Project Summary

This project is designed to help reduce or eliminate pollution from entering the Great Lakes through boating and marina activities. Project groups will focus on creating uniform best management practices for marinas, and creating an efficient, system for the application of best practices in each Great Lakes state, through a regional outreach network. The total project budget is $691,852.

Existing Clean Marina Programs
Several Great Lakes states, including Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin, have active Clean Marina programs while others are still in various stages of development. Since each state program evolved separately, best practices currently vary from state-to-state. Therefore, a central focus of the Green Marina Education and Outreach project will be to develop best management practices for marinas that can be consistently applied throughout the Great Lakes region.

Expected Project Outcomes

• Develop best practices document and training materials applicable for marinas throughout the Great Lakes region.
• An additional 200 marinas will participate in Clean Marina programs, and an additional 65 marinas will be trained and certified as Clean Marinas in the Great Lakes region.
• Marina operators and others will become more aware of the sources and impacts of marine related pollutants, marine best management practices, and Clean Marina programs.

Project Activities
Team members will work with technical experts and outreach professionals to find common ground on best practices and certification criteria for marinas. Engaging local, regional and national organizations to help sustain ongoing training and continuous improvement of certified marinas is also a priority.

Project activities will support and improve existing Clean Marina programs, and will help increase participation in education efforts that lead toward certification. Education methods will include in-person workshops, as well as online training and webinars for marina operators.

Project Groups

• Technical Review Team
• Great Lakes Clean Marina Network
• Online (Clean Marina Classroom) Training Team 

Web-based Training
Marina experts from the Great Lakes region will assist in enhancing and expanding the web-based Clean Marina Classroom developed by Michigan Sea Grant. The Classroom will be expanded for use regionally, based on a set of commonly agreed upon best practices. By developing a regionally applicable, web-based training environment, this product eliminates the need for individual programs to develop similar training tools and allows operators to access training materials anytime, from any computer. This educational tool has nine units with best management practices, sample forms and boater tip sheets.

Clean Marina Classroom – Existing Training Units:

• Siting Considerations
• Marina Design and Facility
• Storm Water Management
• Boat Maintenance and Repair
• Petroleum Control
• Sewage Handling
• Waste Containment and Disposal
• Marina Management
• Laws and Regulations

Project Milestones

• Develop and distribute Pollution Prevention and Recycling Kits.
• Produce Best Practices document to guide development of regional training resource, for the Clean Marina Classroom.
• Conduct Clean Marinas and Sustainable Coastal Communities Workshop.
• Host Regional Boat Bottom Washing Workshop.
• Conduct Webinars for Marinas.
• Recruit an additional 200 marina participants and certify an additional 65 marinas.
  

Partners
Project collaborators include universities, state agencies and marina industries, such as the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and Michigan Boating Industry Association; the Indiana and Wisconsin Coastal Management programs; the Wisconsin Marina Association, and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; the Lake Erie Marine Trades Association; the Midwest Marina Association; and the National Association of Marina Industries.

Additional collaborators include the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Lake Michigan Lakewide Management Plan Forum, Coastal Zone Management Programs, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Coast Guard, Power Squadrons, and non-government organizations.

To join the Great Lakes Clean Marina Network, email: CleanMarina-GLRITeam@umich.edu

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MICHU-12-601