Some of these groups receive support from towns, while others are supported by nonprofit groups or local donations. These groups provide a vital service by continually tracking the quality of the Commonwealth's marine waters at the local level. These locally-based groups are uniquely informed about the water, natural resources, and changing conditions in their area. With proper training, they can increase the number of sites monitored and the frequency at which data are collected beyond the efforts of government alone. Volunteer monitoring raises public awareness and serves as an important educational tool.
Citizens become more informed about coastal issues, which helps to build an involved constituency.
The satisfaction of volunteers in knowing that the results they generate are being used by local and state agencies to make policy decisions about coastal issues is a lasting benefit to all coastal communities. Because of the added value of local involvement in overall marine monitoring, the first thing MCZM did with the marine monitoring funding was to establish a grants program for citizen monitoring groups. The Volunteer Coastal Monitoring Grants Program provides citizen monitoring groups with small grants that make a big difference in the quality and quantity of data they can collect. Grant recipients have purchased equipment and supplies, contracted for laboratory analysis of samples, and trained their volunteers with the money provided through this program. The Volunteer Coastal Monitoring Grants Program is a resounding success.