The recently designated Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary is being celebrated in Oswego, N.Y., and Oswego County invites you to the festivities! Join us on Friday, Sept. 6 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony, a performance by the U.S. Coast Guard’s (USCG) color guard, a panel of distinguished speakers, a community fair, and more! The event is held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Cahill Pier Park, just off Lake Street in Oswego.
The party kicks off with a designation and ribbon-cutting ceremony from 11 a.m. to noon. The USCG’s color guard will open the celebration, while a live performance of the national anthem plays. Speakers from federal, state, and local governments will take the podium to discuss the significance of the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary and the many opportunities it will bring to its communities.
After the ceremony, learn more about the five-member partnership that worked with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and New York State to bring this designation to life; Oswego County, the City of Oswego, and Wayne, Cayuga, and Jefferson Counties. There will be visitor information available for you to browse while you enjoy views of water cannons in the harbor and listen to music spun by a DJ.
Also be sure to check out presentations and displays from NOAA and the USCG, including a virtual reality dive on a Lake Ontario shipwreck! Want to learn even more about local shipwrecks and maritime history? Head down the road to the H. Lee White Maritime Museum and check out all of the interesting, unique exhibits. During the event, the museum will also be offering boat tour trips to the West Pierhead Lighthouse for a minimal fee.
The Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary is NOAA’s 16th sanctuary. The designation of the sanctuary was announced in June, following more than a decade of work and research between NOAA, state and regional partners. This designation recognizes the cultural and historical significance of Lake Ontario, providing a national stage for education, research, recreation, tourism and heritage preservation. The 1,722-square mile area encompasses parts of Oswego, Jefferson, Cayuga and Wayne counties.
For more information on the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary, visit http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/lake-ontario/. To view our past blog post about the sanctuary designation, go to https://visitoswegocounty.com/2024/06/12/noaa-officially-designates-lake-ontario-national-marine-sanctuary/.