Blogs

The Power of NASBLA

By Taylor Matsko posted 2 days ago
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The Power of NASBLA As an association supporting implementation of recreational boating safety and our state and territorial members, the   National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA)   is often called upon to wear many hats across the nation’s maritime community. As NASBLA members and industry supporters watched hurricane Ida bare down on the Gulf Coast, one of NASBLA’s associate members reached out with an offer of assistance. Anthony Covelli and Steve Caldero from  Sirius Signal , active members on the NASBLA Enforcement and Training Committee, contacted NASBLA  on  Saturday, August 28th with an offer to provide rescuers ...
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USCG announces appointment of 20 individuals to serve as members of NBSAC

By Hannah Helsby posted 8 days ago
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The U.S. Coast Guard announces the appointment of 20 individuals to serve as members of the National Boating Safety Advisory Committee (NBSAC) The NBSAC was established on December 4, 2018, by § 601 of the  Frank LoBiondo Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2018 , Pub. L. No. 115-282, 132 Stat. 4192 and amended by § 8331 of the  Elijah E. Cummings Coast Guard Authorization Act of   2020 , Pub. L. No. 116-283.  That authority is codified in  46 U.S.C. § 15105 .  The NBSAC members are selected from disciplines within the following fields of expertise: State Boating Safety Programs, Recreational Vessel and Associated Equipment Manufacturers; and National ...
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Sea Tow Foundation Restocks & Adds New Life Jacket Loaner Stations

By Taylor Matsko posted 9 days ago
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Sea Tow Foundation Restocks & Adds New Life Jacket Loaner Stations [ SOUTHOLD, NY ] – The Sea Tow Foundation – a national nonprofit dedicated to the education and awareness of safe boating practices – announced today that it will be working with 154 organizations and agencies to establish new Life Jacket Loaner Stations and restock existing stations for the 2021 summer boating season, as part of the Foundation’s ongoing efforts to keep boaters safe. With more than 750 Life Jacket Loaner Stations already located throughout the United States, the Sea Tow Foundation is providing 50 life jacket loaner station building kits to organizations, agencies ...
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Nevada Game Warden Receives US Coast Guard Lifesaving Medal

By Taylor Matsko posted 15 days ago
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Nevada Game Warden Receives US Coast Guard Lifesaving Medal [LAS VEGAS, NV] – As Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) Game Warden Sean Flynn arrived on the scene of a capsized boat on Lake Mead on Mother’s Day of last year, he saw fellow game wardens Thomas Hamblin and Casey Humphries near the shoreline with the capsized boat that was now partially submerged. Hamblin and Humphries, the first to arrive on the scene, had just pulled multiple people from the water and were now coordinating with other wardens and National Park Service Rangers to search for a missing 3-year-old girl who was believed to be stuck under the boat. It was dusk and the boat was ...
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New Mexico announces new Boating Law Administrator

By Taylor Matsko posted 08-10-2021
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New Mexico announces new Boating Law Administrator The  National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) is pleased to welcome Chief Manuel Overby, the new Boating Law Administrator (BLA) for the state of New Mexico.  Chief Manuel “Manny” Overby is a New Mexico State University graduate and began his law enforcement career in 1998 at the City of Rocks State Park. Chief Overby then went on to serve with the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish for 15 ½ years as a district officer in the Taos area, and most recently in Santa Fe. During that same time, Chief Overby served as the interim supervisor for the Chama and Taos supervisory districts. ...
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ABYC Publishes Updated Boat Building and Repair Standards

By Taylor Matsko posted 08-04-2021
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ABYC Publishes Updated Boat Building and Repair Standards [ANNAPOLIS, MD] – The American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) published its 61st supplement of Standards and Technical Information Reports for Small Craft , which provides the marine industry with the latest in boat building and repair standards. The 2021-2022 updates are available to purchase as a book or in digital format via the ABYC online library and desktop subscription. ABYC standards are continually researched, developed, and revised by over 400 volunteer technical experts and marine professionals participating in Project Technical Committees (PTCs). “This is the largest update ...
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Oklahoma and Texas Boating Enforcement Agencies Conduct Joint Special Emphasis at Lake Texoma

