NOAA seeks public input on proposed Lake Michigan sanctuary

Four public meetings to be held this month in Wisconsin
Trading vessels like the 95-foot long schooner Gallinipper linked Wisconsin coastal cities with distant markets in the 1830s and 1840s, fueling local and regional economies.Originally built as the Nancy Dousman in 1832, Gallinipper is Wisconsin’s oldest shipwrecks discovered to date.

Trading vessels like the 95-foot long schooner Gallinipper linked Wisconsin coastal cities with distant markets in the 1830s and 1840s, fueling local and regional economies.Originally built as the Nancy Dousman in 1832, Gallinipper is Wisconsin’s oldest shipwrecks discovered to date. (Image credit: Wisconsin Historical Society)

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NOAA will hold four public meetings this month, asking for input on a draft management plan, draft environmental impact statement and proposed rule announced in January that present a proposed national marine sanctuary off the Wisconsin coast of Lake Michigan.

The proposed 1,075-square mile sanctuary, adjacent to Manitowoc, Sheboygan and Ozaukee counties, would protect historically significant shipwrecks and related maritime heritage resources.

The area under consideration holds 37 known shipwrecks including Wisconsin's two oldest known shipwrecks discovered to date – the Gallinipper (1833) and the Home (1843). As many as 80 known shipwrecks are yet to be discovered in the proposed sanctuary. These ships played critical roles in the settlement and development of the Midwest during the 19th and early 20th centuries. 

NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries currently operates a system of 13 national marine sanctuaries and two marine national monuments.

WHAT:
Public meetings to provide information and gather input on a proposed national marine sanctuary in Lake Michigan

WHEN and WHERE:

  • March 13, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m., Knudson Hall; 620 Lake Street, Algoma

  • March 14, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m., Wisconsin Maritime Museum; 75 Maritime Drive; Manitowoc

  • March 15, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m., University of Wisconsin-Sheboygan; Main Building; Wombat Room (Room 2114); 1 University Drive; Sheboygan

  • March 16, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m., Wilson House; 200 N. Franklin St.; Port Washington

In addition to the four meetings, NOAA is accepting comments online and by mail through March 31.

The public may provide comments online at http://www.regulations.gov, using docket number NOAA-NOS-2016-0149, or by mailing comments to:

Russ Green, Regional Coordinator
Proposed Wisconsin-Lake Michigan National Marine Sanctuary
University of Wisconsin-Sheboygan
One University Drive
Sheboygan WI 53081

Additional media resources are available at http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/news/press/mallows-bay-and-wisconsin.

Media contacts:
Vernon Smith, 240-533-0662
Russ Green, 920-459-4425

 

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