The boundaries of Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Lake Huron are being expanded from 448 square miles to 4,300 square miles.
The new boundaries now include the waters of Lake Huron adjacent to Michigan’s Alcona, Alpena and Presque Isle counties to the Canadian border.
The expansion will protect an additional 100 known and suspected historic shipwreck sites.
Home to some of the world’s best-preserved shipwrecks, Thunder Bay has become a major tourism destination in the region.
NOAA recently released a final rule and environmental impact statement expanding the boundaries of Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. The final rule and environmental assessment may be downloaded from http://thunderbay.noaa.gov.
source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration