Crown Pointe Marina, the family-owned, full service marina that is “Your Gateway to the Bay,” is one of ten marinas on the Chesapeake to receive a $500 cigarette and cigar litter clean-up grant.
The grant enables Crown Pointe Marina to continue beautifying and improving the health of its local waterways. The marina is also one of the only private marinas working in partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation for its annual Clean the Bay Day, and maintains an on-site oyster nursery.
Shelley Abel, Crown Pointe Marina’s Office Manager, used the grant to set up a prominent “Don’t Flick Your Butts” display immediately inside the Ship’s Store. “Almost everyone comes in and says, ‘What’s this?’,” she said, which she uses as an opportunity to explain about tobacco pollution.
Contrary to popular belief, cigarette butts—which in 2010 represented 31% of all trash collected from American beaches and inland waterways—do not naturally biodegrade, but are actually made of a plastic called “cellulose acetate” that can kill marine organisms and leach toxins. Paying for cleanup is costly for taxpayers and our local governments. Because marinas are so close to waterways, they have an important role in removal, prevention and education.
The BoatUS $500 Cigarette Litter Clean Up Grant is a partnership between the Boat US Foundation for Boating Safety & Clean Water and Keep America Beautiful, a national nonprofit that helps individuals take a greater role in caring for their local communities. The Virginia Marine Trades Association promotes the opportunity to its members in the state.
Crown Pointe has been a Virginia Clean Marina since 2007.