OUR IMPACT
Americans love recreating on the water, and when they do – it’s most likely on a lake or waterway managed by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the largest provider of water-based recreation in the country! The Corps Foundation is the only nationwide nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to supporting our nation’s lakes, rivers and the lands surrounding them. The Corps Foundation works to connect contributors, businesses, communities and “Friends” organizations to benefit visitors and help ensure healthy lakes and waterways for current and future generations.
Watch and learn more about the Corps Foundation’s work.
BREAKING NEWS
We Did It! Corps Foundation Wins Legislative Victories!
After four years of concerted effort The Corps Foundation calls a “win” in the recently enacted 2024 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA)! The legislative agenda developed with the help of non-profit and corporate partners, built a multi-faceted and dynamic outreach to Senators and Congressional representatives that sit on Sub-Committees responsible for budget and authorities of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).
Here are the highlights:
- Volunteers– allows USACE to use appropriated funds to honor the thousands of volunteers that devote their time, expertise and passion for their local lakes.
- Cooperative Joint Management Authority – Extends authority to non-profit partners to enter into Cooperative Joint Management agreements with local projects for providing recreation services.
- Fee Retention – Authorizes up to 80% of recreation fees paid by public users to be returned to the project where the fees were collected.
Many thanks for the support of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers leadership, the National Marine Manufacturers Association, the Public Lands Alliance, Southeast Tourism Society, the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable and our many other nonprofit and corporate partners for including our advocacy goals in their annual legislative outreach agendas.
Thank you to all our Corps Foundation members and supporters that reached out to their elected representatives to pass this legislation!
Your tax-exempt donations make a difference!
HOW WE ARE HELPING
Supporting Recreation
Did you know that USACE operates and manages over 430 recreation sites and 12 million acres of land and waters in 42 states? Over 270 million visitors annually enjoy the recreation activities at these sites, and their tourism dollars support local, mostly rural, gateway communities. Federal funding for boating and fishing facilities and management has declined in spite of increased public demand. LEARN MORE…
Donations and memberships to the Corps Foundation provide financial support to improve programs and facilities that directly benefit the public.
Stewarding Public Lands
We partner with agencies, organizations and local community efforts to sustain operations, improve recreational facilities, preserve natural and cultural resources and enhance the visitor experience. The Corps Foundation pursues a variety of fundraising, and grant opportunities to help keep USACE public lands open to the public, support the outdoor recreation economy and leverage public-private resources.
Education and Advocacy
Visitor safety is a #1 priority for USACE. The Corps Foundation supports USACE and the efforts of their employees and volunteers to educate the visiting public in ways that promote safe and sustainable use of lands and waters managed by USACE. The Corps Foundation has secured over $1 million in funds to help promote the award-winning Life Jackets Worn…Nobody Mourns campaign. Free campaign materials are available for at PleaseWearIt.com and by following Please Wear It on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The Corps Foundation educates and supports the visiting public and volunteers to promote safe and sustainable use of Corps lands and waters. Visitor safety is the #1 goal when using lakes and waterways managed by USACE. The Corps Foundation secured $1 million in funding for the award-winning “Life Jackets Worn…Nobody Mourns” campaign for water safety. Read about our success at PleaseWearIt.com.
The Corps Foundation advocates for increased funding to address operational needs, unfunded maintenance and infrastructure restoration. We advocate for policy changes to increase opportunities for partnering, and leverage public-private resources. We work to build a case for stakeholder support by communicating the limitations of Federal Funding and the importance of partnerships to help meet public demand.
PLEASE SUPPORT OUR WORK
Why Join
People join the Corps Foundation to help keep access available to their favorite lake or waterway. Your financial support benefits the parks, and the volunteers who dedicate their service to maintaining water recreation for everyone. JOIN US…
HOW YOU CAN HELP
The Corps Foundation uses 100% of your membership and donation funds to directly support education programs, stewardship projects and contribute toward partnership opportunities. Americans are enjoying their public lands more than ever before. In fact, outdoor recreation now comprises over 2% of the American economy. Despite this demand, public lands agencies, including the US Army Corps of Engineers, continue to face reduced Federal funding that could impact your access to lands and waters of the US.
Your financial support helps Corps projects and their friends groups connect, grow, and increase their capacity to fulfill the Corps’ natural resource education mission on lakes and waterways across America.
Advocate for America’s Waterways!
Advocacy Toolkit PDF
Advocacy Toolkit XLSX
See our latest advocacy efforts here.
Water Water Everywhere
Thanks to the Corps, there are countless parks at the many lakes and waterways. Click on the map to find your favorite.
