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Click here to view highlights
of the 2006 canoe trips

"Leave No Trace" Canoe Trips Is there a better way to spend a school day than taking a canoe trip? While enjoying a leisurely float down the Lower Platte River, students, parents, and teachers can learn about our environment and how we interact with our watersheds. At several stops along the way, speakers present information and ideas about natural resources conservation and management related to Benzie County's salmon fishery. This program serves as the kickoff event for the Benzie Fishery Coalition's "Salmon In the Classroom" project. Each fall, every sixth grade student in Benzie County Central Schools and every seventh grade student in Frankfort-Elberta Area Schools paddle the river during the salmon run, gaining a first hand experience in one of nature's wildest phenomenons. They learn how humans have affected the Great Lakes throughout history and what we are doing now to protect them. Experiencing the operations at the Lower Fish Weir is a highlight of the trip. During the course of the school year, each class of students will be responsible for raising 250 chinook salmon fry in aquariums in their own classroom. It is a great opportunity for students to gain a greater understanding and appreciation for the natural resources that Benzie County has to offer. Much appreciation goes to our parent chaperones, teachers, and project partners, including: Benzie County Central Schools Frankfort-Elberta Area Schools Benzie Fishery Coalition Riverside Canoes Michigan Department of Natural Resources National Park Service