Maritime Museum will be Free in February

Thanks to generous sponsor support, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum will be offering free admission Monday through Friday during the month of February. Free admission covers access to the entire museum, including the working boatyard and 1879 Hooper Strait Lighthouse, as well as numerous permanent and changing exhibitions along CBMM’s waterfront campus in historic St. Michaels, Md.

The Free in February program includes President’s Day and is only made possible through the generous sponsor support of the Talbot Bank and Awful Arthur’s of St. Michaels, Md. February museum guests will also receive a discount card offer for 15% off all meals at Awful Arthur’s through March 15, 2016.

“Winter offers a great time to explore our 12 exhibition buildings and beautiful campus, especially while enjoying the town’s great restaurants, shops, hotels and inns,” said CBMM’s President Kristen Greenaway. “We have a great number of inside exhibitions for all ages to enjoy, the waterfowl are abundant along a quieter harbor and the Miles River, and you can see great things happening in our boatyard as education programs and the restoration of our historic fleet of Chesapeake vessels ramp up in the colder months.”

Guests can also take in CBMM 50th anniversary exhibition, A Broad Reach: 50 Years of Collecting, which features 50 significant objects that have been accessioned into the museum’s collection over the past 50 years, and is presented on both floors of the Steamboat Building. The exhibition will be closing to the public in 2016.

Admission will be free weekdays in February for all museum guests. General admission is otherwise good for two consecutive days and is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and students with ID, $6 for children 6-17, and free for museum members and children five and under. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week, except for Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. Inclement weather closings are announced on the museum’s website at www.cbmm.org.

Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2015, CBMM is the only museum in the world preserving and exploring the history, environment, and people of the entire Chesapeake Bay. For more information, call 410-745-2916 or visit www.cbmm.org.

Maryland DNR to Help Fund Boatyard Wash-Water System Upgrades

From the Maryland Department of Resources

Application Deadline May 18

     Annapolis, Md. -- The Maryland Clean Marina Initiative is providing a select number of boatyards and marinas with funds to develop wash-water treatment and disposal solutions that will comply with new State mandates to help protect water quality and underwater life.

     “Our goal is to help facility owners get a jump start on upcoming environmental standards and ensure that we continue to safeguard our waters,” said Donna Morrow, coordinator of the Clean Marina Program.

     Most pressure wash-water contains dissolved copper, zinc and lead from the antifouling paints used on most boats. The Maryland Department of the Environment’s General Permit for Discharges from Marinas 10-MA greatly restricts the amount of dissolved metals boatyards may discharge into State waters beginning March 2015. Although boatyards have long been required to filter wash-water for visible solids ─ such as paint chips and debris ─ this is the first time such restrictions have been put into the permit. 

     The Clean Marina Program will be able to fund engineering services to approximately 15 boatyards. Once applications are received, an engineer will visit selected sites this summer, discuss wash-water treatment and disposal options and provide written reports to the marinas. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will then choose the facilities that will benefit most from the funding.

     This assistance program aims to help boatyard operators make informed decisions with guidance from an unbiased, professional engineer. These engineers can help design concrete wash pads for facilities without one and discuss discharge to sewer or recycling systems. They will also create guidance documents that the Clean Marina Program can use to help boatyards that are not selected for a site visit and individual report. 

     The deadline to apply for assistance is May 18. Decisions will be announced by mail the week of June 4. Criteria include financial need and participation in the Clean Marina Initiative. More information and applications for the free design assistance are located at dnr.state.md.us/boating/cleanmarina. 

     DNR oversees the Clean Marina Initiative, a voluntary program that promotes and celebrates efforts of marinas, boatyards and yacht clubs to reduce their pollution. More information and free program materials are available by calling 410-260-8773 or visiting dnr.maryland.gov/boating/cleanmarina.