The Lake George Association has received a grassroots grant from the BoatU.S. Foundation worth $3,950. Using this grant funding, the LGA will launch a new clean boating program next spring.
“The cumulative actions of boaters can dramatically affect water quality when clean boating practices are followed, so it’s important for each boater to share responsibility for keeping the Lake clean,” said Kristen Rohne, the LGA’s watershed educator.
Under the new program, boaters will sign a pledge stating that they will be a clean boater and will receive an LGA guide to clean boating practices, including recommendations for fueling, oil in the bilge, sewage, cleaning, hazardous wastes, trash and aquatic invasive species. Safe boating and special navigation rules for Lake George will also be addressed in the guide. Participants will receive spill prevention materials and will be recognized on the LGA website.
“This highly competitive, annual grant program is designed to help nonprofit groups and associations spread the message about safe and clean boating practices at the grass roots level. Working with local boating nonprofits enables us to focus on issues specific to local waterways,” said Alana Keating, grant coordinator for the BoatU.S. Foundation. This year’s grant program attracted 150 applications from around the country and the LGA was one of only 11 that received funding. Since 1988, the Foundation has awarded over $1,000,000 in grants to fund projects that promote responsible boating on a local level. A list of all 11 recipients, as well as grant applications and guidelines are available online at www.BoatUS.com/Foundation.
The BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit education and research organization primarily funded by the voluntary contributions of the 600,000 members of
BoatU.S. The Foundation operates more than a dozen programs including the only accredited, free, online general boating safety course, a low-cost EPIRB rental program, the “Help Stop the Drops” national clean fueling campaign, a free kid’s Life Jacket Loaner Program, and has awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants for nonprofit groups for boating safety and environmental projects.