Providiance, a 121 ft. Fishing Boat at Deak's Wharf
Portland will be the site of a Working Waterways and Waterfronts National Symposium on Water Access at the Spring Street Holiday Inn. The conference runs from Monday, September 27 through Thursday, Sepember 30th.
The event will include a walking tour of the Portland waterfront on Tuesday, September, 28th and end with an address by US Representative Chellie Pingree on Thursday, September 30th. She will charge working waterfront advocates with creating a national strategy for protecting and enhancing access for fishing, boating and marine industries.
The tone of the conference and the charge for those attending is to identify a national strategy for working waterways and waterfronts. Dr. Larry Robinson, deputy admnistrator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and US Senator Susan Collins will be responsible for setting that tone. Robinson, who is familiar with working waterfronts throughout the southeastern US, helps guide policy and program direction for NOAA’s conservation protection and resource management priorities, according to a press release issued yesterday by the Working Waterways and Waterfronts National Symposium. Furthermore, representatives from 21 states will present local and regional solutions for addressing water access challenges.
Other topics to be discussed during the symposium include the effects of natural and human-disasters on commercial fishing access along the Gulf Coast, integrating smart growth elements into waterfront planning and waterfront diversification.
For more information, please contact Catherine Schmitt, 207 – 581-1434, catherine.schmitt@umit.maine.edu