Maryland Rally for Clean Water

Welcome to the "Don't Backtrack on the Bay!" Rally for Clean Water!

We're excited to see you on Lawyer's Mall in Annapolis on February 24. Please register to let us know you're coming!

We will be at Lawyer's Mall with t-shirts, a photo booth, snacks, and poster-making supplies starting at 11:30 a.m.

Please arrive no later than 11:45 a.m. to get a t-shirt, take a photo in our photo booth, and make a poster. A brief program featuring Maryland legislative leaders for clean water will start at 12 noon.

Some helpful tips for a fun rally:

• Dress for success! Wear lots of blue, and arrive early to get a t-shirt. Also, dress appropriately for the weather.
• Bring a homemade sign that reflects why you care about clean water, or arrive early to make one at the rally
• Bring a photo ID so that you can deliver a message to your legislator or attend a hearing later that day. You will need it to get through security in the legislative office buildings to deliver messages to your senator or delegate.

What else is happening that day? At 1:00 pm, a hearing will be held in the Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee on legislation introduced by Senator Paul Pinsky to reduce pollution from agricultural sources. If you are interested in seeing the Maryland General Assembly at work and showing your support for clean water, consider attending the hearing.

Parking and public transportation: Locations for public parking around the State House can be found on this map. You can also park at the Navy Stadium outside of downtown for $5 and take the Navy Blue or State shuttle to the State House for $2. The shuttle runs on a 20-minute interval, so be sure to allow enough time for travel. Further information is available here. Annapolis runs a free Circulator Trolleybetween select downtown locations on a 20-minute interval as well.

If you are coming to the rally from the Eastern Shore, we are arranging bus transportation for those interested. Please register as soon as possible if you would like a ride to the rally.

Eastern Shore bus itinerary:
10:15 a.m.	Depart Easton Walmart 8155 Elliott Road Easton, MD 21601
10:45 a.m.	Pickup additional passengers at Nike Factory Store 441 Outlet Center Drive Queenstown, MD 21658
10:55 a.m.	Depart Nike Factory Store
11:30 a.m.	Drop off passengers at Lawyer's Mall, State House, Annapolis, Maryland
2:00 p.m.	Pick up passengers at Lawyer's Mall, State House, Annapolis, Maryland
2:30 p.m.	Drop off passengers at Nike Factory Store 441 Outlet Center Drive Queenstown, MD 21658
3:15 p.m.	Drop off remaining passengers at Easton Walmart 8155 Elliott Road Easton, MD 21601

Maryland DNR Certifies New Clean Marina in Deale

     Deale, Md. -- Bay Harbor Boatyard, a family run facility on Rockhold Creek off of Herring Bay, has been certified as the newest Maryland Clean Marina.

     “We really wanted to make our place the best it could be, so we decided to go for the Clean Marina Award,” said Co-owner Denise Klein. “The improvements are noticeable as soon as you walk in.” 

     “Our customers are on board too, which is great,” said Co-owner George Klein. 

     To meet award criteria, the Kleins worked with on-site contractors to remove old items stored in the yard, and established stormwater pollution prevention plans and regulations. The marina also maintains a spill response kit and recycles used shrink-wrap. 

     “This is an excellent example of a facility being brought up to modern standards by dedicated owners,” said Program Coordinator Donna Morrow. “We really enjoy working with enthusiastic marina owners who want to help protect our waterways. We encourage others to participate too.” 

     Bay Harbor Boatyard is known for its wooden boat restoration skills and also houses a marine transport trucking company. 

     This is the 123rd certified Maryland Clean Marina. There are a total of 148 certified facilities in the State, including 25 smaller Clean Marina partners. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources oversees the Clean Marina Initiative, a voluntary program that promotes and celebrates efforts of marinas, boatyards and yacht clubs to reduce their pollution.

     Each of the 148 certified facilities has adopted a significant portion of recommendations in the Maryland Clean Marina Guidebook and passed a rigorous site inspection. Certifications are good for three years, at which time DNR staff re-inspects the properties. Marinas and boatyards of any size can participate. 

     More information and free program materials are available by calling 410-260-8773 or visiting dnr.maryland.gov/boating/cleanmarina.

Maryland DNR Certifies New Clean Marina In Hollywood: Blackstone Marina

     Hollywood, Md. -- Blackstone Marina, serving boaters of the Patuxent River on Cuckhold Creek since 1964, has been certified as the latest Maryland Clean Marina.

     “Following the recommendations of the Maryland Clean Marina Guidebook has enabled us to become a very clean marina,” said owner Les Gould. “We have found our boaters are eager to assist us in implementing sound pollution control practices.”

