Dockwalker Training Coming to Channel Islands Harbor, March 24
March 11, 2012
Byline: The Log Staff
CHANNEL ISLANDS HARBOR — California’s Department of Boating and Waterways (Cal Boating) and the California Coastal Commission’s Boating Clean and Green Program are inviting boaters at Channel Islands Harbor to become Dockwalkers. Training — at an upcoming March 24 session — is free, and Dockwalking is a great way to interact with boaters to help keep California’s marinas, waterways, and ocean clean and healthy, said Cal Boating’s acting director, Lucia Becerra.
“It is important for boaters to not only boat safely, but to also implement clean boating practices,” Becerra said. “Safety and protecting the environment go hand in hand.”
The volunteer Dockwalker program educates boaters to use safe and environmentally sound practices while boating in California. The volunteers are trained to conduct face-to-face boater education sessions and distribute boater kits with educational information while visiting marinas, boat launch ramps, boat shows and events.
Marinas also benefit from the Dockwalker program, Becerra said. Involvement in this program provides marinas with the educational materials and tools to operate a clean boating facility and minimize water quality impacts.
Since 2000, more than 600 volunteers have become Dockwalkers and more than 90,000 boater kits have been distributed throughout California.
A Dockwalker training session is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. March 24, at the Coast Guard Recruiting Center in Channel Islands Harbor, at 4202 S. Victoria.
To register to become a volunteer, call program coordinator Vivian Matuk at (415) 904-6905 or visit boatingcleanandgreen.com.
