Lake Ontario NOAA sanctuary plan advances, without St. Lawrence River option

Jan. 22—The proposed "rule" for the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary has been released by NOAA, which has decided not to include the St. Lawrence River as part of the proposed boundary.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration proposes to designate the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary in eastern Lake Ontario to recognize the national significance of the area's historical, archaeological, and cultural resources and to manage this special place as part of the National Marine Sanctuary System.

Public meetings were held as the plan has advanced and more are scheduled.

In 2021, NOAA released its nearly 200-page Proposed Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Draft Management Plan.

It was in response to a community-based sanctuary nomination.

The latest development represents the last formal opportunity for public comment before NOAA finalizes the EIS, management plan and final rule.

The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries serves as the trustee for a network of underwater parks encompassing more than 620,000 square miles of marine and Great Lakes waters from Washington state to the Florida Keys, and from Lake Huron to American Samoa. The network includes a system of 15 national marine sanctuaries.

NOAA was considering two possible boundaries for the Lake Ontario proposed sanctuary. The sanctuary, it says, would "provide a national stage for promoting tourism and recreation." NOAA would also "provide opportunities for people to learn about and explore the maritime landscape above and beneath the waves."

The Alternative 1 boundary encompassed a portion of eastern Lake Ontario and a segment of the Thousand Islands region of the St. Lawrence River, while Alternative 2, which will advance, only encompasses the same portion of eastern Lake Ontario.

The proposed sanctuary boundary would border Wayne, Cayuga, Oswego, and Jefferson counties. The proposed boundary is a 1,724 square-mile area containing 43 known shipwrecks, including the historic 135-foot, three-masted schooner St. Peter, and one aircraft.

'Much more complex'

The proposed sanctuary boundary of Lake Ontario ends at Cape Vincent, where the lake flows into the St. Lawrence River. It does include Tibbetts Point Lighthouse.

"I'm not surprised they left the Thousand Islands out," said Dennis R. McCarthy, Cape Vincent, who in 2021 resigned from the advisory council of the sanctuary plan after he accepted an offer to be on the board of directors at Fort de la Presentation, Ogdensburg. Mr. McCarthy and his wife, Kathi, both veteran divers, are also directors of the St. Lawrence River Historical Foundation, Inc.

"I think once they spent some time looking at it, it just didn't make sense with what they're trying to do at this point in time," Mr. McCarthy said.

Mr. McCarthy said NOAA may have been working off a model of the Thunder Bay Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve National Marine Sanctuary on Lake Huron's Thunder Bay, within the northeastern region of Michigan.

"That kind of works for Lake Ontario," Mr. McCarthy said. "But when you get into the Thousand Islands, it's much more complex. It's much more developed and entirely different character than say, Thunder Bay or Lake Ontario."

He added that the Seaway is a major navigational asset.

"About half the major wrecks are over or next to the navigational channel," Mr. McCarthy said. "Divers already, on their own, are doing the type of preservation stuff that NOAA talks about. These are funded by dive shops, dive clubs and private donations."

To designate a national marine sanctuary, NOAA would set a boundary to delineate the borders of the sanctuary; run the site as a part of the national marine sanctuary system under the National Marine Sanctuaries Act; establish site-specific regulations to protect underwater cultural and historical resources and implement a management plan that provides a comprehensive, long-term plan to manage the sanctuary and interpret the significance of the resources and surrounding area to the public.

In its notice of "proposed rulemaking" published Thursday in the Federal Register, NOAA noted, "Eastern Lake Ontario represents a diverse array of important events in our Nation's history including military conflicts, maritime innovation, and American expansion to the west. The eastern corridor is one of the most historically significant regions in the Great Lakes and the country. This area has been critical to maritime trade and transportation for centuries, beginning with the canoes and boats of early Indigenous peoples."

Meetings

NOAA will host four public meetings: three in-person meetings and one virtual meeting related to the plan. The in-person "scoping meetings" will occur at the following dates and times: Feb. 28

6:30 to 8 p.m.

Lake Ontario Event and Conference Center, 26 E. 1st St., Oswego.

March 1

6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Wolcott Elks Lodge No. 1763, 6161 W. Port Bay Road, Wolcott.

March 2

6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Jefferson Community College,1220 Coffeen St., Sturtz Theater, Room 4-111, Watertown.

A virtual "public scoping meeting" will occur at the following date and time: 6:30 to 8 p.m., Wednesday, March 8.

Check sanctuaries.noaa.gov/lake-ontario for meeting link and the most up-to-date information, should plans for these public meetings change.

Hard copy public comments may be sent by mail to Ellen Brody, Great Lakes Regional Coordinator, 4840 South State Road, Ann Arbor, Mich., 48108-9719.

NOAA will issue a final rule concerning the sanctuary after the public comment period.

"While the Sanctuary Advisoty Committee hasn't met since this proposed rule was published, I believe the group will be very happy to see the designation moving forward with the original boundary," said Katie Malinowski, vice chairwoman of the proposed Lake Ontario National Maritime Sanctuary advisory council and a citizen at large member, volunteer roles separate from her professional job as executive director of the Tug Hill Commission.

"Our next (SAC) meeting is February 2 and will be virtual," she said. "We hope to have good turnout at the public meetings at the end of February/beginning of March."

Minutes of the Feb. 2 meeting will be available at https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/lake-ontario/.