When Captain Mark Huebschman of the United States Coast Guard became commander of Sector Sault Sainte Marie in 2007, it was more than an ordinary job change.  He was assigned 1,700 miles of environmentally sensitive Great Lakes shoreline, including all of Lake Superior, the St. Mary's River and the Straits of Mackinac, with duties ranging from search  and rescue to law enforcement, ice breaking and homeland security.

Huebschman will share a history of the Soo Locks and Coast Guard operations on Lake Superior in the presentation "Defending Our Borders: The USCG and the Soo Locks," scheduled at the Michigan Iron Industry Museum on Tuesday, July 28, at 2 p.m.  During a time of heightened national security, his program will also explain the interaction between the Coast Guard and the Army Corps of Engineers to provide security for the Locks, one of the most critical pieces of maritime infrastructure in the Great Lakes.

The presentation is the third in a six-part weekday program series at the Michigan Iron Industry Museum. Upcoming programs include:

• Aug. 4 - "Vanishing Horizons: Abandoned Mining Sites in the U.P." with Christine Flavin, Northern Michigan University

• Aug. 11 - "Sounding Out a Regional Dialect:  Michigan's Upper Peninsula Vowel System Project" with Wil A. Rankinen, Indiana University

• Aug. 18 - "Native Americans and the Discovery of Iron Ore in Marquette County" with John Anderton, Northern Michigan University

The museum is located at 73 Forge Road, in Negaunee Township.  All programs begin at 2 p.m.  Admission is free.  Donations are encouraged and will go to support museum education programs.

The Michigan Iron Industry Museum is one of 11 nationally accredited museums administered by the Museum Historical Center, a public, non-profit facility of the Department of History, Arts and Libraries.  It is located at 73 Forge Road, overlooking the site of the Carp River Forge, a pioneer industrial site listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The recently expanded museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  For more information about the summer program series or upcoming events, call (906) 475-7857 or visit online at www.michigan.gov/ironindustrymuseum.

The Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL) is dedicated to enriching quality of life and strengthening the economy by providing access to information, preserving and promoting Michigan's heritage and fostering cultural creativity.  In addition to the Michigan Historical Center, HAL includes the Library of Michigan, the Mackinac Island State Park Commission and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.  To learn more, visit www.michigan.gov/hal

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