The Boeing Company awarded a $25,000 grant to St. Mary’s River Watershed Association, enabling the Association to carry on oyster restoration and storm water mitigation projects within the watershed. Volunteers, many from local youth groups and schools, make up the workforce, take ownership of the project, and benefit from hands-on experiences. These personal connections with the natural environment enhance understanding of our place and foster stewardship.
This year through Boeing support, the Association was able to engage 273 volunteers in over 1,000 hours of community service installing rain gardens, manufacturing oyster reef balls, surveying oyster bars, monitoring water quality, and striking and planting six million oysters in the St. Mary’s River oyster sanctuary.
A major focus of Boeing support is to engage diverse communities of youths and youth groups in hands-on experiences and structured education about our environment.
The first big event under the Boeing grant will be in May and we are in the process of recruiting a youth group or groups who will learn about oyster culture and the importance of clean water followed by the planting of a half million, ten-month old oysters. The public will be invited to the St. Mary’s College of Maryland waterfront to witness and participate in this exciting event. The result will be cleaner waters in St. Mary’s River, and ultimately, the Chesapeake Bay.
Boeing Global Corporate Citizenship local community investor, Oscar Ocasio, is usually lending a hand and this is a chance to personally thank Boeing for their extensive support throughout the St. Mary’s County community.
“We are more effective and can inform a greater audience through the support of Boeing Global Corporate Citizenship. Oscar is truly dedicated to making our youth into stewards and productive citizens and we are honored that Boeing has selected the Association to carry on this important work,” said Association Executive Director Bob Lewis.
Since 2004, the St. Mary’s River Watershed Association has stimulated new efforts to protect and enhance the watershed in ways that also revitalize the economic, social, and cultural health of the community.
