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Northern NY News
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Written by Contributor
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Thursday, 22 October 2009 11:50 |
Albion, NY; Oswego, NY — New York Sea Grant, the Orleans County Tourism
Office, the Oswego County Department of Community Development, Tourism
& Planning and the Great Lakes Small Harbor Coalition are holding
workshops in Albion from 1pm to 4pm on October 27 at Tillman's Village
Inn Restaurant and in Oswego, NY, from 1pm to 4pm on October 28 at the
Oswego Public Library to help shoreline community leaders and harbor
managers.
“The goal of the workshop is to discuss how the regional coalition can
help New York’s recreational and commercial small harbor managers
address management, dredging and funding needs,” says Dave White,
White, a recreation and tourism specialist with New York Sea Grant’s
Great Lakes Program.
A small harbor is defined as one of less than 14 feet of depth.
The primary objective of the Coalition, with members in all eight Great
Lakes states, is to advocate for better ways to appropriate federal
funds for dredging small harbors and maintaining navigational access
for recreational boaters and other harbor users.
Speakers at the workshop include Great Lakes Commission Special
Projects Manager Dave Knight, US Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo
District Operations Chief Kathy Griffin, Great Lakes Small Harbor
Coalition Chair Pro-Tem Chuck May and White.
“Maintaining access to small harbors is a regional concern, not that of
any one state, and thus requires a regional solution, so the Great
Lakes Small Harbor Coalition involves member harbors from all eight
Great Lakes states,” says May. “We feel that as a Great Lakes regional
organization the Coalition carries even more potential to leverage
federal resources and give small harbors a more prominent and unified
voice in budget and policy matters.”
The Albion and Oswego workshop topics include the economic impact of
shallow harbors in New York state and the issues that face shallow
harbor managers and users.
Michael Waterhouse, Sportfishing Coordinator with the Orleans
County Tourism Office, says, “Not only do these great harbors provide
important economic input to the counties and to the state, they also
supply fantastic recreational opportunities for our residents right in
their own backyard. For years each harbor and small groups of harbors
have been working hard to maintain proper funding for maintenance of
their harbors. The time has come to join together and show those who
control this funding the true value of these small harbors.”
David Turner, director of the Oswego County Department of Community
Development, Tourism and Planning, says, “Oswego County is blessed with
35 beautiful miles of Lake Ontario shoreline. Within that boundary, we
have four small harbors that generate millions of dollars every year in
our commercial and recreational business sectors. Joining the Great
Lakes Small Harbor Coalition provides us with tremendous opportunity to
ensure that these harbors can function at their highest level of
service and that they will continue to serve the business and leisure
needs of our citizenry.”
The October workshops are free, however, pre-registration by October 23
is requested. Contact New York Sea Grant at 315-312-3042 or email
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with your choice of workshop location and how many will attend.
The Great Lakes-wide coalition was formed in 2009 as a successor to the
Michigan Small Harbors Coalition created in 2007. The Michigan Small
Harbors Coalition efforts helped secure $45 million in dredging
appropriations for federally authorized harbors in Michigan in 2009.
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