Office of the Secretary |
Contact: John
Wright
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For Immediate Release: Oct. 28, 2004 |
202-208-6416
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Media Advisory Deputy Interior Secretary Steven Griles to Sign Agreement with Boating Association to Protect Coral Reefs, Seabed Grasses |
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Deputy Secretary of the Interior Steven Griles will sign an agreement with the Boat Owners Association of The United States of America on Friday, Oct. 29, to promote the conservation of coral reefs and seabed grasses through a campaign to educate boaters of the importance of avoiding collisions and groundings and reporting them quickly when they do occur to expedite restoration efforts. Coral reef and seabed are vital to both the marine environment and to the economy of states like Florida. Both provide important fish habitat and reefs protect shorelines from storm damage. In Florida and elsewhere, coral reefs and seabeds have been damaged by pollution, overuse, and collisions and groundings by watercraft. "As a group, boaters
are conservation-oriented and want to protect our waterways and marine
environment, but they need more information on the effects of groundings
and ways to avoid them," Griles said. "The Interior Department
and the Boat Owners Association of The United
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