Livonia, Mich., October 31, 2011 – The Michigan Clean Marina Program is pleased to announce two more Michigan facilities have been certified as “Michigan Clean Marinas.” They are Kean’s Marina in Detroit and St. Clair Boat Harbor in St. Clair. Three other marinas have re-certified under the program. They are: DeTour State Harbor in DeTour Village, Manistee Municipal Marina in Manistee and Walstrom Marine in Cheboygan. With the addition of these two newly certified marinas, a total of 41 Michigan marinas have obtained and are maintaining this prestigious certification.

The clean marina program was initiated to preserve and protect, through voluntary efforts, Michigan’s greatest resource, the Great Lakes and its connecting waterways. The certification process begins with a pledge to participate in the program, followed by an online course with an overview of the designation process and a review of best management practices. The facilities then conduct self-evaluations of their environmental practices to determine their strengths and weaknesses. After implementing improvements and reaching a level of competencies, the marina requests a visitation by a CMP consultant to evaluate the facility’s environmental stewardship. When the facility reaches established goals, they receive their designation.

“We are proud of the two new marinas joining the ranks of Certified Clean Marinas and the continuation of following best practices by the three re-certified facilities,” said John Ropp, president of the Michigan Boating Industries Association. “We are also encouraged that more boaters are becoming aware of the program and are searching out these facilities as places they want to patronize.” The Clean Marina designation is applicable for a three-year period at which time the facility must be re-designated.

The Michigan Clean Marina Program is a joint program between the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, Michigan Sea Grant and Michigan Boating Industries Association. For more details on the program and to see which facilities are designated Michigan Clean Marinas, go to: http://miseagrant.umich.edu/cmp/. For more information on the Clean Marina Program and the Michigan Boating Industries Association, visit www.mbia.org.