See NY Clean & Safe Boats Equipped for No Discharge Zones at Feb. 27-Mar. 3 Buffalo Bills Boat Show

Contact:

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

Dennis Powers, WNY Boat Show Manager, P: 716-875-2255

Kara Lynn Dunn, NYSG's Freelance Publicist, P: 315-465-7578, E: karalynn@gisco.net


Buffalo, NY, February 20, 2013 – New York’s Discover Clean & Safe Boats – equipped with all the gear required and recommended for legal, safe, and environmentally-friendly boating in New York waters – will be at the Buffalo Bills Boat Show February 27 through March 3 at the Buffalo Bills Healthy Zone Fieldhouse in Orchard Park, NY.

New with the 2013 exhibit coordinated by New York Sea Grant is a sewage pump out system pedestal-and-hose array provided by Edson Pumps Marine Division, New Bedford, MA.

“New York’s Great Lakes will soon be designated No Discharge Zones, so we equipped the 2013 Discover Clean & Safe Boating exhibit with a pumpout array to educate boaters about the coming new environmental requirement for boating on Lake Erie and Lake Ontario,” says Discover Clean & Safe Boating campaign creator Dave White, coastal recreation and tourism specialist with New York Sea Grant, Oswego, NY.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency defines a No Discharge Zone as an area in which both treated and untreated sewage discharges from vessels are prohibited.

For 2013 the Discover Clean & Safe Boats educational vessels are a 16-foot fishing boat and a 12.9-foot canoe. Both 2013 Discover Clean & Safe Boats were made in New York by Marathon Boat Group, Marathon, NY.

The Discover Clean & Safe Boats exhibit includes information on voluntary watercraft inspection and invasive species factsheets.

“Our focus in 2013 is also on educating anglers and paddlesports enthusiasts about how to be safe on the water and how they can help reduce the spread of aquatic invasive species,” White says.

Western New York Boat Show Manager Dennis Powers notes, “The Discover Clean & Safe Boating educational vessels are always a great addition to the Buffalo Bills Boat Show. Boaters can visit the exhibit to see how to equip their own boats and pickup important information to help them be safe and legal, and good stewards of New York’s fabulous boating environment. ”

The Discover Clean & Safe Boating campaign that has earned honors from the BoatUS Foundation is a collaboration by New York Sea Grant with the Boating Industries Association of Upstate New York, Marine Trades Association of Western New York, other marine trade organizations, Marathon Boat Group, Arney’s Marina, and the national Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers program. Morgan Recreational Supply and Taylor Made Products supplied the boating gear for the traveling educational exhibit.

The Buffalo Bills Boat Show is Buffalo’s largest boat show, with all the major dealers from Western New York and more under the lights and on the summer-like turf at the Buffalo Bills Healthy Zone Fieldhouse.

Show hours are 5-9pm on Wednesday, February 27; 12-9pm on Thursday, February 28 and Friday, March 1; 10am-9pm on Saturday, March 2; and 10am-5pm on Sunday, March 3; admission is $7, parking is free. The Marine Trades Association of Western New York organizes the show; find details online at www.buffaloboating.com.

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

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.

For updates on Sea Grant activities: www.nyseagrant.org has RSS, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube links. NYSG also offers a free e-list sign up via www.nyseagrant.org/coastlines for NY Coastlines, its flagship publication, and Currents, its e-newsletter supplement, each distributed 3-4 times a year.


The 2013 Discover Clean & Safe Boats are the centerpieces of this year's Discover Clean & Safe Boating campaign, which is focused on helping boaters, paddle sport enthusiasts, anglers, and sportsmen learn how to slow the spread of aquatic invasive species. New York Sea Grant, the Boating Industries Association of Upstate New York (BIA), and Marathon Boat Group are sponsoring the 2013 campaign.

The 16-foot ‘made in New York’ Grumman fishing boat and Ontario II canoe are equipped with all the gear required and recommended for clean, safe, and legal boating on New York waters. Photo courtesy of Dave White, NYSG.