Ephraim Clean Marina personnel – Kim Roberts (Deputy Clerk), Bob Plansky (Marina Committee), John Held (Marina Committee), Bruce Nelson (Marina Committee/Green Tier Committee), Cindy Nelson (Green Tier Committee), Dr. Michael McCutcheon (Village President), Tim Nelson (Village Trustee/Chair of the Marina Committee), and Brent Bristol (Harbormaster/Village Administrator). Image credit: Wisconsin Clean Marina Program
Ephraim, Wisconsin – Two Ephraim marinas accomplished multi-year efforts toward becoming a cleaner marina this fall, proudly receiving their Clean Marina certifications and demonstrating their commitment to environmental protection and sustainable development.
The Village of Ephraim marinas are settled on the shores of Lake Michigan in Door County, with the Firehouse Marina in the north of the village and the Anderson Marina in the south. These small marinas prioritize providing individualized service and memorable experiences for all their valued customers. However, their small size does not detract from the town feeling full of life in the summer, as the marinas are surrounded by local shops and restaurants.
The Village of Ephraim’s journey toward Clean Marina certification began in the Village of Ephraim’s Green Tier ad hoc committee and was completed by their Marinas and Moorings Committee. Brent Bristol, harbormaster of the Village of Ephraim marinas, praised the Wisconsin Clean Marina Program for its environmental health and safety programs. “As a result of these efforts we are a cleaner marina, with updated policies and procedures and are better equipped to handle future emergencies,” he said. Bristol believes that being a clean marina will bring “lasting benefits [for the] village and its beautiful waterfront.”
The harbormaster also commended Theresa Qualls, the Wisconsin Clean Marina Program coordinator, for being a patient, guiding light throughout the certification process. Qualls returned the compliment. “Congratulations to both Firehouse and Anderson Marina for becoming certified Clean Marinas! They are both great facilities and the Village of Ephraim worked extremely hard implementing practices to improve water quality in the bay of Green Bay for their boaters to enjoy,” Qualls said.
Marinas, related industries and services contribute more than $2.7 billion to Wisconsin’s economy. Through the Wisconsin Clean Marina Program, marinas will prevent pollution and protect fish, wildlife and public health. They know that clean water is important to boaters and Wisconsin’s coastal communities.
The Wisconsin Clean Marina Program was launched in 2010, and 24 Wisconsin marinas have since taken steps to voluntarily adopt practices to become certified. The Wisconsin Clean Marina Program is administered by the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Program in partnership with the Wisconsin Marine Association, Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Fund for Lake Michigan.
For more information:
Theresa Qualls, Wisconsin Clean Marina Program, (920) 465-5031, [email protected]