News

Bay Schools receives 2012 safe boating grant

glbm — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:30:59 +0000

George Christ, Westlake Bay Village Observer

Feb 7 2012

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Watercraft recently announced that the Bay Village City School District has been awarded a grant of $ 2,239.71 as part of the Boating Safety Education Grant Program. The Division of Watercraft is awarding $366,528.02 to political subdivisions and non-profit organizations for boating education programs. The Bay Village Schools is one of 30 organizations across the state to receive funding.

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New York ballast rules battle may end soon, says U.S. Seaway head

glbm — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:49:27 +0000

Jaegun Lee, Watertown Daily Times

Feb 6 2012

The head of the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp. believes Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo will help the shipping industry fight New York state’s “scientifically unachievable” ballast standards.

“We met on Tuesday with the Cuomo folks,” said Collister W. Johnson Jr., U.S. Seaway administrator, on Thursday. “We had a very good conversation. Cuomo ran on ‘I’m going to change the culture of New York and we’re not going to be the most unfriendly business state in the country.’ And I think in respect to this issue, he gets it.”

Ships carry ballast water to maintain stability while under way.

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For some surfers, Lake Ontario and the Great Lakes are 'the last frontier'

glbm — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:46:40 +0000

Linda Quinlan, Messenger Post

Feb 6 2012

Irondequoit, N.Y. —Scott Johns was born in Hawaii and grew up in Florida. He started learning to surf at the age of 4.
Then life brought him to Rochester several years ago.

“It really killed me, being away from the ocean,” Johns recalled.

Then, just last summer, he saw a guy on the beach in Irondequoit’s Sea Breeze area with what looked like a surfboard.

“I didn’t know it (surfing) was possible on the lake,” Johns said. He says now that it was fate.

Johns learned that surfing the lake was not only possible, but also that it can be done year-round and that there’s even a Rochester Surf Club.

One of the most popular spots, locally, for surfing is near the pier in the Sea Breeze area of Irondequoit.
“We’re safe about it and try not to trespass,” Johns said.

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Great Lakes: Where's the Ice?

glbm — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:34:06 +0000

Tom Nizion, The Weather Channel

Feb 6 2012

Video: Winter Weather Update

It's been a very mild winter for the most part across the Great Lakes Region.

Temperatures are up, snowfall is down and if you like winter sports, everyone from skiers to ice fishermen are not happy.

Speaking of ice fishing, the pastime is somewhat tenuous this year since there is so little ice on the Great Lakes.

Figure 1a is a chart that shows the average ice concentration on the Great Lakes during the first week of February and Figure 1b shows the concentration for this year. As you can see, there is very little ice on the Great Lakes so far this year.

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Hatchery fish to be euthanized for testing positive for IPN

glbm — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:58:03 +0000

Bob Frye, Tribune-Review

Feb 3 2012

IPN poses no threat to human health, so catching, handling and eating a fish with the virus can't hurt you, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

But once the disease is in a fish hatchery, it's tough to get rid of. That's why, when the Service's Allegheny National Fish Hatchery in Warren tested positive for IPN, it was "depopulated." All of the fish there were euthanized, so the facility could be disinfected. It later returned to producing fish.

An outbreak of disease in a Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission hatchery is expected to lead to the euthanizing of some steelhead and brown trout.

IPN, or infectious pancreatic necrosis, a viral disease that can affect all kinds of fish but is particularly common among trout and salmon, was discovered three months ago in fish supplied to cooperative nurseries by the commission's Corry hatchery in Erie. Word of that discovery was made public last week.

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Progressive Insurance Sponsors Boat Shows

glbm — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 21:10:56 +0000

Progressive Insurance

Feb 1 2012

Progressive will have an interactive booth at each of the following NMMA Boat & Sportshows. Stop by to pick up a free gift, take part in boat-related activities and socialize with fellow boaters.

