National Boating Education Advancement Awards

Jana Clarke and Phaedra Bota of Cal Boating's Operations Division, and former Department employee Pete Nunes are among the recipients of the 1999 Western Regional National Boating Education Advancement (NBEA) awards. Administered by the National Safe Boating Council, the NBEA awards are presented to individuals and programs that enhance boating safety.

Phaedra and Pete received an award for producing the high school portion of the AquaSMART program, entitled AquaSMART Boating: Check It Out. Materials include a video, workbook and teacher's guide. The goal of the program is to introduce teenagers (ages 14 to 18) to various types of boating with an emphasis on learning safety knowledge before hands-on operation. The "Check It Out" theme provides a way of checklisting safe boating tips such as required and recommended equipment, accident prevention and rescue tips. The program is designed so that the materials can be used to focus a course on powerboating, personal watercraft operation, sailing or paddling.

Jana received an award for developing the Department's Boating Safety Media Campaign. During the boating season (May-October), the outdoor media campaign displays safety messages on stationary and mobile billboards in the top10 areas for boating accidents. The billboard campaign is augmented by the radio campaign, which last year included messages on boater preparation, the importance of wearing a life jacket, defensive operation, and the dangers of alcohol and boating.

Other Western region recipients are:

B. Chris Brewster - As Chief, City of San Diego Lifeguards, Chris has worked hard at the State level for critically needed boating safety and education laws. Locally, he has chaired the biennial meetings of the Mission Bay Water Use Committee. Due to his leadership, the number of boating accidents on Mission Bay has decreased for three consecutive years. He is an active supporter of many local boating education programs and events, including the annual Pro Sports Spectacular, a personal watercraft event held at Sea World where thousands of attendees get the latest PWC safety information; and the Pro Riders Clinic, held 8 times per year, during which PWC operators can take their craft to Mission Bay and receive safe operating instruction from professional riders and safety information from lifeguards.

Roger Hagie - As Public Affairs Director for Kawasaki Motors Corp., USA, Roger has approved several programs to enhance boating safety.

For the past seven years, he has been instrumental in Kawasaki's sponsoring of the Safe and Wise Water Ways poster contest for California school children. Each year, Kawasaki has provided either student savings bonds, gift certificates for teaching supplies, or both. Roger also has overseen a program to donate life jackets for distribution to the public as prizes at safety events.

Gregory ("Scott") Miller - As a peace officer with the Ventura Harbor patrol, Scott has progressed from Harbor Patrol Officer to Harbor Master. For the past 13 years, he has also served as a law enforcement training instructor for Cal Boating. His expertise and dedication has assisted the Department greatly in achieving its goal of providing for uniformity in statewide boating law enforcement. Scott's specialties are Operational Law, Open Water Rescue and Officer Safety.

San Bernardino Co. Sheriff's Dept. Colorado River Substation - A participant in the Department's Law Enforcement Financial Aid program only since 1998-99, the San Bernardino Co. Sheriff's Dept. is a key member of the Colorado River Tri-State Regional Group. Their coordination with other local jurisdictions, Arizona, Nevada, and the U.S. Coast Guard have resulted in improvements to Colorado River boating safety. Their leadership in staging boating-under-the-influence checkpoints over major holiday weekends is only one example of the outstanding services they provide boaters in the tri-state region.