Lakeshore area could have national marine sanctuary

• The proposed Wisconsin Marine Sanctuary is a 875-square-mile area of Lake Michigan from Two Rivers to Port Washington.
• The sanctuary would be one of only two marine preserves in the Great Lakes.
• The marine sanctuary would be based on cultural resources.
• Lakeshore communities have begun the nomination for the sanctuary.

MANITOWOC – The lakeshore could be home to Wisconsin's largest museum. The proposed museum — a 875-square-mile area of Lake Michigan from Two Rivers to Port Washington — would be home to more than 33 known exhibits and many more to be discovered. These underwater exhibits are shipwrecks, which once ruled the surface.

The proposed marine sanctuary would be part of the current 13 preserves and would be one of only two in the Great Lakes, established by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association.

"We are so fortunate in the Great Lakes to have incredible level of protection with our shipwrecks," said Ellen Brody, NOAA spokeswoman.

The lakeshore communities are among the first in a new selection process for marine sanctuary status. The process is by self-nomination and nominees submit why their community would be ideal for preservation. At this time, no communities have submitted nominations, Brody said, but she anticipates many will be sent in the fall.

Manitowoc County officials believe if the nomination is accepted, the sanctuary will generate tourism and educational benefits to the area.

"If successful, this will lead to increased research on these wrecks, as well as creating tourism and educational opportunities for sport divers, students and the general public," said Jason Ring, president of the Manitowoc Area Visitor & Convention Bureau..

Brody said there's a set criteria for the nomination process communities must meet before being considered for a sanctuary designation. Criteria includes having national, natural resource and cultural significance as well as having important economic uses.

"A marine sanctuary in Manitowoc would allow our citizens and visitors to experience the power and beauty of Lake Michigan and protect its rich maritime history through research, education and resource protection while enhancing our pride in Manitowoc's maritime heritage," said Mayor Justin Nickels.

After that, other criteria include education and research opportunities, facing potential threats, existing management and regulations that could help conservation efforts and community-based support, according to NOAA's website.

After nominees submit, some are selected and inventoried for further perusal. In the past, the process took years but Brody said self-nomination may speed up the task because of limited opposition.

"This detailed application should be submitted by early autumn, however, it will require months of review in Washington before a decision is made on the status of this application," Ring said.

The self-nomination process ensures communities are welcome to the idea of a federally regulated preserve, which has received nearly unanimous favor among officials and residents in the lakeshore communities.

"The communities are contributing content, the state of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Historical Society and (Wisconsin) DNR are contributing content because the shipwrecks are state owned and state managed," Brody said.

The lakeshore sanctuary wasn't the location analyzed by the Wisconsin Historical Society. Death's Door in Door County has many of the same cultural resources, but Brody said the society deemed the lakeshore area more of a priority.

"I'm thrilled that this is fostering a collaborative effort between all these cities and all these organizations," said Rolf Johnson, CEO of the Wisconsin Maritime Museum. "Even if the sanctuary should not happen, it's going to lead to a really great alliance between these port cities."

Much like the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary (the lone Great Lakes sanctuary) in Alpena, Mich., created in 2000, the proposed marine sanctuary would be based on cultural resources —not solely natural resources such as reefs or flora and fauna — which are shipwrecks. The other cultural-resource based preserve is the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary in North Carolina, which protects the wreck of the USS Monitor, an iron-clad ship from the Civil War.

"The first designation was the Monitor Sanctuary," Brody said. "But after that, it was more natural-resources based."

One of two

The 448-square-mile Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Alpena hosts more than 40 known wrecks and even more are yet to be discovered, said Stephanie Gandulla, maritime archeologist and media coordinator at the Thunder Bay marine sanctuary.

"There's so many significant shipwrecks here; the stories the tell are so important to our national history," Gandulla said.

The visitor center at Thunder Bay, the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center, attracts more than 80,000 guests a year, Brody said. Among the attractions at the center include exhibits, a conservation lab, a theater, an education room and office. The center also is host to various education programs.

Gandulla said that Alpena, with a population of 12,000 residents, has seen a sharp increase in tourism and citizen pride since the designation. Before, the city was a manufacturing town but now embraces its designation.

"The community has just kind of adopted the sanctuary as theme for the community," Brody said. "In fact, Alpena's new slogan is, 'Alpena: Sanctuary of the Great Lakes.'"

Beyond the application

The positive reaction to Thunder Bay and the enthusiasm of the proposed Wisconsin marine sanctuary has officials excited to begin the process of bringing the preserve to the state.

"I am incredibly energized by the people I've met in communities and in the state who are passionate about what a sanctuary could do," Brody said. "So to me, it's the people on the ground who make the difference, so in that sense, I'm very optimistic."

For others like Johnson, the sanctuary will bring life and history back to the area.

"I'm also thrilled it's giving us a chance to really highlight the importance of underwater archeology as a science and, just as importantly, the value of those shipwrecks and what they tell us about our shared maritime heritage," Johnson said.

Jordan Tilkens: (920) 686-2136, jtilkens@htrnews.com; on Twitter @HTRJTilkens

Related editorial on marine sanctuary on A4

McMullen and Pitz dredge (aka Algoma)

Build date: Unknown

Builder: Unknown

Place of build: Unknown

Dimensions: Unknown

Gross Tonnage: Unknown

Vessel Type: Dredge barge

Disposition: While in tow of tug Arctic from Manitowoc to Sheboygan on Nov.18, 1919, the dredge foundered in a storm off of Cleveland. No lives were lost.

Source: Wisconsin Maritime Museum

Coming Monday

Mayor Justin Nickels talks about the economic benefits of the proposed sanctuary

Coming Tuesday

Read Wisconsin Maritime Museum CEO Rolf Johnson's thoughts about preserving the history of the Great Lakes

Coming Wednesday

Jason Ring, president of the Manitowoc Area Visitor & Convention Bureau, shares his thoughts about the potential tourism the sanctuary could bring to the area