Photo credit: Ohio Sea Grant
Wherever you live in Ohio, you probably are a boater or you know a friend or family member who enjoys boating. Ohio has over 450,000 registered boaters, ranking in the top 10 of all states in the U.S., and for good reason. Whether you have a coworker who kayaks in a Scenic River, an uncle who fishes an inland reservoir or a friend who goes sailing on Lake Erie, there are many ways to explore Ohio’s waterways. There are also many marinas who rely on these waterways and contribute to our local economies by attracting visitors who frequent our hotels, restaurants, and local businesses.
Ohio Sea Grant, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) and the Lake Erie Marine Trades Association partnered to implement the Ohio Clean Marinas Program, a voluntary, incentive-based program designed to encourage marinas and boaters to use simple, innovative solutions to keep Ohio’s coastal and inland waterway resources clean.
Since 2005, 48 marinas in the Lake Erie watershed have been certified for adopting environmental best management practices, or BMPs. We are excited to announce that with strengthened ODNR partnership through the Division of Watercraft, we are now able to certify any marina in the Buckeye State. By engaging marinas in protecting the very resource they rely on for a successful business, we hope to help ensure our waterways are enjoyable for boaters of all kinds for years to come. So keep a lookout for those marinas “flying the flag” of the Ohio Clean Marinas Program, and encourage a marina near you to join. Choose a Clean Marina, and help support efforts in Ohio and beyond to protect and enhance our waterways.
Lake Erie Watershed marinas and boaters wanting to be part of this initiative should contact Sarah Orlando at orlando.42@osu.edu or Jenny Roar at jenny.roar@dnr.state.oh.us. Marinas and boaters in the Ohio River Watershed should contact Heather Sheets at heather.sheets@dnr.state.oh.us.
(Submitted by Sarah Orlando, Program Manager, Ohio Clean Marinas, Ohio Sea Grant)