LE>
National Oceanic
and Atmospheric
Administration
U.S. Secretary of Commerce
Carlos M. Gutierrez
Under Secretary of Commerce for
Oceans and Atmosphere
Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr.
Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy (Ret.)
Assistant Administrator for
Ocean Services and Coastal
Zone Management
John H. Dunnigan
National Marine
Sanctuary Program
Director
Daniel J. Basta
Sanctuary Superintendent
Jefferson Gray
Michigan Department
of History, Arts and
Libraries
Director
Dr. William Anderson
Director, Michigan Historical Center
Sandra Clark
State Archaeologist
John Halsey
Printed on Recycled Paper
Olympic Coast
Cordell Bank
Gulf of the Farrallones
Monterey Bay
Channel Islands
Northwestern
Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
Humpback Whale
Fagatele Bay
American Samoa (U.S)
Monitor
Grays Reef
Florida Keys
Stellwagen
Bank
Flower Garden Banks
United States
Pacific Ocean
Gulf of
Mexico
Atlantic
Ocean
90°W
120°
150°
30°N
Equator
Thunder Bay
National Marine Sanctuary Program
The National Marine Sanctuary Program (NMSP) serves as the trustee for a system of 14 marine
protected areas, encompassing more than 150,000 square miles of ocean and Great Lakes waters
from Washington State to the Florida Keys, and from Lake Huron to American Samoa. The National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations (NOAA) National Ocean Service (NOS) manages the national
marine sanctuaries through the authority of the National Marine Sanctuaries Act of 1972.
Our marine sanctuaries contain deep ocean gardens, coastal coral reefs, whale migration corridors,
deep-sea canyons, and historically-significant shipwrecks and other underwater archaeological sites.
They range in size from one-quarter square mile in Fagatele Bay, American Samoa, to more than
134,000 square miles at the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument, the largest
marine protected area in the world.
The NMSP fosters public awareness of marine resources and maritime heritage through scientific
research, monitoring, exploration, education, and outreach, and works cooperatively with its many
partners and the public to protect and manage sanctuaries. The NMSP is a world leader in effective
marine management, protecting living marine creatures, environmental quality, and maritime heritage
resources while maintaining recreational and commercial activities that are sustainable and compatible
with long-term preservation. 2
Thunder
Bay National
Marine Sanctuary
Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Located in northwestern Lake Huron, Thunder Bay is adjacent to one of the most treacherous stretches of water
within the Great Lakes system. Unpredictable weather, murky fog banks, sudden gales, and rocky shoals earned
the area the name Shipwreck Alley. Today, the 448-square-mile Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary (NMS)
protects one of Americas best-preserved and historically-significant collections of shipwrecks.
Historical research suggests that more than 200 shipwrecks lie in and around the sanctuary. To date, more
than 50 shipwrecks have been discovered within the sanctuary, and an additional 30 wrecks have been located
outside of the sanctuary boundaries. Although the sheer number of shipwrecks is impressive, it is the range of
vessel types located in the sanctuary that makes the collection nationally significant. From an 1844 sidewheel
steamer, to a modern 500-foot-long German freighter, the shipwrecks of Thunder Bay represent a microcosm
of maritime commerce and travel on the Great Lakes. These are unique sites that have tremendous historical,
archaeological, and recreational value. Each of these shipwrecks offer insights to the past by illuminating the role
of vessels in the nations economy and acquainting us with the ordinary men and women, builders, sailors, and
longshoremen who were the lifeblood of the shipping industry.
In addition to shipwrecks, the sanctuary protects and interprets the remains of commercial fishing sites, historic
docks, and other underwater archaeological sites. Geological and archaeological evidence suggests a high
probability of prehistoric archaeological sites resting below sanctuary waters. Whether examined as individual
sites, or read as a complex maritime landscape, the maritime heritage resources of the Thunder Bay NMS are
of national and international significance. Collectively, the sanctuary encompasses and protects the remains of a
complex and evolving maritime landscape shaped by thousands of years of human use of the Great Lakes.
Michigans Department of History, Arts and Libraries
The sanctuary is managed jointly by NOAA and the State of Michigan. The Michigan Historical Center represents
the State in managing the sanctuary. Tracing its history to Public Act 271 of 1913, the Center comprises the
States history museum system and Michigan History magazine, as well as its archaeological, archival records
management, and historic preservation programs. The Center is one of five agencies in the Department of
History, Arts and Libraries (HAL). Created in 2001, HAL enriches the quality of life and strengthens the economy
for Michigan residents by providing access to information, preserving and promoting Michigan heritage, and
fostering cultural creativity. About The State of the Sanctuary Report
This State of the Sanctuary Report provides an overview of the current status of the
Thunder Bay NMS and discusses the management activities and accomplishments
since the sanctuarys designation in October 2000. This report is the first step in a
comprehensive review of the Thunder Bay NMS management plan. All national marine
sanctuaries have management plans. They describe regulations, boundaries, resources,
resource protection, research, and education programs. Each management plan is
tailored for individual sanctuaries through a rigorous public process that connects the
regulatory mandates of federal law with the unique combination of resources, missions,
communities, and constituencies found at each sanctuary. This is Thunder Bay NMSs
first management plan review. The information in this document will help you assess
how the sanctuary has served you, your community, and the State; and it will help you
contribute to charting the sanctuarys future course.
Bold Beginnings
In 2000, NOAA designated Thunder Bay as the nations thirteenth national marine
sanctuary. Jointly managed by NOAA and the State of Michigan, the Thunder Bay NMS
protects a nationally-significant collection of shipwrecks and other maritime heritage
resources through exploration, research, education, and resource protection. By
fostering an understanding that our past connections to the Great Lakes and oceans are
critical to our future, the sanctuary works to ensure that future generations will continue
to experience and value Thunder Bays irreplaceable underwater treasures.
Much has been achieved in the first six years since the sanctuarys designation. World
renowned explorersDr. Robert Ballard, discoverer of the Titanic, and Jean-Michel
Cousteau, the son of underwater pioneer Jacques Cousteauhave helped put Thunder
Bay and Great Lakes shipwrecks on the national map. Scientists, archaeologists, and
students have come to Alpena from all over the state and the nation to study Thunder
Bay and its many resources. Documentaries on the National Geographic Channel, The
Discovery Channel, The History Channel, and public television have transported millions
of people to northeastern Michigan. Thousands of students have experienced the
shipwrecks in real-time via cutting-edge Internet broadcasts.
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For More Information:
Address: Thunder Bay National

