Chamber pushes for marine sanctuary funding

Sheboygan business leaders are asking community members to contact Congressional leaders and express support for continued funding for the National Marine Sanctuary System.

The push comes as a proposal is under review by federal officials to establish the Lake Michigan National Marine Sanctuary, located off the coasts of Two Rivers, Manitowoc, Sheboygan and Port Washington.

An email sent out March 11 from the Sheboygan County Chamber highlighted the preservation of shipwrecks and the economic development implications throughout the region should the sanctuary be created here.

“We will see new businesses, greater ability to recruit talent to our area, increased tourism and amazing educational opportunities for our children and grandchildren, to name a few,” said Betsy Alles, chamber executive director, in the email.

One of the unknowns regarding the sanctuary involves where a possible visitors center may be located, given the large area of shoreline that would have a role to play in the sanctuary. The city of Sheboygan has already made the push part of its new "Fresh Coast" marketing campaign, where they expect to put an emphasis on educational opportunities along the lakefront in the future.

Anyone interested can sign a letter advocating for sanctuary funding at http://nmsfocean.org/support-funding-for-sanctuaries.

Officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is considering the proposal, say it could take up to three years before the federal government can officially designate 847 square miles of Lake Michigan as the 14th national marine sanctuary.

The sanctuary, which was announced by President Barack Obama in October 2015, would span from Two Rivers to Port Washington and cover an area of Lake Michigan that includes 38 shipwrecks, 16 of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

If approved, the sanctuary would become the second sanctuary in the Great Lakes, joining the Thunder Bay Marine Sanctuary in Eastern Michigan.

NOAA last designated a sanctuary in 2000.

Alpena, Michigan, headquarters for the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Lake Huron, has about 10,000 residents but averages 100,000 tourists annually, offering attractions such as glass-bottom boat tours and various maritime-themed festivals.