Michigan Receives $1 Million Grant to Improve Recreational Boating Infrastructure in Grand Traverse Bay

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 13, 2008

Contacts:

Rachel F. Levin, 612-713-5311

Nicholas Throckmorton, 703-358-2235

EA 08-09

Michigan Receives $1 Million Grant to Improve
Recreational Boating Infrastructure in Grand Traverse Bay

Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne today announced that more than $13.5 million in competitive grants will be awarded to 15 states ranging from California to Rhode Island for 19 boating infrastructure projects. The grants, which will help fund construction of docks, boat slips and other facilities to support recreational boating, are made available through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG) program.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, in cooperation with the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, will receive a grant of nearly $1 million, and match that amount with more than $600,000, to build 30 slips for visiting boats in the planned 100- to 120-slip Peshawbestown Marina in Grand Traverse Bay. The project will include fuel and sewage pumpout stations and restroom/shower/laundry facilities, and will help relieve the burden on local marinas and provide a pumpout station facility for boaters sailing the Grand Traverse Bay waters and Lake Michigan.

“The Boating Infrastructure Grant program expands opportunities for recreational boating while strengthening a community’s ties to the water,” said Secretary Kempthorne. “Although it is funded by boaters, this program benefits the entire community by helping local economies, helping people connect with nature and improving public safety.

Funding for the BIG program comes from the Sport Fishing and Boating Trust Fund, formerly known as the Aquatic Resources Trust Fund, which is supported by excise taxes on certain fishing and boating equipment and boat fuels. Smaller non-competitive grants are also available to states that are willing to match the BIG funding. The Service will release approximately $3.7 million to 38 states in non-competitive BIG funding.

Michigan has received $500,000 through the BIG program since 2000, including a $100,000 grant in 2007 to develop floating docks for visiting boaters at Black Lagoon (now Ellias Cove) on the Detroit River.

BIG funds can be used to construct, renovate and maintain tie-up facilities with features for boats that cannot be trailered in vessels 26 feet or more in length. The funds also can be used to produce and distribute information and educational materials about the program.

A panel of representatives from the Service as well as a committee from the Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council reviewed and scored the BIG proposals. The council is a federally chartered body that advises the Secretary of the Interior and the Service on recreational fishing and boating issues.

“Recreational boating enriches family life and strengthens children’s connections to nature,” said Council Chair Ryck Lydecker. “The BIG program, which boaters pay for, has become a key element to help them continue that tradition.”

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit <www.fws.gov>.

-FWS-

Last updated: February 14, 2008

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