You’re never more than five minutes away from water in Alpena. A few years ago I pulled out a map and comparing what I was seeing to plat books, I counted about 100 assessable open bodies of water in the Alpena area.

I, as most, consider the Alpena area to be the land that stretches from the center of the city at the boat harbor all the way out into the countryside and quaint villages in the surrounding counties. I grew up in Maple Ridge Township, close to the little burb of Cathro. Posen was just as close as Alpena. However, we still considered ourselves to be residents of the Alpena area.

Within this area are bountiful lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams that have provided generations of families with lazy summer days of swimming, catching fish, canoeing, kayaking, water for cattle herds, nesting habitat for ducks and inspiration for poems and song lyrics.

When I first took my position with the Alpena Area Convention & Visitors Bureau I tried to take a look at the Alpena area in terms of what we offered that could be considered something that was different or better than what people could find in most other areas our size; and what could be found in almost every corner of our geographic area. Our prolific natural resources are a given but drilling down further, what was it about our natural resources that could be considered different or better?

The answer I came up with was fishing. Almost every family has an avid fisherman if not many. Every new generation learns the activity from previous generations. Kids ride their bikes to the Ninth Avenue Bridge with fishing rods across the handle bars and tackle boxes strapped to the back fender. The newspaper displays pictures of residents catching massive walleye in the middle of town behind the post office. Fletchers Pond, Long Lake, Thunder Bay River; I could fill this column just listing all the great fishing spots.

It was a fitting choice. If there was a metric to gauge the quality of the fishing experience in the Alpena Area it may as well be the No. 1 ranked fishing show on network television — Major League Fishing. When Major League Fishing came to Alpena to film episodes for their TV series in 2013 it legitimized what locals already know: fishing in Alpena, especially bass fishing, is excellent.

We believed this opportunity was a one-time deal as they never go to the same community twice. However, we were surprised with a return visit in 2016 as we became the only community the show had ever filmed twice. This season of shows is airing right now on the Outdoor Channel on Saturdays, at 2 p.m., through May 6.

Why did they come back? Quite simply for the Alpena fishing experience. But it goes beyond their requirements for healthy and prolific fish populations, and goes straight to the heart of the friendliness and hospitality of our area. If you don’t care about fishing it might be hard to understand why this is a big deal but here are a few value points the Alpena fishing experience provides:

∫ Recognition of Alpena as a fishing destination.

∫ Influx of visitors who need bait and tackle, restaurant meals, entertainment when they’re not on the water, lodging, ice cream, and the list goes on.

∫ Realization that Alpena is a pretty great place to live as well as visit, which creates the need for real estate agents, property management services, insurance, home maintenance services, local gas and electric hookups, landscaping services, property value increase.

These are just a few. Other valuable benefits include the recognition the Alpena area receives once other fishing shows (it’s happened about 24 times since the first Major League Fishing shows aired) are filmed here and aired to audiences who are seeking new places to visit. Once someone visits Alpena they discover Hillman, Rogers City and Harrisville and these areas benefit from that first small seed planted.

The average fishing vacationer spends about $690 per visit. Anglers often travel with family and friends. This means that the average fishing vacation party deposits over $5,000 per trip into the local economy.

It’s not all about tourism. It’s also about local awareness. We love our lake days, lounging at the sandies, fishing our secret spot, floating down the river with family, and sailing around the bay. We love the solitude of a morning sunrise over the bay. We love our water; and because it’s just always there we sometimes forget that it is a big deal.

It’s a big deal to keep it clean. It’s a big deal to keep the ecosystems healthy. It’s a big deal to protect these resources while allowing responsible access. Stay tuned for more.

Mary Beth Stutzman’s Inspiring A-Town runs bi-weekly on Tuesdays. Follow Mary Beth on Twitter @mbstutz.