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{{Short description|Marine sanctuary in southeastern Lake Ontario}} The '''Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary'''<ref name=lakeontario>{{Cite web |title=Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary |url=https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/lake-ontario/ |access-date=October 14, 2024 |website=sanctuaries.noaa.gov}}</ref> is a [[National Marine Sanctuary]] in the waters of the [[United States]] in southeastern [[Lake Ontario]] off the coast of [[New York (state)|New York]]. It was designated on September 6, 2024, by the [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] (NOAA).<ref name=ceremony>{{cite web |url=https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/lake-ontario/celebrate.html |title=Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary Designation Ceremony |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=<!--Not stated--> |website=sanctuaries.noaa.gov |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |access-date=October 14, 2024}}</ref> It protects the area's maritime cultural history, including historic [[shipwreck]]s, and areas of great cultural, historical, and spiritual importance to [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] peoples of the [[Haudenosaunee Confederacy]].<ref name=lakeontario/><ref name=about>{{cite web |url=https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/lake-ontario/about/ |title=About Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=<!--Not stated--> |website=sanctuaries.noaa.gov |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |access-date=October 14, 2024}}</ref><ref name=pressrelease6June2024>{{cite web |url=https://www.noaa.gov/news-release/biden-harris-administration-designates-new-national-marine-sanctuary-in-new-york-state |title=Biden-Harris Administration designates new national marine sanctuary in New York state |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=June 5, 2024 |website=sanctuaries.noaa.gov |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |access-date=October 14, 2024}}</ref> It offers opportunities for research, community engagement, education and outreach activities, and maritime-heritage-related [[tourism]].<ref name=lakeontario/><ref name=about/><ref name=pressrelease6June2024/> The Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary was the 16th national marine sanctuary and third on the [[Great Lakes]],<ref name=lakeontario/><ref name=about/><ref name=pressrelease6June2024/><ref name=lakeontarioonepage>{{cite web |url=https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/media/docs/2024-lake-ontario-national-marine-sanctuary-one-pager.pdf |title=Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=<!--Not stated--> |website=sanctuaries.noaa.gov |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |access-date=October 14, 2024}}</ref><ref name=introducing>{{cite web |url=https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/news/jun24/introducing-lake-ontario-sanctuary.html |title=Introducing Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary: A Maritime Legacy |last=Plunkett |first=Rachel |date=June 2024 |website=sanctuaries.noaa.gov |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |access-date=October 14, 2024}}</ref> as well as the first in the waters of the State of New York.<ref name=pressrelease6June2024/> It was the first national marine sanctuary created since the [[Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary]] in 2021.<ref name=introducing/> It held the status of newest national marine sanctuary for only five weeks, until the designation of the [[Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary]] on October 11, 2024.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.noaa.gov/news-release/noaa-reaches-key-milestone-in-designation-of-chumash-heritage-national-marine-sanctuary|title=NOAA reaches key milestone in designation of Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary|author=<!--Not stated-->|website=[[NOAA]]|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|date=September 6, 2024|access-date=October 13, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/chumash-heritage/about/designation.html |title=Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary Designation History|author=<!--Not stated--> |date=<!--Not stated--> |website=sanctuaries.noaa.gov/ |publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |access-date=14 October 2024}}</ref> ==Geography== The Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary encompasses {{convert|1,722|sqmi|sqnmi km2|0}} of southeastern [[Lake Ontario]] and its coastline.<ref name=lakeontario/><ref name=about/><ref name=pressrelease6June2024/><ref name=lakeontarioonepage/><ref name=introducing/> It lies off [[New York (state)|New York state]] along the coasts of [[Jefferson County, New York|Jefferson]], [[Oswego County, New York|Oswego]], [[Cayuga County, New York|Cayuga]], and [[Wayne County, New York|Wayne]] [[County (United States)|counties]].