Boating Safety Instructors Wanted

If you love boating, like to help others and have experience teaching or presenting information to students of all ages, then you may be just what the Oregon State Marine Board is looking for.

"We're going to have some 250,000 boaters needing to qualify for their boater education card in the next decade," says Kendra Callahan, Mandatory Boater Education Program Coordinator for the Marine Board. "So, obviously, we're going to need instructors to help us teach them. We're building our volunteer core now and will hold instructor training courses across the state in 2002. If you've got the interest and the basic qualifications, we'd love to have your help."

Prospective instructors will need to submit an application, pass a basic background check and provide references. Once they pass their instructor training course, they will be responsible for training boaters in their community. "Instructors are in charge of the course from start to finish. We provide all the materials to our volunteer core – teachers guide, visual aids and video – but the teacher plans, organizes and advertises the class, then teaches and tests."

Callahan says applicants will need to be boat-savvy, have their boater education card, and have 60 hours of some kind of teaching experience, preferably in teaching a variety of age groups. "We're really hoping to get volunteer instructors from across the state – especially in some of the smaller, more remote regions where other boating safety organizations don't currently offer boating safety courses," says Callahan.

For information on the program or to download the application information, check the Marine Board web site at www.boatoregon.com, or call Callahan at (503) 373-1405 x272. To be eligible for the course, you must have submitted an instructor application form and have received notification of approval. The Instructor Training Course costs $15 and runs from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. the following days:

Saturday, Jan. 5, 2002. Madras
Friday, Jan. 25, 2002 Salem
Saturday, Feb. 23, 2002 Medford
Saturday, March 23, 2002 Warrenton
Saturday, April 20, 2002 Newport
Saturday, June 8, 2002 La Grande
Saturday, Aug. 17, 2002 Bend
Saturday, Oct. 19, 2002 Coos Bay
Saturday, Nov. 16, 2002 Salem

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Marine Board Meets in Portland Jan. 8

The Oregon State Marine Board will meet at the Portland Exposition Center on Tuesday, Jan. 8 for their regular meeting. The meeting will be held at the Portland Expo Center – E Hall, Smithsonian Building, at 10 a.m. prior to the daily opening of the Portland Boat Show.

The meeting agenda follows:

Final report on state boat registration program – Staff will present the findings from a Board-directed study of policies, practices and experiences of other states in registering non-motorized boats. Informational, no action.
Facility Program Report
Law Enforcement Program Report
Education/Information Program Report

The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. in the Smithsonian Building of the Expo Center, located near Delta Park and Marine Drive off Interstate 5. The meeting facility is accessible for persons with disabilities. Persons needing some form of assistance to participate in this meeting due to a disability should contact Jill Andrick at (503) 373-1405, ext. 243, by Friday, Jan. 4. Persons wishing to address the Board on non-agenda items may do so during a designated period at the start of the meeting.

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