The Grand Traverse Bay Bottomland Preserve is a preservation area that encompasses all of Grand Traverse Bay

Grand Traverse Bay

Grand Traverse Bay is a bay of Lake Michigan formed by part of Northern Michigan. The bay is long, 10 miles wide, and up to deep in spots. It is divided into two arms by the Old Mission Peninsula...

, a bay of Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...

, in the U.S. state of Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

. It is 295 square miles (764 km²) in size and is located off Traverse City, Michigan

Traverse City, Michigan

Traverse City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. The population was 14,674 at the 2010 census, with 143,372 in the Traverse...

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Description

The Grand Traverse Bay Great Lakes State Bottomland Preserve protects bottomlands off Traverse City and the Old Mission Peninsula of Grand Traverse County

Grand Traverse County, Michigan

-Air service:*Grand Traverse County is served by Cherry Capital Airport, which is located near Traverse City.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 77,654 people, 30,396 households, and 20,730 families residing in the county. The population density was 167 people per square mile . ...

, the western shore of Antrim County

Antrim County, Michigan

-History:Antrim County was formed in 1863. In 1950 its population was 10,721. The county seat was originally located in Elk Rapids, but was moved to Bellaire in 1904 after 25 years of litigation.-Demographics:...

 bordering on Grand Traverse Bay's East Arm, and the eastern shore of Leelanau County

Leelanau County, Michigan

-History:The county's name is said to be a Native American word meaning "delight of life", but it is a neologism made up by Indian agent and ethnographer Henry Schoolcraft, who sometimes gave the name "Leelinau" to Native American women in his tales. He created many faux Indian place names in...

 bordering on Grand Traverse Bay's West Arm.

Wrecks located in the Grand Traverse Preserve include the schooner Metropolis, which sank off Old Mission Peninsula while carrying a cargo of lumber to Chicago in November 1886. Remains of the wreck were surveyed in 2009.

In June 2008, the Grand Traverse Bay Bottomland Preserve was listed as Michigan's 12th underwater preserve.