Record group 96-260 consists of Great Lakes subject files of the Executive Division of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources for the years 1973-1990 (bulk of material dates from 1985-1990). Contains reports, correspondence, and some legislative bills. Many of the files come from the Office of the Great Lakes. The Office oversees the development and management of the Great Lakes by coordinating Michigan policies and programs and by cooperating with other states and the U.S. and Canadian federal governments in developing regional, national, and international programs and policies. The Office also serves as a source of new ideas, policies and programs designed to preserve, protect, and promote the Great Lakes as a natural resource. These files reflect the many factors that resource managers have to consider when planning the best way to manage the lakes: commercial shipping, commercial and sport fishing, shore line use, water pollution, harbor development, flooding potential, drought response, water diversions, and public and private interests balanced against environmental protection.
