Alaska

Alaska Challenges
SLO-Alaska Catherine Sterling reports (June 2009) that due to flooding and damage to the villages along the Yukon River, and in respect to the needs of locals to address living area recovery, the 2009 RBS outreach was postponed. It is expected the RBS outreach will occur during the summer of 2010. A road system RBS outreach with Coastie was conducted in early May with children of the villages of Dot Lake, Tanacross and Tok. The event was a success with an invitation to return next year with a Potlatch planned in honor of the Coastie operators and their boating safety message. In conjunction with National Safe Boating Week, Governor Palin issued an Executive Proclamation designating May 16-22, 2009 as Safe Boating Week. The proclamation recognized the importance of wearing life jackets. An MOU is currently being reviewed by DIRAUX. District 13/17 met in Astoria Oregon for an RBS Workshop. Many Boating Safety items were addressed. The workshops provide valuable insight to the boating safety issues in each location, how those issues are addressed, and a sharing of information. While some issues are location specific, a number of the issues are district-wide, and the attendees are able to use the information and adapt it locally.

Resources

 * U.S. Coast Guard District
 * U.S. Coast Guard Sector
 * U.S. Coast Guard Sector
 * Local Notice to Mariners
 * U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary District
 * State Boating Agency
 * State Boating Course
 * State Boating Laws from NASBLA
 * State Education Requirements from BoatUS Foundation
 * Boating Courseline from BoatUS Foundation
 * Marine forecasts from the National Weather Service
 * Online navigation charts from NOAA and Google
 * Sea Scout Ships (units) from Sea Scouts BSA