Lake Michigan federal sanctuary bid advances

WASHINGTON – President Obama Monday announced his administration is taking steps to nominate part of Lake Michigan, from Port Washington to Two Rivers, as a national marine sanctuary.

The 875-square mile swath was submitted for nomination consideration by Gov. Scott Walker and contains 39 known shipwrecks, including 15 that are already listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The designation would be the first since 2000 and only the second located in the Great Lakes.

The nomination submission was one of seven received by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration since it opened up the nomination process last year for the first time in 20 years.

The Lake Michigan entry was one of two picked to move forward by the administration. The other announced Monday is a tidal area in the Potomac River in Maryland.

“These actions will protect waters of historic and national importance,” Obama said in a video announcement for the “Our Ocean” conference in Chile.

The selection starts a process of public hearings and comments on the proposal before the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration can finalize the designation.The first public hearing on the designation will be Nov. 17 at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc at 6:30 p.m. Public comments on the designation must be submitted by Jan. 16, 2016.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., hailed the administration’s selection of the Lake Michigan site.

“I’m proud to join Wisconsin stakeholders, who have worked tirelessly on this effort, in applauding this major announcement that will protect and preserve some of Wisconsin’s most treasured places and boost our local tourism economy,” she said in a statement Monday.

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said “the establishment of a federally managed marine sanctuary accomplishes something we all can agree on: a collaborative, locally led, public-private effort to protect our environment."

The cities of Port Washington, Sheboygan, Manitowoc and Two Rivers worked with the state of Wisconsin and others on the development of the nomination application.