     To meet award criteria, Marina Office Manager Lois Canter created a stormwater pollution prevention plan, wrote marina rules and regulations and devised emergency response procedures. The marina also maintains a pumpout station and an emergency fuel spill response kit.

     “It was a pleasure working with Blackstone Marina to meet the award criteria. Their willingness to do what was needed made the whole process fun,” said Donna Morrow, coordinator of the Clean Marina Program. “We encourage more marinas to join the program with this spirit to help protect our waterways.”

     Blackstone Marina provides boat haul-out and repair services, pumpout service and dockage. In addition to regular slips, the marina also has covered and lift slips for boats from 20 to 40 feet long.

     This is the 123rd certified Maryland Clean Marina. There are a total of 148 certified facilities in Maryland, including 25 smaller Clean Marina partners. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) oversees the Clean Marina Initiative, a voluntary program that promotes and celebrates efforts of marinas, boatyards and yacht clubs to reduce their pollution.

     Each of the 148 certified facilities has adopted a significant portion of recommendations in the Maryland Clean Marina Guidebook and passed a rigorous site inspection. Certifications are good for three years, at which time DNR staff re-inspects the marinas. Marinas and boatyards of any size can participate.

     More information and free program materials are available by calling 410-260-8773 or visiting dnr.maryland.gov/boating/cleanmarina.

MarineMax Gunpowder Cove Earns Clean Marina Status

     Joppa, Md. -- MarineMax, the largest boat dealer network in America, has earned the Maryland Clean Marina award for their Joppa location.

     “By working with our service department and our customers, we now have all areas of the marina involved in the Clean Marina process,” said Manager Jennifer Keller. “We’ve gotten a lot of support from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) staff, which made the process pretty simple.”

     To meet award criteria, MarineMax Gunpowder Cove purchased a fuel spill response kit, educated their customers and outside contractors on green practices and implemented a recycling program for cans, bottles and shrink wrap.

     MarineMax Gunpowder Cove is Maryland’s largest Sea Ray Boat dealer and also serves as a service center. This full-service boating facility stores hundreds of boats both on and off the water, offers a marine sewage pumpout and sells fuel. The area also features play and picnic areas for marina customers and guests.

     This is the 122nd certified Maryland Clean Marina. There are a total of 147 certified facilities in Maryland, including 25 smaller Clean Marina partners. DNR oversees the Clean Marina Initiative, a voluntary program that promotes and celebrates efforts of marinas, boatyards and yacht clubs to reduce their pollution.

     Each of the 147 certified facilities has adopted a significant portion of recommendations in the Maryland Clean Marina Guidebook and passed a rigorous site inspection. Certifications are good for three years, at which time DNR staff re-inspects the marinas. Marinas and boatyards of any size can participate.

     More information and free program materials are available by calling 410-260-8773 or visiting dnr.maryland.gov/boating/cleanmarina.

Maryland DNR Certifies Burr Yacht Sales as Clean Marina

     Edgewater, Md. -- The distinguished Burr Yacht Sales, operating on Selby Bay for nearly 50 years, has been certified as the latest Maryland Clean Marina.

     “Earning the Clean Marina Award was a goal I knew we could achieve, as we always work very hard to keep everything in order,” said Jon Bullock, salesman and marina representative. “Everyone works together and does their part to ensure Burr Yacht Sales runs efficiently as a clean marina.” 

     To meet the award criteria, Burr Yacht Sales’ improvements focused on preparing a good emergency response plan, assembling a fuel spill response kit and sharing information about the location of public recycling tanks for oil and antifreeze. The staff also takes precautions to collect any debris when they work on a boat in the water.

     The marina serves as a “floating showroom” for new and pre-owned Fleming Yachts and customers also bring their boats in for service. Certain repairs or upgrades are performed in the enclosed workshops on site or directly on the boats but the marina does not haul boats for repairs on land. More information on Burr Yacht Sales is available at burryachtsales.com.

     Burr is the 121st certified Maryland Clean Marina. There are a total of 146 certified facilities in Maryland, including 25 other smaller Clean Marina Partners. 

     DNR oversees the Clean Marina Initiative, a voluntary program that promotes and celebrates efforts of marinas, boatyards and yacht clubs to reduce their pollution. Each of the 146 certified facilities has adopted a significant portion of recommendations in the Maryland Clean Marina Guidebook and passed a rigorous site inspection. Certifications are good for three years, at which time DNR staff re-inspects the marinas. Marinas and boatyards of any size can participate. 

     More information and free program materials are available by calling 410-260-8773 or visiting dnr.maryland.gov/boating/cleanmarina .

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.