The grants are the first awarded under the Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG) program authorized by the Sportfishing and Boating Partnership Act of 1998 and funded by excise taxes on motorboat fuel.

"The BIG program represents a big push in the improvement of recreational boating and fishing opportunities. It strengthens community ties to the water's edge by enhancing access to recreational, historic, cultural, natural and scenic resources for millions of boat owners. It also promotes economic activity by providing public access from the water to the shore and encouraging people to take a boating adventure," said Acting Service Director Marshall Jones.

"This program couldn't come too soon for tens of millions of baby boomers who are going to be retiring over the next several years," said Boat U.S. representative Michael Sciulla.

"These people will be taking to the waterways in record numbers, heading for experiences you can't find on the interstates."

The BIG program provides the states monies for: mooring buoys; day-docks; transient slips; safe harbor facilities (including temporary safe anchorage or a harbor of refuge during a storm); floating and fixed piers and breakwaters; dinghy docks; restrooms; retaining walls; bulkheads; dockside utilities; pumpout stations, trash collection and recycling facilities; dockside electric, water and telephone capabilities; navigational aids; and marine fueling stations.

BIG program funds are distributed each year over a four-year period. To ensure that each state gets a share, funding is provided on a two-tiered basis. For tier one grants, all states get at least $100,000 per grant cycle as long as their proposals meet the program's guidelines. Second-tier projects are designed for larger, more expensive projects and are awarded on a competitive basis. The 20 second-tier grants were selected from 55 proposals submitted from across the country. The Sportfishing and Boating Partnership Council, a Federally chartered body which advises the Secretary of the Interior and the Service on recreational fishing and boating issues, made an initial funding recommendation to the Service based on a review of project proposals by a Council-appointed committee. Committee members include Ryck Lydecker, Boat U.S.; Bill Anderson, Westrec Marina Management; Jim Kalkofen, In-Fisherman; Neil Ross, Marine Environmental Education Foundation; John Schwartz, Michigan State University; and Mike Hough, States Organizations for Boating Access.

BIG transient facilities must be built in waters deep enough for boats 26 feet and larger to navigate at a minimum of six feet of depth at low tide. One-time dredging will be allowed to provide access between open water and a tie-up facility.

Following consideration of the competitive process, Jones announced the following BIG grants:

California

Moss Landing, Monterey Bay, floating docks, access for the physically challenged ($616,000)

Moss Landing, Monterey Bay, new docking facilities ($218,125)

Florida

Marjorie Park, marina renovation and enhancement ($845,365)

Illinois

Fulton, Mississippi River, dredging and dock renovation ($898,768)

Alton, Mississippi River, dredging and dock renovation ($499,200)

Iowa

City of Clinton, Mississippi River, docks, pumpouts and facilities ($1,156,428)

Louisiana

Jefferson Parish, Lake Pontchartrain, new transient boat harbor ($693,000

Maine

South Portland, pier and dockage ($240,086)

Ohio

Middle Bass Island, Lake Erie, first state-owned marina ($956,293)

Oregon

St. Helens, Columbia River, construct and renovate docking facilities ($420,750)

Government Island, Columbia River, construct tie-up dock ($326,250)

Oregon City, Willamette River, new docking facilities ($237,000)

Ranier, Columbia River, construct and renovate docking facilities ($231,000)

The Dalles, Columbia River, renovate docking facility ($135,000)

Port Arlington, Columbia River, new dock facilities ($125,625)

South Carolina

Cooper River, dockage and mooring facilities ($928,125)

Virginia

York River, floating docks ($200,000)

Urbana, dock renovation ($186,306)

Belle Isle State Park, channel dredging ($120,000)

Chincoteague Island dockage, fishing pier and pumpout ($100,000)

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 94-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 535 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 70 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.