• Dave White, NY Sea Grant, 315-312-3042
  
  
• Susan Shingledecker, BoatUS Foundation, 800-245-BOAT (2628) x8358

Oswego, NY, May 19, 2011 – The BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water, Annapolis, MD, has awarded New York Sea Grant (NYSG) Coastal Recreation and Tourism Specialist Dave White a 2010 Environmental Leadership Commendation. The award honors efforts to educate boaters and marine operators about environmental stewardship and recognizes White as the creator of New York Sea Grant’s Discover Clean and Safe Boating education campaign.

BoatUS Foundation Environmental Program Manager Susan Shingledecker says, “David has long been a leader on clean boating issues. We are please to be able to recognize his dedication to helping boaters keep their waterways clean.”

New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Director of Marine Services Brian Kempf nominated White for the BoatUS Foundation honor. Kempf says, “It is an honor to recognize Dave for his dedication to the advancement of clean, safe and responsible recreation boating in the Empire State.”

The Discover Clean and Safe Boating education campaign, created in 2008 by New York Sea Grant Coastal Recreation and Tourism Specialist Dave White, is a collaboration of New York Sea Grant, the Boating Industries Association of Upstate New York and other marine trade organizations, event organizers, and media.

“It is a wonderful honor to have the BoatUS Foundation recognize this New York Sea Grant initiative that has boaters and watercraft users actively engaged in learning what they need to legally, safely and cleanly boat on New York’s waters,” White says.

The 2011 Discover Clean and Safe Boating traveling exhibit features two “made in New York” water vessels: the 16-foot fishing boat E/V Oneida and the 12’9” canoe E/V Ontario - provided by Marathon Boat Group, Marathon, NY. Yamaha/Clayton Marina has equipped the fishing boat with a 50hp Yamaha engine and Morgan Recreational Supply and Taylor Made Products provided the equipment required and recommended for clean and safe boating on New York waters.

For 2011, the Discover Clean and Safe Boating campaign has added a focus on how motorized and non-motorized boaters can help slow the spread of aquatic invasive species. National Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers information is available at the display that visited all the major upstate spring boat shows earlier this year.

The most recent Discover Clean and Safe Boating campaign development is a “Discover Better Boating” television outreach partnership by New York Sea Grant, the Boating Industry Association of Upstate New York, and YNN cable television.

For more information on New York Sea Grant’s Discover Clean and Safe Boating education campaign, contact White at New York Sea Grant, Oswego, NY, 315-312-3042. 

New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a statewide network of integrated research, education, and extension services promoting the coastal economic vitality, environmental sustainability and citizen awareness about the State’s marine and Great Lakes resources, is currently in its 40th year of “Bringing Science to the Shore.” NYSG, one of 32 university-based programs under the National Sea Grant College Program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is a cooperative program of the State University of New York and Cornell University. The National Sea Grant College Program 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.

The BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water, Annapolis, MD, is an innovative leader promoting clean and responsible boating. It provides educational outreach directly to boaters with the aim of reducing accidents and fatalities, increasing stewardship of America’s waterways and keeping boating safe for all. The 501(c)3 nonprofit was founded in 1981 and is funded primarily by the half-million members of BoatUS. Learn more at www.BoatUS.com/foundation/enviroaward.