Wisconsin Receives Federal Grant Funding For Boating Infrastructure Updates

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today announced two projects in Wisconsin were awarded U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG) funding for renovations at the High Cliff State Park Marina and South Bay Marina.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service awarded more than $20 million to assist 22 states and territories in the construction, renovation and maintenance of marinas and other boating facilities for outdoor recreation. Wisconsin was one of only 8 states that received both a Tier 1 and Tier 2 Boating Infrastructure Grant in 2023.

Boating Infrastructure Grants are administered in two tiers. In Tier 1, federal funding provides a maximum of $200,000 per recipient annually. Tier 2 is nationally competitive, typically for larger-scale projects and provides a maximum federal funding of $1.5 million per application.

Wisconsin's Tier 1 project focuses on the High Cliff State Park Marina Culvert replacement and was awarded $200,000. With a capacity for about 100 vessels, this marina is exceptionally popular. An existing culvert delivering runoff from Butterfly Pond into the boat basin at the marina has degraded over time, leading to sedimentation and a decrease in draft depth and water clarity.

The DNR will use the Boating Infrastructure Grant Tier 1 funds to replace the culvert and replace outdated marina navigational lighting with more efficient fixtures.

Boating Infrastructure Grant Tier 2 project funding will be a sub-award from the DNR to the South Bay Marina in Green Bay. The South Bay Marina Transient Docks project was awarded $1.2 million and will focus on several improvements.

South Bay Marina is located at the mouth of the Fox River and the waters of Lake Michigan. The location of the facility puts the marina at the ideal location to service the popular cruising routes of boaters navigating Sturgeon Bay and the pristine waters of Door County.

The proposed project responds to the need for an increased number of dedicated transient slips in the Green Bay region of Lake Michigan in response to market demand. The proposed project includes 52 transient boat slips arranged to accept a wide variety of vessels 26’ and longer, breakwater improvements to protect the marina and a toilet/shower building dedicated to transient boaters.

More information on the Boating Infrastructure Grant program can be found on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Boating Infrastructure webpage and on the DNR's BIG program webpage.