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Thursday, April 28, 2011

Timeline extended for Seattle's Shoreline Master Plan

The new date is May 31 to submit public comments. Please send written comments to me via e-mail or USPS to:
Margaret Glowacki (Margaret.Glowacki at seattle.gov)
City of Seattle – DPD
700 Fifth Ave. Suite 2000
P.O. Box 34019
Seattle, WA 98124-4019

The draft regulations, director’s report, and supporting material are posted at:
www.seattle.gov/dpd/Planning/ShorelineMasterProgramUpdate/

If you would like to get more involved in this issue (or your own muncipal updates), please contact peter at nmta.net .

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Friday, April 22, 2011

Action Alert (Fishing Issue)

There was a bill kicking around in Olympia that was looking to merge several state agencies into one (Senate Bill 5669). That seems to have lost some steam but what’s emerged recently are two amendments to take a great deal of authority and autonomy away from the Fish and Wildlife Commission.We at NMTA think this huge change is a bad idea and are asking you to connect with your State Senator to convey this message, too.

Please follow the link here to an email message that you can send directly to your State Senator. http://www.votervoice.net/groups/nmta/advocacy/?issueid=24790

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Thursday, April 21, 2011

Non-Copper Bill in today's Three Sheets

Deborah Bach covers the non-copper bill in today's edition of Three Sheets Northwest. It's a nice recap of all the latest action with some nice quotes from Josh Baldi, DOE's top water quality person. Here's the link: http://threesheetsnw.com/blog/archives/16508



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Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Story on the Boatyard Permit

In case you missed yesterday's story from Three Sheets, it's a "must read" with news and quotes on the upcoming permit, which takes effect on June 1, 2011. Here's the link: http://threesheetsnw.com/blog/archives/16457

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Monday, April 18, 2011

Non-copper bill is approved by the Senate

About thirty minutes ago, the Senate concurred with the House of Represenatives language on Substitute Senate Bill 5436, which phases-out copper-bottom paint by 2020 for recreational vessels under 65-feet. The next step in this process is for Governor Gregoire to sign it, which is expected. If this seems a bit like deja vu, you are right. The Senate has already approved the bill but since the House voted on a bill that wasn't identical it needed to return to the Senate so they agree to the same language. Today's margin was 38-10 in support of this landmark legislation.

Special thanks to Sen. Ranker and Rep. Upthegrove as well as the boating community, including NMTA's environmental partner in this (Bruce Wishart of People for Puget Sound) for their support. Here's a link to what was passed this morning: http://tinyurl.com/6xno4y2

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Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Recreation Resource Account is in the Senate Capital Budget, too

Big news yesterday that our number one legislative priority took another big step. Specifically, the Recreation Resource Account, which is the fuel tax money that boaters do not claim in a refund, remained in the Senate Capital Budget. Given that this money was already in the Governor and House Budgets, we are right where we want to be to accomplish this goal.

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Monday, April 11, 2011

NOAA sets new whale-protection rules in Puget Sound

NOAA Fisheries recently issued new rules on vessel traffic aimed at protecting Southern Resident killer whales in Washington's Puget Sound.

The new rules prohibit vessels from approaching any killer whale closer than 200 yards and forbid vessels from intercepting a whale or positioning the vessel in its path. This doubles the current approach distance of 100 yards.

The rules go into effect in early May and apply to all types of boats, including powerboats, sailboats and kayaks in Washington's inland waters.

To read the full report on the new rules, click on: http://bit.ly/fzM3gw.

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Friday, April 08, 2011

Recreation Resource Account is funded in the Capital Budget

Not only was this a big week for the non-copper paint bill, but also we are pleased that the funding for the Recreation Resource Account has been maintained in the House Budget. The next step is to see it in the Senate Capital Budget which should be released in short order. Securing this funding was seen as the biggest priority for NMTA this legislative session.

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Wednesday, April 06, 2011

NMTA member boat listings now on Facebook

New and used boats for sale from member dealers and brokers are now listed on NMTA's Seattle Boat Show Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/SeattleBoatShow). Currently more than 1,700 boats from NMTA dealers and brokers are shown on the new "Boats for Sale" tab on the Facebook page. In addition to boats being listed for sale, visitors to the page also can search the entire NMTA member directory by Services, Brands, and Business Type.

The boat listings search engine is powered by the same infrastructure used by Yachtworld.com and Boats.com. Any NMTA member dealer or broker, who has a current account with either Yachtworld.com or Boats.com, automatically has their inventory listings appear in the NMTA search database. Any member without accounts for either of the sites, can list their boats for free in NMTA's boat database. To learn how to list your boats online, contact John Thorburn at the NMTA office: 206-634-0911.

