A proposed National Marine Sanctuary Lake Michigan is uniting Wisconsin
communities and celebration of their maritime heritage.
A sanctuary here would protect 40 nationally significant shipwreck sites.
The historic ports of Two Rivers, Manitowoc, Sheboygan and Port Washington
which stretch up the Lake Michigan Coast tell the story of the expansion of the United States.
Beneath the waves of the Inland Sea beyond their forts the shadows of steamships and
schooners which once connected Wisconsin to the world tell the story of the
sacrifice that made this expansion possible. It was here where ships were
made where immigrants settled and where the might of Wisconsin's commercial and
industrial core was forged. Made possible by a 1200 mile water highway that is the
Great Lakes. And it is here today with the state of Wisconsin and
NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries are working together in hopes of shining
a spotlight on Wisconsin's storied past and presenting it on a national stage.