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| New York Sea Grant Recreation & Tourism Specialist Dave White, right,accepts a Wear It! award from US Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 2-1 Commander John Steinbarge. White has just been named the Northern States Boating Educator of the Year by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators. |
Ithaca, NY; September 16, 2015. The National
Association of State Boating Law Administrators, or NASBLA, recognized New York
Sea Grant Extension Recreation Specialist David G. ‘Dave’ White as the Northern
States Boating Educator of the Year at its 2015 conference in Wichita, KS, this
week.
White was recognized for his excellence in
boating safety programming by the 20-state Northern Caucus of NASBLA. White is
based with New York Sea Grant at SUNY Oswego, Oswego, NY. The New York Sea Grant Great Lakes program also has offices at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Wayne County and SUNY Buffalo.
“Dave White has advanced the role of boater
safety education in the mission of keeping our waterways safe and creating a
safe, enjoyable recreational boating opportunity for everyone,” said Adam
Gormely, chairman of the NASBLA Northern Caucus, and a Lieutenant with the
Maine Warden Service, Gray, Maine.
“Dave White exemplifies the spirit of partnership
that benefits all participants, from agencies and academic institutions to
citizen groups and private enterprise and most of all the public. His passion,
energy and innovation for educating the public about boating safety are
unmatched,” said New York Sea Grant Extension Associate Director Katherine
Bunting-Howarth, Ithaca, NY.
White celebrated his 30th year of
public service with New York Sea Grant in 2014. He also serves as Associate
Director of the Great Lakes Research Consortium. He is a graduate of SUNY
Morrisville, Cornell University, and the SUNY College of Environmental Science
and Forestry. White has been a volunteer boating safety instructor certified in
NY since 1985.
White has most recently worked with diverse
educational and marine industry partners to develop New York maritime history
and coastal science technology exhibits for the Great New York State Fair in
2014 and 2015 respectively.
White is also a recipient of a BOATUS Foundation
Environmental Leadership Commendation and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Wear
It! Award.
How White Earned this Award
NYS Parks Marine Services Bureau Education
Specialist Ro Woodard says, “As both a professional and a volunteer, Dave has
had single-minded determination for improving boater safety. He has skillfully
integrated the boating safety message into a diversity of New York Sea Grant
programming from seminars and safety courses to informational exhibits, life
jacket demonstrations and media outreach.”
White conceived, developed and coordinates the
award-winning New York Sea Grant Discover Clean and Safe Boating campaign in
2008. As of August 2015, more than half a million boaters and potential boaters
have been educated by the campaign that enjoys the support of marine industry
partners including the Boating Industries Association of Upstate New York.
“Dave has networked with the U.S. Coast Guard
Auxiliary and regional Power Squadron personnel and other federal, state,
industry and local agencies in publicly-accessible boating education programs,
and that translates to saving lives,” says Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 2-2 Commander
and Public Affairs Officer Gene Little.
The programming developed by White has included
boating safety messages customized for a diversity of specific audiences,
including anglers, deaf boaters, and NY emergency services personnel responding
to cold water rescue calls. In February 2014, Oswego City firefighters who attended
the cold water rescue training at the Central NY Boat Show Boat Show credited
that training with helping them save a life.
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| Dave White, right, has partnered with US Coast Guard Auxiliary and US Coast Guard personnel to offer life jacket and water safety demonstrations at events such as Empire Farm Days in Seneca Falls, NY. |
White has partnered with the U.S. Coast Guard
Auxiliary, U.S. Power Squadron, and NYS Parks Marine Services Bureau to offer
in-water safety demonstrations at events including in a pool at the Central NY
Boat Show in February and in the farm pond at Rodman Lott and Son Farms at
Empire Farm Days in August.
“Dave White takes a come-aboard, all-in approach
to educating the public of all ages about boating safety and that is a powerful
way to engage people in learning how to protect themselves, their families, and
their boating industry customers,” says Central NY Boat Show Manager Andrew
Wickham.
Boating Industries Association Executive
Director Barb Caster notes, “Dave encouraged our marina and dealership members
to take the New York State Boating Safety Course and to encourage their
customers to do likewise.”
Since 2011, White has reached more than half a
million viewers via Discover Better Boating educational segments on Time Warner
Cable News.
New York Sea Grant is 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 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 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 New York Sea Grant
activities, www.nyseagrant.org has RSS,
Facebook, Twitter and YouTube links.
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