Great Lakes and Great Times: Michigan boasts four Great Lakes, 11,000 inland lakes, 36,000 miles of rivers and streams, 20 million acres of forests, 100 state and national parks and recreation areas, 1,300 miles of bike trails, 6,500 miles of snowmobile trails, the second-most ski areas in the nation, 650 public golf courses, 600 campgrounds, and an international dark-sky park-just for starters. The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) provides leadership, resources, support, and guidance to approximately 200,000 school district staff serving approximately 1.5 million students in public and non-public schools and 39,000 students in special education transition services.