Homer Alaska - News -

Story last updated at 9:34 PM on Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies gets $40,000 grant



BY MICHAEL ARMSTRONG
STAFF WRITER

When it comes to walking the talk, the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies can point to not just boots-on-the-beach, but tons of marine debris collected during its annual CoastWalk monitoring programs. Last year, 397 volunteers collected 814 pounds of debris. Challenge grants to nine groups resulted in 100 miles of beach cleaned and 12,665 pounds of debris collected.

That record paid off this month when the Homer-based environmental education association won a $40,000 marine debris grant from the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration. That grant follows a previous $60,000 NOAA grant CACS used to increase awareness of the problem of marine debris and get coastal monitoring started in other Alaska towns.

CACS director Marilyn Sigman said NOAA officials told her its grant proposal was the top-ranked application.

"It's a community-based program, and they felt it really hit on what they're looking for in community-based efforts," she said.

Some of the grant will be used to fund the position of director of programs and operations at CACS, the person who oversees marine debris and coastal monitoring programs.

"We're continuing to sustain CoastWalk as a model program, and then going to other communities to establish CoastWalk there," Sigman said.

One way CACS did that with its previous grant was to award challenge grants to schools and villages. Through those grants, tribal groups and community organizations in Kodiak, Kenai, Soldotna, Seward, Haines and Seldovia learned about the problem of marine debris and cleaned beaches. CACS has to match grant funds 100 percent in money, in-kind donations or volunteer hours. Challenge grant recipients have to match their grants with a 40 percent contribution.

Volunteerism is a great way for recipients to match funds, Sigman said. With its last grant, 972 volunteers in all programs put in 3,048 hours, calculated at an official volunteer rate of $18 per hour.

CoastWalk starts with a kickoff celebration Sept. 11. CACS got a $2,000 grant from the Ocean Foundation, an organization that promotes beach cleanups among surfers.

Local surfer and photographer Scott Dickerson will attend and photograph CoastWalk monitoring. Some of the Ocean Foundation grant comes from the Alaska Brewing Company, which donates a portion of the proceeds on sales of its IPA Surfer Beer to the Ocean Foundation. Dickerson also will talk to schools about surfing and marine debris cleanup.

"In a lot of states, the surfing community has been a strong advocate (for marine debris cleanup)," Sigman said. "We'll have a local surfer as advocate for kids."

Michael Armstrong can be reached at michael.armstrong@homernews.com.

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