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Florida names new Boating Law Administrator

By Taylor Matsko posted 4 hours ago
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Florida names new Boating Law Administrator The   National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA)   is excited to welcome Lieutenant Seth Wagner, the new Boating Law Administrator (BLA) for the state of Florida. Lt. Wagner will replace retiring BLA, Capt. Gary Klein. “As the fishing and boating capital of the world and home to more than a million registered recreational vessels, Florida plays an important role within NASBLA,” said   Wagner. “I’m extremely honored to be named as the BLA for Florida and am excited for the opportunity to use my experience within boating and waterways to further our safe boating mission. Lt. Wagner ...
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CA State Parks and Recreation, Division of Boating and Waterways Recognized by MADD for BUI

By Taylor Matsko posted 13 days ago
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California State Parks and Recreation, Division of Boating and Waterways Recognized by MADD for BUI The California State Parks and Recreation, Division of Boating and Waterways , Marine Law Enforcement Training Unit, Boating Under the Influence (BUI) instructor cadre and training coordinator were recognized for their efforts to educate marine patrol officers on how to assess and subsequently make arrests of impaired vessel operators. They were awarded the Cynthia & Sophie Peterlin award for outstanding service. This award is given to those who provide extraordinary service in BUI enforcement and education by taking a proactive approach to implementing ...
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Idaho names new Boating Law Administrator

By Taylor Matsko posted 21 days ago
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Idaho names new Boating Law Administrator The   National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA)   would like to welcome Phoebe Wallace, the new Boating Law Administrator (BLA) for the state of Idaho. Wallace was selected as the new Boating Program Supervisor for the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation (IDPR) in May of this year. She transferred to IDPR after working for the State in several other roles, including community outreach, inter-agency relations, and aquatic invasive species management. Before working in state government, Wallace earned a Bachelor's degree in biology with a focus on ecology from Boise State University ...
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NASBLA announces the 2022 Regional Boating Officers of the Year

By Taylor Matsko posted 28 days ago
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NASBLA Announces the 2022 Regional Boating Officers of the Year LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 19, 2022) –   The  National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA)  is excited to announce this year’s regional winners of the  Butch Potts Boating Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award . This award symbolizes the highest level of achievement among boating law enforcement officers throughout the United States. The selection process for this award began in January with NASBLA soliciting nominations from each state and territory to nominate their boating law enforcement officer of the year. Next, each regional association of boating law administrators ...
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NASBLA names the 2022 Regional Boating Educators of the Year

By Taylor Matsko posted 28 days ago
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NASBLA names the 2022 Regional Boating Educators of the Year LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 19, 2022) –   The  National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA)  is pleased to announce the regional winners of the 2022  Pamela S. Dillon Boating Educator of the Year Award . Generously sponsored by  Kalkomey Enterprises, Inc. , the Boating Educator of the Year Award was launched by NASBLA in 2011 to recognize those who go above and beyond to engage students and boaters, raise awareness, and make boating education initiatives relevant, thorough and exciting. As a member of NASBLA, every state and territory is eligible to nominate their state‐level boating ...
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2022 Western Region Educator of the Year award winner announced

By Taylor Matsko posted 28 days ago
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2022 Western Region Educator of the Year award winner announced Kim Jackson, of the  Arizona Game and Fish Department , has been named the NASBLA Western Region Educator of the Year  for 2022. Kim Jackson is an innovative and dedicated Boating Safety Education Manager with the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD). She tirelessly works with partner agencies and the public to promote life jacket wear, and significantly contributes to making boating and paddlesports safer for everyone. Jackson has developed partnerships throughout Arizona that have been instrumental in furthering the safety of the recreational boating community within the state. ...
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NASBLA names the 2022 Southern Region Educator of the Year award winner

By Taylor Matsko posted 28 days ago
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NASBLA names the 2022 Southern Region Educator of the Year award winner Trooper Tyler W. O'Brien, of the Missouri State Highway Patrol , has been named the  2022 NASBLA Southern Region Educator of the Year . Trooper O'Brien is a Marine Enforcement Trooper working in Troop F, Zone 19. He is one of three members of Zone 19, which covers 10 counties, in Central Missouri. Trooper O'Brien has become a standout in water safety education within his Zone, Troop, and State. Whether he is working enforcement during Missouri's primary boating season, teaching the boater education course in the off-season, or teaching other law enforcement agencies, Trooper O'Brien's ...
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NASBLA announces the 2022 Northern Region Educator of the Year

