommended.

Outings - Explore the Island

GLTAG Outings...

Old Time Sailing in a New Haven Sharpie - Hugh Covert


Experience traditional sailing on the Great Lakes as it was done long ago with an expert Great Lakes ecologist and passionate maritime arts master. The Gypsy M. (pictured at right) is an 1870 era replica 40 foot gaff-rigged New Haven Sharpie built by Hugh himself using 25 species of midwestern trees that he cut and sawed. Hugh is offering 2-hour guided outings aboard the Gypsy M. that will immerse (no pun there...) you in northern Lake Huron limnology, geography, wooden ship lore, and old time close-to-the-water sailing.

This off-site adventure requires pre-registration and pre-payment of the $35 fee before the event registration deadline. You must register with Hugh separately from your GLTAG registration - see registration page for link. The Gypsy M. will accommodate only 6 people per outing - space is limited, so register early. Sign up  with Shelter Island Transit (Hugh’s Website) HERE

Black Ash Basket Log Selection and Harvest - Pigeon Family Baskets

No baskets are made without the log, and choosing a black ash log for basket splints is an art and a science. If you plan to make a basket at GLTAG, we recommend tagging along on this outing to harvest the tree that will be used for the basket class. Learn how to find black ash trees, evaluate each tree’s suitability for baskets, and then help to respectfully harvest the tree that will provide splints for the basket workshop back at the GLTAG event site.

Spruce Canoe Bark Harvest - With Ferdy Goode


It all starts with a tree, and a single sheet of spruce bark large enough to build a canoe requires a team of people and some special techniques and tools to ensure the bark is removed without tears or splits. Follow Ferdy into the forest where he will guide the entire process - from selecting a suitable tree to making peeling tools and finally harvesting a huge sheet of that will become our canoe within days....