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WASHINGTON, NC (June 12, 2025) — Environmental organization Sound Rivers has a new boat and is asking for the public’s help in naming it.

“Every boat needs a name, and we thought a boat-naming contest would be a fun, out-of-the-box way to get a good one, and raise some money for its operation and maintenance at the same time,” said Sound Rivers’ Executive Director Heather Deck.

From now until June 20, boat name suggestions are being accepted via email, comments on Sound Rivers’ social media and at soundrivers.org. From the entries, Sound Rivers’ staff will select the Top 5 boat names, and from June 23 until midnight on July 6, the public can vote for their favorite on the Sound Rivers website. A $5 donation equals one vote.

“We chose $5 per vote because it’s not cost-prohibitive, and doesn’t discourage people from participating. We also hope that it encourages people to vote meaningfully, not frivolously,” Deck said.

The boat name with the most votes wins, and the prize for the person who entered the winning name includes a Sound Rivers’ T-shirt, hat and copper-insulated water bottle and a 30-minute cruise on the newly christened boat down the Neuse or Tar-Pamlico, piloted by Neuse Riverkeeper Samantha Krop or Pamlico-Tar Riverkeeper Katey Zimmerman.

Sound Rivers purchased the 2025 KenCraft Bay Rider Skiff 2060 last week with funding from several sources: a portion of money raised during Sound Rivers’ annual April fundraising campaign, a match from the Smith Family Foundation and several donations from Sound Rivers’ supporters.

“We also are very grateful for Park Boat Company and Bay Rider, both of which worked with us to achieve our goal of a new boat,” Deck said.

Riverkeeper organizations like Sound Rivers are required to have a vessel for the river they monitor and protect. Since Sound Rivers covers both the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico, two boats are needed. A 13-foot Triumph, Water Dog, resides in the upper part of the watersheds, and the new Bay Rider will be put to use in the lower Neuse and Tar-Pamlico.

“While our previous boats served Sound Rivers well, they’d become a little unreliable, and we really need a reliable vessel when our Riverkeepers are out on the river, investigating water-quality issues like algal blooms, fish kills, illegal dumping and more,” Deck said.

Deck said the boat-naming contest is unlike any fundraiser Sound Rivers has held in her 22 years with the organization.

“This will be a fun one,” she said. “I can’t wait to see what names people suggest.”

For more information about the contest, including frequently asked questions and rules, and to enter a boat name, visit www.soundrivers.org/boat-naming-contest.

Founded in 1980-81, Sound Rivers is one of the oldest grassroots conservation organizations in North Carolina. Sound Rivers monitors and protects the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico watersheds, covering nearly a quarter of the state. With Riverkeepers on both rivers and offices in Washington, New Bern and Raleigh, Sound Rivers’ mission is to preserve the waterways’ health and the health of the people who rely on them through science-based advocacy and environmental justice.