2009 Annual Conference Presentations
NASBLA's annual conferences create an environment for networking, communication, learning, continuing education and other developmental opportunities for recreational boating professionals. We are pleased to provide access to conference presentations. It should be noted that not all sessions lend themselves to this format. Presentation links lead to Slideshare where each presentation can be viewed and/or downloaded.
     

Leading in Lean Times
Terrie Glass

Great leaders will emerge during these lean times. They will be from a variety of backgrounds and in various roles, but they will share common characteristics. Will you be one of them? Terrie Glass is the president of Leadership Solutions, a training and consulting company based in Richmond, Va.

U.S. Coast Guard Report
Rear Admiral Kevin Cook and Jeff Hoedt

 Rear Admiral Kevin Cook, director of Prevention Policy, and Jeff Hoedt, chief, USCG Boating Safety Division, provide an update on the Modernization of the Coast Guard and various issues concerning the National Recreational Boating Safety (RBS) Program, including the Strategic Plan of the National Program, the status of legislation being considered by Congress relative to the reauthorization of the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund and mandatory education of recreational motorboat operators, the Vessel Identification System, the mandatory life jacket wear project in Mississippi, and recommendations from the National Boating Safety Advisory Council.
State of Tennessee Boating Compilation Project
Ed Poolos		 It was obvious to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) that many organizations, both national and state, were conducting research and publishing reports that related to boating trends, capacity studies, population projections, and economic factors. This project was designed to capture all of this data for the entire state of Tennessee and all of its major boating reservoirs so that TWRA could make better-informed decisions concerning agency activities. This presentation highlights the report and illustrates ways TWRA intends to use the data.  
USRowing
Willis Black		 The number of rowing programs in the U.S. has doubled in the past 10 years, with rowing programs found in almost every state. With over 1,100 programs and thousands of rowers on the water every day, safety is more important than ever. USRowing shares what they are doing to educate their membership about water safety and the challenges faced in their community.  

Personal Watercraft Industry Association
Maureen Healey

The Personal Watercraft Industry Association is dedicated to promoting boating safety through innovation.

  
Bombardier Sea Doo Intelligent Brake and Reverse System
Caroline Emond		 BRP has introduced on select 2009 Sea-Doo watercraft models various new features under i-Control, which includes an intelligent suspension and the first on-water braking system. The result of this new technology is on-demand stopping, greater situational awareness, optimal low-speed maneuvering and improved safety. This innovation has been recognized as a major contribution to water safety since it provides more control for the users.  
BOAT Program
Mark DuPont		 This two-part session describes the BOAT Program, which is a comprehensive national standardization tool for the training, qualification and typing of maritime law enforcement and fire rescue Boat Crew Members, Tactical Boat Crew Members, Boat Operators and Tactical Boat Operators. This is truly a means by which the safety and security of the nation’s law enforcement officers and fire rescue personnel can enhance the performance of port security, law enforcement and search and rescue missions across the country.  

USCG Maritime Law Enforcement Training and Boarding Procedures
Bob Perkins
This session focuses on Coast Guard Law Enforcement training, procedures for boarding recreational vessels, and Boating Under the Influence enforcement techniques. The classroom session in the Conference Center provides background information prior to the demonstrations that will take place at the dock.
 
Nobody's Waterproof
Jim Richardson and Steve Hall		 In 2006, the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) and EnvroMedia Social Marketing Inc. developed and launched the innovative Nobody's Waterproof campaign designed to encourage men ages 18-34 and their friends to "Play it Safe" while recreating on lakes Travis and LBJ. In 2007, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and LCRA collaborated to take the campaign's unique and successful strategy to niche audiences across Texas. Now wrapping up its fourth year, this presentation highlights the accomplishments, survey data and future needs of the program.  
Stability Standards and Testing of Commerical Vessels
Dave Gerr
Commercial passenger vessels operating on U.S. navigable waterways are covered under the extensive regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) and must be inspected and certificated by the U.S. Coast Guard. Vessels operating on inland waters are not required to comply with the CFR or USCG inspections. The result is a lack of standards for such vessels and a serious safety gap, leaving the states and state regulators without the standard or trained personnel required to ensure commercial passenger vessels on their inland waters are safe. In this talk, we'll discuss the new Inland Stability Standard that the Westlawn Institute of Marine Technology is developing for NASBLA, and also the cost-effective training program being developed to equip state law-enforcement personnel to inspect and approve such vessels' stability as either safe for operation or unsafe and not approved. Implementation of ISS and the associated training program will serve to close this gap in safety standards, provide firm guidance for state regulators to enhance public safety.
  

Montana's "Boating Under the Influence: It's Your Choice" Program
Kevin Holland
This program is designed as a teaching aid for water safety talks. Using a realistic video and a lecture, boaters are shown the effects of improper use of alcohol. In addition, students are shown a hands-on demonstration of how alcohol affects a person’s ability to perform simple tasks.
  
Navigating the New National Weather Service Marine Weather Portal
John Metz
Checking the weather before you depart on a boating trip is critical to help ensure a safe journey. In this session, a National Weather Service Meteorologist walks you through the new NWS Marine Weather Portal and shows you how to obtain site specific forecasts, marine weather observations,  seawater temperatures, radar and satellite images and any hazards that may threaten the area.
  

