The California State Parks Division of Boating and Waterways, in partnership with a number of other agencies and organizations, will conduct several Dockwalker trainings in the Bay Area, including two this month.
Dockwalkers work with the public and boating community to encourage clean boating practices while visiting marinas, launch ramps, marine supply stores, boat shows and special events. Photo by Joel Williams
BC Staff Report
Published: March, 2014
The California State Parks Division of Boating and Waterways, in partnership with a number of other agencies and organizations, will conduct several Dockwalker trainings in the Bay Area, including two this month.
Dockwalkers are trained to engage members of the public and the boating community to adopt clean boating practices. While visiting marinas, launch ramps, marine supply stores, boat shows and special events, these volunteers share clean boating information with boaters and distribute educational materials like boater kits. To clarify, "Dockwalker" is only a generic term because Dockwalkers do not necessarily have to "walk the docks" in order to talk to boaters about safety and clean boating practices. Rather, Dockwalkers may encounter members of the boating community in a number of different contexts.
Training is free and Dockwalking is a fantastic way to interact with boaters to help keep California’s marinas, waterways and ocean clean and healthy. If you are already a trained Dockwalker and were trained more than three years ago, please join us this year for a refresher class.
The training provides an overview of environmentally-sound boating practices, information about how to conduct Dockwalking and educational materials that Dockwalkers will distribute including the 2014 boater kits. These boater kits include: a copy of "A Boater’s Guide to Keeping Pollutants Out of the Water," an oil-absorbent pillow to capture oil leaks and drips, and a variety of other informative resources about laws affecting boating. Depending on the region, the training may also provide the Delta clean boating map and the San Francisco Bay Area clean boating map. In addition, newly-trained Southern California Dockwalkers will receive the new edition of the Southern California Boater’s Guide.
To register for a training or if you have any questions, please feel free to contact Vivian Matuk at (415) 904-6905 or vmatuk@coastal.ca.gov.
Upcoming Dockwalker Trainings:
March 26, 2014 – San Jose
7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
American Red Cross Bldg
2731 N 1st St, San Jose, CA 951349
March 27, 2014 – Richmond
7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Tradewinds Sailing School & Club
2580 Spinnaker Way, Richmond, CA 94804
April 8, 2014 – Petaluma
5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Petaluma Yacht Club
10 C St, Petaluma, CA 94952
May 9, 2014 – Vacaville
10:00 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
Solano County Water Agency (Engineering Room)
810 Vaca Valley Pkwy #203, Vacaville, CA 95688
