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Sunday, August 28
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9:00 am - 5:00 pm
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SOBA Executive Board Meeting
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Monday, August 29
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7:30 am - 4:30 pm
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Registration Open
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7:00 am - 8:00 am
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Continental Breakfast
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8:00 am - 5:00 pm
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Federal Updates & Training Workshop (Agenda)
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Noon - 1:30 pm
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Lunch on Own
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2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
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Exhibitor Set-up
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5:30 pm - 8:00 pm
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Registration Open (Outside Opening Reception, 32nd floor)
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6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
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Opening Reception, 32nd Floor, Hilton Downtown Cleveland
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Tuesday, August 30
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7:00 am - 8:30 am
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Breakfast with Exhibitors
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7:00 am - 5:00 pm
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Exhibits Open
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7:00 am - 5:00 pm
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Registration open
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8:30 am - 9:00 am
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Host Welcome
Mary Mertz, Director, Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Melinda Huntley, Executive Director, Ohio Travel Association
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9:00 am - 11:30 am
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Industry Partner Updates
Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation
Joanne Martonik, Senior State Marketing Manager, RBFF
Boat US Foundation
Alanna Keating, Director of Outreach, BoatUS Foundation
Association of Marina Industries
Eric Kretsch, Legislative Coordinator, Association of Marina Industries
BoardSafe Docks
Scott Tihansky, Sales & Engineering Director, BoardSafe Docks
National Association of State Boating Law Administrators
Taylor Matsko, Communications & Marketing Director, NASBLA
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Bob Curry, Deputy Assistant Director, Wildlife & Sport Fish Restoration Program, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
States Organization for Boating Access
Mike Wichrowski, SOBA President
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10:00 am - 10:15 am
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Break with Exhibitors
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11:30 am – 1:00 pm
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Lunch with Exhibitors
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1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
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Strategic Discussions and Environmental Scanning
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1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
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Clean Marinas Workshop
National Clean Marina Coordinators Meeting
1:00 – 2:00 pm Introductions and Clean Marina Overview
2:00-5:00 pm Facilitated Discussion Led by NOAA Coastal Training Program:
-Key Environmental Topics
-Key Programmatic Topics
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3:00 pm - 3:15 pm
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Break with Exhibitors
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3:15 pm – 3:45 pm
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Redefined and Resilient: Fairport Harbor Transient Marina and Boat Launch
Dan Williams, PLA, ASLA, Senior Landscape Architect, MSA Professional Services, Inc.
Patrick Mohorcic, Director of Public Finance and Chief Financial Officer, Lake Development Authority
Myranda Keister, Director of Planning and Development, Lake Development Authority
Ann Marie Gorman, Fisheries Biologist, Ohio DNR
Track: Boating Access
The Village of Fairport harbor, at the Grand River’s mouth on the Lake Erie shoreline, has been a mayor access point for Lake Erie fishing for many decades. The study covered existing conditions, feasibility of a larger marina, on-site amenities, and future expansion opportunities
Florida CVA Updates and Looking Ahead
Vicki Gambale, Clean Vessel Act Education Coordinator, Florida Sea Grant
Track: Clean Vessels Act
Florida’s positive proactive partnership-based approach has resulted in a strong pumpout network that boaters can rely on when they need to properly dispose of waste. Learn how a state with approximately 2000 boating facilities and an immense variety of pumpout solutions managed to join the Pumpout Nav app. What’s in store for Florida next? How about a comprehensive Resource and Needs Assessment, expanded No Discharge Zone designations, and more?
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3:45 pm – 4:15 pm
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Ohio's Boating Safety Programs, Partners, and Grants
Craig Watson, Natural Resources Administrator, Ohio DNR Division of Parks and Watercraft
Track: Boating Access
Working together by forming partnerships to provide safe boating programs on Ohio’s Waterways. With the increasing number of boaters using the waterways, it is more important than ever to develop, maintain, and fund safe boating programs. This session will have a panel of boating safety professionals from the Ohio DNR Division of Parks and Watercraft’s education, enforcement, and administration sections, as well as representatives from partner agencies that have received boating safety education grant and marine patrol grant funding. The panel will discuss their boating programs’ goals, initiatives, challenges, and accomplishments. The forum will provide detailed experiences in their commitment to provide an enjoyable and safe experience for all the boaters who recreate on the diverse waters of Ohio.
