“This is an annual event,” John Armor, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries said on Wednesday. “Unfortunately, we’ve not gotten together in person for four years because of COVID. We’re just now getting back together in person. Ideally, this is an annual gathering of all the superintendents from all the sanctuaries from across the sanctuary system.”

The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, based in Silver Spring, Maryland, oversees a network of underwater parks encompassing about 620,000 square miles of marine and Great Lakes waters from Washington state to the Florida Keys, and from Lake Huron to American Samoa. The network includes a system of 15 national marine sanctuaries and Papahanaumokuakea and Rose Atoll marine national monuments.

In addition to the superintendents, Armor and others from NOAA headquarters, and three regional directors from the Pacific Islands, the West Coast, and the East Coast attended the annual leadership meeting.

Armor explained that the group talked about “how we can deliver on our commitments to our communities around the country.”

News Photo by Darby Hinkley John Armor, director of NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, stands next to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration sign in the conference room at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center in Alpena. Thirty representatives from the National Marine Sanctuary system visited Alpena this week for their annual leadership meeting.

He detailed plans to continue to protect and promote our nation’s natural underwater resources.

“A big focus of our week right now is about resources,” Armor said. “Frankly, it’s appropriations and federal funding for sanctuaries like Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Right now, our budget is $68 million for fiscal year ’23. The President (Biden) has asked, in his budget request, has asked for nearly $90 million.”

Armor said more funding would allow for further research and resource protection, but until that is approved, the focus is on “making sure that we’re using the funding that we do have smartly, efficiently, effectively. These gatherings are really an opportunity for us all to just make sure that we’re using the resources that are entrusted to us as effectively as possible.”

Atuatasi Lelei Peau, superintendent of the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa, visited Alpena for the third or fourth time this past week for the leadership meeting.

“I love it,” he said. “It’s great … Alpena is very special. We have a partnership with Alpena’s national marine sanctuary.”

News Photo by Darby Hinkley Monique Baskin, deputy director of NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, stands next to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration sign in the conference room at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center in Alpena. Thirty representatives from the National Marine Sanctuary system visited Alpena this week for their annual leadership meeting.

Peau said prior to the pandemic, high school students from Alpena traveled to American Samoa as part of a cultural exchange through education.

“They were so inspired because of the ROV they designed and built and deployed,” Peau said. “So, that was fascinating, and what we learned is that education has to be fun.”

He added that some of those students continue to stay in touch with each other.

He talked about the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa, which is now the largest sanctuary in the national sanctuary system, encompassing 13,581 square miles of nearshore coral reef and offshore open ocean waters across the Samoan Archipelago. It was designated in 1986 and expanded and renamed in 2012.

“The sanctuary is comprised of six protected areas,” Peau explained. “The sanctuary protects extensive coral reefs, including some of the oldest and the largest Porites coral heads in the world, along with deep-water reefs, hydrothermal vent communities, and rare marine archaeological resources.”

He explained that community engagement and educational programs are offered to the residents and visitors to the sanctuary.

“We deal heavily with community engagement through village councils,” he said. “We have strong education programs. We really try to inspire our populations, especially the young ones, about the surroundings and the importance of our marine ecosystem to our daily lives.”

Peau added that American Samoan education is bilingual, taught in both Samoan and English.

“The sanctuary was established because of special places and people,” Peau said. “We have a very unique, very diverse — the most diverse — marine ecosystem within the entire national marine system network.”

He said it is no small task, but worth the effort every day.

“It comes with a lot of responsibilities, in terms of promoting the goals and objectives of the national program, but also, most important, to make sure that it is relevant to our way of life,” Peau said. “Our culture is paramount in what we do. Everything is based on respect and humility and making sure that we are also a part of the community, and not an outsider. That, to me, is one of the most important things. At the end of the day, we have to ask ourselves ‘What is the value added of having the program in our community?’ How we improve the quality of life, and how we sustain and make sure that our marine life can be sustainable for both present and future generations.”

Armor talked about the newest sanctuary in the system, in Wisconsin.

“There is a brand-new sanctuary — it’s our youngest sanctuary in the sanctuary system,” Armor said. “It’s in Lake Michigan, just off the coast of Wisconsin.”

The Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary, designated in 2021, features 36 known shipwrecks, and research suggests that another 60 shipwrecks may yet to be discovered within the 962-square-mile sanctuary. It is located off the coastal counties of Manitowoc, Sheboygan, and Ozaukee.

Designated by NOAA on Oct. 7, 2000 as the first national marine sanctuary in the Great Lakes, Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Lake Huron borders the counties of Alpena, Alcona, and Presque Isle in Northeast Michigan. Its boundaries were expanded in 2014, and now the TBNMS encompasses 4,300 square miles, in which 100 shipwrecks have been found, and an estimated 100 more have yet to be discovered.

