Chesapeake Bay Trust Hooray for the Bay Contest Under Way

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A new contest sponsored by the Chesapeake Bay Trust will reward Marylanders for showing their love for the Chesapeake Bay.

The “Hooray for the Bay” contest kicked off on July 15, and is designed to engage and educate Marylanders about the impact buying Bay Plates has on the Chesapeake Bay. The contest features 100 Bay Plate Factoids placed strategically at parks, schools and community centers around the state.

To enter, participants can email a picture of one of the factoids to contest@baytrust.org, along with a short description of why they love the Bay. Additionally, participants can visit www.bayplate.org and complete the entry form, or they can text “BAYPLATE” to 24587 to enter.

The Chesapeake Bay Trust will award 100 Bay Plate prizes to the first 100 eligible entries received by the Chesapeake Bay Trust. The grand prize winner will be chosen by a panel of judges who will select the best “Why I Love the Bay” message. Judging will be based on originality, creativity, relevancy, and amusement factor. Complete contest details can be found at www.bayplate.org.

Research conducted by the Chesapeake Bay Trust and The Cyphers Agency showed that while 76 percent of Marylanders easily recognize the plates, which feature a heron and a Maryland blue crab, most do not know that 90 percent of the revenues derived from the $20 license plate supports Bay restoration and education programs.

“The majority of Marylanders rank keeping the Bay clean and healthy as their top environmental priority for the State,” says Allen Hance, executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Trust. “What many don’t realize is that buying a Bay Plate is a simple, affordable way to help achieve this goal.”

Last year, revenues from Bay Plate sales helped:
•    Restore 65 acres of wetland, oyster reef, and streamside buffers
•    Award 401 grants to schools and organizations from every county in Maryland
•    Remove 429 tons of trash by engaging more than 30,000 volunteers across the State
•    Install 6,752 linear feet of living shorelines
•    Educate nearly 90,000 students on environmental issues concerning the Bay
•    Plant more than 220,000 native plants and trees

The research also showed that many Marylanders also incorrectly believe that the plates can only be purchased when renewing vehicle registration. Bay Plates can be purchased at any time of the year at www.bayplate.org.

The contest runs until September 15, 2010, and winners of the contest will be announced in October 2010.

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