Pumpout Washington: The official brand and go-to resource for all things pumpout in Washington State
Catherine Buchalski-Smith, Environmental Outreach Specialist & CVA Program Manager, Washington State Parks
Track: Clean Vessels Act
Explore Washington CVA's public brand, Pumpout Washington. This partnership between Washington State Parks and Washington Sea Grant has been the official brand and primary resource for boaters on all things pumpout since 2009. Pumpout Washington is the education and outreach clearinghouse for Washington boaters and marinas to access instructional videos, regulatory information, social media and press campaign toolkits, maps of pumpout locations, outreach materials, and exiting new tools like the Pumpout Nav app. We will also discuss the value of having a neutral public facing brand for CVA outreach and education in the light of contentious regulatory issues and unsuccessful grant projects.
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4:15 pm – 4:45 pm
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Minnesota 2020 Recreational Boating Study
Nancy Stewart, Water Recreation Consultant, Minnesota DNR
Track: Boating Access
How to complete a statewide boating study. From the initial research proposal to the questionnaire, to the final results. A look at the costs and the benefits of surveying the users of your state’s system.
Advancing Awareness on Boat Sewage Disposal: 2022 CVA Education & Outreach Updates from California
Georgia Tunioli, Community Engagement Program Manager, The Bay Foundation
Diana Fu, Environmental Planner, San Francisco Estuary Partnership
Natasha Dunn, Program Manager, San Francisco Estuary Partnership
Track: Clean Vessels Act
Over the past year, the Clean Vessel Act Education and Outreach teams in Northern and Southern California have created new resources and approaches to raise awareness about boat sewage discharge. Join us to learn more about our latest reports on boater sewage disposal and dump stations, new marketing updates and insights, and Pumpout Nav updates including bulk uploading of marinas on the app and onboarding the new states of Florida and Rhode Island.
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8:00 pm - 11:00 pm
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Networking
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Wednesday, August 31
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7:00 am - 8:30 am
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Breakfast with Exhibitors
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7:00 am - 3:30 pm
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Exhibits open
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7:00 am – 11:00 am
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Registration open
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8:30 am – 9:00 am
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Partnering to Expand Public Access
Gregory J Weykamp, ASLA, LEED AP BD+C, President | Principal, Edgewater Resources, LLC
Track: Engineering
This session will explore strategies to expand public access through partnerships between private developers, local government, local environmental groups, and state and federal agencies. The presentation will focus on the new Adelaide Pointe project in Muskegon, Michigan, which is converting a privately owned brownfield site into a vibrant waterfront destination that promises to set a new standard for public access and sustainable waterfront development. The project will create more than a mile of new dedicated public shoreline while doubling existing trail networks. Over 83% of the shoreline will be soft green habitat restoration in place of typical hardened armoring strategies, and the new path systems will incorporate solar paving. This session will explore the partnerships with local, state, and federal agencies that are working together with local environmental groups to transform an abandoned steel mill into the most sustainable waterfront development on the Great Lakes.
Derelict Vessels & Debris
Brandy Elliott, Assistant General Counsel, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Track: Clean Boating
Derelict vessels are currently one of the most complicated and prominent issues on Florida waters. Since derelict vessels pose significant threats to boating safety, boating access, marine species, the environment generally, and navigability, having a plan to address derelict vessels is critical for the State. Over the last five years, the State has built a program for dealing with derelict vessels that implements criminal and civil liability for the person responsible and provides appropriate notice to these individuals and others who may have an interest in the vessel, ensuring their constitutional rights to due process are not violated. For the last two years, the State has begun implementing prevention strategies – seeking to address the issue before these vessels reach a derelict state.
This presentation will cover what constitutes a derelict vessel in Florida, the ways in which Florida removes derelict vessels from the waters of the State, the penalties faced by the responsible parties, the funding sources for dealing with derelict vessels, and recent prevention programs.
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9:00 am – 9:30 am
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Implementing Sustainable Design and Green Architecture
Gregory J Weykamp, ASLA, LEED AP BD+C, President | Principal, Edgewater Resources, LLC
Track: Engineering
This session will explore a wide range of strategies for improving the environmental performance of waterfront projects, including parks, boating access sites, marinas, and other waterfront projects. We will cover soft shoreline strategies and habitat creation on both inland and coastal shorelines; sustainable materials for docks, breakwaters, and structures; renewable energy generation and the electrification of boating and personal transportation; and sustainable architecture and building.
