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Name:
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ecstasypoint
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Subject:
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Watch Your Wake Campaign
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Date:
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7/23/2012 9:22:08 AM
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I would think calling Lake Martin Resource Association would be a good start on getting a sign. If we make it worth their while to produce and distribute the signs, I'm sure this could really have some educational value.
Watch Your Wake campaign raises awareness Published 2:23pm Tuesday, July 17, 2012By A.J. Watson, The Outlook Staff Writer Stemming
from a conversation among representatives from all the state’s major
lakes, the Alabama Marine Police has adopted a Watch Your Wake campaign. Lake
Martin Resource Association and several other organizations met in
downtown Alexander City in February to discuss the major issues
concerning the lake population of the state, and boat wake issues were
at the top of the list. “The marine police studied what was being
done on lakes across the United States to find out what they were doing
to combat the issue,” Charles Borden of Lake Martin Resource Association
said. “There were a lot of different approaches the lakes were using,
and the marine police in Alabama decided to approach it from an
educational awareness standpoint.” Borden said that LMRA will be
canvassing private marinas on Lake Martin to see if they would place a
sign with the Watch Your Wake logo on their boat ramp. LMRA will also be
providing signs for homeowners to place on their pier for boaters to
see. Capt. Erica Shipman of the Alabama Marina Police said that
the Watch Your Wake campaign extends statewide to all public lakes and
rivers to educate vessel-owners and people who use public waterways. “This
campaign is really designed to educate the public on watching their
wake and the damage it can do,” Shipman said. “A lot of lakes have been
experiencing issues with this. It’s a public safety concern – we met
with a lot of lake associations and looked to see if there needed to be
some legislation, and we wanted to do an awareness campaign before
having to go to legislation.” Shipman said that they aren’t trying
to spoil the fun but rather inform the population and encourage them to
be more courteous boaters. “We’re not trying to stop people from
skiing, tubing or wakeboarding or having fun in general – we’re just
asking them to do it safely and not do it too close to other people or
other peoples property,” she said. In addition to soil erosion,
wakes can cause docked boats to bang against each other, cracking the
fiberglass and creating thousands of dollars worth of damage, Shipman
said.
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