‘Keep Big Lake Clean’ is catching on

BIG LAKE — The Clean Boating on Big Lake program continues to make a big splash. The program, now in its third season, has been a good first step in educating recreational users of Big Lake about some simple and common-sense ways to help keep gas and oil out of the lake. These include draining your boat’s bilge on land instead of in or near the lake, fueling your boat or personal watercraft before you launch, away from the water, and using an absorbent pad to catch your drips.

This is the third year of a grant from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation with Cook Inletkeeper, and the continuing outreach effort has been a resounding success. Community members have been very receptive to the effort. The “Keep Big Lake Clean” boating kits include a variety of useful and educational items for those who like to recreate on the lake, with tips on how we can all do our part to keep our small leaks and spills out of the lake.

Outreach for the Clean Boating on Big Lake program will continue throughout this summer and will focus on promoting environmentally friendly boating practices by users on busy holiday weekends and around boat launch sites. The Clean Boating outreach is particularly important over long weekends like Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day.

Boaters and water sports enthusiasts want to protect our shared water resources, and now they are receiving some free, helpful ways to do so. The support is building on the success of the past two summers, and keeping Big Lake clean is catching on.

We hope to see you out there this summer, enjoying Big Lake and helping to keep it clean.

For more information, or to volunteer, contact Catherine Inman at 841-2226, or visit inletkeeper.org/clean-water/clean-boating/biglake.