FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  May 10, 2004
CONTACT: Lisa Douglass, (239) 332-6975, x 175
                 

Everglades National Park Welcomes Clean Marina

--Flamingo Lodge & Marina makes waves to protect waters of America’s Everglades--

EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK – The waters of America’s Everglades and the Florida Bay received a boost today with the designation of Flamingo Lodge & Marina as a Clean Marina. Located within Everglades National Park, Flamingo Lodge & Marina is the 75th of Florida’s more than 2,000 marine facilities to receive this environmental recognition.

“Clean water is vital to Florida’s economy and quality of life,” said Department of Environmental Protection Division of Law Enforcement Assistant Director Maury Kolchakian. “Designating Flamingo Lodge as a Clean Marina demonstrates the dedication of private business to protecting the Everglades ecosystem and builds upon Florida’s progress to restore the River of Grass.”

Flamingo Lodge & Marina is the only lodge inside Everglades National Park. Offering canoeing, kayaking and guided tours of the unique Everglades natural system, Flamingo Lodge & Marina plays host to more than 350,000 visitors each year. Flamingo is the first marina within a National Park to receive designation as a Clean Marina.

Over 2,000 marinas currently provide services to thousands of boaters using state waters daily. To safeguard Florida’s waterways, the Clean Boating Partnership, which includes the Department of Environmental Protection, Marine Industries Association of Florida, Florida Sea Grant Program, United States Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary, developed the Clean Marina Program to help marinas, boatyards and boaters prevent pollution.

"Clean water is the lifeblood of tourism, the marine industry and the boating public in Florida," said Susan Kingston, Chair of the Clean Boating Partnership. "Our Partnership is protecting sensitive ecosystems while ensuring continued public enjoyment of our waters."

Florida’s Clean Marinas go above and beyond required environmental regulations by adopting simple environmental safeguards that keep solvents, sewage, fuel and oil out of the water, while protecting manatees and other marine creatures. By educating boaters and improving operations at marine facilities, Clean Marinas are helping to ensure a sustainable future for the environment, for boaters and for the billion-dollar marine industry.