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NASBLA Annual Conference 2011 Preview: Great Milwaukee Restaurant September 14, 2010

Posted by Matt Long in Uncategorized.
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The following article is reprinted from LandLopers.com, a travel site with reviews and tips for the average person – from the novice to pro traveler.

Knowing that I was headed to Milwaukee for business, a friend made me promise to try Mader’s Restaurant, a classic German eatery.

For more than 100 years, Mader’s has been serving up traditional German food, and it looks it. The restaurant is a mish-mosh of the kitschy and expected, but it works! The dark interior has the feel of a castle banquet room as it welcomes the scores of customers who find their way here every day.

The lunch menu was surprisingly hearty and making a decision was exceedingly complicated. I chose the sauerbraten and schnitzel, with a roasted chicken soup as a starter. Accompanying the meal was perhaps the best pretzel roll I’ve ever had. It was small, warm and as fluffy as pretzel bread can be.

The soup was an odd assortment of roasted chicken, homemade noodles, and a random mix of veggies. The soup was fine, except the noodles weren’t completely cooked and the broth had a fairly unpleasant aftertaste. But I wasn’t worried by this, I knew the true delicacies were on their way.

Sauerbraten is basically a marinated roast beef. It was a new dish for me and I wasn’t sure what to expect. It reminded me of a sweet BBQ. The meat was drenched in a strange ginger snap sauce that left me wondering if it was good or not. The schnitzel was excellent and it is evident that it is their showpiece. Unfortunately, the strange ginger snap sauce ended up drowning the schnitzel and the spaetzle, so the entire meal ended up having the flavor of the sauerbraten.

Given all this, please don’t get the wrong idea – I loved it! Even with the ginger snap debacle, the meal was excellent and the kitsch is what makes a German restaurant memorable. We WANT to see giant beer mugs and Black Forest wood carvings. It comes with the territory.

Mader’s has withstood the test of time and is a true Milwaukee landmark. If you like good, hearty Bavarian staples, make your way to this quaint example of Old Europe.

Mader’s Restaurant
1037 North Old World 3rd Street
Milwaukee, WI 53203

Day 2 NASBLA Conference Photo Highlights September 13, 2010

Posted by Matt Long in Photos.
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Duke Kahanamoku Statue, O'ahu

BLA Workshop

Vann Burgess, USCG

NASBLA Business Meeting

Waikiki Sunset

New NASBLA President Elected September 13, 2010

Posted by Matt Long in Conference Highlights, Daily Wrap-ups.
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At the NASBLA Business Meeting on Sunday, September 12th, the new slate of NASBLA officers were elected by a quorum of the NASBLA membership. Elected as the new NASBLA President for the 2010-2011 term was Mr. Jim Graybeal of the Delaware Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control.

Jim Graybeal graduated from Frostburg State University in 1979 with a bachelor of science degree in recreation and parks management. In 2002, he graduated from Wilmington College with dual master of science degrees in public administration and human resource management.

NASBLA President Mr. Jim Graybeal

Jim joined the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control in 1982 as a seasonal manager of a boat livery operation. He soon accepted a full-time position with the park maintenance staff then was promoted to assistant park superintendent in 1984. In May 1985, Jim graduated from the Delaware State Police Academy, and in November he became a park superintendent. In 1996, Jim became chief of enforcement for the Division of Fish and Wildlife, becoming the state’s boating law administrator.

In August 1997, Jim was elected as a member-at-large for the Northern Association of Boating Administrators (NABA). He served as NABA president and as a member of the NASBLA Executive Board in 2002. Jim chaired NASBLA’s Law Enforcement Committee in 2005 and 2006. He was elected as a member-at-large on NASBLA’s Executive Board in 2006. He was elected Vice President in 2009 and President in 2010.

Also elected to the NASBLA Executive Board:

CAPT. MIKE FIELDS, NASBLA VICE PRESIDENT
TOBY VELASQUEZ, NASBLA TREASURER
COL. TERRY WEST, NASBLA PAST PRESIDENT
HERB ANGELL, NASBLA MEMBER–AT-LARGE
KEVIN BERGERSEN, NASBLA MEMBER–AT-LARGE
ELEANOR MARIANI, NASBLA MEMBER–AT-LARGE

Day 1 NASBLA Conference Photo Highlights September 13, 2010

Posted by Matt Long in Daily Wrap-ups, Photos.
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Registration Area

Registration Desk

Surfers at Waikiki Beach

Vessel Identification Registration & Titling Committee

Exhibitors Setting Up

Enforcement and Training Committee

Engineering, Reporting and Analysis Committee

Hawaiian Music at the Hotel

NASBLA Committee Reports September 13, 2010

Posted by Matt Long in Conference Highlights, Daily Wrap-ups.
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On Saturday, September 11, the NASBLA Committees reported out their progress for the 2009-2010 year. This year marks the first time NASBLA has gone paperless and all committee work product can now be found online at the 2010 NASBLA Committee Products Page.