<ref name=about/><ref name=pressrelease6June2024/><ref name=introducing/> and extends into the lake to the [[Canada–United States border|international border]] with [[Canada]].<ref name=lakeontario/> ==Indigenous culture and heritage== The first inhabitants of the region were [[Native Americans in the United States|indigenous people]] who began using the waters of southeastern Lake Ontario for transportation and trade in [[canoe]]s and other small boats in [[Prehistory|prehistoric times]].<ref name=about/><ref name=introducing/> They were the ancestors of the [[Onondaga people]], [[Cayuga people]], [[Seneca people]], and [[Oneida people]], portions of whose homelands lie within the boundaries of the sanctuary.<ref name=about/><ref name=introducing/> By around 1000 CE, these distinct cultural groups had unified as the [[Haudenosaunee Confederacy]],<ref name=about/><ref name=introducing/> which the [[Tuscarora people]] also joined in 1722.<ref name=introducing/> Over many centuries, these indigenous peoples developed a deep and lasting understanding of and bond with Lake Ontario and its [[fish]] and [[wildlife]].<ref name=introducing/> The sanctuary's waters remain a place of cultural, spiritual and historical significance to the peoples of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy,<ref name=pressrelease6June2024/> and its waters may include [[Archaeology|archaeological]] sites containing [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] artifacts.<ref name=drafteisvii>Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Draft Management Plan, p. vii.</ref> ==American maritime history== {{main|List of shipwrecks in the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary}} [[File:Divers film wreck of schooner St. Peter in Lake Ontario 13 June 2019.PNG|thumb|left|Divers film the wreck of the [[schooner]] {{ship||St. Peter|shipwreck|2}} on June 13, 2019.]] [[File:Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary map with shipwrecks 2024.PNG|400px|thumb|Blue dots indicate known shipwrecks as of 2024. White dots are potential shipwreck sites awaiting investigation.]] [[File:Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary Sanctuary lighthouse.png|thumb|[[Oswego Harbor West Pierhead Light]] at [[Oswego, New York|Oswego]], {{nowrap|[[New York (state)|New York]].}}]] [[File:Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary Sanctuary diver shipwreck.png|thumb|left|A diver visits a [[shipwreck]] in what later became the sanctuary.]] Since the early days of [[Europeans|European]] exploration of [[North America]], Europeans, and later Americans, have traversed the waters of southeastern Lake Ontario.<ref name=pressrelease6June2024/> [[Scuba diving|Scuba divers]] and shipwreck explorers have identified 41 shipwrecks and the wreckage of one aircraft within the boundaries of the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary which together span more than 200 years of the [[history of the United States]], including the role of Lake Ontario in supporting the growth of the industrial core of the early United States.<ref name=about/><ref name=pressrelease6June2024/><ref name=introducing/> At the time of the sanctuary's designation in 2024, historical records suggested that an additional 19 shipwrecks and three wrecked aircraft lie within it.<ref name=about/><ref name=introducing/> The shipwrecks provide historians and [[Maritime archaeology|maritime archaeologists]] with insights into maritime innovations of the past, the history of trade and transportation on Lake Ontario, the [[shipbuilder]]s who constructed the ships, the sailors and passengers aboard them, and the communities they served, as well as the lake's role in military conflicts.<ref name=introducing/> The shipwrecks include some of the oldest in the [[Great Lakes]]<ref name=introducing/> and are among the best-preserved in the world,<ref name=pressrelease6June2024/> and even the oldest of them is in pristine condition thanks to the cold [[fresh water]] of Lake Ontario.<ref name=introducing/> Among shipwrecks within the sanctuary's boundaries is that of the oldest known commercial [[sailing vessel]] in Lake Ontario, ''Washington'', which operated from 1797 to 1803.<ref name=introducing/> The wreck of the {{convert|135|ft|0|adj=on}} three-[[Mast (ship)|masted]] [[schooner]] {{ship||St. Peter|shipwreck|2}}, which operated from 1873 until she sank in a storm in 1898, sits upright in {{convert|117|ft}} of water on the lake bottom northeast of [[Pultneyville, New York|Pultneyville]], New York; it is one of the most accessible shipwrecks for [[Recreational diving|recreational divers]] in the sanctuary and is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name=introducing/><ref name=exploreblue>{{cite web |url=https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/vr/lake-ontario/st-peter/ |title=Explore the Blue: 360° Lake Ontario Schooner St. Peter |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=<!--Not stated--> |website=sanctuaries.noaa.gov/ |publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |access-date=October 15, 2024}}</ref> The wrecked aircraft is a [[World War II]]-era [[Beechcraft C-45 Expeditor]] light [[Transport aircraft|transport]].