In early October 2020, evidence came to light that indicates prehistoric artifacts exist on the lake floor under the Straits of Mackinac that would be damaged if the  Enbridge Line 5 pipeline project continues. 

A group led by tribal women used a remote-operated underwater vehicle, or ROV, to take sonar images of the lake floor under the Straits of Mackinac. Their images clearly show stone alignments that suggest an archaeological site.

Earlier in the year, Museum curator John O'Shea had sent a letter to Michigan state officials raising doubts about the validity of the cultural resources survey that had been done on the underwater site. A subcontractor who had worked on the survey for Enbridge told O'Shea that he was directed to ignore stone alignments that appeared to be similar to those that O'Shea and other researchers have documented under Lake Huron.  

Read more in the Detroit Free Press and MLive