[an error occurred while processing this directive]
Beneath the Waves - Summer 1999
Newsletter Index
Notes from NOAA
We are pleased to announce that the Final Environmental Impact Statement/Management Plan (FEIS/MP) will be available in mid-June. It will be sent to the Proposed Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary mailing list. It will also be available at several locations in Alcona, Alpena, and Presque Isle counties.
The publication of the FEIS/MP starts a 30-day "cooling off" period. After that time, NOAA will publish the final regulations in the Federal Register, which starts a 45-day period of continuous Congressional session. During this 45-day period, the Governor may certify to the Secretary of Commerce that the designation or any of its terms is unacceptable, in which case the designation of the unacceptable term shall not take effect. If the Governor takes no action, the Sanctuary will be designated at the end of the 45-day period.
We believe that the FEIS/MP reflects the desire of the Thunder Bay communities to preserve the nationally significant collection of shipwrecks, while ensuring that state or local control is not diminished or access is not limited. The local Sanctuary Advisory Council has provided excellent feedback to NOAA, which has resulted in a number of changes in the FEIS/MP.
One of the benefits of Thunder Bay joining the National Marine Sanctuary Program is increased national attention to the region. We are very pleased to report that Dr. Sylvia Earle of the National Geographic Society is scheduled to visit Thunder Bay in August 1999. Funded by the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund, this effort is part of the Sustainable Seas Expedition, a five-year partnership between NOAA and the National Geographic Society for exploration, education, and research in the National Marine Sanctuaries. Dr. Earle is an internationally renowned marine biologist and diver. She is a tireless spokesperson for protecting the world's oceans and Great Lakes. We will provide more details as they are finalized.
Summer 1999 Index
FY2000 Budget Proposal
In January the Clinton Administration announced a $1 billion Lands Legacy Initiative to expand federal efforts to save America's natural treasures. Of that, more than $183 million would go to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to increase protection of the nation's most significant ocean and coastal areas and help promote "smart growth" strategies along America's coasts.
As the largest one-year investment ever in the protection of America's resources, this FY 2000 budget proposal includes funds for federal and state efforts to protect ocean and coastal resources. Specifically, the Initiative proposes $29 million (a 107% increase in funding) for the National Marine Sanctuary Program. This funding would be used to strengthen protection at the 12 marine sanctuaries around the country. The funding would also allow NOAA to accelerate the adoption and implementation of management plans for existing sanctuaries, plan for future sanctuaries, and expand outreach activities with coastal communities. "If Thunder Bay is designated, these funds would certainly allow NOAA to plan and implement some exciting projects in the Thunder Bay area," said Karen Brubeck, public outreach coordinator for the Proposed Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
Summer 1999 Index
Michigan Model Well Underway
Nine Great Lakes state bottomlands preserves (commonly known as underwater preserves) have been established in Michigan since 1981. The Thunder Bay Underwater Preserve was the first area established primarily to enhance recreational use, management, and protection of historic shipwrecks. Today, the nine underwater preserves encompass 2,066 square miles of Great Lakes bottomlands and overlying surface waters. Primary management responsibility for the preserves and the historic shipwrecks remains with the State of Michigan.
The Office of the Governor and Michigan State University (MSU) have recently teamed up to provide some "bottom line" information about shipwreck management in the Thunder Bay Underwater Preserve. "The project will result in a business plan, including costs, representing the Michigan Model for development of the Thunder Bay Underwater Preserve and management of its historic shipwrecks," explained Ken Vrana, Director of the Center for Maritime & Underwater Resource Management at MSU. Vrana is coordinating the Michigan Model study with Dennis Schornack, Office of the Governor.
The project is well underway. An external advisory committee has reviewed the development options for the Thunder Bay Underwater Preserve, and is considering "best management practices" for its historic shipwrecks. An important component of the business plan is the development of recreation and tourism opportunities in the region.
The Michigan Model will be considered by the Governor along with the Final Environmental Impact Statement/Management Plan for the Proposed Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
Summer 1999 Index
"Sanctuary Solutions"
Beginning February 27, The Alpena News began publishing "Sanctuary Solutions," a column about the Proposed Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary (NMS). The column, published every other Saturday, answers questions local citizens commonly ask about the Proposed Sanctuary (e.g. Why should Thunder Bay be designated a NMS? Will the Thunder Bay NMS charge user fees?).
NOAA would like to thank The Alpena News for providing this valuable community service. The column allows the public the chance to become more aware of the Proposed Sanctuary, and have their concerns addressed. If you would like a question answered, contact either Karen Brubeck or Ellen Brody.
Summer 1999 Index
Marine Sanctuary Opens Visitor Center
The Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Visitor Center opened its doors to the public in August, 1998. The Visitor Center was developed by the Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association, a nonprofit group established to help protect the resources managed by the Gulf of the Farallones NMS through collaborative education, interpretation, outreach, and research. When the ceremonial ribbons were cut, more than 600 people streamed through the Visitor Center to learn about the creatures of the sea, feel the soft fur of seals and the baleen of whales, and listen to mysterious humpback whale songs. The Center, located near the Golden Gate Recreation Area and the Presidio in San Francisco, provides a wonderful opportunity to introduce Bay Area residents and visitors to NOAA and the National Marine Sanctuary system.
