FORCE BLUE’S Tour of Duty Returns to the Great Lakes

Children and adult exploring water activity at outdoor camp

FORCE BLUE’s “Tour of Duty,” our commitment to deploy FORCE BLUE veterans to each of the 18 national marine sanctuaries currently designated as part of NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary System, continued in June with a visit to Oswego, New York, and the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary (LONMS).

Over the course of seven days, FORCE BLUE veterans, working with staff from LONMS and the New York Department of State, conducted scientific dives to map numerous shipwrecks throughout the sanctuary and collect 360-degree imagery of each. This footage will later be used by sanctuary staff for virtual reality integration programs in Oswego and its surrounding communities.

In addition, the team scouted locations for the future installation of mooring buoys, spent a day conducting coastal monitoring with the New York Department of State, and devoted an afternoon to removing invasive plants from Rice Creek Field Station.

Working through a community engagement grant provided by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and its Sanctuary Community Fund, FORCE BLUE assisted Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary staff with an education and outreach event at the historic Gates Hall in Pultneyville, New York, as well as a barbecue with Oswego city leadership and the sanctuary’s advisory council. The week concluded with FORCE BLUE veterans giving a presentation to elementary and middle school campers at Camp Hollis.

FORCE BLUE’s next Tour of Duty stop, Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary in California, is slated for September.