Contact:

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

Watertown, NY, May 15, 2013 - New York Sea Grant's Recreation/Tourism Specialist Dave White reminds people about safety on the water in honor of National Safe Boating Week, May 18-24.

As White tells the newscasters at Watertown's WWNY-TV 7 News This Morning studios, new laws require a wearable life preserver for everyone on board a boat, including in canoes and kayaks. Those under 12 have to wear a life preserver whenever they're on one of these recreational vehicles.
 
Each boat is also required to have flares, a fire extinguisher and an SOS flag.

"I always remind folks that you should make sure the fire extinguisher is charged," says White. "And people need to be aware that flares are dated - they last for about three years."
 
White also explains how water levels on the St. Lawrence River surged so high in the past week or so.

"This is not an unknown phenomenon," says White, "but the wind has to set up perfectly on Lake Ontario to go up the River. If you talk with folks up on the eastern shores, this will often happen in areas such as Sandy Pond and the Black River."

For more on this topic, check out the video clip.



And there's more "NYSG Great Lakes Boating & Marine Trades" News available via the "News/Topics" link in the left-hand sidebar at www.nyseagrant.org/marina.


Since April 2006, White has been bringing Sea Grant's "message" to the morning masses at WWNY TV 7, a Fox affiliate in downtown Watertown, during one of the highest rated TV blocks in the "wake-up hours," the 6:30-7 am stretch.

Sea Grant's 'five minutes of fame' - which potentially reaches around 10,000 viewers in New York's Jefferson and Northern Oswego Counties - has featured topics over the years such as boating safety, aquatic invasive species, diving in search of sunken wrecks, the dune and Salmon River stewards program, shoreline land issues, tourism, and marine safety. 

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.

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, which, in 2014, merges with the program's e-newsletter, Currents. NY Coastlines is published several times a year.