A panel of 11 national boating leaders who serve as a sounding board for BoatUS gathered last week with senior leadership from the boater organization in Williamsburg, Virginia, to discuss key issues affecting recreational boating.
Topics on the day-long agenda of the BoatUS National Advisory Council included the peer-to-peer boat rental market; a new online fuel dock spill prevention course by the BoatUS Foundation; life jacket developments and a recent demonstration of alternatives to flares; and state issues that include boater user fees, uniform titling bills, boating safety education requirements and anchoring challenges.
Also discussed was the threat invasive species pose to recreational boat owners and how the industry and agencies are working together to ensure that boating access is preserved and waterways are protected.
The day wrapped up with a look at national topics that included the federal Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, which uses existing boating and fishing taxes to fund related programs at the state level; the Coast Guard budget authorization (boating safety); the Water Resources Development Act (funding for dredging projects); and the Renewable Fuel Standard (changing the government’s ethanol fuel mandate).
Click here for more information on the panel and some key takeaways from the discussions.
Photo caption from above: (L to R, Row 1) BoatUS National Advisory Council members with BoatUS staff: Kris Carroll, John Alter, Jim Ellis, Lenora S. Clark; (Row 2) Dean Travis Clarke, Chuck Hawley, Margaret Podlich, Kirk La, Darren Rider, John Flynn; (Row 3) Chris Edmonston, Thom Dammrich, Bob Adriance, Ralph Longfellow.
This post originally appeared in Soundings Trade Only, and can be found here.
