Smithsonian Boat Usage Survey

Researchers at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center and Portland State University are trying to determine how often recreational boats in California move, where they go and how often their bottoms are cleaned. They’re hoping their research will lead to better understanding of how and why boat bottoms get fouled. "Fouling species are a nuisance to boat owners, harbors and the environment," noted a press release announcing the study. "The information gathered may help to better understand how to deal with this problem."

To reach as many boaters as possible, they’ve created a short, online survey to gather the required info. We took the survey in less than six minutes, and the most vexing part of it was trying to remember all the places we’ve anchored at this year. If you keep a log of your boating adventures, you might want to grab it before you start. As an incentive, anyone who enters their contact info — which is not required to take the survey — will be entered in a drawing for a $200 West Marine gift certificate.