Obama Designates New Marine Sanctuaries

In an address to the second annual Our Ocean conference in Chile last week, president Barack Obama announced plans to establish two new marine sanctuaries in the United States.

The proposed sanctuaries – one off the coast of Maryland and the other in Lake Michigan – are the first new national marine sanctuaries the US government has designated in 15 years. Obama, who was unable to personally attend the summit, made the announcement in a video message to conference delegates. “The United States is committed to working with our international partners to protect our oceans and protect our planet,” Obama is reported to state in the video. “Because I refuse to leave our children a planet that’s beyond their capacity to repair.”

The first proposed sanctuary is a 14-square-mile section of the Potomac River and Mallows Bay in Maryland, an area known for its unique ecological significance and home to bald eagles, herons, beavers, river otters and numerous species of fish. The area has a historical significance as well, as Mallows Bay is home to the famed ghost fleet ship remnants from World War I.

The second proposed sanctuary is an 875-square-mile section of Lake Michigan off Wisconsin, an area known to contain at least 40 shipwrecks, including some listed on the National Register of Historic Places.