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Welcome to the HeartLand Boating Newsletter
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July 15, 2010
Vol 7, No 1-10
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Are
You Hungry Yet?
You will be,
when you
read the August issue
Everything tastes
better in the fresh air, which might be why we all enjoy chowing
down during cruises. The August issue cannot be beat; it's a magazine to sink
your teeth into. Take a look:

Photo courtesy Big
River Magazine
Yummy, eh? Would you
believe that all this food is silver carp? Yes, the same non-native critters that will leap
into your boat. Although the danger of their out-competing native fish is very
real, the up side is that millions of people think they're delicious! Read
publisher Nelson Spencer's Leadline to discover the verdict of our staff. Or to
see more carp-tasting pictures, just go to our Facebook page. But fish are just the
start of our gastronomic explorations. If stopping in Chicago, take contributing editor Kate Godfrey-DeMay's advice and visit the elegant 3rd Coast Café. Great artwork there!
 Inviting interior of 3rd
Coast Photo by Janet Thomas
Dining aboard? Check
Sandy Lindsey's great advice about working in the boat's galley. Linda Aksomitis praises the bounty of Alabama as she tours the
state tasting its best.
Capt. Fred and Pat Davis check out goodies along the U.S. side of the
international border at the St Clair River, and report that they are worth a trip.
Here are pictures of
two of the restaurants, McRae's Big River Grille and St Clair River Inn.
Big River Grille

St
Clair River Inn
Photos by Capt Fred Davis
The Davises provide a
sweet note as they investigate the famous fudge of Mackinac Island, Mich.

Aerial
view of Mackinac Island. Photo courtesy Mackinac Island Tourism
Bureau
It's where you'll find
way more boats than motor vehicles, which are banned. Also a long-established
and flourishing tradition of making fine fudge. Here's a picture of a batch
just about to pour:
 Photo courtesy Mackinac Island Tourism
Bureau
So pull a chair up to
the table, and get the knife and fork, ready to dig in to the August HeartLand ! |
CONTESTS, CONTESTS, CONTESTS
It seems like more contests are taking place than ever before. Which is great! Here are four contests for boaters.
ˇ Recreational Boating Access
Award The fourth annual BoatUS Recreational Boating Access Award publicizes initiatives that buck the trend of
increasingly restricted access to the water. Nominations are open until Oct. 1.
If you know an individual or group who have preserved or improved public
waterway access, the Recreational Boating Access Award would like to recognize
the effort.
"We'll
share those success stories with others so that they may also learn how to
preserve or improve boating access in their area," said BoatUS President Nancy
Michelman.
Judges
look at four criteria: (1) challenges faced in retaining or increasing access
in an area; (2) measurable results of the solution; (3) success in increasing
awareness of the importance of boating access; (4) repeatability-the ability to
use the approach as a model for other areas.
Application
deadline is Oct. 1; winners will be announced by Oct. 31. For more information,
click here.
Anglers
could win a replica of their fish from Mount
This Fish Company. Photo
courtesy BoatUS
Submit a photo of your
best catch to the BoatUS Angler Catch of the Month Photo Contest, and you
could win $50 and other prizes, plus be entered to win a realistic replica of
your fish from Mount This Fish Company. The firm specializes in hand-painted
fiberglass replicas.
It's
a monthly photo contest that started in April and runs for seven months. For
complete details and how to enter, click here.
In
November all 14 monthly winners will be automatically entered into the Grand
Prize drawing to win the replica mount from Mount This Fish Company, the newest sponsor of the photo contest. All
mounts are hand airbrushed and can be displayed indoors or out.
ˇ Win a Fishing Trip
with Tour Pro-Fish-A-Thon

Last year's 24-Hour Fish-A-Thon
winner Kevin Workman. Lincoln, Neb., shows off his
catch from Lake Amistad, Texas.
Photo courtesy of BoatUS
A nationwide 24-hour Fish-A-Thon
on Sept. 10-11 will help conserve fish habitat. Recycled Fish and BoatUS Angler co-sponsor the event, which
lasts 24 hours and pits teams of anglers across the country against each other.
It's
all to raise funds to support responsible fishing. Teams also compete for top
prizes such as "the fishing trip of a lifetime," a guided trip with a Professional Anglers Association (PAA)
tour-level pro, or a getaway to a remote lodge. Recycled Fish is a non-profit
organization committed to responsible fishing practices. Proceeds are donated
to Recycled Fish and the BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water to support waterway stewardship programs. The 24-Hour Fish-A-Thon
is open to freshwater anglers in all 50 states. To participate, anglers begin
by becoming a Fish-A-Thon Ambassador/Team Leader at www.RecycledFish.org/FishAThon.
Next
they go fishing. Lines are cast Sept. 10 at 6 pm until Sept. 11 at 6 pm. During
the event anglers are also encouraged to pick up trash and use tackle that is
easier on the environment, such as lead-free weights or biodegradable baits and
lures. They practice good catch-and-release tactics. Every team raising a
minimum of $100 will get a complementary 24-Hour Fish-A-Thon shirt.
Participating anglers takes photos of their fish and self-score their catch at
the online Angling Masters Fish Calculator, then submit their score to the Fish-A-Thon
administrator.
For
complete Fish-A-Thon information, go to www.RecycledFish.org, or contact Buddy Johns.
ˇ Discover
Boating's new game puts boaters
at the helm 
Discover Boating, the national awareness program for the
recreational boating industry, recently launched a new online game application,
titled Making Waves.
It's
designed to put at-home water sports enthusiasts in the virtual captain's
chair. We liked it so much here in the office that we put it on our Facebook page.
The
game lets players experience onscreen the thrill of everything you can do on
water, the format using a race focusing on lifestyles associated with each
style of boating. The races are "Wake Rider," "Set the Hook," and "Dock
Hopper."
"The
game brings the boating experience to life online," said Carl Blackwell, chief
marketing officer for Discover Boating and the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA).
Discover
Boating partnered with space 150, a Minneapolis-based digital communications
firm, to create the game.
OK,
it's not strictly a contest. But it is a sweepstakes. To drive traffic to the
game, players receive a chance to register to win $25,000 toward the purchase
of a new NMMA Certified boat.
The
sweepstakes runs through Aug. 31. Players can also sign up via the application
to receive Discover Boating's free "Get Started in Boating" DVD.
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NEWS FOR BOATERS
Fun Event in the
Heartland
From July 24 to July
31, the Tennessee river 600 race is scheduled to take place between Knoxville and Paris
Landing State Park. Personal watercraft (PWC) riders will travel the 600 miles
to raise money to benefit T.C. Thompson Children's Hospital of Chattanooga, The Children's Hospital of Birmingham, Ala.; and Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA). Both
children's hospitals are members of the Children's Miracle Network. The TWRA is an organization
dedicated to the preservation, conservation, and enhancement of Tennessee's outdoors.
Here's a map of the route:

