WATERTOWN â The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is looking for public comment on its plan to create a marine sanctuary in the eastern Lake Ontario basin and possibly into the St. Lawrence River.
NOAAâs Office of National Marine Sanctuaries on Thursday released its proposed national marine sanctuary on Lake Ontario at sanctuaries.noaa.gov/lake-ontario. The âUnderwater National Parkâ would highlight upstate New Yorkâs unique maritime heritage and provide a national stage for promoting the regionâs tourism and recreational opportunities.
NOAA is proposing to designate up to a 1,786-square-mile area of Lake Ontario and the Thousand Islands region adjacent to Jefferson, Oswego, St. Lawrence, Cayuga and Wayne counties as a sanctuary area. The designation would create a bridge for NOAA to help pilot and fund education, tourism and recreation initiatives primarily surrounding the dozens of shipwrecks in the proposed area.