Since 1999, the BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety & Clean Water has awarded Clean Water Grants to small volunteer groups to support boater education aimed at cleaning up our environment. The total amount of the grants to date is $44,000, and this years grant projects, in areas from Maine to California (see list at bottom), will influence thousands of people on our waterways.
Vanessa Pert, grant administrator for the BoatU.S. Foundation, said this years 14 grant projects were selected from about 70 applications nationwide. Due to a large applicant pool with varied interests, the approved grants include a wide spectrum of programs, from pump-out awareness campaigns and free bilge sock distribution to on-the-water action and childrens activity books.
“This grant program keeps on getting more competitive,” said Pert. “As a result, the projects are increasingly innovative and effective. This is solid evidence of the boating communitys grass roots commitment to clean water.”
Baltimore County Sailing Center; Baltimore, Maryland: to conduct an on-the-water research program to collect and identify non-point source pollution in the Herring Run watershed.
Baltimore Yacht Club; Baltimore, Maryland: for the “Leading the Way for Clean Water on the Chesapeake Bay” campaign from the Clubs fuel dock.
Deep Creek Yacht Club; Brooklyn, New York: to implement a “Green Boating Initiative” pledge campaign in the Gateway National Recreation Area.
Junior Sailing Association of Long Island Sound; Larchmont, New York: to distribute prizes to junior sailors who exhibit environmentally-sensitive behavior while boating.
Liberty Yacht Club; Jersey City, New Jersey: to implement a spring clean up event at the waters edge of Liberty State Park as part of the “Keep the Harbor Clean!” campaign.
Maine Marine Trade Association; Portland, Maine: to implement the “Fill Dont Spill” campaign for Maine marinas and boaters.
North Chickamauga Creek Conservancy; Hixson, Tennessee: for a clean boating campaign in the North Chickamauga Creek watershed.
Save the Sound; Manhasset, New York: to partner with the Manhasset Bay Protection Committee to distribute bilge socks with flyers on clean boating tips.
Schooner Sound Learning; New Haven, Connecticut: to produce “Seven Sound Tips” brochures for anglers, sailors and power boaters to compliment their “Dirty Dozen” traveling displays of marine debris.
Shark River Cleanup Coalition; Neptune City, New Jersey: to produce brochures to educate boaters about “no discharge” zones, pump-out locations, and non-point pollution.
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla 7-3; Cleveland, Ohio: to produce “Officer Snook Water Pollution” activity books for children to address environmental issues specific to the Great Lakes watershed.
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla 87; Lake Anna, Virginia: to use signs to educate boaters about trash disposal and pump-out laws.
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary – Division 3, District 11 North; Northern California: to partner with the City of Sacramento to produce brochures to identify area pump-out locations and local contact numbers.
U.S. Power Squadrons, District 13; Los Angeles, California to Salt Lake City, Utah: to produce pamphlets to acquaint boaters in the Los Angeles area with their impact on local environmental conditions.
Funding for the Clean Water Grants Program comes from donations from the 530,000 members of BoatU.S., the largest organization of recreational boaters in the world. For more information or to receive a 2003 application in the fall, visit www.BoatUS.com/cleanwater/grants or call (410) 897-0949.
