Michigan Underwater Preserves or Michigan Bottomland Preserves are protected areas of the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

's coast. The thirteen designated areas, comprising a surface area of over , are considered to be "Underwater museums" and serve to protect concentrations of shipwrecks, unique geologic features and other submerged sites through awareness and public interest. The program is currently receiving no funding from the state and does not offer any extra legal protection for the sites in the preserves. However, it is a felony to remove or disturb underwater artifacts in the Great Lakes. Persons apprehended and convicted of removing or willfully damaging underwater artifacts risk confiscation of their equipment (boats, cars, dive gear, etc.), stiff fines and up to two years imprisonment.DEQ – Michigan Underwater Preserves System
/ref> The Michigan Underwater Preserve Council advocates on behalf of all of Michigan's Underwater Preserves. Below is a list of the 13 underwater preserves in the State of Michigan: * Alger Underwater Preserve * De Tour Passage Underwater Preserve * Grand Traverse Bay Bottomland Preserve * Keweenaw Underwater Preserve * Manitou Passage Underwater Preserve * Marquette Underwater Preserve * Sanilac Shores Underwater Preserve * Southwest Michigan Underwater Preserve * Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck Preserve * Thumb Area Bottomland Preserve *

Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve is a United States National Marine Sanctuary on Lake Huron's Thunder Bay, within the northeastern region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It protects an estimated 116 historically si ...

and Underwater Preserve * West Michigan Underwater Preserve * Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve

References

External links

Grand Traverse Bay Underwater Preserve WebsiteMichigan Underwater Preserves Council WebsiteSouthwest Michigan Underwater Preserve Website Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck Preserve Website Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary Website West Michigan Underwater Preserve Website
{{Recreational dive sites, wrereg Marine parks of Michigan