NOAA firings spark fear about fate of area marine sanctuary

The firing of employees of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration last week has sparked concerns about the fate of the Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary operated by NOAA, which stretches from Two Rivers to Port Washington and is seen as a way to help protect the lake and increase tourism throughout the region.

“I’m concerned. I just don’t know how deep (cuts will be) or where things are going to end,” former Port Washington Mayor Scott Huebner, chairman of the sanctuary advisory council, said Tuesday.