Armor explained NOAA’s process of designating a national marine sanctuary.

“We have a community-based process called the sanctuary nomination process,” he said. “It allows local communities — using the Wisconsin example — those three communities, Sheboygan, Manitowoc, and Two Rivers … the mayors got together and basically wrote a proposal to NOAA” detailing why they believe that site met the criteria for becoming a national marine sanctuary.

“Those criteria relate to the national significance,” Armor explained. “In this case, the maritime heritage, the cultural heritage of that site, and then NOAA, we take that proposal, we have some meetings and we decide, ultimately, if it meets our criteria.”

He said the Wisconsin designation process took about four years to complete.

“It’s worth it because it gives us an opportunity to work with the community to make sure we fully understand what the impacts of a sanctuary designation would be,” Armor said.

Armor enjoys visiting Alpena and seeing the progress each time he comes to town.

“I have been to Alpena many times,” Armor said. “I love Alpena … There’s lots to do in Alpena.”

He first visited Alpena in 2005, and he’s excited to see changes and improvements each time he comes back.

“This town is awesome, and how the sanctuary fits into the town is just phenomenal to me,” Armor said. “It’s the epitome of how I think sanctuaries can contribute to communities around the country.”

He said Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary is special because of the shipwrecks and rich history resting beneath the waters, as well as the community and the people that live here and work hard to support the sanctuary.

He enjoys promoting natural resources while being able to meet great new people in his travels.

“I’m a cheerleader,” Armor added. “I’m a cheerleader for communities like Alpena … Making sure that the positive impact that the sanctuary has on the community is known, and the need for additional resources is also known. That’s job number one.”

And it’s a job he loves.

“I’m pretty sure I have the coolest job in the world,” he added with a smile. “As the director of the National Marine Sanctuary system, it’s an easy sell, because of communities like here in Alpena, all the way to Pago Pago in American Samoa and Port Angeles, Washington, and Key West, Florida, I could go on and on. Just talking about how great those communities are, how special they are, how unique they are, but also how they’re connected through the sanctuary system, to each other. I love it. I’m super passionate about it. I’ve been working for the sanctuary system now for 23 years … I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.”

Monique Baskin is the deputy director of NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. This was her first visit to Alpena.

“I think it’s absolutely a progressive little town,” Baskin said, noting that they enjoyed meals at both the Fresh Palate and Red Brick Tap and Barrel and also were able to tour the new Sanctuary Cinema downtown. “There’s just so much progressive thought and future thinking, and all of it coming to fruition is just so amazing to see.”

Baskin said the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary’s shipwrecks are such a valuable asset to the history of Northeast Michigan.

“There’s just an incredible amount of shipwrecks out there,” she said. “I’m hoping to come back and dive to see them, and maybe even paddleboard when the weather is better.”

She said the positive impact of the sanctuary in Alpena provides a roadmap for other communities across the nation and globe.

“Community engagement is also another thing that people need to pay attention to, as well,” Baskin said. “I think this is a great case study in showing communities that NOAA is here to promote your economic growth … Oceans and lakes are pivotal to our economy … but it’s also very pivotal to us as human beings and the impact that climate change is having in our lives.”

She added that we must conserve our oceans and lakes to secure the future of both our ecosystems and our economy.

Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary Superintendent Jeff Gray was happy to host the leadership meeting in Alpena.

“I love it for two reasons,” Gray said. “It’s a chance for us to showcase the stuff that we’re doing to the rest of our program, but on the flip side, it’s a chance for our community to learn about the rest of the system.”

He said prior to the pandemic, the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center was getting about 100,000 visitors per year.

“We hope we can grow that,” Gray said.

The Viking Octantis cruise ship visited Alpena for the first time last May, and made nine trips to Alpena in 2022. This year, 20 trips are planned.

“That’s going to have a giant impact, and we think there’s just incredible potential to continue to grow that,” Gray added. “It’s easy to think of this place as a tourism destination, which it is, but I think primarily, the first thing it is, really, it’s a community asset, so everything we do here is for the community, and we invite visitors to come enjoy it as well.”

“Jeff has provided great leadership,” Peau added. “He has a wonderful team here in Alpena. They’re well-connected with the community, and that’s important. At the end of the day, it’s really about the people, about the community. That’s why we’re here, as public servants, to make sure we cater and listen to what the community’s priorities are, and then you work from there.”

Reach Darby Hinkley at dhinkley@thealpenanews.com or 989-358-5691.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)

• Daily Newsletter
• Breaking News
• Obituaries

Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

• Yes
• No