Derelict Vessels & Debris Continued
Brandy Elliott, Assistant General Counsel, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Track: Clean Boating
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9:30 am – 10:00 am
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“Engineering for Access” Coastal Access and Community Resilience in Cleveland
Linda Sternheimer, Director of Urban Planning & Development, Port of Cleveland
Kelly Coffman, Principal Planner, Cleveland MetroParks
Track: Engineering
Cleveland’s east side Lake Erie shoreline has been impacted by industry and transportation infrastructure. A dynamic new plan known as the Cleveland Harbor Eastern Embayment Resilience Strategy, or CHEERS, envisions doubling park space, improving neighborhood connections, and protecting existing infrastructure. Hear from representatives from two of the six agencies leading this work about how the team worked extensively with residents and stakeholders and how that input is centered in the resulting plan. CHEERS leverages the beneficial use of dredge material, which is necessary to keep commerce on the Cuyahoga River, to expand shoreline habitat, proposes creating a protected cove for paddling, and fulfills the request heard most frequently from our neighbors: to safely touch the water and truly connect with Lake Erie.
Tackling Trash Together: Preventing Marine Debris through Research, Outreach, and Education
Jill Bartolotta, Extension Educator, Ohio Sea Grant
Sarah Orlando, Clean Marinas Program Manager, Ohio State University
Track: Clean Boating
Ohio Sea Grant, The Ohio State University Stone Laboratory, and Ohio Clean Marinas Program have been working on the issue of marine debris in freshwater environments for many years. During this time, we have identified the best waste removal strategies, developed educational tools and outreach programs, and conducted research on consumer behavior change. Boaters and the boating industry have been a partner for much of this work. This session will cover current research on trash in our waterways, abandoned and derelict vessels, single-use plastic reduction, and shrink wrap recycling. Existing resources and educational tools will be shared.
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10:00 am – 10:15 am
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Break with Exhibitors
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10:15 am – 10:45 am
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Advancing Stormwater Management at Marina in the Great Lakes project
Sarah Orlando, Clean Marinas Program Manager, Ohio State University
Chris Allen, Regional Regulator Manager, Contech Engineered Solutions
Track: Engineering
The Ohio Clean Marinas Program is part of a multi-state project, Advancing Stormwater Management at Marinas in the Great Lakes, that developed an online toolkit with a suite of marina-specific resources on stormwater. As part of this toolkit, the project team created a decision support tool (DST) that will help marinas select the most appropriate green infrastructure (GI) practice for their site to manage stormwater, reduce nutrient and sediment loading, and stabilize shorelines of the Great Lakes. The DST will guide marinas through the process of selecting and installing GI through long-term management of the facility. Also as part of the project, Ohio Clean Marinas developed the Ideal Clean Marina Virtual Reality tool to help marinas visualize how stormwater best management practices can be implemented in a marina setting. Finally, an on-the-ground demonstration project of green infrastructure was installed and monitored at an Ohio Clean Marina. Join us to learn more about this project, the resources available, and ways to partner with the Ohio Clean Marinas Program to help increase the adoption of stormwater BMPs at marinas across Ohio.
Great Lakes Aquatic Invasive Species Landing Blitz
John Navarro, Aquatic Stewardship Program Administrator, Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife
Heather Sheets, Program Coordinator, Ohio Clean Marinas Program
Track: Aquatic Invasive Species
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10:45 am – 11:15 am
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Shared Waterways: A Guide to Multiple Use Waterway Management
Pamela Dillon, CAE, Project Specialist, NASBLA
Track: Boating Access
What do we mean by “Shared Waterways” or “Waterways Management?” These terms have diverse definitions depending on the situation and user. Today’s Waterway Manager may not have that title on a business card. Instead, this role may be a local trustee, a state boating law administrator, a site manager for the federal government, or a regional watershed planning association. Waterway managers face pressure from a wide range of stakeholders, each sharing a unique perspective on how best to protect, utilize, or share the water resource. Options may range from expanding access to drive revenue and business interests to limiting access based on analysis of physical and social carrying capacities. This session explores the vast diversity of expectations and desired outcomes facing managers today, based on A Guide for Multiple Use Waterway Management (Third Edition).