NTSB Accident Investigation
Rob Henry and Richard Moore

In 2006, following the Ethan Allen accident, the National Transportation Safety Board held a training seminar on its marine accident investigations of sole-state passenger vessel accidents, which provided the initiative to revise the Model Act for charter Vessel Safety. Recreational boating accident investigations jointly worked between a state and NTSB is a much different process and sharing the lessons learned from the April 12, 2009, Jacksonville boating accident jointly investigated by Florida FWC and NTSB will benefit both  the NTSB and NASBLA membership in future cooperative investigations and recognition of each others roles and responsibilities in boating safety.

  
Alaska's Kids Don't Float
Megan Piersma
Winner of the 2009 International Boating and Water Safety Summit Youth Award, the Kids Don't Float (KDF) School Program is a basic curriculum that can be used by anyone wishing to introduce basic boating and water safety concepts to K-12 students. These easy-to-use, short lessons include fun activities that emphasize key points in boating and water safety, such as the proper use of life jackets and the dangers of cold water. KDF strives to change the safety culture of boating by educating the younger generations – after all, they will someday grow up to be adults and our future boaters. See how you can implement this award-winning curriculum into your own state boating safety program.
 
Florida FWC Communications/Training Video Initiative
Richard Moore
Effective communication is a constant challenge, regardless of the size of your organization. To ensure that Florida marine law enforcement officers from a multitude of agencies are adequately informed about important topics, the FWC has implemented a video communication initiative via the Internet which can even require personnel to view and sign off electronically. This session demonstrates how this tool is used.
  
NASBLA Paddlesports Courses
Emily King and Jeremy Oyen		 Do you like canoeing or kayaking? Are you interested in teaching one of the NASBLA-sanctioned paddlesports courses currently in development? This presentation features highlights and update you on the progress and availability of paddlesports-focused boating safety courses. It also provides an update on the development of the Paddlesports Instructor Training Program.  
Texas Border Waters Patrol
Willie Gonzalez and Fernando Cervantes		 This presentation informs the audience of the issues and challenges Texas Game Wardens encounter while enforcing the Texas Water Safety Act, illegal commercial fishing activities, and Border Security Operations on an international water body.  
The Power of the Pyramid: Implementing a Strategic Communications Approach for your Program
Susan Gorcowski
Susan Gorcowski, associate administrator of Communications and Consumer Information for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, discusses the stages of developing an overall communication campaign that supports organization priorities, including the importance of having policies and programs in place. This presentation explores how communication strategies and tactics have matured beyond public information to a more successful approach using audience segmentation, strategies for reaching high-risk audiences, and innovative tools. The importance of developing a yearlong plan and calendar that outline communication strategies into a single document is be highlighted. While traffic safety may be the topic of the remarks, these strategies and tactics can be used to communicate a variety of topics.
  
Operation Dry Water
Ron Sarver		 More than 20 percent of boating-related fatalities each year result from alcohol use. In an effort to address this public safety issue, the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators initiated Operation Dry Water. Coordinated by NASBLA – working with the states, the U.S. Coast Guard and other partner agencies – Operation Dry Water is a national weekend of Boating Under the Influence (BUI) detection and enforcement aimed at reducing the number of alcohol-related accidents and fatalities and fostering a stronger and more visible deterrent to alcohol use on the water. Audience members will learn how states and other agencies participated in Operation Dry Water – held for the first time June 26-28, 2009. The presentation looks at resources used, statistics, media coverage and plans for 2010.  
Retention Study of Classroom Boating Safety Courses
Richard Deatz and Dr. Bob Gossman		 A total of 48 states and territories now have some type of mandatory education requirement in place for some segment of the boating population. While the gold standard for education has always been perceived to be the classroom courses, no research exists on whether students who take a boating safety classroom course actually retain the information that they are taught. This grant project seeks to gather that data that can be used as a baseline for future comparisons with other types of boating safety courses like those offered online. Researchers from the Human Resources Research Organization (HumRRO) share the preliminary results of the classroom retention study currently being conducted.  
Creation of Delivery and Presentation Standards for Boating Safety Courses
Dr. Joi Moore		 A recent study conducted by NASBLA indicates that nearly 70 percent of boaters are choosing to complete their boating safety courses online. With this in mind, it is important to ensure that students taking an online boating safety course are presented the correct information and that the course is delivered in such a way as to support learning. Researchers from the University of Missouri worked alongside members of the NASBLA Education & Awareness Committee to craft a set of online course delivery and presentation standards that have been included as Standard 10 in the National Boating Education Standards. The researchers share the preliminary results of their research into the efficacy and usability of online boating safety courses which led to the new set of standards.  
Risk-Based Analysis of National Boating Education Standards
Dr. Stu Cottrell and Dr. Alan Graefe		  
A little over a decade ago, the National Boating Education Standards were finalized after a number of years were spent analyzing the accident and fatality data and determining what minimum content must be included in boating safety courses in order to reduce the risks to boaters. As the 10-year anniversary approached, NASBLA determined it was time to analyze the current statistics to determine whether the Standards are still meeting their goal of addressing and reducing risks. The researchers involved in the original research have returned to work with NASBLA on this project. The work involved in this project is discussed.
  
Officer Water Safety and Boat Operations Training Course
Grant Santo and Karen Hayduk		 The training requirements and activities for Alberta Parks Conservation Officers are highlighted as their six-day training course is explained. The modular training program, which uses graduated skill and knowledge development, has successfully trained hundreds of officers in both small and large boat operations, maintenance of boats and equipment, towing and search and rescue missions. The course curriculum is discussed and examples provided through video clips and photographs.