William Petersen sees his fair share of drama starring on the hit CBS television show "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation."

But he thinks Duluth is pretty dramatic.

"I remember lying in bed in my grandfather's house, listening to the ore boats whistling at night," Petersen said. "That sound gets right into your gut. I've always found Duluth to have that kind of drama."

Today Petersen, an actor who has also starred in numerous feature and television films, will visit northern Minnesota -- where he spent time as a child. He summered on a lake near GrandRapids with the family of his mother, June Hoene. Now, he returns about every two years for family reunions.

Born in Evanston, Ill., Petersen has strong ties to Duluth -- 87 of them.

"My mother was born in Duluth, the oldest of 12 kids," he said. "I have 87 first cousins from Duluth."

One cousin, Kevin Hoene, is the reason Petersen is visiting.

Hoene is a committee member for the Duluth Area YMCA. The organization is holding its sixth annual fundraising golf tourna- ment today at Ridgeview Country Club.

Hoene hopes that his cousin Billy's participation in the tournament will bring more interest to the event.

"I'm getting a lot of inquiries about how he's related: 'Can we come to your family party?' " he said. "I think that will translate into bigger attendance at the golf tournament."

Participants paid $150 each to golf in the 18-hole scramble. Afterward, the organization will hold a dinner and silent auction at the course.

Petersen offered to make the auction a little louder. He plans to auction off a day on the set of CSI.

"I'm glad I can help the YMCA out. When I was a young, starving actor I stayed in YMCAs," he said. "And now I work out at the Hollywood Y three times a week."

After the YMCA event, Petersen and some family members will fish on the St. Louis River for a few days.

"I'm hoping for good Duluth summer days," he said. "And a few fish."

CSI features detectives working at the Las Vegas Police Department Crime Scene Investigations bureau. Petersen plays Gil Grissom, senior forensics officer.

In 2003, he was nominated for a Golden Globe for this role.

Petersen said he will continue his work as a producer and actor on CSI as long as the quality remains. He doesn't want to get to the point of "churning out" television for the network.

"That's why I was upset with all of the spinoffs," he said. "It kept depleting our creative group."

He said his work as a producer makes him more "committed" and "responsible" to the quality of the show.

The audience will ultimately determine how long the show runs.

"As long as we're getting the audience excited, it's worth it," he said. "It's exhausting, but it's worth it."