Summer 1999 Index
Sanctuaries in National Media
In February, USA Today published a cover story in their "Life Section" on Sylvia Earle and the Sustainable Seas Expedition (SSE) to the National Marine Sanctuaries, and a full-page spread in the "Science Section" detailing the various aspects of SSE. Marine biologist and deep ocean explorer Dr. Sylvia Earle has spent her life studying and protecting the oceans. As explorer-in-residence at the National Geographic Society, she is spearheading the five-year SSE to carry out research and education in the sanctuaries. The project will create baseline data for monitoring in the sanctuaries, and educate the public about the diversity of sanctuary resources and the importance of protecting these national treasures.
In their January/February edition, Rodale's Scubadiving Magazine published the article "America's National Marine Sanctuaries" with an introduction by Sylvia Earle. This eight-page article discusses the resources which led each sanctuary to be designated, diving in the sanctuary, and volunteer opportunities for divers at each site. If you would like copies of these articles, please contact either Karen Brubeck or Ellen Brody.
Summer 1999 Index
Archaeology in the Sanctuaries
On January 8, 1999, NOAA archaeologists presented a session of professional papers at the 32nd Conference on Historical and Underwater Archaeology, held in Salt Lake City. The session, "Maritime Archaeology in the National Marine Sanctuaries" contained papers emphasizing the National Marine Sanctuary Program's focus on partnerships and volunteer archaeological groups to fulfill the mission to protect and manage underwater cultural resources.
Results from this session include proposals for closer communication between NOAA, the Coastal Marine Archaeological Resources (CMAR) group, and many of the other volunteer archaeological groups in North America and Canada. For example, the National Park Service's Submerged Cultural Resources Unit approached NOAA and CMAR about a cooperative project in the Olympic National Park (adjacent to the Olympic Coast NMS) as well as cooperative work at Point Reyes National Seashore (adjacent to the Gulf of the Farallones NMS).
Summer 1999 Index
John F. Warner
The two-masted schooner John F. Warner was built at Cleveland, Ohio in 1855 by Quayle and Martin. It was one of the first of a series of vessels built by Quayle and Martin for European trade. In 1858, John F. Warner was issued a certificate of registry to allow the vessel to participate in foreign trade. Its first trip was to Greenwich, England with a cargo of barrel staves (a stave is one of the shaped strips of wood that form the wall of a barrel). The staves were sold and the vessel returned to Cleveland via Glasgow, England where a cargo of pig iron was loaded. The John F. Warner completed two more trips to England before returning to Great Lakes coastal trade in 1860.
John F. Warner was involved in several accidents before its loss at the mouth of the Thunder Bay River near Alpena, Michigan on October 13, 1890. The vessel was anchored off the river mouth when the anchor chain parted and the master was unable to sail into the Thunder Bay River. The vessel grounded a few hundred feet from the harbor lighthouse and swung broadside to the Bay. The crew escaped unharmed, but continuous buffeting by the waves broke the vessel in half in clear view of residents of Alpena. The lath and lumber cargo were later removed and the wreck was moved south of Alpena and abandoned a few days later. (Preliminary Comparative and Theme Study of National Historic Landmark Potential for Thunder Bay, Michigan, Martin, 1996)
Summer 1999 Index
Center for Great Lakes Environmental Education
Scientists, educators and environmentalists gathered in Buffalo, New York on October 21, 1998 for the grand opening of the Center for Great Lakes Environmental Education. The Center offers a one-stop approach to Great Lakes education for both formal and non-formal educators, linking them to publications, curricula guides, resource materials and training programs. The Center provides valuable information, as well as practical tools, intended to empower educators to integrate Great Lakes issues into their teaching.
The Center for Great Lakes Environmental Education offers a web site at www.greatlakesed.org with web access for electronic research, reference services, teacher training, meeting space and exhibit materials for conferences. The web site is a first step to provide educators and other interested individuals with centralized access to educational information on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence basin.
Summer 1999 Index
Sturgeon Point Lighthouse
Until the early 20th Century, northern Michigan was almost completely dependent on waterborne commerce for all its needs. Thousands of sailing vessels and early steamers plied the Great Lakes at a time when there were almost no aids to navigation to guide them along the dangerous coastline with its treacherous rocks, shoals, and reefs. One such reef extends one and a half miles out into Lake Huron at Sturgeon Point, just north of Harrisville, Michigan. In 1869, the U.S. Lighthouse Service began construction of the lighthouse at Sturgeon Point to mark this hazard. Sturgeon Point Lighthouse became operational in the spring of 1870 and has been in continuous service for 128 years. Although the last personnel left in 1941, it is still an operational lighthouse (the light apparatus is maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard).
