At a community gathering at William S. Cahill Pier in Oswego, New York, NOAA leaders, and the agency’s state and local partners celebrated the designation of Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary, America’s newest and 16th national marine sanctuary—and the third in the Great Lakes.
The designation advances the America the Beautiful initiative, which supports locally-led, collaborative efforts across the country with a goal to conserve and restore 30% of US lands and waters by 2030.
“Lake Ontario is an important gateway between the Great Lakes and the ocean,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. “From commerce to biodiversity to recreation, the maritime landscape of this area represents past, present, and future connections and will have incredible benefits for the communities that passionately sought its creation.”
NOAA recently completed the designation process that includes 1,722 square miles of eastern Lake Ontario in the state of New York. The new sanctuary features an extraordinary collection of 41 known shipwrecks and one known submerged aircraft, among the best preserved in the world, discovered over decades by recreational scuba divers and shipwreck explorers. The shipwrecks, such as St. Peter, a three-masted schooner that was loaded with coal when it was lost in a storm in 1898, embody more than two centuries of the nation’s maritime history.
NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) will use its expertise to further locate, research, and monitor these and other maritime cultural resources. ONMS will also focus on education and outreach through partnerships with Indigenous governments, local partners, and institutions.
In January 2017, the counties of Jefferson, Oswego, Cayuga, Wayne, and the City of Oswego, with support from the Governor of New York, submitted a sanctuary nomination for the area to NOAA. A diverse group of governments and non-governmental organizations—including the Onondaga Nation, regional and local units of government, historical societies, museums, recreation, conservation, tourism, and education groups—endorsed the nomination.
"The eastern shore of Lake Ontario is part of the original territory of the Onondaga Nation, where their ancestors fished and traveled extensively," said Joseph Heath, general counsel for the Onondaga Nation. "The Onondaga Nation supported the sanctuary nomination and welcomes the opportunity to work collaboratively with NOAA."
“We celebrate NOAA’s designation of Lake Ontario as New York State’s first national marine sanctuary,” said New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. “This Sanctuary places our upstate communities on a national stage, recognizing the region’s unique and significant maritime resources, its indelible mark in Indigenous and American history, and its world-class recreational opportunities.”
The new sanctuary will be co-managed by NOAA and the state of New York.
Following the dedication ceremony, a community celebration will take place with support from the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, which has been a champion of the site’s designation.
“We are incredibly proud to support the designation of Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary, our country's 16th sanctuary," said Joel R. Johnson, president and CEO of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. "The sanctuary brings new economic opportunities to the surrounding communities at the heart of this special place. We congratulate NOAA, the state of New York and the local and tribal communities for achieving this national recognition and we invite New Yorkers and all Americans to discover what makes Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary special both above and below the surface.”
Visit Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary's website for more information.
