Both state and federal law obligate the State of Michigan to manage the submerged cultural resources lying on the bottomlands of the Great Lakes for the optimal benefit of all the citizens of the state. These resources potentially range from prehistoric Native American village sites to the wrecks of modern iron ore carriers and ocean-going freighters. They lie in shallow water and in the deepest reaches of Michigan's 38,000 square miles of the Great Lakes bottomlands. These are unique and irreplaceable resources.
Shipwrecks are a wood and steel chronicle of the history of naval architecture on the lakes.
The pilings of thousands of abandoned docks tell of a time when transport by water was as important as transport by land. While these abandoned resources are collectively owned by the people of Michigan, relatively few individuals have direct access to them. Unfortunately, some of these persons can and often do damage or even destroy artifacts that are important to Michigan's history. A basic understanding of why submerged cultural resources need to be protected and how the state attempts to manage and preserve them is essential to ensure that these important resources are not lost forever. However, the right of reasonable access does not include the unfettered right to remove shipwreck artifacts.