Graphic courtesy of Tennessee River 600
The
Tennessee River 600 is the longest-running organized
event in the United States for personal watercraft, and a heck of a lot of fun,
too. For details, click here.
Michigan
Boater Education Card Now Required
According
to the The Leader Press, all boaters in Michigan between the ages of 12 and 16 must have
a valid Michigan Boater Education Card to operate
a powered vessel with more than 10 horsepower on state waters. Persons born
after Dec. 31, 1978, who operate a personal watercraft (PWC) must also be
certified. The safety legislation is expected to reduce the occurrence of
boating-related fatalities. BoaterExam.com points out that its Michigan
Boating Safety Course meets the state's education requirements and allows
boaters to get certified online. The online course includes a 60-question final
exam to obtain the certificate. The course is recognized by the U.S. Coast
Guard and approved by the National Association of State Boating Law
Administrators (NASBLA) and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The Michigan Boater Education Card
is good for life and does not need to be renewed.
Clarification
Mike Bush,
St Louis Confluence Riverkeeper, wrote to correct the RiverKeeper link that
appeared in last month's newsletter. Here is a heartland RiverKeeper link.
For more details about
the RiverKeeper Alliance, e-mail Mike Bush.
ORSANCO Sets Hearing Times
Ohio
River viewPhoto courtesy ORSANCO
The Ohio River
Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO), an interstate agency representing
the eight states along the Ohio River, is proposing revisions to its Pollution
Control Standards. Three changes are proposed: (1) addition of a criterion for
Total Dissolved Solids to protect human health, (2) specification of critical
river flows to apply human-health criteria, and (3) changes to the variance
procedure. The
proposed revisions will be presented at a series of public workshops to be held
in July, and at a public hearing on Aug. 3. The public workshops are an
informal version of the hearing. The record of the hearing will remain open
until Sept. 3 to allow receipt of written comments. Formal comments may be
submitted verbally at the public hearing or in writing to ORSANCO, 5735 Kellogg
Ave, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45230; by email;
or online through the Commission's Web site. Workshops
will take place in Evansville, Ind., on July 20; Louisville on July 21; Huntington, W.Va., on July 22; Pittsburgh, on July 27; and Cincinnati area on Aug. 3.
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Remember to Protect
Your Skin
Boaters get hit with ultraviolet rays
twice--once from the sky and once from the water. On all but
the hottest days, breezes can disguise skin damage because skin doesn't feel
warm. Until later, of course. Some folks think that
their tans provide protection by this time of the summer. Sorry, not true.
Protect your and your family's skin short term from painful burns, and
long-term from premature aging, plus the potential of melanoma and skin cancer. We cannot even trust non-treated
clothing for protection. I was surprised to learn that a white T-shirt provides
an SPF of only about 5, hardly any protection from damaging rays. Dr. Patty
Agin of the Coppertone Solar Research Center passes along her Safe Sun Tips.
They are:
ˇ Apply.
Apply. Apply. Because the sun may cause damage immediately, apply
sunscreen before heading outside, even if spending time under trees before
heading out on the boat. Then re-apply every 80 minutes, even if the sunscreen
is waterproof and sweat-proof.
ˇ High
SPF. Choose the highest you can find. Some sunscreens go up to SPF 70 or
more.
ˇ The
shadow rule: if a child's shadow is shorter than the child, the sun's rays are
at their strongest. Cover them up, keep them in the shade during mid-day
whenever possible!
ˇ See
a dermatologist once a year for a skin check, no matter what your age. If
detected early, melanoma can be treatable.
Sobering thoughts
during the best time of the year for boating, aren't they? But UV or no UV,
enjoy these beautiful days. Sincerely
, Lee
Braff
Editor HeartLand Boating Editorial Offices
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 | FEATURED BOAT
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