Wear a life vest! Use a paddle decal. Practice safe boating skills. Water safety demonstrations by New York Sea Grant, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and New York State Parks Marine Services Bureau will be offered three times daily in the farm pond at the August 8-10, 2017 Empire Farm Days. Credit: NY Sea Grant

Contacts:

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

Kara Lynn Dunn, Publicist, E: karalynn@gisco.net, P: 315.465.7578

Seneca Falls, NY, June 7, 2017 - Empire Farm Days covers more than 300 acres and includes the farm pond at Rodman Lott and Son Farms in Seneca Falls, NY. New York Sea Grant will be teaching water safety in the pond three times a day during the August 8, 9, and 10 event that is the largest outdoor agricultural trade show in the northeastern U.S.

New York Sea Grant partners with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and New York State Parks Marine Services Bureau to offer demonstrations and information on boating safety, particularly focused on kayak, standup paddleboard and canoe recreation. The in-water safety demonstrations will be offered daily at 10 am, 12 pm, and 2 pm.

Visitors can sit in bleacher seating to learn about the approved types of life jackets and when life saving devices are required by New York State law. An introduction to Suddenly-In-Command training addresses how a boat passenger can take charge of a vessel in an on-water emergency.

The pondside exhibit includes the 2017 New York Sea Grant Discover Clean and Safe Boating educational vessel, an 18-foot pontoon equipped with required and recommended safety and environmentally-friendly boating gear for NY waters. The New York State Parks Marine Services trailer and the New York Sea Grant invasive species exhibit are also on site.

New at the Empire Farm Days pond for 2017 will be the opportunity to try a standup paddleboard or kayak in the pond with Morgan Marine of Penn Yan, NY. Those 10 years of age or older must attend a New York Sea Grant in-water safety demonstration to obtain a ticket for the tryout. Morgan Marine will provide life vests, equipment and Hobie Eclipse Pedal SUPs, operated similarly to a stair stepper, and Hobie Mirage pedal drive kayaks.

Empire Farm Days show hours are 9 am to 5 pm on Tuesday and Wednesday, 9 am to 4 pm on Thursday; admission is $10 per vehicle; www.empirefarmdays.com.


Last August's "So You Bought a Kayak or a Paddleboard, Now What?" session—during which NYSG's Recreation and Tourism Specialist Dave White helped demonstrate—was focused on safety for first-time kayak and paddleboard owners. Credit: Brian P. Whattam


Water recreation will again be a focus at Empire Farm Days, with safety demonstrations at the event's farm pond, Rodman Lott and Son Farms, Seneca Falls, NY.
Credit: Brian P. Whattam


Visitors will witness a variety of non-motorized watercraft and toys as New York Sea Grant, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, and New York State Parks Marine Services Bureau personnel demonstrate the various types of required flotation devices and provide educational tips on how to signal for help in an on-water emergency. Credit: Brian P. Whattam

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.