Contact:
 
Dave White, New York Sea Grant, Recreation and Tourism Specialist, P: 315-312- 3042, E: dgw9@cornell.edu

— Filed by Greg Larson for Chautauqua Today / WDOE Dunkirk

Oswego, NY, May 30, 2021 - Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of the summer season, and in Western New York, it also means the beginning of boating season. 

Dave White, Coastal Recreation and Tourism Specialist at New York Sea Grant, spoke about boating safety during a recent appearance on WDOE 1040 AM / 94.9 FM's "Viewpoint" program, which is broadcast in the greater Syracuse and Oswego regions. 

White encourages people who make plans to head out onto the water to take 15 minutes and check to make sure their equipment is working before going out...

The clip above: "I always encourage people to do that 15 minute safety check so that once you turn the key and you head out for the day, you really don't have to worry about the safety of being prepared. And if you do have a problem, you are ready for it. But you don't have to be worrying about it and wondering."

White says no matter what kind of vessel you are on, a life jacket is required for everyone on board...

The clip above: "Regardless of the vessel you're on, and if you can ride on it or in it, it's a boat: paddleboard, kayak, canoe, sailboat, power boat, motor boat, you know, yacht, whatever you may be on. You need to have a life jacket onboard for everybody. It has to be the right size. If you've got kids, it's got to be fitting for them. It needs to be U.S. Coast Guard approved."

For more information on boating safety, you can go to the New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation website.

Viewpoint airs on WDOE Monday through Friday at 8:45am. Dave Rowley has been handling the hosting duties for more than 20 years, interviewing local, county and state elected officials. Community groups are also featured on the 15-minute live interview show. Listeners email their questions to Dave, who includes those inquires in the interviews.


More Info: New York Sea Grant

New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York (SUNY), is one of 34 university-based programs under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Sea Grant College Program.

Since 1971, NYSG has represented a statewide network of integrated research, education and extension services promoting coastal community economic vitality, environmental sustainability and citizen awareness and understanding about the State’s marine and Great Lakes resources.

Through NYSG’s efforts, the combined talents of university scientists and extension specialists help develop and transfer science-based information to many coastal user groups—businesses and industries, federal, state and local government decision-makers and agency managers, educators, the media and the interested public.

The program maintains Great Lakes offices at Cornell University, SUNY Buffalo, SUNY Oswego and the Wayne County Cooperative Extension office in Newark. In the State's marine waters, NYSG has offices at Stony Brook University in Long Island, Brooklyn College and Cornell Cooperative Extension in NYC and Kingston in the Hudson Valley.

For updates on Sea Grant activities: www.nyseagrant.org has RSS, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube links. NYSG offers a free e-list sign up via www.nyseagrant.org/nycoastlines for its flagship publication, NY Coastlines/Currents, which is published quarterly.