Three State Parks Certified by Maryland Clean Marina Program

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ANNAPOLIS – The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is pleased to announce that Cunningham Falls State Park Boat Ramp in Thurmont (Frederick County) and Ft. Frederick State Park Boat Ramp in Big Pool (Washington County) have been certified as the newest Clean Marina Partners. Additionally, the marina at Sandy Point State Park (Anne Arundel County) has been certified as the newest Clean Marina.

The Clean Marina designation indicates that Park staff minimize pollution from their own operations and actively promote clean boating habits to ramp users. The Clean Marina Partner designation was created for smaller boating facilities, such as State Park boat ramps, that are not true marinas, but meet the goals of the program through outreach and education of visitors.

For example, signs and posters that detail clean boating practices are posted at each facility. In addition to educating ramp users about how to minimize their environmental impacts, the Parks minimize their own waste and implement rules to protect the adjacent waterways. At Ft. Frederick and Cunningham Falls State Parks, rules allow only electric motors or non-motorized boats to be used on the waterway. At Sandy Point’s busy fuel dock, extra steps are taken with each customer to minimize environmental and safety risks.

DNR’s Clean Marina Initiative promotes and celebrates voluntary adoption of measures to reduce pollution from recreational boating activities. Operators of marinas, boatyards, and yacht clubs qualify for Clean Marina certification by adopting measures to control pollution associated with vessel maintenance and repair; petroleum storage and transfer; sewage disposal; solid, liquid and hazardous wastes; stormwater runoff; and facilities management, as applicable. The Clean Marina Partner designation was created to recognize boating facilities–other than marinas, boatyards, and yacht clubs–that are implementing pollution prevention measures.

The goal of the Clean Marina Initiative is to certify 25 percent of Maryland’s approximately 600 boating facilities as Clean Marinas or Clean Marina. To date 188 boating facilities have taken the first step and signed the Clean Marina Pledge. Of these, 102 have become certified as either Clean Marinas or Clean Marina Partners.

For more details about the Maryland Clean Marina Initiative, call the Department of Natural Resources at (877) 620-8DNR, ext. 8770, or check DNR’s website at www.dnr.maryland.gov/boating.

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March 1, 2005

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages more than 446,000 acres of public lands and 17,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland's forests, fisheries and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic and cultural resources attract 11 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov