The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that it has awarded more than $4 million in competitive Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG) program. The grants will provide additional facilities for recreational boaters in eight states, including Ohio, where a $226,500 grant will be used to transient boat moorage at the new Glass City Municipal Marina in Toledo.
Because Congress made more money available this fiscal year, this round of grants builds upon Boating Infrastructure Grants awarded earlier this year. Last spring, the Service awarded three large competitive grants and 33 small, non-competitive grants to state agencies responsible for boating. Money for BIG comes from the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund. This fund is supported by excise taxes paid on certain fishing and boating equipment.
Boating can make an important contribution to local economies," said Interior Secretary Gale Norton. "These grants empower state and local governments and other partners to improve recreational boating and fishing opportunities, strengthening community ties to the water's edge by enhancing access to recreational, historic, cultural, natural and scenic resources for millions of boat owners.?
The BIG program has two levels of funding, Tier 1 and Tier 2. Under the Tier-1 portion, all states and territories can receive up to $100,000 to construct or improve docking facilities for transient (short term, non-trailerable boats) without competing against other proposals. The Tier-2 portion of the BIG program enables larger projects to compete for available funding. These grants match up to half of one project cost.
BIG proposals are reviewed by a panel of representatives from the Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as a committee from the Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council. The council, a federally chartered body which advises the Secretary of the Interior and the Service on recreational fishing and boating issues, made an initial funding recommendation to the Service based on a review of project proposals by a council-appointed committee.
In cooperation with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Watercraft, the city of Toledo will receive a Boating Infrastructure Grant of $226,500 to provide transient moorage for boaters visiting the new 125-acre Marina District being developed on the now closed First Energy/Toledo Edison Acme Power Plant Site. Within the Marina District will be residences, commercial retail stores, restaurants, a Hovercraft Port, a Marine Passenger Terminal, and the Glass City Municipal marina. This marina will have 100 boat slips, 20 of which will be dedicated for transient use. The 20 slips will provide an opportunity for traveling boaters to visit the stores and restaurants planned.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 545 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 63 Fish and Wildlife Management offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