By Taylor Matsko posted 28 days ago
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NASBLA announces the 2022 Northern Region Educator of the Year Lieutenant John Girvalakis, of the Massachusetts Environmental Police (MEP), has been named the 2022 NASBLA Northern Region Educator of the Year . Lt. Girvalakis has provided continual outreach and education to the recreational boating public in his role as the Lead Instructor for the Boat Safety Bureau of the Massachusetts Environmental Police (MEP). As the bureau lieutenant, Girvalakis has been successful in providing recreational boating safety (RBS) instruction to all incoming MEP officers while he maintains regular Bureau missions. As COVID-19 significantly impacted MEP presence ...
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Nevada Game Warden named the 2022 NASBLA Western Region Officer of the Year

By Taylor Matsko posted 28 days ago
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Nevada Game Warden named the 2022 NASBLA Western Region Officer of the Year Game Warden Victor Jordan, of the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) , has been named the NASBLA Western Region Officer of the Year for 2022. Game Warden Jordan has proven to be an extremely reliable officer for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. He spent most of his duty days patrolling the waterways of the Colorado River corridor in Southern Nevada, recognized as the busiest and most dangerous waterway in the state. His efforts resulted in multiple arrests for boating under the influence (BUI) on top of a multitude of citations, warnings, vessel collision investigations ...
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NASBLA announces the 2022 Southern Region Officer of the Year award winner

By Taylor Matsko posted 28 days ago
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NASBLA announces the 2022 Southern Region Officer of the Year award winner Deputy Sheriff Daniel Williams, of the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) , has been named the 2022 NASBLA Southern Region Officer of the Year . Deputy Williams has been employed with the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office since April 2017 and is currently assigned to the Marine Unit. He consistently displays a strong work ethic and tackles new challenges with positivity and confidence. Deputy Williams is an aggressive law enforcement officer; however, he also demonstrates proper judgment in conducting his daily duties. Deputy Williams played an indispensable role in ...
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NASBLA names the 2022 Northern Region Officer of the Year award winner

By Taylor Matsko posted 28 days ago
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NASBLA names the 2022 Northern Region Officer of the Year award winner Sergeant Brian Piernicky, of the  Nebraska Game and Parks Commission , has been named the  2022 NASBLA Northern Region Officer of the Year . Sergeant Piernicky has overcome many challenges in his time with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. When he was first hired as a conservation officer, he could not swim and had never operated a boat before. Sgt. Piernicky took it upon himself to take swimming lessons and to practice boat operation, especially in the areas of boater contact and operation in rough water. He spent many hours training himself to be proficient in operating ...
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Oregon names new Boating Law Administrator

By Taylor Matsko posted 29 days ago
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Oregon names new Boating Law Administrator The   National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA)   is pleased to welcome Brian Paulsen, the new Boating Law Administrator (BLA) for the state of Oregon.  In March, Brian Paulsen was selected as the agency’s Boating Safety Program Manager after joining the agency in July 2018. Paulsen’s formal education background is in Natural Resources, with a focus on molecular biology and water chemistry. Paulsen also has a Merchant Mariner Credential (USCG Captain’s License) in addition to a very diverse boating background which includes experience with rowing rafts, drift boats, catarafts jet boat ...
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NASBLA Awarded Eight USCG Nonprofit Grants

By Taylor Matsko posted 07-06-2022
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NASBLA Awarded Eight USCG Nonprofit Grants Among the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators’ (NASBLA) core values is collaboration with a broad community of stakeholders. To assist in moving the association forward, NASBLA works annually to construct nonprofit grant project proposals to meet the needs of its members through research, training, innovation and standards development. As a result of the Fiscal Year 2023 National Nonprofit Organization Recreational Boating Safety Grant Program applications, NASBLA was awarded funding for eight grant projects, detailed below. Each of these projects is intended to support members and stakeholders ...
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Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Stresses the Importance of BUI Training & Enforcement

By Taylor Matsko posted 06-16-2022
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JUNE 16, 2022: Navigable waterways have played a pivotal role throughout Tennessee’s history and continue  to impactthe current landscape. From early settlements, where waterways were used to transport commercial goods, to hosting key battles of the Civil War along the Mississippi, Tennessee, and Cumberland Rivers. Followed by the creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority which expanded impounded waters in 1933. The expansion provided jobs and electricity for those living in this rural area. The construction of dams later furnished the infrastructure for the development of the atomic bomb during World War II in the secret city of Oak Ridge. Today, there are ...
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NASBLA concludes 2022 Leadership Academy

