Shipwrecks Site Draws Praise from Region

Wisconsin's Great Lakes Shipwrecks has been named the "Best Web Site on Great Lakes Regional Culture in 2002" by the Michigan State University Center for Great Lakes Culture.

      The site, a joint project of the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute and the Wisconsin Historical Society, was selected for its "exceptionally high quality content."

      Launched in 1996, the site was recognized as being a valuable means of disseminating information that enhances public understanding of Wisconsin's maritime heritage.

      The popular Web site features detailed descriptions of the history and fate of more than 20 historic shipwrecks. It also includes 17 video clips, a glossary of nautical terms and detailed archaeological maps of featured wrecks. For diving enthusiasts, it contains information on safe wreck-diving as well as general safety tips about scuba diving in the Great Lakes.

      John Karl, Wisconsin Sea Grant science writer and co-principal investigator on the shipwrecks Web site, says the objective of the project is to build awareness and appreciation for the historical and cultural value of the shipwrecks that lie in the Wisconsin waters of the Great Lakes.

      "We're taking technical archeological findings and presenting them in a way that people really enjoy," said Karl. "Both divers and non-divers seem to appreciate our efforts."

      The partnership between Sea Grant and the Historical Society recently prompted another innovative outreach project: the development of "Wisconsin's Maritime Trails," a system of trails winding above and below the waves that will highlight shipwrecks, lighthouses and other attractions along the state's Great Lakes shoreline. The system will include roadside historical markers that will relay the stories of Great Lakes shipwrecks.

 

Back to News Room | Go to UW Sea Grant homepage

To be added to the Littoral Drift mailing list, contact:

Linda Campbell / Communications Office
University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute
Goodnight Hall, 1975 Willow Drive
Madison, WI 53706-1103, U.S.A.
Telephone (608) 263-3259
FAX (608) 262-0591

or email us at lecampbe@seagrant.wisc.edu

Last updated 20 December 2002 by Karl
All contents copyright 2000 University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute

http://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/Communications/news/LDstories/2002/Shipwrecks.html