The 2014 New York Sea Grant Launch Stewards are, front row from left, Rob Bucci, Brittney Rogers, Ashleigh Grosso, and Jordan Bodway, and, standing from left, David Newell, Rob Tornatore, Jake Barnes, and Jeremy Galvin. (Photo courtesy NY Sea Grant)
(Sylvan Beach, NY – July 2014) Eight New York college students interested in environmental science careers are working with the New York Sea Grant (NYSG) Launch Steward program this summer to educate boaters about preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species.
Anthony Tornatore of Canastota and Jordan Bodway of Sylvan Beach are two of the eight stewards demonstrating watercraft inspection at sites along the Lake Ontario shoreline from Sodus Bay to Henderson, the Oswego River, Little Salmon River, Salmon River, Sandy Creek, Stony Creek, and Oneida Lake from Bridgeport to Brewerton.
The stewards provide a voluntary service for operators of motorized and non-motorized boats, and share information on the easy-to-implement Clean, Drain, Dry method that boaters can use to help slow the spread of aquatic invasive species such as European water chestnut, Hydrilla, waterfleas, European frog-bit, Asian clam, and rusty crayfish.
Tornatore, a senior at the College at Brockport, is studying environmental science with a career goal of becoming an Environmental Conservation Officer.
‘I am interested in working as a New York Sea Grant Launch Steward and helping to keep our lakes healthy for future generations. The Steward program offers great learning experiences for both the stewards and the boaters who participate in the watercraft inspection demonstrations,’ Tornatore says.
Bodway, a junior at the State of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, is studying environmental science.
‘I am interested in protecting the integrity of our water resources. Working as a New York Sea Grant Launch Steward will provide me with valuable experience in public outreach through interacting with boaters and visitors to the launch areas about how they can help slow the spread of aquatic invasive species,’ Bodway says.
The students hired as the 2014 New York Sea Grant Launch Stewards have been trained by New York Sea Grant, which has developed the New York State Watercraft Inspection Steward Program Handbook for the Cornell University Statewide Invasive Species Outreach Program. The handbook is funded in part by the New York State Environmental Protection Fund administered by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
In addition to Tornatore and Bodway, the students working as Launch Stewards are Jake Barnes, Wolcott; Robert Bucci, Pennellville; Jeremy Galvin, Oswego; Ashleigh Grosso, West Monroe; David Newell, Henderson; and, serving as Chief Steward, Brittney Rogers of Mexico, NY.
New York Sea Grant Coastal Community Development Specialist Mary Penney serves as the Launch Steward Program Coordinator. New York Sea Grant coordinates the Steward Program in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation; New York State Parks; the Towns of Henderson, Scriba, and Sodus; the City of Oswego; and Onondaga County Parks. Funding is through U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and Finger Lakes-Lake Ontario Watershed Protection Alliance.
For more information, contact Mary Penney at 315-312-3042.
Links available at www.nyseagrant.org.