Oswego, NY, August 13, 2012 - The 2012 Discover Clean and Safe Boating campaign - which has already made stops this year in central and western New York - made its first-ever visit to the Clearwater Festival, the longest running environmental and music festival in New York’s Hudson River region. In late June, New York Sea Grant (NYSG) Hudson Estuary Specialist Nordica Holochuck and NYSG Coastal Recreation and Tourism Specialist Dave White brought the campaign’s 2012 educational vessel, a 17-foot Com-Pac Sun Cat, to the Festival at Croton Point Park in Croton-on-Hudson, NY. Also this summer, White brought the program to Lake Champlain boaters via an event in Plattsburgh, NY.

Said Holochuck, "It was great to work with fellow New York Sea Grant colleagues from the Great Lakes, who helped to bring the clean and safe boat to the Hudson's brackish/estuarine coast."

Along with its partners - the Boating Industries Association of Upstate NY and Marathon Boat Group, among others - NYSG has already gotten over 2,500 New York residents from Clayton and Oswego to Skaneateles, Seneca Falls and Syracuse to take the Clean and Safe Boating pledge over the last several years. The campaign also serves as opportunity to educate thousands of boaters, anglers and other water recreation users on how they can prevent and slow the spread of aquatic invasive species in the State's waters.

The campaign also engages paddle sport enthusiasts.

"Paddle sports comprise one of the largest growing recreational pursuits on the water," says Dave White. "So, we're reminding folks who canoe or kayak that they've got to be thinking not only about being 'clean and safe,' but also invasive free."

Bedecked with a fire extinguisher, flares and life jackets for humans and pets alike, the Clean & Safe Boat also showed boat enthusiasts at Owasco Lake Day in Auburn, NY, later that month what items they should always keep aboard and how to stop the spread of invasive species.

"It goes from event to event," White told a reporter from The Citizen/Auburnpub.com. "It's kind of one-stop shopping for boating."

Last year, the BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water awarded White and the Discover Clean & Safe Boating campaign for a successful second year of educating boaters of all interests and ages about how to enjoy New York’s water resources in a way that is safe, legal and keeps our waters clean.

Throughout the boating season, White and those traveling with the Clean and Safe vessel offer boaters a number of helpful tips on how to recreate safe this summer (see related news item).

In late July, White brought the 2012 program to Lake Champlain boaters via a July event in Plattsburgh, NY. In early August, the campaign returned just southwest of Seneca Falls for this year's Empire Farm Days. This was the 25th anniversary of the Rodman Lott family hosting the Northeast’s largest outdoor agricultural trade show at their farm. The annual event attracts 600-plus exhibitors and more than 70,000 visitors to this 300-acre site.

The 2012 Discover Clean and Safe Boating campaign sponsors include New York Sea Grant, The Skaneateles Sailboat Shop, Arney’s Marina, Marathon Boat Group, Morgan Recreational Supply, Taylor Made Products, and the Boating Industries Association of Upstate New York.

For more information on the Discover Clean & Safe Boat, contact White at NYSG's SUNY Oswego office, 315-312-3042 or click through the "News" section of www.nyseagrant.org/marina. 


New York Sea Grant Hudson Estuary Specialist Nordica Holochuck welcomed NYSG's Clean and Safe Boat to "her neck of the woods," as its related campaign extended its reach to recreational users beyond New York's Great Lakes region this year. Photo courtesy of Nordica Holochuck, NYSG.


Boats head out on the outlet to Owasco Lake while others enjoy the water's edge at 2011's Owasco Lake Day. This year's fifth annual event will be held at Emerson Park in Auburn, NY. Photo courtesy of The Citizen/Auburnpub.com.


In addition to the 2012 Discover Clean and Safe Boating campaign, NYSG Launch Steward Ashley (far right) was also at this summer's Owasco Lake Day talking to residents [including Mary Jo Turner (far left) and Tyson Turner, of Sennett] about about the potential dangers of transporting invasive species to Owasco Lake by motorboats that have been in contact with them. More on the Launch Stewards' efforts at www.nyseagrant.org/ccd. Photo courtesy of Michelle Bixby, The Citizen/Auburnpub.com.


More Info:

New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York, is one of 32 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.