Green Marina Education and Outreach Project Phase I Ends, Phase II Continues
ANN ARBOR — The Green Marina Education and Outreach Project, supported by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, has resulted in 69 Clean Marina certifications, and more than 2,170 individuals participating in Clean Marina workshops. Additionally, marinas across the Great Lakes have joined a network to share ideas and promote education about protecting our water for swimming, fishing and boating.
The most notable outcomes of the project were the development of:
- Great Lakes Clean Marina Network, a network comprised of representatives from the marina industry, regulatory agencies and universities.
- Clean Marina Classroom, a self-paced online certification tool designed for marina operators to learn about the best management practices and regulatory requirements.
- Great Lakes Clean Marina Best Management Practices Guide, a publication outlining marina best management practices.
“This project is successful because marina operators, resource managers and Sea Grant specialists in Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin advanced existing Clean Marina efforts and helped foster new programs in the region,” said Michigan Sea Grant’s Elizabeth LaPorte, co-investigator on the project. “We took a big step forward to protect Great Lakes water quality by working with many partners on this effort. Focusing on educational tools to promote best management practices is a great strategy that we can use for other projects.”
More About the Project
Michigan Sea Grant led this project in partnership with Ohio and Wisconsin Sea Grant programs to support Clean Marina education and outreach efforts in the Great Lakes region. Project collaborators include universities, state agencies and marina industries, such as the Michigan Boating Industry Association, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, the Indiana and Wisconsin Coastal Management programs, the Wisconsin Marine Association, the 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 NOAA and Coastal Zone Management Programs, Lake Michigan Lakewide Management Plan Forum and non-government organizations.
The work is being performed in two phases. This is the mid-point in the project, with Phase I coming to an end and Phase continuing the work.
To learn more, see: www.glcleanmarina.org
Contact: Stephanie Ariganello, Communications Coordinator, Michigan Sea Grant
stephaa@umich.edu or (734) 615-0400