THE LATEST FROM OUR FACEBOOK PAGE
Read this blog to learn where you can find videos that are helping save lives on our nation's waters!
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Call for 2024 Enduring Service Volunteer Award Nominations
The Corps Foundation is now accepting applications for the 2024 Enduring Service Volunteer Award. The "Enduring Service Volunteer Award" is an annual award honoring long-term service and outstanding accomplishments by individual and families of volunteers at Corps lakes and waterways; and who have achieved results in such areas as conservation, education, recreation, safety and community engagement
Additionally, these volunteer efforts should contribute to the advancement of:
The mission of the Corps Foundation: “The Corps Foundation engages the public to ensure the environmental health and recreational enjoyment of our nation’s lakes, lands, and waterways administered by the US Army Corps of Engineers”
• Positive relationships between the Corps management, the visitors and the local community.
• Public knowledge of and involvement in the Corps natural resources management program.
• Partnerships and collaboration with other community organizations locally, regionally or nationally
The award is intended as a lifetime achievement award for exceptional volunteers who have made a positive difference in the lakes and waterways and the communities they serve by volunteering for a period of 6 years or more. It is an excellent way to recognize volunteers beyond the USACE Volunteer of the Year award, which may be given to an outstanding volunteer regardless of years served
Application forms, which are accepted each year between September 15 and February 15, can be found: corpsfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Enduring-Service-Award-Nomination-Form-2023-websit...
Nominations will be reviewed and winners will be announced in the summer.
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This is such a great program! Our volunteer, Ed, is on the left and won last year. This recognition of his 20 plus years of volunteer service was really special. Thanks for helping recognize the great services volunteers provide!
Michelle Hart, Natural Resource Manager of the Year by Melissa Rinehart
Michelle Hart is an exceptional Natural Resource Manager, uniformed Park Ranger, and leader in her field. Her passion and dedication are evident in all elements of her work and work products. She is an NRM subject matter expert and complimented regularly by those she supports at our Operating Projects, leadership within Portland District, and NRM program leaders across NWD and HQ USACE. Her professionalism, integrity and selfless service reflect great credit upon herself, the Portland District, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Image: Michelle Hart (left) received her award from Portland District Chief of Operations Kym Anderson. Congratulations from the Corps Foundation.
#award #naturalresourcemangaer #manageroftheyear #NaturalResource #parkranger #nationalparks #passion #dedication #nature #naturelover #naturelovers #operatingprojects #portland #portlanddistrict #portland #professionalism #integrity #selfless #service #SelflessService
Portland District, US Army Corps of Engineers
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Check out this great winter giveaway of Mustang Survival gear! Complete the entry form by sending a picture of yourself wearing a life jacket. Deadline to enter is Feb. 28!
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America's Boating ChannelTM Tune-in Campaign Grant
The Corps Foundation received a $6,750 grant from America’s Boating Channel™ to promote the Life Jackets Worn…Nobody Mourns campaign videos on their channel and get more people to tune-in to watch the channel. America’s Boating Channel™ is a free full-time television destination exclusively for boaters with boating lifestyle, sports, news, and entertainment genres of TV programming.
The Corps Foundation’s Special Programs Director Rachel Garren worked in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) National Water Safety Program to distribute promotional materials to 47 different USACE lake and river projects to help with this initiative. They each received 20 posters, 100 rack cards, 100 business cards, and 50-100 floating key chains purchased by The Corps Foundation. Then the USACE projects distributed these items to their visitors this summer to help promote the channel. The printed products used this link bit.ly/TCFonTV and QR code to direct people to the Life Jackets Worn…Nobody Mourns campaign videos on the channel.
In addition to the promotional items, the Foundation sent an e-blast to 912 contacts and purchased $1,650 worth of advertising on The Corps Foundation’s and Please Wear It Facebook pages.
America’s Boating Channel™ was very pleased that our efforts helped them to achieve their goal to increase viewership on its smart TV platforms. They reported results on Facebook that included a total Reach of 1,267,228 and 5,043,502 Impressions thanks to all those who received Tune-in campaign grant funds.
The Corps Foundation would like to thank all those throughout USACE that helped in this initiative to get more people to tune-in to America’s Boating Channel™.
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#beach #beachsafety #drowning #kayaking #learntoswim #ripcurrents #safety #safetyfirst #staysafe #water #watersafety #watersafetyawareness #waterwatcher #wearit #lifejacket #watersafety #usace #usarmycorpsofengineers #NationalWaterSafety
America's Boating Channel
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