Enforcement and Training

Sunday, September 12: Day Agenda September 12, 2010

Posted by Matt Long in Conference Highlights.
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Conference Agenda – Sunday, September 12

7:30 am – 4:00 pm – Registration Open
Ballroom Foyer

7:30 am – 3:00 pm – Exhibits Open (morning coffee)
Maui Ballroom

8:00 am – 11:00 am – BLA Workshop
Molokai Room

11:00 am – 12:30 pm – Lunch (on your own)

1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – NASBLA Business Meeting
Molokai Room

8:00 pm – 10:00 pm – Networking
Hospitality Suite

Saturday – September 11: Day Agenda and What to Expect September 11, 2010

Posted by Matt Long in Conference Highlights, Daily Wrap-ups.
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Conference Agenda – Saturday, September 11

8:00 am – 4:00 pm – Registration Open
Ballroom Foyer

10:00 am – 2:30 pm – FY-10 Committee Briefings
Kauai Ballroom

10:00–10:30 – Vessel Identification, Registration & Titling
10:30–11:00 – Enforcement & Training
11:00–12:00 – Engineering, Reporting & Analysis
12:00–1:30 – Lunch (on your own)
1:30–2:00 – Government Affairs
2:00–2:30 – Education & Awareness

Noon – 1:30 pm – Lunch (on your own)

1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Spouse/Guest Welcome
Niihau Room

3:00 pm – 4:00 pm – National Safe Boating Council General Membership Meeting
Kahuku Room

4:00 pm – 5:30 pm – Opening Ceremonies
Kauai Ballroom

5:30 pm – 6:30 pm – President’s Reception
Maui Ballroom

8:00 pm – 10:00 pm – Networking
Hospitality Suite – Room 3036

What To Expect – Sunday, September 12

7:30 am – 4:00 pm – Registration Open
Ballroom Foyer

7:30 am – 3:00 pm – Exhibits Open (morning coffee)
Maui Ballroom

8:00 am – 11:00 am – BLA Workshop
Molokai Room

11:00 am – 12:30 pm – Lunch (on your own)

1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – NASBLA Business Meeting
Molokai Room

8:00 pm – 10:00 pm – Networking
Hospitality Suite

State of Hawaii Presents NASBLA with Unique Gift September 10, 2010

Posted by Matt Long in Conference Highlights.
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Prior to the beginning of the NASBLA Executive Board Meeting, Ed Underwood, Boating Law Administrator for the State of Hawaii made a special presentation to the association.

Ed, on behalf of the State of Hawaii and the Department of Land and Natural resources, presented John Johnson and Terry West with a unique gift commemorating our 50th Anniversary celebration.

The display was designed specifically to commemorate the 2010 NASBLA Conference in Hawaii and is framed with a native hardwood called Koa, a prized, indigenous hardwood that the early Polynesians used to build their voyaging canoes. Guided by skilled navigators reading the stars, winds and ocean currents, these vessels traversed thousands of miles of uncharted ocean and were used to populate the far reaches of the South Pacific. In modern times, they have come to symbolize the quest for new horizons, unexplored territory, knowledge and adventure.

Incorporated into the display is a Kukui nut lei, a symbol of nobility to native Hawaiians. The leaves and branches of its parent tree, shown in the background of the panel, were used for healing. Rich oil extracted from the meaty, edible nut was often used to finish canoe hulls and protect the wood from the elements. The Kukui has long been a source of medicine, food and light in Hawaiian culture. Once ignited, the flesh of its oily nut burned slowly like the wick of a candle, lighting the darkness for the ancients. Because of its importance to the early settlers of Hawaii and its association with illumination and enlightenment, the Kukui serves as Hawaii’s State Tree.

The Executive Board on behalf of the entire association was deeply honored and moved by the ceremony and presentation of the display, which will hold a place of honor in NASBLA’s Headquarters in Lexington, KY.