Friends of Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary

06/01/2026

Did you hear?!
There is a new intern at NOAA Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary!
Give her a welcome at this post: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14fnihuv3FZ/

You can also check out her weekly blog on our website:
🔗https://thunderbayfriends.org/index.php/2026/05/27/michigan-sea-grant-intern-blog-with-zoey-crossley/

05/31/2026

Puzzles, blankets and more await you at the Sanctuary Store inside the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center. Find all sorts of maritime-themed treasures and check out the shipwreck museum during your next visit.

You can also shop online: https://sanctuarystore.square.site/

05/30/2026

A week from today, you can join a livestreamed expedition to the deepest point in the Great Lakes! 🌊🛰️

More than 1,300 feet beneath Lake Superior lies a hidden world where no light reaches—and it hasn’t been visited in 40 years. Great Lakes Now is teaming up with explorers Yvonne Drebert and Zach Melnick to send a high-tech ROV to the bottom to search for rare deepwater species and investigate the mysterious appearance of "zombie fish" with DNR biologist Shawn Sitar.

📅 When: June 6 at 1 PM ET (Backup dates: June 7-9)
📍 Where: Watch from home or live in the theater at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center!
🔗 Join the dive & ask questions in real-time: greatlakesnow.org/hiddenbelow

Note: This expedition is weather-dependent! Look for weather updates as the date approaches.

05/29/2026

PLAYING THIS WEEKEND AT THE GREAT LAKES MARITIME HERITAGE CENTER - the museum is open on Saturday from 10am to 5pm and noon to 5pm on Sunday.

05/22/2026

Just in time for our long weekend....

We love this article featuring one of our favorite places:

This marine sanctuary educates visitors on Great Lakes history.

05/21/2026

📣NEW BLOG POST with links to a lot of listening fun.... featuring NOAA Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary!

🩵Thank you Michigan Public Radio for the visit and the feature on the sanctuary and Lake Huron.

Michigan Public Radio, NPR reached out to Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in 2025 with an idea for a new podcast called Beyond the Shore. That led to a visit from Editor Rebecca Williams and Digital Director Jodi Westrick. Neither had ever been to this part

05/20/2026

The next "Sanctuary Presents" features Alpena High School's robotics team UR² on Thursday, May 21 at 6 PM. Hear what it takes to build a robot (and a team) that can compete on the world stage -- and of course, how this work aligns with real-world needs and the future of marine technology. 🌊⚓️

📍 Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center
💰 Free to the public!
🚢✨ See you there!
Learn more: https://thunderbayfriends.org/index.php/event/the-sanctuary-presents-student-built-robots-in-the-bay/

05/19/2026

There are a few spots left in the Summer in the Sanctuary youth education programs at NOAA Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

🔗 Visit www.ThunderBayFriends.org for program details and registration links.

05/18/2026

PHOTO BOOTH SHOTS!
Thank you to Chuck Wiesen for getting great team photos during the 2026 Great Lakes Regional MATE ROV Competition.

05/17/2026

🤖⚓ We are still on a robotics-high from an amazing MATE ROV Competition yesterday!

Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary welcomed 15 amazing teams, with students traveling from Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and local communities including Tawas, Alcona, and Alpena, all coming together to showcase months of hard work, creativity, teamwork, and innovation.

Each team designed and built a robot engineered to complete specific underwater tasks within a limited timeframe, earning points for successful missions. Teams were also judged on business presentations and marketing displays that showcased not only their robots, but the collaboration and problem-solving behind them.

To all of the students, families, coaches, mentors, and volunteers: thank you for the countless hours, dedication, encouragement, and passion you poured into this experience. Events like this prepare students for real-world success in engineering, communication, leadership, and teamwork.

BONUS - it is inspiring to watch! Congratulations to every single team that participated. 👏

Winners, along with more photos from the event, will be announced Monday 5/18 on the social media pages of NOAA Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and our website ThunderBayFriends.org.