News Photo by Temi Fadayomi Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary Stewardship and Education Specialist, Daniel Moffatt, explains Summer in the Sanctuary in his office at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center on Wednesday.

ALPENA — Kids ages eight to 17 have a host of fun activities to look forward to in the summer as Friends of the Thunder Bay Marine Sanctuary announce their program lineup for this year’s Summer in the Sanctuary.

According to Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary Stewardship and Education Specialist, Daniel Moffatt, Summer in the Sanctuary is a series of programs designed to get kids interested and involved with the Great Lakes through educational and immersive activities that get them near, on, and even under the water.

“We’re trying to provide guided interpretive access and immersive experiences,” Moffatt said. “Exposing the youth in this area to as many opportunities in the world of natural resources, cultural and historical resources that we possibly can as the Friends group and, in doing so, creating lifelong stewards of the Great Lakes that are knowledgeable about the Great Lakes and care about them and want to protect them for future generations.”

For this year’s activities, Summer at the Sanctuary has four unique programs that offer kids a range of activities from building and deploying underwater remotely operated vehicles to learning about the history of the Great Lakes and the various shipwrecks that took place on them.

One of the newer programs being offered, according to Moffatt, is Learn to Snorkel which teaches kids about the basics of snorkeling and how to perform various tasks, such as breathing and finning techniques, mask defogging, and snorkel clearing. Additionally, participants will also be educated about the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and its mission.

“This will be our first year offering this,” Moffatt said. “This is just a two-hour class and it’s held in our marine tech tank. If we’re going to encourage people to get into their sanctuary, this is one way where we can train kids on the techniques of snorkeling like diving and Mask defogging and snorkel clearing.”

Another program being offered is called Outside and Unplugged, which sees high school students explore various natural and cultural resources throughout Northeast Michigan.

“There are three opportunities for students to do a variety of things,” Moffatt said. “Hiking the beach, kayaking to a shipwreck, snorkeling a shipwreck, going out to Rockport, hiking to a sinkhole, snorkeling the sinkhole, checking out the lighthouses up in Presque Isle. We really want to get kids in the water and provide them with the resources and equipment to do so right.”

Each program is $10 per individual session and is for specific age ranges and at certain times. For additional information about the requirements and times for the various programs, visit www.thunderbayfriends.org.

Registration for the programs begins April 1.