Water Safety Education
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Recruitment Campaign
Tips for Boaters
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Sauk Prarie Elementary School Students Learn about Water Safety

Year-long program educates youth in invasive species, pollution and safety

Students and teachers with parents of Grand Avenue and Spruce Street Elementary schools of the Sauk Prairie School District enjoyed a day at August Derleth Park in Sauk City, culminating a year of activities for the buddies before the end of this school year.

Over this past year, the older elementary school students assisted younger elementary school buddies during field trips. They discovered architecture and Frank Lloyd Wright. They hiked down along the Wisconsin River by Ferry Bluff and then walked the Wisconsin Heights Battle Site of the Black Hawk War.

For their last field trip of the school year, more than 90 students planted native plants along the riverwalk trail, continuing a prairie restoration project begun by previous classes. Some of these students were the lower elementary school buddies at that time.

They played games, did some art work, evaluated their year and found out about invasive species, water safety, pollution and some basic boat safety. They were also introduced to America's Waterway Watch.

School counselors and teachers handled the art, games and evaluation. Sue Kenney of WDNR presented invasive species of the land and taught the prairie planting portion. Ed Burns, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, assisted by Donna Stehling, presented water safety, man overboard drills, spoke about the importance of wearing a life jacket and taught some line handling “tricks” for docking two boats on one cleat. As part of Waterway Watch, Burns presented invasive species of the water, a runoff demo and the lifetime of litter.

Teachers and counselors expressed great satisfaction in the presentations and want to continue the experience, because so much is hands-on, during the school year; most of this rural district’s children live near lakes, the river or creeks, ponds and streams. Pollution, runoff and water safety education are concerns of parents and teachers.

During May, river awareness month, many of these students participate in the annual river clean up. Invasive species control has been incorporated into river clean up and participants collected more than 2 tons of garlic mustard this year. River clean up is a SP River PAL project, assisted by families, conservation groups, scouts, church groups, 4-H, Friends of the Lower Wisconsin, church groups, the WDNR and the U.S.Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Zebra mussels, rusty crabs, jumping carp, Euroasian milfoil, even pretty purple loosestrife are invaders that threaten biodiversity, a big word these students can define. Students learned how to prevent moving invaders from one place to another. The WDNR provided identification cards for students to take home and share with family. (PHOTO BY DONNA STEHLING)

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PRESS RELEASE: February 1, 2008

Auxiliary Unveils Recruitment Program Aimed at Prior Service Members and Law Enforcement Personnel

MADISON, WI – Division Nine of the Ninth District-Western Region of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary based in Madison is launching a new recruiting effort to tap into a market that has traditionally been uncommitted when returning from active duty. The new effort will also target rural law enforcement agencies in an effort to offer federal training opportunities with membership in the Auxiliary.

Dubbed “Member First,” the program targets recently returned active-duty soldiers with the advent of not being a veterans program, but a corp of uniformed volunteers that actively supports the mission of the U.S. Coast Guard. This is a benefit to many returning service members who enjoyed the camaraderie during military service. In addition, service members get to work where they live, not live where they work, allowing all members to select a local station, or Flotilla, that is close to home and their full-time job.

“The Division hopes to double it’s size this year,” said Robert Redenius, Division Captain for the Ninth Division U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. “Of those, the Auxiliary hopes to see as many as half of them in leadership positions in 2009.”

“I think a lot of soldiers will like the opportunity to continue to serve their nation, in a volunteer capacity, while serving their community as well,” said Ed Moffat, Division Staff Officer for Communications Services, and retired Navy veteran. “The advantage the Auxiliary has over a traditional veterans association is that we’re offering them both options in a manner that really benefits them.”

Recruiting officials look forward to the active-duty soldier turned uniformed volunteer promoting the Auxiliary to people they know returning home from active duty as an option to continue the friendships they started while in the service.

Division Nine members reported 5,127 volunteer hours served covering an area of approximately 5,516 square miles. They saved over $147,500 in property and over 35 persons were assisted by the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary members on South Central Wisconsin waterways.

Rounding out the recruiting program is the Auxiliary focus of reaching out to rural municipal law enforcement and informing them of the advantages of Federal training provided by the Auxiliary to their personal lives and professional career development.

"I want to thank all of you who volunteer your time in the Coast Guard Auxiliary to serve this great County." Dane County Sheriff Mahoney said,"I'm biased, of course, but I know the high quality of life that we enjoy here in Dane County is due, in part, to the selfless commitment of our residents, like you, willing to donate their time to the betterment of the community."

The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary is composed of uniformed, non-military volunteer's who assist the Coast Guard in all of its varied missions, except for military and direct law enforcement. These men and women can be found on the nation's waterways, in the air, in classrooms and on the dock, performing Maritime Domain Awareness patrols, safety patrols, vessel safety checks and public education.

The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary was founded in 1939 by an Act of Congress as the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve and re-designated as the Auxiliary in 1941. Its 30,000 members donate millions of hours annually in support of Coast Guard missions.

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U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Recommends to Boaters: Know Before You Go
US Coast Guard Auxiliary News

With boating season staring up for many of America’s boaters, the Coast Guard Auxiliary is urging America’s boaters to start thinking about taking one of many boating courses offered by the Auxiliary to enhance their boating skills.

Courses offered range from the most basic boating safety course, to advanced navigation courses. These courses are offered all across America by local units of the Coast Guard Auxiliary (called flotillas).

For non-boaters who might some day find themselves out with a boating friend who is suddenly incapacitated, the three hour Suddenly In Command course provides the non-boater with enough information to deal with an emergency that incapacitates the captain of recreational boat, such as getting help by radio, what to do in case of fire, boat basics, using life jackets, how to survive if in the water, avoiding collisions while at the helm, the dangers of carbon monoxide, and how to get help other than by radio.

America’s Boating Course and Boating Skills and Seamanship generally satisfy state boater education requirements, and, in that they are given in person by Auxiliarists with years of boating experience, offer boaters wisdom gleaned from hundreds and sometimes thousands of hours on the water.

For boaters wishing to learn principles of navigation, courses range from the basic How To Read A Nautical Chart, to GPS for Mariners to the advanced Weekend Navigator course.

To find about boating courses, please visit the Boater Education page.

The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary is composed of uniformed, non-military volunteer's who assist the Coast Guard in all of its varied missions, except for military and direct law enforcement. These men and women can be found on the nation's waterways, in the air, in classrooms and on the dock, performing Maritime Domain Awareness patrols, safety patrols, vessel safety checks and public education.

The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary was founded in 1939 by an Act of Congress as the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve and re-designated as the Auxiliary in 1941. Its 30,000 members donate millions of hours annually in support of Coast Guard missions.

For more information on the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, visit us at www.cgaux.org.