GLIN==> Press release: NY Sea Grant award-winning educator announces spring-summer Lake Erie, Lake Ontario programs

PRESS RELEASE: April 1, 2010
Contact: Helen Domske, Coastal Education Specialist, hmd4 at cornell.edu
<mailto:hmd4 at cornell.edu> , 716.645.3610
 
NY Sea Grant Award-Winning Educator Announces Spring-Summer Programs
State of Lake Erie Meeting in May
Lake Ontario Teacher Workshop in July
 
Buffalo, NY, April 1, 2010 ­ New York Sea Grant (NYSG) Great Lakes Coastal
Extension Specialist Helen Domske, recently named ³Public Servant of the
Year² by the Erie County Federation of Sportsmen¹s Clubs (ECFSC), will help
coordinate a State of Lake Erie meeting next month and lead a Lake Ontario
teacher training workshop in late July.

"I¹ve found working with the Erie County Federation of Sportsmen¹s Clubs to
be rewarding and enjoyable,² says Domske. ³The representatives of the
Federation are some of the most dedicated stakeholders in New York. They
have great knowledge of and concern for the environment and are always
interested in expanding their knowledge base with scientific information.  I
am proud to have been given this award by anglers who love the Great Lakes
as much as I do.²
 
As NYSG¹s Coastal Education Specialist and the Associate Director of the
Great Lakes Program, Domske has worked first with retired Assemblyman Dick
Smith and current Assemblyman Jack Quinn for many years to coordinate the
State of the Lake Erie meetings, bringing in many quality speakers to help
Lake Erie anglers keep up with current events.
 
Domske will receive her award from the Federation at the 2010 State of the
Lake meeting on May 6 from 7-9 pm at Armor Fire Hall, 4932 Clark Street in
Hamburg, NY.

"The "State of the Lake" is one of the most important programs in the state
concerning the continued well being of Lake Erie,² says Assemblyman Quinn.
³Each year, it brings a variety of stakeholders, from anglers to biologists,
under one roof for up-to-date reports on ecological information, current
initiatives, and future plans. This event could never have been or continue
to be such a great success without the commitment and effort of New York
State Sea Grant and Helen Domske."

³Helen has always brought important Great Lakes fisheries and invasive
species issues and concerns to the attention of our representatives and the
anglers of Erie County and Western New York,² says Paul Stoos, ECFSC Second
Vice-President. 
 
Domske¹s published work ­ papers and conference proceedings on Great Lakes
botulism, invasive species, and other concerns ­ is also recognized by the
angler group.
 
³In 2009, Helen was instrumental in helping our Erie County Federation to
get a meeting with the New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation managers to openly discuss the Lake Erie and Niagara River
transport of baitfish,² adds Stoos.
 
Baitfish regulations in the Great Lakes tightened in 2007 to help prevent
the further spread of viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS), a fish disease
affecting yellow perch, muskellunge, round gobies, smallmouth bass and other
species.
 
Under these new regulations, anglers cannot transport uncertified baitfish
from the Niagara River to other areas of Lake Erie. This has led anglers, up
to this point unsuccessfully, to find alternatives for emerald shiner, the
predominant food and baitfish used to catch yellow perch. In addition, the
supply of live certified bait from other areas is rather limited, expensive
and, most times, not even available.

This summer, Domske will serve another valued user group, New York State
teachers. She will embark on a six-day Lake Ontario workshop from July 25-30
with more than a dozen 4th-10th grade teachers and non-formal educators to
work with scientists on field studies and explore classroom activities
relating to the Great Lakes and ocean sciences.
 
For more on the Lake Ontario workshop, a partnership between the Center for
Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE) Great Lakes and the Great Lakes
Sea Grant Network, go to http://coseegreatlakes.net/events/loew
<http://coseegreatlakes.net/events/loew> .
 
Sea Grant is a nationwide network of 32 university-based programs that work
with coastal communities. The National Sea Grant College Program engages
this network of the nation¹s top universities in conducting scientific
research, education, training, and extension projects designed to foster
science-based decisions about the use and conservation of our aquatic
resources. # # #
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Related Web Sites:
Great Lakes Coastal Youth Education: www.nyseagrant.org/cyeducation
<http://www.nyseagrant.org/cyeducation>
Botulism in Lakes Erie and Ontario: www. www.nyseagrant.org/botulism
<http://www.nyseagrant.org/botulism>


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