The Buffalo-Niagara region's newest regatta, the North American Championships of the Beneteau, is expected to generate more than $400,000 in economic activity, according to a report in today's Buffalo News. It's also elevating the Great Lakes' reputation as a destination for thrill-seekers and business executives alike who prize the region's unmatched water-based way of life, according to Tom Kucharski, president of Buffalo Niagara Enterprise.
Not bad for a four-day event expected to attract some 40 boats.
Just think what the region's yachting industry could do if the Buffalo River wasn't designated as one of America's most polluted waterways and the waterfronts and harbor were places for people instead of garbage and abandoned factories.
The real potential of Buffalo's boating business - and those of countless cities on the shores of America's Great Lakes - illustrates how an investment in Great Lakes restoration will likely result in profound and long-lasting economic, environmental, and cultural benefits.
