Sea Change Expeditions 2025

Submitted By Katya Gordon
seachangeexpeditions@gmail.com
218-290-5975

Sea Change Expeditions has taken to the seas of Lake Superior once again. Cur­rently in its 11th year, Mark and Katya Gordon and their four crew members, young adults from Lake Superior’s coastal communities, will focus their educational pro­gramming this year on the north shore, thanks to fund­ing from two grants, the MN DNR Small Capacity Coastal grant, and the Cook and Lake County Soil and Water Conservation Dis­tricts.

Sea Change provides an integrated education to mid­dle school students along the North Shore on local invasive species (aquatic and terrestrial), plastics and microplastics in Lake Supe­rior, and climate change’s impact on the region. Solu­tions are as important as understanding the problem in this curriculum; stu­dents analyze their own ecological footprint, learn about and brainstorm solu­tions, write letters to deci­sion-makers, and produce short podcasts for local radio stations. Some make personal or group commitments as well.

How does Sea Change accomplish this? Since March, the Gordons have been regularly visiting classes in the 5th and 6th grade classrooms at the North Shore Community School, Minnehaha Ele­mentary, and William Kel­ley School. Cook County public school and Great Expectations in Grand Marais have also completed a day of programming with Sea change.

And now, the fun begins! Sea Change crew moved aboard on May 9 for a three-week voyage that began in Knife River and will end in Grand Marais. Each grade will take a field trip to the sailboat when it is docked near their school. They will meet the crew and review all they’ve learned, play games, tour the sailboat, do a beach clean-up, look at microplastics through a microscope, eat a picnic lunch, and complete the program with a signature on a “Clean, Cold and Clear Challenge,” a nylon main sail-turned-Lake Superior map, signifying completion of the Sea Change program.

Sea Change Expeditions will then continue sailing north to Grand Portage and provide a 1-day program to the Oshki Ogimaag Com­munity School at the new ferry dock.

Then, Sea Change em­barks on its own learning by heading north and east to explore Lake Superior. For the crew, it’s a crash course in sailing a 40-ft. sailboat in the more remote areas of Lake Superior. Everything from charting the course to steering and sail handling to dish washing will be on the docket.

Later in June, Sea Change Expeditions will take five teenagers on a sailing voy­age, circumnavigating Isle Royale on a trip that in­cludes citizen science and engagement around the ef­fects of climate change on Lake Superior.

Thanks to private dona­tions, both trips are heavily subsidized and accessible to anyone who cares about the environment and is ready for a big adventure. Local teens are especially encour­aged to apply to the June trip. Contact Katya Gordon at seachangeexpeditions@gmail.com.

Currently, in 2025, re­mote border crossings are not being issued from Can­ada, so Sea Change will limit its territory to US wa­ters.

One of the lessons Katya and Mark Gordon, Sea Change Captain and Crew teach the students is to write a letter to an entity of their choice, voicing any concerns they have and asking for something that would help the situation. A group of stu­dents chose the Northshore Journal to write to. Following are the letters we received.

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Dear Editor,

My name is Elizabeth. I am in the 6th grade at WKS. My mom works at Northwoods Family Grille. I like horse riding. My Horse names are Fred and Bently.

I am concerned about garbage going into the water. And the clean, drain, and dry.

Please consider the clean, drain, and dry to boaters.

Thank you for considering my request. I look forward to hearing back from you.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth

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Dear Editor,

My name is Amara Geissler and I am a 5th grader at WKS. My mom is a Medical Assistant at Lake View in Two Harbors. In the summer I like fishing with my dad.

Every week me and my mom read the newspaper and the newspaper gives us good information about what’s going on.

I am concerned about when boats come out of the water at the marina they might have mussels on them.

Please consider on putting in the paper to use the cleaning station at the marina so some boats that have sea lamprey or spiny waterflea.

Thank you for considering my re­quest.

Sincerely,
Amara Geissler

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Dear Editor,

My name is Aria Lehtinen and I am a 5th grader at WKS. My mom is a nurse and my stepdad is a plumb­er. I like to hunt and fish. I like liv­ing in Silver Bay because of the news keeps us up on date for what is going on.

I think we should make more clean, drain and dry stations in Sil­ver Bay so if we go in to different lakes we won’t bring from one lake to a different lake because there are also a lot of plastic. But we don’t want to spread invasive species because we don’t want more. We want to get rid of them not spread.

Please consider making more signs to make them want to clean, drain, and dry because we spread instead of getting rid of the bad stuff so the fish will be more healthy.

Thank you for considering my request. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
Aria Lehtinen

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Dear Editor,

My name is Trevon Hendrickson and I am a 6th grader at North Shore Community School. I like to fish and swim, I also like being in the woods. Nice water is one of my fa­vorite things.

I am concerned about people not doing clean, drain, and dry. Two years ago I went to Chub Lake and it was a nice lake. I went back a year later and it wasn’t nice. I think it was full of milfoil and I didn’t swim in it.

I am asking if you would consider asking boaters to clean, drain, and dry for less aquatic invasive spe­cies.

Thanks for considering.
Sincerely,
Trevon

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Dear Editor,

My name is Zander Bruzek and I live in the woods, and I find lots of plastic in the woods. It is a prob­lem because the plastic never goes away. The plastic in the woods breaks down into microplastic that stays in the ground, but plants that grow there suck up the microplas­tic. Then the animals eat the plants and the plastic goes into the ani­mals, then we eat the animals so the plastic gets in us.

Please consider about putting this in the paper because I think that the paper is a great way to encourage people to change, and not litter.

Thank you for taking your time to consider my request, and I appre­ciate you taking your time to write the paper.

Sincerely,
Zander Bruzek

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Dear Editor,

My name is Jonathan and I am a 6th grader at North Shore Commu­nity School. I would like you to put a 2×2 square about clean, drain, dry. It would help less invasive species spread.

I am concerned about the amount of invasive species that are in Lake Superior. That would include sea lamprey, zebra mussels, guppies, etc. And if those got into other lakes they would spread like a wildfire.

I am asking if you would put this big of a square it would remind boaters to not bring invasive spe­cies to other lakes! And imagine pulling up a nice, big lake trout and not seeing a big sea lamprey on it. No!

Thank you for considering my request. I love the newspaper and you do a great job. I look forward to hear from you. If you don’t have time to respond, I understand, but please reply!

Sincerely,
Jonathan

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Dear Editor,

My name is Charlie Whiting and I’m a 5th grader at the Minnehaha and I like to do lots of things out­side. Like playing basketball, foot­ball, bike riding, and fishing. Also I love swimming.

I am concerned about invasive species in Lake Superior such as sea lamprey, and zebra mussels, also spiny waterflea.

Please consider inform boaters about clean, drain, dry. I think do­ing that will help get rid of these invasive species

Thank you for clean, drain, and drying your boats. I love Two Har­bors because of the calmness and lake. Thank you for considering. I look forward to hearing back from you.

Sincerely,
Charlie Whiting

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Dear Editor,

My name is Jacob B. and I am a 5th grader at the Minnehaha and from Two Harbors. My cousins own a eating place [Marshas]. And I like to ride bike. My favorite thing to do is riding sleds.

I am concerned about sea lam­prey in the lakes.

Please consider helping remove sea lamprey and please clean your boats.

Thank you for doing what I asked.

Sincerely,
Jacob B.