<ref name=introducing/> The sanctuary also may contain several other [[Marine archaeology|underwater archaeological]] sites related to the region's maritime history in addition to the wrecks, such as the remnants of shipwrecks, [[pier]]s, and [[navigational aid]]s.<ref name=about/><ref name=introducing/><ref name=drafteisvii/> <gallery caption="The wreck of ''St. Peter''" mode="packed"> File:St. Peter shipwreck bowsprit.PNG| File:St. Peter shipwreck bowsprit color.PNG| File:St. Peter shipwreck two divers.PNG| File:St. Peter shipwreck diver light.PNG| File:St. Peter shipwreck deck.PNG| File:St. Peter shipwreck diver swims along wreck.PNG| File:St. Peter shipwreck divers investigate.PNG| </gallery> ==Designation history== {{multiple image | align = right | direction = vertical | total_width = 300 | image1 = Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary pre-designation Sanctuary Advisory Council.PNG | alt1 = People posing for an outdoor group photo | caption1 = | image2 = Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary pre-designation Sanctuary Advisory Council informal gathering.PNG | alt2 = People seated at picnic tables in a pavilion | caption2 = | footer = '''TOP''': The pre-designation Sanctuary Advisory Council. '''ABOVE:''' An informal council gathering. }} The designation process for the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary began on January 17, 2017, when leaders of the New York counties of Oswego, Jefferson, Cayuga, and Wayne and of the [[Oswego, New York|city of Oswego]] submitted a nomination to NOAA.<ref name=lakeontario/> The nomination was for a sanctuary protecting a {{convert|1,746|sqmi|sqnmi km2|0|adj=on}} area of southeastern Lake Ontario which at the time included 21 known shipwrecks (including the wrecks of ''St. Peter'' and of the 19th-century [[cargo ship]] ''David W. Mills'', the latter a [[New York State Submerged Cultural Preserve and Dive Site]]) and one aircraft wreck and was suspected of containing an additional 47 shipwrecks and two aircraft wrecks.<ref name=drafteisvii/> The [[governor of New York]], the Onandaga Nation, and several historical societies, museums, and recreation, conservation, tourism, and education groups endorsed the nomination.<ref name=lakeontario/><ref name=pressrelease6June2024/><ref name=introducing/> NOAA published a notice of intent to initiate the designation process on April 19, 2019.<ref name=lakeontario/> In 2020, it established a 15-member pre-designation Sanctuary Advisory Council to help inform the designation process: Composed of a variety of community stakeholders, it met throughout the designation process, focusing on stakeholder participation and serving as a liaison between NOAA and the community.<ref name=lakeontario/><ref name=about/><ref name=introducing/> NOAA published a draft [[environmental impact statement]] and draft management plan on July 7, 2021, proposing three alternatives:<ref name=drafteisi>Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Draft Management Plan, p. i.</ref> * Create no sanctuary.<ref name=drafteisi/> * Create a sanctuary encompassing an area of {{convert|1,786|sqmi|sqnmi km2|0}} which included {{convert|1,742|sqmi|sqnmi km2|0}} of southeastern Lake Ontario and {{convert|62|sqmi|sqnmi km2|0}} in the [[Thousand Islands]] region of the [[St. Lawrence River]], protecting 67 shipwrecks and one aircraft wreck that were known at the time. It would include waters off Oswego, Jefferson, Cayuga, Wayne, and [[St. Lawrence County, New York|St. Lawrence]] counties.<ref name=drafteisivii>Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Draft Management Plan, pp. i, vii.</ref> * Create a sanctuary including only the {{convert|1,742|sqmi|sqnmi km2|0|adj=on}} area in southeastern Lake Ontario, protecting 43 shipwrecks and one aircraft wreck that were known at the time. It would include waters off Oswego, Jefferson, Cayuga, and Wayne counties.<ref name=drafteisivii/> {{multiple image | align = right | direction = vertical | total_width = 300 | image1 = Public meeting Fair Haven, New York, 10 June 2019, for proposed Lake Ontario National Marine Sancturay.PNG | alt1 = People seated at a meeting | caption1 = | image2 = Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary Sanctuary Advisory Council poses with map.PNG | alt2 = People posing for an outdoor group photo and holding a map | caption2 = | footer = '''TOP''': A public meeting about the proposed sanctuary in [[Fair Haven, New York|Fair Haven]], New York, on June 10, 2019. '''ABOVE:''' The Sanctuary Advisory Council poses with a map of the new sanctuary. }} NOAA received 65 written comments, most of them in support of the designation of the proposed sanctuary. However, the [[Maritime transport|commercial shipping]] community and several [[United States Government]] agencies expressed safety concerns about including a portion of the St. Lawrence River in the proposed sanctuary.<ref name=about/> NOAA published a notice of proposed rulemaking on January 19, 2023, with sanctuary boundaries which excluded the waters of the St. Lawrence River.