Articles
Spring Boating Safety
With the spring boating and fishing season here, there are a few things to keep in mind regarding cold water. » read more
Power Boating Course
This year, the Division of Watercraft launches its new Power Boating Basics Course that is designed to provide novice and untrained boaters the basic skills needed to properly and safely operate a power boat. » read more
Accessibility in Boating
Boating safety education grant recipient Team River Runner (TRR) helps disabled military veterans reintegrate into life. By learning how to kayak, veterans learn new skills helping them to gain confidence and coordination. TRR helps veterans develop a sense of camaraderie with other veterans as well as the extensive paddling community. » read more
Special Projects
A lot of people show their remarkable quality and talent by sharing a particular passion with others - be that a vocation, a hobby, a quest, or perhaps seeking a solution to a problem or issue. Recreational boaters, for example, are benefiting through the recent accomplishments of two men who each have a passion for the outdoors and who uniquely crafted their own answer to a specific question. » read more
Scenic Rivers and Water Trails – Similarities and Differences
The Water Trails and Scenic Rivers Programs both focus on beautiful state waterways. Each program provides opportunities for citizens to connect with Ohio’s rivers and lakes, but each maintains distinctly different missions. » read more
Shrink Wrap Recycling
The Ohio Clean Marinas Program and its partners -- that include the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Lake Erie Marine Trades Association -- encourage boaters, marinas, and greenhouse facilities to recycle their plastic shrink wrap by taking it to a collection site and keeping it out of local landfills. » read more
Feedback
Facebook Request
Where is your favorite place to go boating? What is your favorite thing to do when you’re out on the water? Post your favorites to our Facebook page by May 1st and we’ll spotlight them in the summer edition of the Buckeye Boater!
News
Free Fishing Weekend
May 5 and 6, 2012, is Free Fishing Weekend. The first weekend in May allows all Ohioans to get outside, enjoy fishing, and introduce friends and family to the pleasures of fishing without being required to have a license.
Free Vessel Safety Checks
Vessel safety inspection events have been scheduled through early June.While a few of these occur in March and April, many will be held in late May in observance of National Safe Boating Week (May 19-25). The vessel safety inspections help increase safety awareness just as many Ohioans are launching their boats for the first time this year.
Calendar of Events
The arrival of spring means a number of fun events soon can be enjoyed such as the Earth Day celebration April 28 at COSI in Columbus, the Catawba Island Boat Show May 4-6 in Port Clinton, and a Ready, Set, Wear It event scheduled for May 19 in Columbus. Find out what's going on by checking out our calendar of events.
Cleveland Metroparks Program Wins Award
In February, the Cleveland Metroparks paddlesports program won first place in the Ohio Parks & Recreation Association's "Community Wellness Programs" category. As a Division of Watercraft boating education grant recipient, Cleveland Metroparks Institute of the Great Outdoors (IGO) serves as a mobile outdoor recreation unit that travels to communities providing kayaking, canoeing, and stand-up paddleboard classes, and paddling opportunities extending beyond the physical boundaries of Cleveland Metroparks. IGO has broadened paddling experiences along the Cuyahoga River by partnering with the Cleveland Rowing Foundation. This partnership allows kayakers new access to the Cuyahoga River in downtown Cleveland, providing education on paddling safely with freighter traffic and on community involvement with water quality and conservation. These components empower individuals to engage in paddling activities as part of their everyday lifestyles. Find out more at www.clemetparks.com.
Division Spotlight
Ashtabula Area Office
The Ashtabula Watercraft Office, in the northeast corner of Ohio, is located in historic Ashtabula Harbor overlooking the Ashtabula River.
In the early 1900s, Ashtabula Harbor was a thriving community with ferry service to Canada. Within the region, Ashtabula County has 18 covered bridges that are excellent examples (restored originals and replicas) of 19th century construction. The combination of soil type and Lake Erie climate makes grapes a popular crop with many wineries in the region.
In 2000, the U.S. Coast Guard agreed to lease their old station in Ashtabula to the Division of Watercraft for use as an officer satellite site, the first collaboration of its kind in Ohio. The site started with one officer. Today, it is a full-service field office consisting of supervisor Scott Stauffer, administrative professional Sandra Smith, account clerk Donna Newhart, Watercraft Specialist Dustin Majewski, Watercraft Officer Brad Lampela, natural resource specialists Steve Baker and Tammy Klasen, and officer cadets (not pictured) Adam Trisket and Alex Wyatt.
The Ashtabula office serves boaters in Ashtabula, Geauga, and Lake counties and covers all the waters of Lake Erie from Pennsylvania to Cuyahoga County north to the Canadian border. Inland lakes and rivers include La Due Reservoir in Geauga County, Pymatuning Lake in Ashtabula County, and portions of the Cuyahoga River in Geauga and Lake counties along with the Grand River, Conneaut Creek, and the Ashtabula scenic rivers. Portions of the Grand River and Conneaut Creek also are designated as wild rivers.