2012 Clean Marina Education

Contact:

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

Oswego, NY, January 27, 2012 - The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and New York Sea Grant are offering a free boater safety course for youth ages 10-17 as part of the Feb. 15-19 Central New York Boat Show at the state Fairgrounds in Geddes, NY.

The two-part course will be from 6 to 8:30 pm Feb. 16 and 9 am to 2:30 pm Feb. 18 in the Horticulture Building seminar room. Pre-registration is required and can be made via New York Sea Grant at 312-3042 or E-mail Sharon Mullen at slm22@cornell.edu.

Successful completion of the eight-hour course and exam is required for youth to legally operate a motorized boat or watercraft alone on New York state waters.

Each youth registering for the course will receive two free admission passes into the 2012 Central New York Boat Show.

Exhibits in three buildings at the New York State Fairgrounds showcase more than 500 power and sail boats, yachts, water recreation equipment, marine accessories and the 2012 Discover Clean & Safe Boating vessel at the show’s Boating Information Center.

New York Sea Grant Recreation/Tourism Specialist Dave White's BoatUS Foundation award-winning Discover Clean and Safe Boating initiative, now in it's third year, includes an invasive species emphasis - from Asian carp to zebra mussels. “It was 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,” says White.

The 2012 version of the Discover Clean and Safe Boating campaign, which will be unveiled at the Central Boat Show, includes hands-on opportunities at a series of spring and summer events using a 17-foot sailboat as well as live in-water life jacket demonstrations.

“We're excited to continue traveling through the Great Lakes region to encourage diverse types of groups and individuals to use easy-to-implement clean boating practices to help slow the spread of aquatic invasive species,” says White.

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, has been “Bringing Science to the Shore” for over 40 years. 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.