Long-time Michigan Boating Industries Association (MBIA) director of communications Nicki Polan has been named interim executive director of the organization.
“We are very pleased Nicki has accepted the position,” says MBIA chairman of the board Jim Coburn, of Coburn & Associations. “Nicki has been with MBIA for 24 years and has in-depth knowledge of our industry, our members, our boat shows, and our programs.”
Great Lakes News
GLC Puts Kibosh on Aquatic Invasive Species Sales
The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) recently received a $400,000 grant through the U.S. EPA-led Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to develop a web-crawling software to assess the availability of aquatic invasive species for purchase online — and identify sellers of those species.
Intentional and unintentional releases of live organisms that are bought and sold for use in aquariums, nurseries, water gardens, aquaculture, as live bait and for other uses can adversely affect the Great Lakes.
Presently, little is being done to prevent invasive species from being imported, traded or released into the Great Lakes via the internet.
With its grant, GLC will develop a web crawler to search online for invasive species. Sellers of such species will be identified and contacted with information on relevant regulations and potential risks, as well as care and disposal alternatives they can share with customers to minimize risk.
For more information, visit glc.org.
