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SACRAMENTO, Calif. – California’s Department of Boating and Waterways (DBW) and Coastal Commission’s Boating Clean and Green Program invite boaters to become Dockwalkers. Training is free and Dockwalking is a fantastic way to interact with boaters to help keep California’s marinas, waterways, and ocean clean and healthy.

“It is important for boaters to not only boat safely, but to also implement clean boating practices,” stated DBW’s Acting Director Lucia Becerra. “Safety and protecting the environment go hand in hand.”

The Dockwalker Program educates boaters to be safe and environmentally sound while boating in California through its volunteer Dockwalkers. The volunteers are trained to conduct face-to-face boater education and distribute boater kits with educational information while visiting marinas, boat launch ramps, boat shows and events. Hours spent training or educating the public qualify as community service.

Marinas also benefit from the Dockwalker Program. Involvement in this program provides marinas with the educational materials and tools to operate a clean boating facility and minimize water quality impacts.

To become a volunteer, please contact the program coordinator, Vivian Matuk, at (415) 904-6905 or visit www.BoatingCleanandGreen.com for more details and to view the 2012 Dockwalker Training Schedule.

Partnerships with the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Foundation, the Keep the Delta Clean Program and many more organizations have made this program successful. Since the year 2000, more than 600 volunteers have become Dockwalkers and more than 90,000 boater kits have been distributed throughout California.

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The Boating Clean and Green Program is an education and outreach program conducted through the California Department of Boating and Waterways and California Coastal Commission. The program promotes environmentally-sound boating practices to marine business and boaters.