See NY Clean & Safe Boats equipped for no discharge zones at Buffalo Bills Boat Show

New York's Discover Clean & Safe Boats - equipped with all the gear required and recommended for legal, safe, and environmentally friendly boating in New York waters - will be at the Buffalo Bills Boat Show Feb. 27 through March 3 at the Buffalo Bills Healthy Zone Fieldhouse in Orchard Park.

New with the 2013 exhibit, coordinated by New York Sea Grant, is a sewage pump out-system pedestal-and-hose array provided by Edson Pumps Marine Division, New Bedford, Mass.

"New York's Great Lakes will soon be designated 'no discharge zones,' so we equipped the 2013 Discover Clean & Safe Boating exhibit with a pumpout array to educate boaters about the coming new environmental requirement for boating on Lake Erie and Lake Ontario," said Discover Clean & Safe Boating campaign creator Dave White, coastal recreation and tourism specialist with New York Sea Grant (Oswego).

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency defines a "no discharge zone" as an area in which both treated and untreated sewage discharges from vessels are prohibited.

For 2013, the Discover Clean & Safe Boats educational vessels are a 16-foot fishing boat and a 12.9-foot canoe. Both 2013 Discover Clean & Safe Boats were made in New York by Marathon Boat Group (Marathon).

The Discover Clean & Safe Boats exhibit includes information on voluntary watercraft inspection and invasive species factsheets.

"Our focus in 2013 is also on educating anglers and paddlesports enthusiasts about how to be safe on the water and how they can help reduce the spread of aquatic invasive species," White said.

Western New York Boat Show Manager Dennis Powers noted, "The Discover Clean & Safe Boating educational vessels are always a great addition to the Buffalo Bills Boat Show. Boaters can visit the exhibit to see how to equip their own boats and pick up important information to help them be safe and legal, and good stewards of New York's fabulous boating environment."

The Discover Clean & Safe Boating campaign, which has earned honors from the BoatUS Foundation, is a collaboration by New York Sea Grant with the Boating Industries Association of Upstate New York, Marine Trades Association of Western New York, other marine trade organizations, Marathon Boat Group, Arney's Marina, and the national Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers program. Morgan Recreational Supply and Taylor Made Products supplied the boating gear for the traveling educational exhibit.

The Buffalo Bills Boat Show is Buffalo's largest boat show, with all the major dealers from Western New York and more under the lights and on the summer-like turf at the Buffalo Bills Healthy Zone Fieldhouse. Show hours are 5-9 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 27; noon-9pm on Thursday, Feb. 28, and Friday, March 1; from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, March 2; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 3. Admission is $7 and parking is free. The Marine Trades Association of Western New York organizes the show; find details online at www.buffaloboating.com.

For more information on the Discover Clean & Safe Boating campaign, visit www.nyseagrant.org.