Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary on Lake Huron has been around since 2001.
Preserving over 4,000 square miles, mapping the lake floor, discovering sunken ships and more.
A few years ago, the second only location in the Great Lakes to receive marine sanctuary designation came to Lake Michigan in Wisconsin.
The Wisconsin communities of Port Washington, Sheboygan, Manitowoc and Two Rivers started a grassroots effort in 2014 to submit a nomination to the National Marine and Oceanic Association.
Russ Green is the superintendent of the Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary.
“We manage a collection, along with the state of Wisconsin, 40 historic shipwrecks that are really an important part of our nation's history and story,” Green said.
He said they just mapped the entire sanctuary and found some unique trenches that could include some sinkholes.
"There's probably about 30 kilometers worth of these things, dozens and dozens of them. So that was a real eye opener, and something that we just didn't expect to see out there," Green said. "So that's led to new research: What are these depressions? How did they get there? What do they mean? Is there groundwater coming in? Is there an ecological role that they play? The exploration of Lake Michigan I think is one of the most exciting things we can do at the sanctuary and share it with the public."
More data like water chemistry and temperatures will be available, all in accessible locations in the four Wisconsin communities.
Lake Ontario was recently designated for its own national marine sanctuary. Lake Erie is currently in the process and Lake Superior has no designation at this time.
