I know how important the area is in terms of the development of the
nation. It has an under appreciated or little known history that is unique and
through the marine sanctuary program it's one of the ways we can begin to
bring that out to the world.
The proposed national marine sanctuary for Lake Ontario is incredibly exciting.
The stories that we can tell here and the history that is represented in Lake Ontario
is unique. It allows us to tap into a little bit older of a period of time and the launchpad into the rest of the
world, this kind of connection between the canal systems and the St. Lawrence River.
It really represents a gateway to the Great Lakes.
What makes it important is the history. The Onondagas feel that it's their mandate to try to
protect the land and the water. So it's an incredibly important area for
Onondaga, for the Haudenosaunee, and for all of the future generations.
As you know we have a lot of shipwrecks in Lake Ontario. So we have some leaders in
the community that had the vision to start establishing and protecting
those sites way back when. So the fact that we're moving in that direction,
you know, at this point is really exciting.
I think it's really important to protect the underwater world for future generations so
people don't forget where we come from. How did America become America? Right. It was mainly through
these waterways.
Facilitating the ability to bring these resources through
education and research, interpretation, and fun activities to the public so the
public, whether they're 80 or 8, can enjoy and learn something new that maybe they
didn't know before and enrich their lives.
We see tremendous benefits to educate the greater community and it helps us to tell our story certainly a
little bit better, and for future generations it's just a must.