Celebrate local marine science through interactive experiments, kid-approved science entertainment, live scuba dives, catch & release fishing, kayaking and more at NYC's SUBMERGE 2017. Also, Stony Brook University's School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences and the R/V Seawolf make their return to this year's marine science festival.


NOTE: Click here for photos taken at SUBMERGE 2017, which appear at the end of this news item.

Contacts:

Dave White, New York Sea Grant Recreation and Tourism Specialist, E: dgw9@cornell.edu, P: 315.312.3042

Helen Cheng, NYSG Jamaica Bay Coastal Resilience Specialist, E: helen.cheng@cornell.edu, P: 718.951.5415

New York, NY, September 11, 2017 - Join New York Sea Grant (NYSG) and a host of other marine science exhibitors at SUBMERGE on Hudon River Park's Pier 26 this Saturday (September 16th) for a free day devoted to raising awareness about our coastal waters. From aquatic robotics to live scuba dives, noted marine scientists will teach, inspire and entertain audiences of all ages during NYC's premiere marine science festival, which is slated from 11 am - 4 pm.
 

During numerous water safety demonstrations throughout the last decade, New York Sea Grant Recreation and Tourism Specialist Dave White has reminded folks that while you're enjoying boating, paddleboarding kayaking and other on-the-water activities you should wear a life vest, use a paddle decal and practice safe skills. Credit: NY Sea Grant

For our part, NYSG will have the "inflata-fleet" - an inflatable kayak, 10 foot boat and paddleboard - on-hand for kids to test out. The fleet is from the 10th anniversary edition of Sea Grant's "Discover Clean and Safe Boating" educational campaign. The award-winning educational program has engaged more than 750,000 in how to be legal, safe, and environmentally-friendly on NY waters since 2008.

“The Discover Clean and Safe Boating campaign is focused on saving lives and increasing safety on the waters statewide," says NYSG Coastal Recreation and Tourism Specialist Dave White, the New York State 2015 Boating Educator of the Year.

At selective stops during the campaign, NYSG has partnered with U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and New York State Parks Marine Services Bureau personnel to teach best boating safety practices for motorized and non-motorized boaters, including kayakers and standup paddleboarders. A primary component of the training is a life jacket drill with the different types of approved floatation devices for use year-round and instruction on when they must be worn on NY waters. For more, see "Wear It!," a North American Safe Boating Campaign.


NYSG expanded its family-friendly Discover Clean and Safe Boating campaign into New York City for the first time in July 2013 during The Waterfront Alliance's City of Water Day on Governor's Island. Credit: Paul C. Focazio, NYSG


Statistics show that life jackets save lives, but only when they are worn. According to the the U.S. Coast Guard, the chance of drowning in a boating accident is 1 in 11. But, the chance is reduced drastically to 1 in 66 when the passenger is wearing a life jacket. The lesson here is that, as these visitors at 2013's City of Water Day are illustrating, life jackets are a life saver. Credit: Paul C. Focazio, NYSG

Get Out The Map

Mapping and navigation can help give spatial context of where one lives and where one needs to go. It also provides perspective for planning; planning for construction, planning for evacuation, and planning for resilience.

That is why in addition to reminding kids, parents and others in attendance at SUBMERGE about being safe on the water, NYSG is partnering with the Science and Resilience Institute to also feature an interactive “Maps and Charts of New York City” activity at the festival.

Maps represent the real world, both land and sea, on a much smaller scale. They help you travel from one location to another; they help you organize information; they help you figure out where you are and how to get where you want to go.

"Many know what a map is but few know why maps are important other than it gets you from Point A and Point B," says NYSG's Jamaica Bay Coastal Resilience Specialist Helen Cheng. "On a single sheet of paper, a map/ chart provides you a wealth of information on future actions such as where to go when you need to evacuation, which is why I'm bringing this activity to SUBMERGE."


Are you resilient? NYSG's Jamaica Bay Coastal Resilience Specialist Helen Cheng (pictured above) has helped New York City residents identify if where they live is within a hurricane evacuation zone at several recent events, including the Waterfront Alliance's City of Water Day on Governor's Island (July 2017) and "It's My Estuary" Day  along the Coney Island Creek in Kaiser Park, Brooklyn (May 2016). Credit: Hudson River Park




In Photos: Sea Grant Dives in at NYC's SUBMERGE 2017  back to top



Over 6,500 people visited Pier 26 in TriBeCa, New York to experience this year's many hands-on science activities of SUBMERGE. New York Sea Grant's Recreation and Tourism Specialist (Dave White) and Jamaica Bay Coastal Resilience Specialist (Helen Cheng) respectively informed attendees about the many benefits of boating clean and safe and having a plan in place before a severe storm hits. Here are some photos from the day, courtesy of Cheng, Paul Focazio (NYSG's Communications Manager) and the staff photographer for the Hudson River Park.





















More Info: New York Sea Grant

New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York, is one of 33 university-based programs under the National Sea Grant College Program (NSGCP) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The NSGCP engages this network of the nation’s top universities in conducting scientific research, education, training and extension projects designed to foster science-based decisions about the use and conservation of our aquatic resources. Through its statewide network of integrated services, NYSG has been promoting coastal vitality, environmental sustainability, and citizen awareness about the State’s marine and Great Lakes resources since 1971.

New York Sea Grant maintains Great Lakes offices at SUNY Buffalo, the Wayne County Cooperative Extension office in Newark and at SUNY Oswego. In the State's marine waters, NYSG has offices at Stony Brook University and Stony Brook Manhattan, in the Hudson Valley through Cooperative Extension in Kingston and at Brooklyn College. 

For updates on Sea Grant activities: www.nyseagrant.org has RSS, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube links. NYSG produces a monthly e-newsletter, "NOAA Sea Grant's Social Media Review," via its blog, www.nyseagrant.org/blog. Our program also offers a free e-list sign up via www.nyseagrant.org/coastlines for its flagship publication, NY Coastlines/Currents, which is published 1-2 times a year.