Marine Board to hold Listening Session for Non-Motorized Boaters in Salem, Sept. 17

Non-motorized boaters are invited to join the Oregon State Marine Board agency staff and Non-Motorized Advisory Committee members for an evening of dialog about boating needs that better support your activities out on the water. The listening session will focus on boating access, on-the-water safety, education, information outreach, and funding options to support these services. The meeting is being held at the Marine Board Office, 435 Commercial St. NE., on Wednesday, September 17, from 6 pm to 8:30 pm. “We heard a lot of great ideas at our first round of meetings in June,” says Director Scott Brewen. “But some boaters may not have been able to attend those meetings, so we want to offer more opportunities to make sure we truly understand the needs that are out there.” Brewen continued, “This process was initiated by boaters through their input to our Strategic Plan in 2011, and the common issue from motorized and non-motorized boaters alike was how to integrate non-motorized boaters’ needs and participation into agency operations.” Comments from the prior listening sessions and the Non-Motorized Advisory Committee’s recommendations can be viewed at: http://www.oregon.gov/OSMB/pages/admin/strategicplan.aspx#Non-Motorized_Boating_Team_and_External_Advisory_Committee. The input being collected will serve as a baseline for the potential development of a non-motorized boater program that will be compiled into a comprehensive report with recommendations and funding source options to present to the Marine Board in July of 2015. The process and all documentation will be posted on the Marine Board website’s strategic planning page, as well as the activities being implemented by other external advisory committees. To learn more, visit http://www.oregon.gov/OSMB/pages/admin/strategicplan.aspx.