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Safe Boating Course, Holt, Michigan

glbm — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:47:26 +0000

Douglas Colwell, USCG Auxiliary

Feb 1 2012

A “SAFE BOATING” course ( Michigan’s DNR “Boat Michigan” course ) will be offered by the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, Lansing Flotilla (in conjunction with Michigan DNR) , on Saturday, February 11th, 2012, commencing @ 8 am to 5 pm at the American Legion Post 238, 1785 S. Cedar St., Holt, Michigan 48842 (south of Holt Road, west side of Cedar St.).

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Chicago Captains Classes

glbm — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:43:36 +0000

Capt. Al Grigalunas

Feb 1 2012

Ahoy Fellow Mariners! USMA Chicago, a locally owned and operated marine education academy, is once again offering it's USCG Masters and OUPV Captain's License course at Columbia Yacht Club this Spring. The up-coming class will start Thursday Feb 16 at 1800 hours and run through April 14, 2012. The 80 hour 8 week program has been approved by USCG/NMC and USMA Chicago is authorized to administer the examinations in lieu of travelling to a USCG Exam Center in Toledo or St. Louis.

An Informational Session is scheduled for Thursday Feb. 9 at 1900 hours at Columbia YC in which all are interested persons are invited to attend to learn more of the process of getting a Captain's License.

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In Muskegon, 'Go Blue!' has nothing to do with a university's sports team (video)

glbm — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:37:11 +0000

Dave Alexander, mlive.com

Feb 1 2012

MUSKEGON — Some would argue that Muskegon County is behind other communities in embracing, promoting and exploiting the “green economy.”

But that shouldn't be the case with the emerging “blue economy,” a national think tank scholar and head of the Michigan State Board of Education said. Blue means water and that should be Muskegon's ace in the hole, community leaders say.

“I'm really bullish on this community and its opportunities,” John Austin told last week's Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce's Business for Breakfast. Austin is a non-resident, senior fellow with the Brookings Institution and a senior fellow with the University of Michigan's School of Education.

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Restoring the Natural Divide

glbm — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:34:41 +0000

Great Lakes Commission

Feb 1 2012

THE GRE AT L AK E S COMMI S S ION AND THE
Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative led a project
to develop and evaluate alternatives for physically separating
the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins in the
Chicago Area Waterway System to prevent the movement
of Asian carp and other aquatic invasive species (AIS). This
report summarizes the results of the project and shows
that separation can be achieved while also maintaining or
enhancing water quality, flood management, and transportation.
The engineering and economic analyses suggest
that separation is feasible and provide a solid foundation on
which further dialogue to advance a long-term solution to
the AIS threat can proceed. Separation is defined as stopping
the flow of water by placing physical

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Soundings Trade Only Today Daily news for marine industry professionals February 01, 2012 Search * Home * Recent News * Blogs o Dealer Outlook o A View From Here * Columns * Archives * Calendar of Events *

glbm — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:31:04 +0000

Soundings Trade Only

Feb 1 2012

To continue the conversation started at the Recreational Boating Stakeholders Growth Summit in December, a follow-up meeting is being planned for the first half of March to begin the work needed to start growing the industry. In an e-mail to summit participants, National Marine Manufacturers Association president Thom Dammrich said the highest-ranked joint action, according to a summary of the summit, was to create a national industrywide coalition of recreat

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Lake levels balancing act might now include wetlands

glbm — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:27:19 +0000

Jeremy Moule, City Newspaper

Feb 1 2012

Over the last 50 years, Lake Ontario's coastal wetlands have been knocked out of balance, strangely enough, by a plan to balance lake levels.

The plan, which dates back to 1963, tries to balance the needs of hydropower facilities, commercial shipping, recreational boating, and waterside property owners. All are significantly affected by even small changes in lake or seaway levels.

The plan didn't take the needs of coastal wetlands into account, and they've suffered as a result.

But this week, the International Joint Commission released details on its new plan for regulating lake levels. The proposal factors in the relationship between lake levels and coastal wetlands and allows for a more natural cycle of lake level increases and decreases. In short, the effect of levels changes on wetlands will be considered alongside the effects on hydropower, shipping, and waterside property.

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