By Taylor Matsko posted 08-04-2021
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Oklahoma and Texas Boating Enforcement Agencies Conduct Joint Special Emphasis at Lake Texoma Troopers from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) Marine Enforcement Section and game wardens from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) held a joint Boating Under the Influence special emphasis operation at Lake Texoma on Saturday, July 24, 2021. Straddling the border between Oklahoma and Texas, Lake Texoma covers over 88,000 surface acres and has more than 580 miles of shoreline. It is the largest lake in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Tulsa District and is the twelfth largest Corps-administered lake in the nation. During the 14-hour patrol period ...
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USCG Awards NASBLA with Seven Nonprofit Grants

By Taylor Matsko posted 07-28-2021
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USCG Awards NASBLA with Seven Nonprofit Grants Among the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators’ (NASBLA) core values is collaboration with a broad community of stakeholders. To help move the association forward, NASBLA works annually to construct nonprofit grant project proposals to meet the needs of members through research, training, innovation and standards development. As a result of the Fiscal Year 2022 National Nonprofit Organization Recreational Boating Safety Grant Program applications, NASBLA was awarded funding for seven grant projects, detailed below. Each of these projects is intended to support members and stakeholders ...
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Rhode Island names new Boating Law Administrator

By Taylor Matsko posted 07-27-2021
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Rhode Island names news Boating Law Administrator The  National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA)  is excited to welcome Lieutenant Michael Schipritt, the new Boating Law Administrator (BLA) for the state of Rhode Island. Lt. Michael Schipritt has been with the  Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management , Division of Law Enforcement (Environmental Police) for more than 18 years. He spent his first eight years in the marine patrol unit and the following eight years in one of the upland areas. Lt. Schipritt has been a Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) officer, as well as a range officer and an active shooter instructor. ...
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2021 Regional Boating Educators of the Year Announced

By Taylor Matsko posted 07-07-2021
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2021 Regional Boating Educators of the Year Announced LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 07, 2021) – The National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) is pleased to announce the regional winners of the 2021  Pamela S. Dillon Boating Educator of the Year Award . Generously sponsored by  Fresh Air Educators and  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 ...
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NASBLA 2021 Regional Boating Officers of the Year Announced

By Taylor Matsko posted 07-07-2021
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NASBLA 2021 Regional Boating Officers of the Year Announced LEXINGTON, Ky . (July 07, 2021) - 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 chose ...
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NASBLA names the 2021 Western Region Officer of the Year award winner

By Taylor Matsko posted 07-07-2021
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NASBLA names the 2021 Western Region Officer of the Year award winner Sergeant Ken Mencl, of the  Twin Falls County Sheriff's Office ( TFCSO) , has been named the  2021 Western Region Officer of the Year . Sergeant Mencl is the supervisor of the School Resource Officer (SRO) program for the Twin Falls County Sheriff's Office in Idaho. Over the last two years, he, along with his fellow SROs, has made significant strides in making the marine program one of the strongest programs in the state. The bulk of the marine work in both 2019 and 2020 fell primarily on the backs of two school officers, with some help from other deputies who signed up to work. From ...
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Texas Game Warden named the 2021 Southern Region Officer of the Year

By Taylor Matsko posted 07-07-2021
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Texas Game Warden named the 2021 Southern Region Officer of the Year Texas Game Warden Hani Raja Ataya, of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) , has been named the  Southern Region Officer of the Year for 2021. Warden Ataya is stationed in Orange County, Texas, and regularly patrols all of its major waterbodies for recreational water safety enforcement. As a coastal warden, he has the added responsibility of patrolling the coastal marshes, bays, and the Gulf of Mexico for recreational and commercial fishing, shrimping, and crabbing activity throughout the year, which is much more demanding than traditionally seasonal recreational boating safety ...
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NASBLA announces the 2021 Northern Region Officer of the Year award winner

