Reps. MacMaster, Barnett, Crawford, Darany, Haines, Horn, LeBlanc, Liss and Yonker offered the following resolution:

            House Resolution No. 192.   

            A resolution to urge the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Environmental Quality to increase their commitment to the preservation of shipwrecks and artifacts in the Great Lakes in a manner that keeps this work and any artifacts within Michigan.

            Whereas, Surrounded by four of the Great Lakes and blessed with over 3,000 miles of shoreline, Michigan enjoys a Maritime heritage that is a source of great pride and widespread interest. Since the time when Native American people paddled their craft to the modern era of gigantic vessels, the waters off Michigan have been a course of fascination, transportation, and peril; and

            Whereas, The thousands of shipwrecks in Michigan waters regularly attract recreational divers, as well as scholars and historians. The establishment of underwater preserves reflects the commitment that Michigan has made to preserving this link to our past; and

            Whereas, As new technologies are developed and new equipment makes possible more effective explorations for ships that long ago were taken beneath the waves, it seems prudent to reaffirm that it is important that the work of studying these sites be carried out utilizing public-private partnerships with Michigan college and universities. It is also important to ensure that any artifacts reclaimed from Michigan waters remain here, rather than be exported to other parts of the country; now, therefore, be it

            Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we urge the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Environmental Quality to increase their commitment to the preservation of shipwrecks and artifacts in the Great Lakes in a manner that keeps this work and any artifacts within Michigan; and be it further

            Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the directors of the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Environmental Quality.