Finalizing the Designation of Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary

Hi. My name is Paul Scholz with NOAA's National Ocean Service. I'm excited to share with you that NOAA is finalizing the designation of Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary. The sanctuary will encompass 1722mi² of eastern Lake Ontario in New York State.

National Marine sanctuaries are special areas in the ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes managed to conserve their natural and cultural resources, while supporting sustainable recreation and tourism. And these special areas are free every day to everyone. Lake Ontario will be the 16th sanctuary in the National Marine Sanctuary System, and the third in the Great Lakes.

By designating this sanctuary, NOAA is recognizing the national significance of the area's historical, archeological,and cultural resources. This site has been critical to maritime trade and transportation for centuries, beginning with the canoes and boats of early indigenous peoples.

In January 2017, the counties of Jefferson, Wayne, Cuyahoga, and Oswego, and the city of Oswego, with support from the Governor of New York, submitted a nomination to NOAA for designating an area in eastern Lake Ontario waters as a sanctuary to protect a nationally significant collection of historic shipwrecks.

The nomination was endorsed by a diverse coalition of organizations and individuals at local, state, regional, and national levels. This included elected officials, tribal nations, businesses, museums, and environmental, recreational, conservation, tourism,and educational groups.

Over a thousand years ago, the distinct cultural groups living along Lake Ontario had unified as the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Portions of the original homelands of the Onondaga Nation, Cayuga Nation, Seneca Nation, and Oneida Nation lie within the boundaries of the sanctuary. NOAA has worked with the Onondaga nation on many aspects of the sanctuary, including their historic connection to Lake Ontario.

There are five additional sanctuaries in designation, including Pacific Remote Islands, and Papahanaumokuakea in the Pacific, Chumash Heritage off of California, Hudson Canyon off New York in the Atlantic, and Lake Erie off Pennsylvania.

Stay tuned to hear when more of these places join the NOAA family.