OSWEGO, NY – Representatives of the proposed Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council will conduct four in-person meetings to provide information about the project to the public.

Citizen-at-Large members Bob Morgan and Katie Malinowski will be on hand to make a presentation and talk about the proposal at various locations along Great Lake Ontario. Each presentation will be followed by a Q&A session. The representatives cannot accept official public comments at these meetings because the events are not part of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) formal public hearing schedule.

These four public information meetings are scheduled as follows:

• Tuesday, Aug. 31, 7 p.m.; Sodus Point Fire Department, 8364 Bay St. #139, Sodus Point.
• Wednesday, Sept. 1, 7 p.m.; Fair Haven Fire Department, 14447 Fair Haven Rd., Sterling.
• Thursday, Sept. 2, 7 p.m.; G.S. Steamers, Riverside Room, 70 E. First St., Oswego.
• Tuesday, Sept. 7, 7 p.m.; Westview Lodge and Marina, 13499 Co. Rte. 123, Henderson Harbor.

The same presentation will be offered at all four locations for the public’s convenience to attend the meeting of their choice.

Wayne, Cayuga, Oswego and Jefferson counties, and the city of Oswego, applied in 2017 to have a 1,700-square mile area in eastern Lake Ontario and the Thousand Islands region of the St. Lawrence River as a National Marine Sanctuary, based on the cultural and historic significance of the waters. This includes numerous shipwrecks and at least one submerged aircraft.

NOAA is looking for feedback from the public on a draft environmental impact statement that describes the potential boundaries and regulatory concepts, and a draft management plan that includes the planned goals and activities to manage the proposed Lake Ontario sanctuary.

NOAA’s formal public hearings will all be held virtually. The schedule is as follows:

• Wednesday, Aug. 18, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.; register at https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/8226916950939600400; join by phone at +1 (415) 655-0060, PIN: 439-509-724.
• Thursday, Aug. 19, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.; register at https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/8864690869654406928; join by phone at +1 (914) 614-3221, PIN: 237-285-132.
• Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2:30 to 4 p.m.; register at https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/5067664901003984652; join by phone at +1 (562) 247-8422, PIN: 346-751-009.
• Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021, 6:30 to 8 p.m.; register at https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/2978792919345892364; join by phone at +1 (415) 655-0052, PIN: 819-641-913.

The draft documents and instructions for participating in the virtual hearings are posted at https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/lake-ontario/.

Those who would like to provide official feedback, may submit their comments to NOAA online or by mail by Friday, Sept. 10. Go to www.regulations.gov and reference docket number: NOAA-NOS-2021-0050. Mailed comments must be postmarked by Sept. 10 and sent to: Ellen Brody, Great Lakes Regional Coordinator, NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, 4840 South State Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48108.