Contact:

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


Note: Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors age 62 or older and retired military with ID, $5 for children under 14, and free Blue Star admission for active military with ID. Advance discount tickets: www.discoverupstateny.com through September 7. Day of the event seating is $15 for any remaining seats.


Watertown, NY, August 29, 2012 - As seen in this four-minute clip from News Channel 7 (WWNY-TV, a Syracuse, NY-based CBS News affiliate), New York Sea Grant is giving people a chance to see what's under the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River.
 
"Great Lakes Underwater" is a look at the shipwrecks of the area and will be from noon to 5 p.m. September 8 at the Clayton Opera House. "We have done Great Lakes Underwater for about 14 years now, looking at diving, shipwrecks and underwater opportunities in the Great Lakes," says New York Sea Grant Coastal Recreation and Tourism Specialist Dave White. "We've now partnered with Great Lakes Seaway Trail to bring this back as an occasional series."

In the video, White details some of the features speakers and topics for the September 8th event. This information can also be found in a recent NYSG press release (click here)
 
Because they're in freshwater, wrecks in the St. Lawrence and Great Lakes are preserved exactly as they went down. "We have hundreds of wrecks that are fully in-tact many times," says White. "Many are within diving areas, so divers have a great opportunity to take advantage of them. Some of the wrecks that we're going to be talking about are in deeper waters, so the only way to really experience them is through an ROV [Remotely operated underwater vehicle], side-scan sonar." That's why these presentations, which also delve into the history surrounding these ships, are so unique. The event is therefore of particular interest to both divers and local history buffs.

For more information or to register, go to www.discoverupstateny.com or call 315-646-1000, extension 203. Admission is $10 or $8 for senior citizens and $5 for military. And for more information on Sea Grant, call 315-312-3042 or visit www.nyseagrant.org.

Since April 2006, White has been bringing Sea Grant's "message" to the morning masses at WWNY TV 7, a Fox affiliate in downtown Watertown, during one of the highest rated TV blocks in the "wake-up hours," the 6:30-7 am stretch.

Sea Grant's 'five minutes of fame' - which potentially reaches around 10,000 viewers in New York's Jefferson and Northern Oswego Counties - has featured topics over the years such as boating safety, aquatic invasive species, diving in search of sunken wrecks, the dune and Salmon River stewards program, shoreline land issues, tourism, and marine safety.