Volunteers "Walk the Docks" and Clean the Beach

It is not a national holiday and it is probably not on your calendar, but the 2^nd Saturday in August is National Marina Day. On this day every year, marinas and communities across the country celebrate "America's Gateways to Boating".

In advance of National Marina Day 2009, Puget Soundkeeper Alliance trained four volunteer teams of "Dockwalkers" to conduct clean boating outreach. These teams participated in Soundkeeper Volunteer trainings with PSA staff which provided them with information on boating and the environment. In 2008, these teams traveled the docks at four participating marinas to educate boaters in how to protect the environment while enjoying their usual boating activities. The volunteers included longtime PSA volunteers, Shilshole Bay Marina liveaboards, as well as several teams of Beachwatchers who had graduated from a volunteer program offered by Washington State University-Extension.

A total of 260 boaters completed a Clean Boating Awareness Survey and received free Clean Boating Kits to help them protect water quality while aboard their boats. These kits contained PSA's acclaimed Sound Information: A Boater's Guide and a special oil absorbent pad (absorbs oil and not water) as well as a number of other boater safety items.Throughout the 2008 summer, another 325 boaters received kits through booths at five marina events: the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival, Bell Harbor Marina's Clean and Safe Boating Day, Shilshole Marina's National Night Out Celebration, Des Moines Marina's Safety on the Sound and the Oak Harbor Marina Fair.

Contact the PSA office if you would like to participate in an upcoming event or learn more about how to boat more cleanly: 206-297-7002 or volunteer@pugetsoundkeeper.org