New York Sea Grant Great Lakes Fisheries and Ecosystem Health Specialist Stacy Furgal (far left) with a women’s fishing clinic group. Credit: NY Sea Grant
Contacts:
Stacy Furgal, New York Sea Grant Great Lakes Fisheries and Ecosystem Health Specialist, P: 315-234-1329, E: slf85@cornell.edu
Kara Lynn Dunn, NYSG's Great Lakes Publicist, P: 315-465-7578, E: karalynn@gisco.net
A Potsdam Public Library, New York Sea Grant, DEC, SUNY Potsdam Collaboration
Potsdam, NY, August 7, 2026 - Area librarians and community educators are invited to learn how to host a fishing clinic in a participatory workshop from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 18, 2026 at the SUNY Potsdam HEARTH Building.
The free Learn to Fish: Train the Trainers workshop is being presented by New York Sea Grant, the Potsdam Public Library, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and SUNY Potsdam.
Space is limited to 20 participants. Lunch and fishing equipment will be provided.
Register at bit.ly/learntofish2026 or contact New York Sea Grant Great Lakes Fisheries and Ecosystem Health Specialist Stacy Furgal at slf85@cornell.edu or 315-312-3042 for assistance.
Participants in the hands-on training will gain knowledge and build confidence for hosting their own learn to fish event. The workshop will cover:
• how to plan a fishing clinic
• fishing safety
• angling gear and maintenance
• casting and knot tying skills
• New York State fishing regulations
• fish identification and consumption guidance
• information on fish habitat and stewardship of the water environment, and
• how to assemble a learn-to-fish-clinic kit.
“Angling is a gateway to exploring and appreciating the natural environment and creates community. This workshop will provide training for libraries and community leaders to host their own fishing events, encouraging more people across the North Country to get outside and enjoy the many fishing opportunities in New York,” Furgal said.
More Info: New York Sea Grant
New York Sea Grant (NYSG) is a university-based, statewide Federal-State collaboration between the State University of New York (SUNY), Cornell University, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It is one of 34 university-based programs that connects research, extension, and education with the needs of coastal communities, environments, and economies through NOAA.
Since 1971, NYSG has supported science-based solutions for a wide range of water-related challenges and opportunities across the state. Through NYSG’s efforts, university scientists and extension specialists help develop and transfer science and technical information to educational institutions, businesses, agencies, and industries; federal, state and local governments; the media; and the interested public. The program is administratively based at Stony Brook University (SBU) and Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS).
NYSG historically leverages on average a 5.5-fold return on each invested federal dollar, annually. The State benefits from this, as these resources are invested in Sea Grant staff and their work in communities right here in New York.
New York Sea Grant, one of the largest of the state Sea Grant programs, maintains Great Lakes offices at Cornell University, SUNY Buffalo, Rochester Institute of Technology, SUNY Oswego, the Wayne County Cooperative Extension office in Newark, and in Watertown. In the State's marine waters, NYSG has offices at Stony Brook University and with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau County on Long Island, in Queens, at Brooklyn College, with Cornell Cooperative Extension in NYC, in Bronx, with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County in Kingston, and with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Westchester County in Elmsford.
Established in 1966, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s National Sea Grant College Program promotes the informed stewardship of coastal resources in 34 joint federal/state university-based programs in every U.S. coastal state (marine and Great Lakes) and Puerto Rico. The Sea Grant model has also inspired similar projects in the Pacific region, Korea and Indonesia.
For updates on Sea Grant activities: www.nyseagrant.org, follow us on social media (Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, Bluesky, LinkedIn, and YouTube). NYSG offers a free e-list sign up via www.nyseagrant.org/nycoastlines for its flagship publication, NY Coastlines/Currents, which it publishes quarterly.