Family-friendly activities planned at designated Clean Marina

The Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance (CBA) of Northwest Florida State College will hold a family fun day at Bluewater Bay Marina on Saturday, June 14 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Activities will include crafts using recycled oyster shell, touch-tank displays of live local marine life, fish-printing on t-shirts, and more.

CBA enjoys a strong partnership with Bluewater Bay Marina, which has earned the Clean Marina designation from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). National Marina Day celebrates boating, and it is a perfect day to recognize and honor the efforts of Clean Marinas such as Bluewater Bay.

To become designated as a Clean Marina, facilities voluntarily implement a set of environmental measures designed to protect Florida’s waterways. These measures address critical environmental issues such as sensitive habitat, waste management, stormwater control, spill prevention and emergency preparedness.

Bluewater Bay Marina received their Clean Marina designation in the late summer of 2012. Ryan Hinely, Bluewater Bay Marina shareholder and Executive Director of the Northwest Florida Marine Industries Association, said, “Growing up a Choctawhatchee Bay native, I have spent a majority of my life on the water. The water is my livelihood. This marina is my livelihood. I want to set an example at my establishment that other marinas in the area can follow. We make choices and have set management practices that promote clean waterways and a healthy environment. In Ward Cove, we have wetlands, the bay, a few small freshwater trickles… We have a lot to protect.”

CBA has benefitted directly from Bluewater Bay Marina’s commitment to environmental stewardship over the years. The marina complex has donated boat storage and provided bay access to support CBA’s water quality monitoring and restoration efforts on Choctawhatchee Bay. The Marina also extends CBA’s public outreach.
For more information about the celebration of National Marina Day at Bluewater Bay Marina, or to schedule an interview, please contact Sarah Davis at (850) 585-7926 or daviss26@nwfsc.edu.