<ref name=lakeontario/><ref name=about/> A period for public input on the proposed rulemaking followed and concluded on March 23, 2023.<ref name=exploreblue/> NOAA received 95 written comments, most of them again in support of the proposed sanctuary.<ref name=about/> Based on public comments on the draft environmental impact statement, draft management plan, and proposed regulations, and after consultation with representatives of U.S. Government and New York state government agencies and indigenous nations and tribes, NOAA developed the final environmental impact statement, final management plan, and final rule.<ref name=about/> It published the final environmental impact statement on April 19, 2024.<ref name=lakeontario/><ref name=about/> On June 5, 2024, NOAA announced that it would designate the sanctuary,<ref name=pressrelease6June2024/> and it published the final rulemaking on June 6, 2024.<ref name=about/> After a mandatory wait for 45 days of continuous session of the [[United States Congress]], beginning on the date the final rule was published,<ref name=lakeontario/><ref name=pressrelease6June2024/> NOAA designated the sanctuary on September 6, 2024.<ref name=ceremony/><ref name=pressrelease6June2024/> ==Tourism and recreation== [[File:Maritime heritage display Oswego, New York.PNG|thumb|A visitor reads a maritime history sign in [[Oswego, New York|Oswego]], New York.]] The Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary's waters are popular for [[scuba diving]], [[recreational fishing]], [[recreational boating]], and [[paddling]].<ref name=introducing/> Several [[lighthouse]]s and [[maritime museum]]s and many [[List of New York state parks|New York state parks]] are located along the coastline it protects.<ref name=introducing/> In addition to their historical value, the sanctuary's shipwrecks, aircraft wreck, and other submerged archaeological sites offer [[recreational diving]] opportunities.<ref name=drafteisi/> ==Administration== The [[Office of National Marine Sanctuaries]], an element of NOAA, administers the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary jointly with the [[Government of New York (state)|Government of New York]].<ref name=lakeontario/><ref name=about/><ref name=introducing/> Upon designation of the sanctuary, NOAA took steps to create a new 15-member Sanctuary Advisory Council to inform the governance of the sanctuary.<ref name=introducing/> To protect shipwrecks and other features of historical and archaeological interest, NOAA regulates activities within the sanctuary.<ref name=introducing/> Moving, damaging, possessing, or selling sanctuary resources and anchoring on shipwrecks are prohibited, and a permit is required to operate tethered underwater mobile systems (such as [[remotely operated underwater vehicle]]s) in sanctuary waters.<ref name=introducing/> The regulations are tailored to allow important economic activities in the sanctuary, such as [[Maritime transport|commercial shipping]].<ref name=introducing/> ==References== ===Citations=== {{reflist}} ===Bibliography=== * {{cite web |url=https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/media/docs/20210701-proposed-lake-ontario-national-marine-sanctuary-draft-environmental-impact-statement.pdf |title=Proposed Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Draft Management Plan |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=July 2021 |website=sanctuaries.noaa.gov/ |publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |access-date=October 15, 2024}} ==External links== *[https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/media/videos/202409-lonms-broll.mp4 NOAA video "Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary B-roll"] *[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWkEwTZ3fMU 2021 (pre-designation) NOAA video "Explore the Blue: 360° Lake Ontario Schooner ''St. Peter''"] on [[YouTube]] *[https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/media/videos/202008-lake-ontario-st-peter-broll.mp4 NOAA video "Lake Ontario ''St. Peter'' B-roll"] * [https://nmssanctuaries.blob.core.windows.net/sanctuaries-prod/media/lake-ontario/20190611-david-w-mills-wreck.mp4 NOAA video "Underwater video of the ''David W, Mills'' shipwreck"] *[https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/media/videos/202008-lake-ontario-mills-wreck-broll.mp4 NOAA video "Lake Ontario ''Mills'' Wreck B-roll"] *[https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/media/docs/20220125-shipwreck-explorers.pdf NOAA lesson plan "Shipwreck Explorers!"] {{Clear}} {{Protected areas of New York|NMS}} {{National marine sanctuaries of the United States}} [[Category:Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary| ]] [[Category:Protected areas of Cayuga County, New York]] [[Category:Protected areas of Jefferson County, New York]] [[Category:Protected areas of Oswego County, New York]] [[Category:Protected areas of Wayne County, New York]] [[Category:Protected areas of New York (state)]] [[Category:2024 establishments in New York (state)]] [[Category:Protected areas established in 2024]]