By Taylor Matsko posted 06-15-2022
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NASBLA concludes 2022 Leadership Academy NASBLA hosted its eleventh annual  Leadership Academy last week, June 5 - 10, in Lexington, Kentucky. This year, 26 students attended the Academy where they had the opportunity to learn about a variety of topics surrounding the Recreational Boating Safety (RBS) community. This was the largest class to date to complete NASBLA's Leadership Academy. Academy participants spent the week hearing from NASBLA, U.S. Coast Guard representatives and subject matter experts on topics such as the National Recreational Boating Safety State Grant Program, waterway management, lessons of leadership, partnerships in the recreational ...
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Revised Draft Boating Incident Investigation Standards – Public Review Period Opens May 4, 2022

By Taylor Matsko posted 05-04-2022
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Revised Draft Boating Incident Investigation Standards – Public Review Period Opens May 4, 2022 Recreational Boating Incident Standards of Investigation are for use in curriculum development and training of recreational boating incident investigators in the U.S. States, Territories, and District of Columbia. These Standards provide commonality for recreational boat incident investigations, general vessel terminology, navigation rules and regulations, environmental distractions, witness interviews, collision dynamics, evidence collection and preservation, diagramming, and report writing, including adherence to definitions and detail in the incident narrative ...
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Mothers Against Drunk Driving Launches BUI Campaign

By Taylor Matsko posted 05-04-2022
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Mothers Against Drunk Driving Launches BUI Campaign Lake of the Ozarks (location TBD) 10 a.m. May 26, 2022 (to be confirmed) To kick off MADD’s first-ever boating under the influence prevention campaign, “BUI = DUI, Know Before You Boat,” MADD is joining with law enforcement agencies across the country to promote safe boating and educate boaters about the dangers of boating while impaired. The campaign launch will take place on May 26, 2022 with a press conference in the Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri, led by MADD National President Alex Otte, who was nearly killed by a drunk boater on July 2, 2010 when she was 13 years old. MADD will host ...
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Exploring the Coast Guard’s National Recreational Boating Safety Surveys (NRBSS)

By Taylor Matsko posted 05-03-2022
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Exploring the Coast Guard’s National Recreational Boating Safety Surveys (NRBSS) On   Tuesday, May 10 at 11:00 AM (EDT), with a repeat on Thursday, May 12 at 3:00 PM (EDT) , a team of State and U.S. Coast Guard members of NASBLA’s Engineering, Reporting & Analysis Committee (ERAC) will host hour-long webinars on the   National Recreational Boating Safety Surveys (NRBSS) . Jonathan Hsieh (CG-BSX), Tammy Terry (Ohio), and Joanna Andrade (California) will cover the purposes of the 2018 NRBSS Participation and Exposure Surveys and how they were done; share interesting findings from this last round and the benefits of understanding and using the results; ...
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New American National Standards for Basic Boating Knowledge

By Taylor Matsko posted 04-12-2022
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New American National Standards for Basic Boating Knowledge   The   National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA)   is pleased to announce the publication of the following American National Standards (effective June 1, 2022): ANSI/NASBLA 100-2022: Basic Boating Knowledge – Core ANSI/NASBLA 101-2022: Basic Boating Knowledge – Plus Human-Propelled ANSI/NASBLA 102-2022: Basic Boating Knowledge – Plus Sailing ANSI/NASBLA 103-2022: Basic Boating Knowledge – Plus Power     ANSI/NASBLA 103.1-2022: Supplement - Basic Boating Knowledge – Plus Water-Jet Propelled These standards implement the “Core-Plus” format, ensuring ...
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NASBLA Executive Committee Delegation Meets with U.S. Coast Guard in Washington, D.C.

By Taylor Matsko posted 04-06-2022
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NASBLA Executive Committee Delegation Meets with U.S. Coast Guard in Washington, D.C. On March 17, 2022, a small NASBLA Executive Committee delegation, led by Chairman Kenton Turner, had the opportunity to visit the United States Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C. The meeting with Commandant Karl Schultz was facilitated by Jeffrey Wheeler, Deputy Chief of Boat Forces, where he partnered with Verne Gifford, Chief of the Boating Safety Division. Their efforts resulted in meeting with senior leadership across both the office of the Assistant Commandant for Capability, RADM Todd Wiemers, and the office of the Assistant Commandant for Prevention, ...
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