Clean Water Grants Awarded

Boat/US Magazine, Sept, 2000

The Boat U.S. Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water is once again supporting innovative, "grass roots" community projects around the country that help improve the marine environment.

While dozens of proposals were sent in for the 2000 environmental grants, the Foundation has awarded a total of $11,163 to fund 11 community clean boating projects. The projects selected are:

* The Earth Girls, Rochester, NY -- To help this 4-H club conduct four activities: an annual environmental art contest for boaters; storm drain stenciling near marinas; participation in an Environmental Fair; and a coastal cleanup with boaters along the shoreline of Lake Ontario.

* East Lincoln Betterment Association, Denver, NC -- To install recycling centers for use by boaters and fishermen at boat launching sites on Lake Norman.

* Estero Bay Buddies, Ft. Myers Beach, FL -- To purchase 1,000 litter bags that will be distributed with environmental education materials to boaters as part of the organization's "Monofilament Madness" day.

* Golden Triangle Water Safety Council, Columbus, MS -- To purchase 5,000 brightly colored trash bags with environmental messages to hand out to boaters.

* Great Lakes Historical Society, Vermilion, OH -- To develop a marker buoy system near shipwrecks in Lake Erie to help boaters avoid anchoring on historically significant sites.

* Lake Powell Yacht Club, Lake Powell, AZ -- To produce full-color posters for installation on trash cans at launch ramps, docks, and marinas on Lake Powell, that emphasize the importance of keeping the beaches and lake pollution-free.

* Lancaster/Morattico Watershed Partnership, Farnham, VA -- To conduct a cleanup that will remove debris from Lancaster and Morattico creeks.

* Philadelphia Wooden Boat Factory, Philadelphia, PA -- To work with inner-city youth to design and print 250 color posters with environmental messages that will be distributed at marinas, boating supply stores and public boating facilities.

* Reedville Fisherman's Museum, Reedville, VA -- To conduct a workshop that teaches participants how to build oyster floats, seed them with oysters and maintain them to grow oyster beds in the lower Chesapeake Bay.

* San Joaquin Delta Power Squadron, Stockton, CA -- To purchase 5,000 trash bags with environmental messages to hand out to boaters and fishermen at the docks from Stockton to South Bay in San Francisco.

* Waukegan Citizens Advisory Group, Waukegan, IL -- To obtain 150 oil, trash, and "Save the Great Lakes" pollution decals to hand out to boaters.

The Boat U.S. Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water is a nonprofit, tax exempt (501-c3) organization dedicated to promoting environmentally smart boating. For more information on any of its programs, call 703-823-9550, ext. 3824 or go to the Boat U.S. Web page, www.boatus.com/cleanwater.>

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