Underwater preserves protect thousands of miles of Great Lakes, shipwrecks
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — With hundreds of shipwrecks sitting at the bottom of the Great Lakes, the state of Michigan works to prevent theft, damage and corrosion with legally protected locations known as underwater preserves.
The 14 designated preserves include Alger, DeTour Passage, Grand Traverse Bay, Isle Royale, Keweenaw, Manitou Passage, Marquette, Sanilac, Southwest Michigan, Straits of Mackinac, Thumb Area, Thunder Bay, West Michigan and Whitefish Point. Thunder Bay near Alpena is also protected by federal law as a national marine sanctuary.
The underwater preserves were established in 1980.
“The leaders in getting these established were sports divers, and they wanted to be sure that the wrecks stayed as they are, or as much as that is possible when you’re on the bottom of the Great Lakes… so that they would be there for future divers,” Sandra Clark, director of the Michigan History Center, explained.
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Each underwater preserve is protected by state law and monitored by local volunteers and law enforcement, Clark explained.
“Law enforcement does pay attention to what comes up on eBay, so that is one way that we know if someone is taking things off of the shipwrecks. Sometimes somebody else who is out on the water simply calls (the Department of Natural Resources at 800.292.7800), and anytime we get one of those calls, law enforcement does react because it is illegal to remove things from the shipwrecks in the preserves,” she said.
She went on to explain that, depending on what it was, a removed artifact could break down when it dries out — meaning a permanent loss of history.
“A lot of these (ships) are wooden, and the worst that you can do is to bring wood up after it’s been submerged, say, for a hundred years or so because the water will have replaced the material cells of the wood. So when it dries out, it crumbles,” Clark said.
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The Michigan Underwater Preserves website breaks down each of the designated preserves and which ships have been found where. It includes a map of the shipwrecks and information on each area.
“One of the things that I love about the preserves is that there’s always a possibility that you’ll find a new shipwreck, because we haven’t found all of them yet,” Clark said.
The state is working to put out buoys to mark the shipwrecks. Clark explained that this will help prevent anchor drops from damaging them, let people know where they are and help divers when they’re coming up to the surface.
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In addition to scuba diving, there are other ways to view the shipwrecks.
“There are glass-bottom boats in Munising and Alpena that go out. You can take a tour where you can see shipwrecks right beneath the bottom of the boat. And there are places where you can go out in a canoe or probably more likely a kayak, and they’re in shallow enough water that you can actually see them just looking over the edge…” Clark said.
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At Thompson’s Harbor State Park north of Alpena, Clark said that there is a shipwreck that is visible from shore if conditions are good.
If you’d like to learn about the different shipwrecks and explore them from the comfort of your own home, Clark recommends visiting the state’s website.
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