It wasn't planned, but maybe we subconsciously knew TOURISM WEEK was approaching when we said yes to welcoming two conferences to Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in May. The IJC - International Joint Commission is a bi-national organization between the United States and Canada created to manage and protect the Great Lakes, and chose Alpena [...]
The power of teamwork doesn’t just show up on the basketball court or the soccer field, it is a driving force on ROV (underwater robot) teams as well, and it showed at the MATE Great Lakes Regional ROV Competition at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center on May 11th, 2024. Teams were tasked with demonstrating [...]
"Being able to bring them here gives them a core place that they can come and engage others. This experience tends to draw them back to learn more," Jay C. Martin Ph.D., professor of history at Central Michigan University The CMU Shipwreck Central class made a road trip to Alpena on Friday, April 5th to visit the [...]
For the first time since 2019, students from StockbridgeHigh School’s InvenTeam were back in the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary (TBNMS), this time deploying their mini boat, Fautasi, from the glass-bottom boat Lady Michigan on May 25, 2023. Four students and their mentor, Mr. Richards, are a part of Educational Passages, a program that teaches students about ocean currents, weather, and [...]
The results are in! Today in Alpena, 13 student teams competed in the MATE Great Lakes Regional ROV Competition, hosted by NOAA Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. This annual event encourages students from all over the Great Lakes to learn and apply science, technology, engineering, communication, and math skills as they design and build underwater robots to [...]
Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary was recognized for their exemplary contributions to sustainable tourism practices with a "Pure Award" at the Pure Michigan Governor's Conference in Tourism. More than 600 tourism representatives, economic development professionals, and meeting planners from across Michigan convened at the annual conference in Grand Rapids to discuss and better understand the [...]
Researchers from NOAA, the state of Michigan, and Ocean Exploration Trust have discovered an intact shipwreck resting hundreds of feet below the surface of Lake Huron. Located within NOAA's Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the shipwreck has been identified as the sailing ship Ironton. Magnificently preserved by the cold freshwater of the Great Lakes, the [...]
Beginning in spring of 2022, Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary (TBNMS) partnered with NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research and Laboratory (GLERL) to establish the basis of a long-term monitoring program to measure Lake Huron water chemistry related to freshwater acidification and climate change. A noteworthy element of this project is the engagement of students and [...]
Alpena, MI. Our community sadly lost an important member of the Friends of Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary on July 25, 2022. With sadness, we announce the unexpected passing of Captain Spencer W. Cootware of Naples, Florida. Spencer was born February 13, 1961, in Tupper Lake, New York to the late Harold and Lillian Cootware. [...]
TALL SHIPS ARE COMING! And a REALLY BIG Rubber Duck Majestic Ships Set Sail for Alpena July 15-17, 2022 Tall Ships return to Alpena, July 15-17, 2022 for the Festival of Sail Alpena. Gates open each day from 10 AM to 6 PM. “We’re excited to bring this incredible festival, [...]
