Why the Geographic's in town

John Thomson, publisher of Canadian Geographic magazine, was in Sault Ste. Marie today to launch a travel guidebook featuring the Great Lakes Heritage Coast between the Sault and Midland, Ontario.

The 112-page book, part of Canadian Geographic's Trans Canada Ecotours series, describes 82 points along the north shore of Lake Huron.

Produced with financial assistance from the Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corp., the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Great Lakes Forestry Centre, FedNor and the City of Sault Ste. Marie, the book sells for $14.95.

It's available locally at Cole's Books outlets, the Canadian Bushplane Museum, the Canada Store in Mackinaw City, or also from the Canadian Geographic website. To go there now, click here.

French and English editions are available.

Local content includes:

- history of the Sault rapids

- Attikamek Trail on South St. Marys Island

- Sea Lamprey Control Centre

- biodiversity of the St. Marys River

- Ermatinger House

- Clergue Blockhouse

- Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre

- the "Bug Lab" (Great Lakes Forestry Centre)

- Ontario Forest Research Institute

- Bellevue Park

- Ojibwa and Odawa history

- turkey vultures

- Sugar Island

- wetlands of Echo Bay

- Pumpkin Point

- Laird Hill

- sandhill cranes

- St. Joseph Island brachiopods, trilobites

- puddingstone

- Sailors Encampment

- the "Mountain of Maple"

- St. Joseph Island's agricultural heritage

- Adcock's Garden

- Fort St. Joseph National Historical Site

- Cornish miners of Bruce Mines

Second guide: Sault to Thunder Bay

Authored by Fred Pollett, the new Ecotour book describes "sights and sites" along the highway that reflect the biodiversity of the regional ecology.

It includes maps that show individual sections of the route, together with points of interest and distances between.

Another Ecotour guidebook to the region between Sault Ste. Marie and Thunder Bay is currently being prepared.