Marine Sanctuary

500 West Fletcher Street

Alpena, MI 49707
Telephone: (989) 356-8805
Fax:
(989) 354-0144
E-mail: thunderbay@noaa.gov
Web Sites: www.thunderbay.noaa.gov

www.michigan.gov/thunderbay
After five years, I cant
conceive of an Alpena without
the Thunder Bay National
Marine Sanctuary.

-Judi Stillion, Director

Alpena County Library 4
First housed in cramped federal building offices, the sanctuary headquarters moved in
2005 to a 20,000-square-foot state-of-the-art visitor center and research facility, the
Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center. The new environmentally-friendly facility is located
in a renovated building within Alpenas historic Fletcher Paper Mill complex. The Great
Lakes Maritime Heritage Center is the cornerstone of an ambitious program of riverfront
redevelopment aimed at positioning the sanctuary, the City of Alpena, and the State of
Michigan as premier heritage tourism and leisure destinations.
Partnerships with the local community are the key to many of the sanctuarys
accomplishments. For example, strong ties with the Alpena County George N. Fletcher
Library made possible the donation of one of the nations premier Great Lakes maritime
archival collections to the sanctuary. Local citizens contribute to the sanctuarys
accomplishments in many ways. Volunteers work at festivals and outreach events, serve
on the sanctuary advisory council, help digitize the Thunder Bay Sanctuary Research
Collection, and support the sanctuarys community boat-building program.
Recognizing that people value experiences that affect their own lives in meaningful ways,
the sanctuary fosters strong personal connections to Thunder Bays shipwrecks. Simply
put, people protect what they value. From a leisurely stroll through exhibits at the Great
Lakes Maritime H