Maryland Welcome to Boating Clinics

The Marine Trades Association of Maryland (MTAM) and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) are organizing two "Welcome to Boating" Clinics in cooperation with the BoatUS Foundation. The clinics will be held May 4 and 6 from 4-7 p.m. at Sandy Point State Park near Annapolis MD.

Recreational boaters and other enthusiasts are invited to join industry professionals to learn and/or refresh boating skills.

The Chesapeake Bay is known for its boats and other pleasure craft. There are over 200,000 registered boats and 12,550 Personal Watercraft (PWC) registered in Maryland.

Maryland Environmental Literacy Requirement

On June 21, 2011, Maryland's State Board of Education provided specific guidance to its public schools to require that each student be environmentally literate before he or she graduates from high school.

Maryland is now the first state in the USA to approve a graduation requirement in environmental literacy. The state school board vote clarifies for schools that each child must receive a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary environmental education that meets the approval of the State Superintendent of Schools.

Maryland' strong environmental literacy stance could potentially reap the state federal funding. Draft legislation known as the No Child Left Inside Act is expected to be reintroduced in Congress. The Act is said to contain provisions that might provide federal funding for environmental literacy programs.

source: Chesapeake Bay Foundation