Surprise No. 1: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is one of our nation’s largest federal outdoor recreation providers managing nearly 257,000 facilities across 43 states in which visitors enjoy boating and fishing, among others activities.
Surprise No.2: Unlike National Parks and U.S. Forest Service sites, local Corps of Engineers site managers cannot retain revenue from fees collected on-site. Any fees collected at a given site are not certain to support the operations and maintenance of that site. That needs to change.
Surprise No. 3: The Lake Access Keeping Economies Strong Act has finally been introduced in Congress to correct this shortcoming. The LAKES Act would allow the Corps of Engineers to retain 80% of recreation fees collected on-site and includes other benefits that should improve access to boating and fishing opportunities, including infrastructure.
Bottom line: Thousands of customers directly benefit from Corps of Engineers facilities and deserve to see the major portion of any related fees used to improve and enhance those boating opportunities. It’s important that dealers and customers make members of Congress (senators and representatives) aware that you want them to support the LAKES Act.
Miami Opens Wednesday
The winter boat shows continue to draw thousands to locations across the country, with two large events to open this week.
The Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show, billed as the largest boat and yacht show in the world, is set to open tomorrow for a five-day run. The show is expected to draw some 100,000 visitors to see more than 1,000 boats and product displays in five locations in Miami and Miami Beach.
The land-based portion of the show takes place at the Miami Beach Convention Center and adjacent Pride Park. The in-water components of the show are at the Venetian Marina, Herald Plaza, Museum Park Marina and Yacht Haven Grande Miami. The show covers it all, from kayaks to superyachts.
The Miami show is owned by the National Marine Manufacturers Association in partnership with the International Yacht Brokers Association, and produced by Informa Markets.
New Jersey Expo Kicks-off Thursday
The New Jersey Boat Sale & Expo cruises into the New Jersey Convention & Expo Center in Brielle, N.J., for four big days, Feb. 13- 16. This show will boast a fleet of more than 250 boats.
“It’s become a family, escape-from-winter event as much as a display of the latest boats and a wide variety of marine accessory and service exhibits,” says Melissa Danko, executive director of the Marine Trades Association of New Jersey. “We also design our show so that every family member will find things to do and enjoy.”
The show includes a variety of seminars, such as Fishing for Doormat Fluke, Jumbo Striped Bass, Blackfish Tactics, Bluefin Tuna Angling and many more. For the kids, there will be a nautical version of “I Spy Scavenger Hunt.” Little skippers who complete their sheet of clues can visit the New Jersey Sea Grant Exhibit to create and take home a science craft.
This show is produced by the Marine Trades Association of New Jersey.