Boats and member listings have appeared on the SeattleBoatShow.com homepage during non-event times since May 2009, when NMTA first contracted with YachtWorld.com/Boats.com to build the NMTA boat listing database.

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Shipwrecks reveal secrets of Lake Union

Congrats to NMTA Member Deborah Bach, who recently penned an article on what lurks underneath Lake Union. As of yesterday, it was the most read item on The Seattle Times website. You can regulary find her at Three Sheets Northwest and here's the link to her story: http://threesheetsnw.com/blog/archives/16219

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Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Non-Copper Bill moves out of Rules

Special thanks to Rep. Ann Rivers for pulling our bill (SSB 5436) out of the Rules Committee. The next step is for it to be voted on by the entire House of Representatives. This must happen by April 12, 2011 or the bill dies for this year. If and when this occurs and it passes, the differences between the House and Senate versions will be worked out in a subcommittee. Cruising World profiled what's going on with non-copper paint legislation around the country and pays special attention to Washington state and NMTA's efforts. You can read that here with this LINK.

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Spring Membership Drive earns new, referring member Seattle hotel nights and more!

Time to go fishing for Members! This year we’ve teamed up with Courtyard Marriott in Downtown Seattle’s historic Pioneer Square for a very special offer during the Spring Membership Recruitment Drive.

Help us catch new members by May 19 and you’ll be rewarded with a fun getaway (or stay-cation depending on where you live)!

For each new member you get hooked on the NMTA, you will receive a certificate for a free one-night stay at the beautiful new Courtyard Marriott in Seattle’s Pioneer Square. The new member who joins in during the recruitment drive will also get a free one-night stay at Courtyard Marriott, and both members will be recognized in Water Life.

BONUS: As an added incentive, you and your new member will also have the choice of one of two excursions departing from Seattle: a City Explorer Flightseeing Excursion from Kenmore Air or a San Juan Islands Day Trip with Whale Watching & Sealife Search from Clipper Vacations!

Located in the heart of downtown Seattle’s historic center, Pioneer Square, the Courtyard Marriott features water views of Elliott Bay. Room night may be used during the 2012 Seattle Boat Show. The hotel is located 2 blocks from Qwest Field. For more information, visit http://www.courtyardpioneersquare.com.

Kenmore Air provides safe, reliable and convenient air transportation to exciting destinations throughout Western Washington and British Columbia. For more information visit: http://www.kenmoreair.com.

Instructions on how to receive your reward:

1. Download a new member application at http://www.nmta.net/whyjoin.asp.
2. Write your name/company on the line that asks, “How did you hear about NMTA?”

3. Give the application to a recreational boating industry business that is not an NMTA member to complete and return to the NMTA. To see the current list of members, visit www.nmta.net/members.asp.
4. The new membership application and dues must be received at the NMTA no later than Thursday, May 19, 2011. Promotion valid for new active or affiliate members only.

For questions on the membership promotion or to refer a company for membership, please call Katie Groseclose, Membership Coordinator, at 206-634-0911.

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Monday, April 04, 2011

Updated safety rules reflect growing Americans

As the federal government updates their safety rules and weight guidelines, they are revising their numbers to reflect the fattening of the nation.

So who is heavier: a) the average bus rider, b) the average boater or c) the average flier?

The answer is the average flier, coming in at 195 pounds in winter clothing and 190 pounds in summer clothing.

The average boater weighs a bit less: 185 pounds, according to the Coast Guard.

While we're at it, the average bus rider is the leanest, weighing 175 pounds.

So how does that measure up to all Americans? The mean average weight is now 194.7 pounds for men and 164.7 pounds for women, according to the National Center for Health Statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Friday, April 01, 2011

NMTA Action Alert (Discover Pass)

We are pretty excited over at NMTA that we are now using a one-stop action alert center to connect with legislators. This is the first time we are using it and it’s only effective if our members take this action step with us. This means that I need you to click on the link below which will take you to an NMTA page, which will make it that much easier to contact your state senator (in this case).

The issue here is that boaters are in danger of getting double-charged with the new “Discover Pass” scheme to access State Parks. This issue has gained momentum in the last couple of days and we think that we have a viable solution, but it’s imperative that your legislator hears from you. Everything you need is just one click away: http://www.votervoice.net/Groups/NMTA/Advocacy/?IssueID=24527&SiteID=-1

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