Aquatic Invasive Plant Impacts on Recreational Boating
Mark Warman, Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Project Coordinator, Cleveland Metro Parks
Track: Aquatic Invasive Species
Aquatic plants offer benefits to the ecosystem and to boaters – be it a colorful flower to admire or a great spot to cast a line. In 2022, too much aquatic vegetation has caused headaches for recreationists and Ohio natural resource managers. Join us to learn more about the Buckeye State’s steps to manage aquatic invasive plants, the successes, and ongoing challenges faced at large, public water resources.
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11:15 am – 12:45 pm
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Project Awards Luncheon - Sponsored by BoardSafe Docks
Dress Code: Business Casual
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1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
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SOBA Annual Business Meeting
Dress Code: Business Attire
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2:15 pm – 2:45 pm
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Providing Accessibility for all Abilities: Understanding the Difference between an Accessible and Adaptive Kayak Launch
Scott Tihansky, Design, Engineering and Manufacturing, BoardSafe Docks
Track: Non Motorized, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
This presentation will offer valuable guidance on making waterfront accessible to people of all abilities. Adaptive boaters require specific accommodations to get themselves to the water, enter their vessel in the safest and easiest manner, and get out onto the water to paddle. It's been over 30 years since the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed, yet in many cases, accessibility is still determined by a checklist. ADA guidelines identify minimum design standards, therefore, when waterfront projects are built only to minimum standards rather than the specific adaptations that an adaptive boater requires, paddlers with greater needs are often excluded from participating. This presentation is structured to educate landscape architects, adaptive paddling groups, kayaking communities, park systems, and governmental bodies about the differences between an "accessible kayak launch" and an "adaptive kayak launch”. Accessible launches and adaptive launches are not synonymous.
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2:45 pm – 3:15 pm
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Aquatic Invasive Species Panel
Alanna Keating, Director of Outreach, Boat U.S. Foundation
Track: Aquatic Invasive Species
Challenges with the Implementation of BIG projects
Justin Davis, Senior Professional Engineer, Applied Technology and Management
Track: Boating Infrastructure Grant
Since its inception in 2000, the Boating Infrastructure Grant program has awarded over $263M in federal funding to support transient boating infrastructure projects and associated improvements throughout the U.S. and its territories. As a marine engineering/consulting firm that has worked on numerous BIG applications and BIG-funded projects, the inevitable question from our clients once an application has been approved is: “Great!!! So, what do we do now?” In this presentation, Mr. Davis will discuss what happens after a project has been selected for funding. This will include a review of several challenges we have encountered throughout the years related to funding obligation and project execution, along with solutions and helpful strategies we have successfully implemented to solve and/or mitigate against these challenges.
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3:15 pm - 3:30 pm
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Break with Exhibitors
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3:30 pm – 4:00 pm
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Aquatic Invasive Species Listening Session
Alanna Keating, Boat U.S. Foundation
Track: Aquatic Invasive Species
Waterway Usage and Boating Access Projects in Ohio
Melissa Moser, Grants Administrator & Researcher, Ohio Dept. Of Natural Resources
Sean Landon, Grants Administrator, Ohio Dept. Of Natural Resources
Track: Non Motorized, Boating Access
Working together by forming partnerships to provide safe boating programs on Ohio’s Waterways. With the increasing number of boaters using the waterways, it is more important than ever to develop, maintain, and fund safe boating programs. This session will have a panel of boating safety professionals from the Ohio DNR Division of Parks and Watercraft’s education, enforcement, and administration sections, as well as representatives from partner agencies that have received boating safety education grant and marine patrol grant funding. The panel will discuss their boating programs’ goals, initiatives, challenges, and accomplishments. The forum will provide detailed experiences in their commitment to provide an enjoyable and safe experience for all the boaters who recreate on the diverse waters of Ohio.
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4:00 pm - 7:00 pm
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Exhibitor Break Down
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6:00 pm – 8:30 pm
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Awards Reception & Banquet
Dress Code: Business Attire
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9:00 pm - 11:00 pm
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Networking
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Thursday, September 1
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7:30 am – 4:30 pm
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Boating Access Project Site Visits: View Agenda
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