05/22/2026
The Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary is a first of its kind for New York State, and will be featured in activities, underwater videos, and exhibits at the June 6, 2026 Lake Ontario Waterfront Festival organized by the H. Lee White Maritime Museum and New York Sea Grant. Here's a sample of what festival visitors will find at the event from noon to 4:00 p.m. along the 1 West First Street Pier near the museum in Oswego's Historic Maritime District.
See underwater videos of the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary at the Upstate Freshwater Institute's "Seeing Below the Surface" booth, and learn how weather and water conditions data are collected from buoy's deployed along Lake Ontario's southern shore as part of the Great Lakes Observing System to support the work of researchers, boaters, anglers, beachgoers, water resource managers, and water rescue operations.
The New York State Divers Association will be showing underwater videos of dives in Lake Ontario and other New York lakes and rivers, natural landscapes and shipwrecks, with information on membership and activities.
Recreational boating clean, safe, and environmentally-friendly information that helped support the designation of the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary will be available at the New York Sea Grant booth. Learn how to properly equip a boat and size floatation devices for all family members.
Lake Ontario's maritime history and fisheries, maritime-theme activities, and Lake Ontario trivia will be found at SUNY Oswego's Great Lakes Institute booth.
Oswego County families with students in grades 4 and 5 can learn about the Center for Instruction, Technology & Innovation (CiTi) BOCES summer camp with activities focused on the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary and projects to inspire stewardship of the local waterfront.
The Friends of the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary will be highlighting the educational, cultural, and above- and below-water recreational tourism opportunities across the Sanctuary's four-county region of Oswego, Jefferson, Cayuga and Wayne counties.
Local tourism organizations will have 2026 Oswego County Visitor Guides highlighting the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary available to take home.
H. Lee White Maritime Museum Director Mercedes Niess, Curator Michael Pittavino, and Museum Board Vice-President Robert Morgan, and New York Sea Grant Associate Director Katherine Bunting-Howarth and Great Lakes Literacy Specialist Nate Drag serve as members or alternates with the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council. The H. Lee White Maritime Museum is a treasure trove of maritime history told in artifacts, art, models, and exhibits. The museum and its Treasure Chest gift shop will be open during the festival.
The Lake Ontario Waterfront Festival is sponsored in part by Eagle Beverage and Adventure at Burritt's Marine and Powersports in Oswego.
Image Credit: Diving the St. Peter Shipwreck, courtesy of NOAA
For more on this event, visit hlwmm.org!
