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Last week, President Obama announced NOAA’s selection of two sites to be considered as new Marine Sanctuaries, the first since 2000. The sites, chosen with broad community input and following a national nomination process, are an 875 square mile section of Lake Michigan off the Wisconsin shoreline and a 14 square mile section of the Potomac River between Maryland and Virginia. Both sites are renowned for having a collection of historically significant shipwrecks which have proved popular for visitors and fish habitations alike.

Neither proposal is finalized yet; NOAA will be engaging with stakeholder groups in a series of public meetings, as well as welcoming comments from the public up until January 15, 2016. From there, the agency will make a final determination, as well as outline site-specific requirements. NMMA will monitor the ongoing proceedings, and participate in the public comment period as necessary, to ensure that recreational activities are a part of the process.