Protecting Water Quality through Proactive Environmental Stewardship

Boating is big business in Michigan, with more than 1 million registered boats on file.

The success of the industry is closely tied to a healthy environment, and boaters and marinas both play a role. “Michigan’s boating industry depends on clean water,” says Michigan Sea Grant extension educator Chuck Pistis, adding that marinas have an important economic stake. “By protecting the environment they protect their businesses.”

A growing number of marina owners acknowledge this connection and have voluntarily taken steps to protect water quality by participating in the Michigan Clean Marina Program.

The Clean Marina Program is one of a series of voluntary efforts to reduce pollutants and enhance natural resources. Michigan’s golf industry and extensive network of state parks are also doing their part. Through proactive stewardship programs, participants are evaluating and improving a variety of business practices to protect Michigan waterways and the Great Lakes.

Michigan Clean Marina Program

Pete Hall of Virginia Sea Grant reviews the Michigan Clean Marina checklist with marina owner Mike Briskey.

Marina owner Mike Briskey is quick to point out that 90 percent of his boating customers are also fishermen. When walleye season opens, they flood Briskey’s Lake Erie marina, the Luna Pier Harbour Club. Come June, “this place is a zoo,” says Briskey, with more than 100 boats going in and out daily.

As a business owner, Briskey does his best to accommodate his boating and fishing clientele. He prepares the re-fueling equipment, readies the boat launch, and stocks the store. And this year he’s doing something else: Briskey is one of more than 30 marina owners who are helping to protect Great Lakes water quality.

“We earn our livelihood from the public’s enjoyment of the natural resource,” says Briskey. “We have a vested interest in protecting the environment.”

The changes are part of the Michigan Clean Marina Program, a voluntary
program to reduce pollutants associated with recreational boating, maintenance
and storage.

Program coordinators visited several marinas in April in preparation for upcoming site visits—the last step in the clean marina certification process. The two-day event included stops at MacRay and Belle Maer marinas on Lake St. Clair, and the Luna Pier Harbour Club on Lake Erie.

Pete Hall of Virginia Sea Grant, who conducts site visits in his home state, led the informal reviews, making recommendations to improve environmental safety. A host of marina processes underwent scrutiny, among them re-fueling stations, painting processes, pump-out facilities, storage tanks, fish cleaning areas, and solid waste removal.

Following the visit, Briskey says he has already begun “shopping for vacuum sanders” (to reduce toxic paint dust) and checking into recycling opportunities.
The changes help protect water quality, enhance fish habitat, and benefit marinas by reducing costs.

The Michigan Clean Marina Program is supported by Michigan Sea Grant, Michigan Boating Industries Association (MBIA), and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ).

Contact: Chuck Pistis, (616) 846-8250
See: www.miseagrant.umich.edu/cmp

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Michigan Turfgrass Environmental Stewardship Program

With an estimated 900 golf courses, Michigan has the highest number of
courses per capita in the nation. While some courses are located in Michigan’s coastal zone, others are located on rivers, streams and water bodies that drain into the Great Lakes.

Today, more than 225 courses have voluntarily taken steps to enhance the environment and protect water quality as part of the Michigan Turfgrass Environmental Stewardship Program.

The successful program is unique in the nation, says program manager Debbie Swartz, by partnering state agencies with the golf industry and Michigan State University. All recognize the value of being proactive, voluntarily evaluating entire properties.

“Golf course maintenance practices have changed dramatically over the last 20 years,“ says Swartz. “The amount of science that goes into turf grass management today is remarkable.”

Research has progressed, explains Swartz, and equipment and products have improved. Among other things, these advancements allow golf course superintendents to select fertilizers based on soil analyses, and limit certain pesticide applications to spot treatments. These practices can cut down on cost and maintenance and reduce inputs to the environment.

Some golf course superintendents have also created buffer strips along waterways where taller grasses are used to trap sediment and filter nutrients.
“Historically, well-maintained courses had to look like Augusta—trimmed down to the water,” Swartz explains. “We’re looking to change that mindset.”

While buffer strips protect surface water, a big emphasis of the turfgrass program is on protecting groundwater. Here, many of the best management practices address the inner workings of a golf course—things like fuel storage, wellhead protection, and pesticide storage and application.

In addition to protecting water quality, the program works with courses to comply with environmental laws and regulations, reduce waste, and enhance fish and wildlife habitat and native vegetation.

This year, says Swartz, the turfgrass industry will be reviewing best management guidelines for irrigation to assist in more effectively managing water resources.

Contact: Debbie Swartz, (517) 256-5443
See: www.mtesp.org

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Michigan State Parks

An estimated 25 million people visit Michigan’s 97 state parks each year.

Michigan state parks are doing their part to lessen impact on the environment and protect water quality.

Approximately 60 state parks are taking part in a new pilot program initiated by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Parks and Recreation Division, in partnership with the DEQ. The program explores environmentally friendly management practices and products for use at state parks, recreation areas and water access sites.

Participating parks will be testing and promoting environmentally friendly “green” cleaning products, says the DNR’s Colleen Steinman, because “we want to ensure that as few chemicals as possible end up in the watershed.” Metering devices on product dispensers will help staff consistently use the proper amount of disinfectant and other substances.

Mowing restrictions will be implemented in state parks, recreation areas and boating access sites to reduce the frequency and amount of grass mowed to protect water quality. By allowing shorelines to remain grassy, the vegetation serves as a filter and helps control erosion, says Steinman. The practice also discourages geese from becoming a nuisance.

Some parks will also be using biodiesel (soy-based) fuel in maintenance vehicles as a way to burn less fuel and reduce pollution.

Park visitors can help too. An estimated 25 million people visit Michigan’s 97
state parks each year, bringing all sorts of things with them—including carpet
and household appliances.

“Some of our parks have picked up and disposed of 30 refrigerators in a season,” says Steinman. “We’re looking at whatever we can do to recycle this material.”

Contact: Colleen Steinman, (517) 373-0399
See: www.michigan.gov/dnr

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