By Taylor Matsko posted 07-07-2021
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NASBLA announces the 2021 Northern Region Officer of the Year award winner Conservation Officer Arnaud Kpachavi, of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR) , has been named the  2021 Northern Region Officer of the Year . Officer Kpachavi has been a state conservation officer since January 2016. Currently, Ofc. Kpachavi is assigned to the Mound Station in DNR Region 3/District 13. Ofc. Kpachavi is a hard worker and professional law enforcement officer. He has taken on many roles with increasing responsibility over the past four years. Ofc. Kpachavi works as a background investigator as one of his extra duties. In this role, he conducts background ...
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NASBLA announces the 2021 Western Region Educator of the Year

By Taylor Matsko posted 07-07-2021
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NASBLA announces the 2021 Western Region Educator of the Year Sara Smith, of the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) , has been named the 2021 Western Region Educator of the Year . Smith assumed the role of boating education coordinator for the state of Montana in 2018. She seamlessly transitioned to her new role as a boating educator and immediately started expanding Montana’s Recreational Boating Safety (RBS) education program with new and innovative ideas. Smith has improved Montana Fish, Wildlife and Park’s (FWP) boating education social media presence by overcoming obstacles and creating interesting and relevant content. She wanted to create ...
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2021 Southern Region Educator of the Year award winner announced

By Taylor Matsko posted 07-07-2021
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2021 Southern Region Educator of the Year award winner announced Sergeant Johnathan Beardsley, of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) , has been named the  Southern Region Educator of the Year for 2021. Sergeant Johnathan Beardsley is a 14-year veteran of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. He began his career with the Law Enforcement Division in 2007 where he was assigned to Perquimans County. In 2018, he was promoted to the rank of sergeant and now oversees the daily operations of three coastal counties and over two-thirds of North Carolina’s coastline. Prior to joining the Commission, Sgt. Beardsley served proudly ...
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NASBLA names the 2021 Northern Region Educator of the Year award winner

By Taylor Matsko posted 07-07-2021
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NASBLA names the 2021 Northern Region Educator of the Year award winner Jerry Desmond, of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (“DEEP”) , has been named the  2021 Northern Region Educator of the Year . Prior to joining DEEP, Desmond retired as Captain of Police after serving 34 years with the Stonington Police Department (SPD). For 17 of these years, he led the SPD Marine Division conducting many marine patrols and was instrumental in training officers in boating law enforcement. Desmond also spent some of this time educating the public on boating safety as a certified volunteer boating education instructor from 1992 – 2014, ...
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Between the Waves Podcast: Processing Risk

By Taylor Matsko posted 06-29-2021
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Between the Waves Podcast Processing Risk, Episode 20 *This is a transcript of the "Processing Risk" episode of NASBLA's Podcast, Between the Waves, from June 23, 2021. I recently found myself on two different calls in which the discussion was had about sharing the importance of education and safety equipment, due to the high number of accidents, injuries and fatalities. And transversely, not focusing on the increase in numbers to focus on the fact that boating is really safe in comparison to other outdoor activities to draw more people into it. Here's my dilemma. Texas hit a 30-year high of boating accidents in 2020. So we are harping on the importance ...
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North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission highlights BUI Enforcement Efforts

By Taylor Matsko posted 06-24-2021
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JUNE 24, 2021: A primary mission of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) Law Enforcement Division has been to promote a safe and responsible boating environment through both proactive law enforcement and quality instruction. In a state that has doubled in population since 1980 to 10.6 million citizens with 375,000 vessels currently registered, creating a setting where all boaters can safely enjoy the outdoors has never been more important. As the state agency tasked with all boating law enforcement, the detection and arrest of impaired boat operators to meet this public safety objective is paramount. With the recent pandemic conditions, ...
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ABYC Marine Law Symposium Call for Proposals

By Taylor Matsko posted 06-23-2021
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ABYC Marine Law Symposium Call for Proposals 2022 Topic is “Product, Professional, and Personal Liability” [ANNAPOLIS, MD] – The American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC) has opened a Call for Proposals for its fifth Marine Law Symposium, “Product, Professional, and Personal Liability,” scheduled for January 11, 2022, in Charleston, SC. This biennial one-day event, held during ABYC’s annual Standards Week (Jan. 10-14, 2022), prepares participants to navigate the legal aspects of recreational boating accidents. The event rotates every other year with Sur/Tech, which returns in 2023. Participants receive 8 CEUs. ABYC is looking for professionals ...
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