Provided

New York Sea Grant Great Lakes Coastal Recreation and Tourism Specialist David G. White was among those attending the invitation-only White House Community Leaders Briefing on the Great Lakes Region, Feb. 29.

David G. White, New York Sea Grant Great Lakes coastal recreation and tourism specialist, was among the 80 invited guests at the White House Community Leaders Briefing on the Great Lakes Region Feb 29.

The event was a discussion of administration policies in the Great Lakes region, which included remarks on business development and jobs by U.S. Secretary of Commerce John Bryson.

Said White at the discussion: "We need to raise awareness of the value of the 'mom and pop' businesses on the waterfront and on the bay front that are the lifeblood of our coastal communities, and of the recreational and economic opportunities represented by our National Scenic Byways. For example, the Great Lakes Seaway Trail attracts domestic and international visitors to the 518 miles of shoreline along the St. Lawrence River, Lake Ontario, the Niagara River and Lake Erie in two Great Lakes states: New York and Pennsylvania."

New York Sea Grant is one of 32 university-based programs under National Sea Grant College Program of the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and is a cooperative program of the State University of New York and Cornell.

The briefing was hosted by the White House Council on Environmental Quality and the Office of Public Engagement.