[PRESS RELEASE] NM State Parks Recognize National Safe Boating Week - Life jackets save lives! Wear it! - Chalecos Salvavidas Salvan Vidas, Usalos!
Michelle Lujan Grisham, Governor
Melanie A. Kenderdine , Cabinet Secretary Designate
Dylan Fuge, Deputy Cabinet Secretary
Toby Velasquez, State Parks Division Director
Contact:
Wendy Mason
Marketing & Public Relations Manager
NM State Parks Division
wendy.mason@emnrd.nm.gov
505-819-1785
Sidney Hill
Public Information Officer, EMNRD
sidney.hill@emnrd.nm.gov
505-629-2900
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 16, 2024
Life looks good on you. Wear your life jacket!
New Mexico State Parks launches recreational boating season by recognizing National Safe Boating Week, May 18-24
SANTA FE, NM – Your New Mexico State Parks are embarking on the summer recreational boating season with an important and timely message – Life jackets save lives! Wear it!/Chalecos Salvavidas Salvan Vidas, Usalos!
“Annually our State Park Rangers are faced with tragedies on the water involving people who died because they were not wearing a life jacket or were participating in unsafe activities on or near the water,” said Toby Velasquez, State Parks Director. “National Safe Boating Week is an important reminder before the Memorial Day weekend that wearing your life jacket should always be a top priority on New Mexico’s waterways.”
This year, National Safe Boating Week is May 21–27. The National Safe Boating Council (NSBC) sponsors the water safety campaign, which focuses on drawing attention to the number of people who die in boating-related accidents. United States Coast Guard statistics show that each year, approximately 75 percent of boaters who drowned were not wearing life jackets.
“There were ten boating-related fatalities in New Mexico in 2023,” said Manuel Overby, Chief of Law Enforcement and Boating Safety. “It doesn’t matter how old you are or how well you think you can swim. Accidents happen quickly, and if you’re not already wearing a life jacket you won’t have time to put one on.”
Make sure you, your family, and your friends are ready to have the best day on the water by being prepared during National Safe Boating Week, and throughout boating season. Practicing the following steps can save your life and the lives of the people boating with and around you:
Always wear a life jacket.
Designate a sober boat operator.
Dress appropriately for the weather. Wear layers, bring extra sets of clothes in case you get wet, and remember to dress for the water temperature.
File a float plan and always tell someone where you will be boating.
All motorboat, personal watercraft, and sailboat operators born on or after January 1, 1989, must successfully complete a boating safety course to boat in New Mexico.
You must wear a lifejacket while on a canoe, kayak, or stand-up paddleboard.
All children 12 years old and younger must wear a life jacket while on the deck of a moving vessel.
Take a FREE boating safety course and get a FREE vessel check. Call 1-888-NMPARKS ( 1-888-667-2757) or visit www.emnrd.nm.gov/spd/ for details.
Your 35 State Parks are located in 25 of New Mexico’s 33 counties, and 23 of these destinations have a source of water varying from ponds and streams to lakes and rivers. To learn more and to make a reservation, please visit emnrd.nm.com .
Life jackets come in a wide variety of sizes and colors, but they are not “one size fits all.”
Photo: National Safe Boating Council
New Mexico State Park rangers teach boaters the rules of the water and can help you choose the right life jacket. Photo: NM State Parks
New Mexico State Parks is a division of the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department . Our mission is to protect and enhance natural and cultural resources, provide first-class recreational and education facilities and opportunities, and promote public safety to benefit and enrich the lives of visitors.
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The Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department provides resource protection and resource development services to the public and other state agencies. Learn more at https://www.emnrd.nm.gov
Michelle Lujan Grisham, gobernadora
Melanie A. Kenderdine , secretaria de gabinete designada
Dylan Fuge, subsecretario de gabinete
Toby Velásquez, director de la División de Parques Estatales
Contacto:
Wendy Mason
Directora de marketing y relaciones públicas
División de Parques Estatales de NM
wendy.mason@emnrd.nm.gov
505-819-1785
Sidney Hill
Funcionario de información pública, EMNRD
sidney.hill@emnrd.nm.gov
505-629-2900
PARA PUBLICACIÓN INMEDIATA:
16 de mayo de 2024
La vida te sienta bien. ¡Usa el chaleco salvavidas!
Parques Estatales de Nuevo México inicia la temporada de navegación recreativa celebrando la Semana Nacional de Navegación Segura, del 18 al 24 de mayo.
SANTA FE, NM – Parques Estatales de Nuevo México se prepara para comenzar la temporada estival de navegación recreativa con un mensaje importante y oportuno: ¡Los chalecos salvavidas salvan vidas, úsalos! [Life jackets save lives! Wear it!]
Toby Velásquez, director de Parques Estatales comenta: "Cada año nuestros guardaparques estatales se enfrentan a tragedias en el agua que involucran la pérdida de vidas por no llevar puesto un chaleco salvavidas o participar en actividades de riesgo en o cerca del agua. La Semana Nacional de Navegación Segura es un recordatorio importante antes del fin de semana del Día de los Caídos de que el uso del chaleco salvavidas debe ser siempre una prioridad en las vías navegables de Nuevo México".
Este año, la Semana Nacional de Navegación Segura será del 21 al 27 de mayo. El Consejo Nacional de Navegación Segura (NSBC) patrocina la campaña de seguridad en el agua, que se centra en llamar la atención sobre el número de personas que mueren en accidentes relacionados con la navegación. Las estadísticas de la Guardia Costera de los Estados Unidos muestran que cada año, aproximadamente el 75 por ciento de los navegantes que se ahogaron no llevaban puesto el chaleco salvavidas.
"Hubo diez muertes relacionadas con la navegación en Nuevo México en 2023.…