What’s so special about islands? (See below.)

Frog hiding in one of the few moist places around here (Photo by Sue)

This may look like a giant turtle moving from left to right and leaving a track, but it's really a boulder that was pushed long distance by moving ice, last spring.

What’s so special about islands?

They are, of course, surrounded by water—which gives them a certain separation and sense of definition.

They are more or less difficult to get to, and thus tend to be less travelled and more natural. They are often slightly behind the time and seem to operate at a slower pace, offering peacefulness and tranquility. They have a relatively great amount of coastline, which gives them a relatively great amount of beauty.

They have definite boundaries, creating a sense of place. They often have a smallish population, a unique history, and a substantial number of shared interests. Islands tend to think and act as communities.

Although there is something ineffable about exactly why, islands are different. Perhaps it’s the air—if not the water. Whatever the case, anyone visiting an island feels the difference once a foot steps ashore. On an island you are somewhat removed, to someplace special.

So what’s the best way to think about islands? According to Christian Pleijel, Chair of the Nordic Archipelago Cooperation in the Baltic Sea and former Director of the European Small Islands Network, there are three helpful ways:

1) the natural landscape (the island without humans), 2) the cultural landscape (what happens when we humans move in to the island, what we do, how we survive, what we need), and 3) the technical landscape (the infrastructure we build to meet our needs of transportation, energy, water, waste and overspill we produce).

These three considerations are also an important part of the thought process of the relatively young organization operating in our part of the world. The Great Lakes Islands Coalition (GLIC). GLIC is an association of year-round-occupied islands in Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, Ontario, and the St. Lawrence River. There are about 20 of us.