In 1982 the Alcona Historical Society leased the lighthouse and began a three-year restoration project. Thanks to volunteers, the interior of the keeper's house was completely restored, and the buildings were painted. Although the lighthouse tower is not open to the public, the keeper's house is now a maritime museum. The grounds are open all year. To become a member of the Alcona Historical Society, please write to: Membership Chairman, Alcona Historical Society, P.O. Box 174, Harrisville, MI 48740.
Summer 1999 Index
"Surf the Net"
Check out the new web pages for the National Marine Sanctuary Program and the Proposed Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary! The national home page is an attractive and informative gateway to the individual sanctuary web sites. Use these sites to read about the latest sanctuary events and accomplishments; browse through newsletters, brochures, and maps; and experience eye-catching images. The new Thunder Bay home page can be accessed through the national home page, or directly. Access this site often to keep up to date on the designation process!
NMSP Home Page: www.sanctuaries.nos.noaa.gov
Thunder Bay Home Page: www.glerl.noaa.gov/glsr/thunderbay
Summer 1999 Index
Letter from Stephanie Thornton (Chief, Marine Sanctuaries Division)
Dear Readers,
When we think of the important work that NOAA's National Marine Sanctuaries do to protect our nation's marine resources, we often focus on preservation of coral reefs and humpback whales, sea turtles and seabirds. While it's true that eleven of our twelve sanctuaries were designated primarily to protect their unique natural marine resources, NOAA also manages archaeological sites and historic shipwrecks. The long-awaited designation of Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary would give NOAA its second sanctuary based on historic shipwrecks. Thunder Bay would be the first NMS to be designated in the Great Lakes.
The National Marine Sanctuary Program is striving to develop a national model for underwater cultural heritage preservation. As such, the Program's underwater cultural resource management program is growing. The inclusion of underwater cultural resources in national marine sanctuaries raises issues unfamiliar to program staff, most of whom specialize in biology, ecology and conservation of natural resources. With the addition of Bruce Terrell, historian and maritime archaeologist, at the National Program level and a nautical archaeologist, John Broadwater, as manager of the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, NOAA has begun to address cultural resource issues more fully. The National Program archaeologist provides policy oversight as well as technical assistance to help each site manage and interpret its own unique underwater cultural heritage. In 1994 the program published a guide for cultural resource research and management at each sanctuary. Already, NOAA has conducted cultural resource surveys in several sanctuaries. If designated, this type of survey would be an important activity for the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
In Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, NOAA created an historic "Shipwreck Trail." This educational initiative interprets a series of nine shipwrecks that informs both diving and non-diving visitors about regional maritime history, historic ship construction, maritime life, and historic preservation. In addition to a brochure that includes the entire Trail, individual waterproof site guides have been prepared so divers can orient themselves at each wreck. Anchoring buoys have also been installed to minimize site damage by errant anchors.
At NOAA's Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary off Washington State's northwestern coast, Bruce Terrell has taken part in an inventory of historic shipwrecks. Our work in this sanctuary emphasizes cooperative efforts with recreational archaeological diving groups and with the local community. Trained volunteer divers have assisted the national marine sanctuary program with a compilation of a shipwreck database, historical research, and the documentation of several historic shipwreck sites. This initiative also resulted in the development of the community-based Westend Shipwreck Project which hosts annual Shipwreck Weekend workshops. The Project was the recent recipient of a National Maritime Heritage Grant to assist in the publication of brochures on individual regional shipwrecks.
NOAA's Monitor National Marine Sanctuary is actively embarked on a race to preserve the rapidly deteriorating remains of this National Historic Landmark ship. Designated the first National Marine Sanctuary in 1975, the Monitor's physical integrity is today endangered. The iron and wood hull is threatened by natural deterioration hastened by the fast, unpredictable currents in 240 feet of water, sixteen miles off the North Carolina coast. Working in partnerships with the U.S. Navy and the technical divers of the non-profit Cambrian Foundation, Sanctuary Manager John Broadwater is documenting and evaluating the site in anticipation of the partial recovery of sensitive sections of the ship, as well as the shoring up of the precariously-positioned hull. During the summer of 1998, the Monitor's four-bladed propeller and shaft were recovered with the assistance of the National Undersea Research Center/University of North Carolina at Wilmington, The Mariners' Museum, the Navy's Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit Two. The propeller is undergoing conservation and will be displayed, along with other recovered artifacts, at the Mariners Museum in Newport News, Virginia.
The Marine Sanctuaries Division is very excited about the inclusion of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary into our family of protected marine sanctuaries. The proposed sanctuary boundary contains a nationally-important collection of historic shipwrecks that represents maritime heritage of regional, national, and international significance. This will be the first NOAA National Marine Sanctuary to focus solely upon a large collection of underwater cultural resources. Fortunately, the cold freshwater of Lake Huron has created a remarkable state of preservation that is not to be found in any other of the National Marine Sanctuaries' saltwater environments. We are eager to work with the Thunder Bay area communities to preserve these historic treasures and to make them available to both divers and those who stay on the surface of beautiful Lake Huron.
Stephanie Thornton
Chief, Marine Sanctuaries Division
Silver Spring, Maryland
Summer 1999 Index
Newsletter Index
|
[an error occurred while processing this directive]