News & Events

Ohio Outdoors Features from 2007

Latest articles are listed first

December 13, 2007

The following article originally appeared in the November issue of the Buckeye Boater, the bimonthly ODNR Watercraft electronic newsletter

Gifts for the Holiday Season – The Latest Gadgets!

The holidays are a great time to give a useful gift to your favorite boater. Consider adding any of these items to your idea list when shopping this holiday season.

Inflatable PFD – Inflatable life jackets are not new, but they are to many people. Several different types are made that include those which are designed to automatically inflate when coming into contact with the water, those which may be orally inflated by blowing air into an inflator tube, and those which may be inflated by pulling a small ripcord that activates an inflating mechanism built into the jacket. Popular styles include those which can be worn as a tube-type vest over the shoulders and those than can be worn around the waistline much like a fanny pack. Cost: $80 and up.

Doggy Boat Ladder – Many boat owners have dogs who love to swim. Making sure your pet is safe in the water and can reboard a boat safely and with ease is important. The Doggy Boat Ladder by Paws Aboard is designed to attach to existing boat ladders and most styles of boats. It’s portable, lightweight, durable and folds in half for easy storage. The device provides a convenient and safe way for dogs to enter and exit the water while boating with their owners. Cost: $199.

Enviro-Friendly Radio – Freeplay Energy offers a self-sufficient, portable AM/FM radio known as the EyeMax, which runs on solar energy. It also has self-charge and recharge power options. An integrated LED flashlight is built into the unit for safety and added convenience. It also contains a high performance speaker and headphone socket for personal listening. Cost: $50.

GPS Units – Global Positioning Systems have been around for awhile as hand-held portable and deck mounted units. The fast pace of technology advancement means there are always some new product improvements each year. Consider purchasing a GPS unit, navigation chart plotter or electronic fish finder for your favorite boater. Cost: $90 and up.

LED Fish-N-Light – A rather old-time fishing tactic of using a light source at night to attract fish to an angler’s location has been simplified with this Fish-N-Light. Made by Optronics, the device is submerged in water from a boat or other fishing platform and uses a series of 16 LED lights that help attract fish at night. The unit is modular so that it can be extended with the purchase of additional units. Cost: $32.

Digital Breathalyzer – Drinking responsibly while on the water and on the road is vital to ensure safety. The new Alcohawk ABI (alcohol breath indicator) uses special sensors and three-digit LED displays to provide accurate blood alcohol content levels. While it is recommended that boat operators avoid alcohol while operating a boat, such portable breathalyzers can help indicate if any person may be near or over the legal alcohol tolerance level. Cost: $100 and up.

October 4, 2007

October a Bonus for Some Great Lakes Boaters

September saw activities at boat ramps and marinas sharply increase across the Great Lakes region as another summer boating season came to its seasonal end for most recreational boaters. For the relatively few remaining boaters who don’t mind cooler days, October represents a bonus month for recreational boating activities.

Sport fishing leads the list among boating activities during early fall. When conditions permit, anglers are enjoying excellent opportunities to take yellow perch, walleye and smallmouth bass from Lake Erie’s western and central basins. Salmon and steelhead anglers in western Michigan also have moved some of their boating activities into rivers now full of spawning fish and other gamefish which cannot resist striking at a dry fly or colorful artificial bait.

Inland lakes continue to offer anglers opportunities to take perch, walleye, black bass, channel catfish, crappies and bluegills throughout the Great Lakes states. These boaters and anglers are thankful to have seen the end of the summer boating season a month ago.

Not all boaters are armed with rod and reel. Thousands of boaters instead are equipped with shotguns, ammunition, decoys and retrievers as fall waterfowl hunting seasons get underway during October. Unlike anglers who prefer mild and dry conditions, waterfowl hunters know well that sharp cold fronts accompanied by rain, sleet, snow and gusty winds helps improve the migratory movements of waterfowl.

Neither rod nor gun interest most paddlers who enjoy Great Lakes region rivers and streams for a fall day of paddling on their favorite waterway. October means far fewer paddlers on the region’s waterways and increased opportunities to enjoy peace and solitude in the wilderness. Fortunately, there are plenty of good paddling streams and rivers located within an easy drive for most Great Lakes residents. Ohio, for example, features designated Ohio Water Trails on Lake Erie’s Sandusky Bay, the Muskingum River in southeast Ohio and the Kokosing River in north-central Ohio.

October also is the prime month to view the changing colors of autumn leaves. Boaters in the North Country may have some cooler days compared to the south shores of Lake Erie, but viewing the fall colors while boating is a perfect way to escape the hordes of motorists on area roadways. Boater-anglers, hunters, paddlers and leaf peepers are reminded to enjoy their outings safely by properly wearing a U.S. Coast Guard approved life jacket, clothing that offers protection from the effects of hypothermia should a cold water immersion occur and to file a float plan with a responsible person when boating.

August 9, 2007

View From The Water Enhances Summer Stargazing

Perhaps one of the most magnificent boating nights of the summer occurred the evening of July 29 when a full moon cast its moonlit rays upon some of Ohio’s waterways, including a very clear night on Lake Erie’s Sandusky Bay.

Ancient mariners used the stars to navigate the seas. Today’s modern technology makes navigation by starlight unnecessary. A great way to enjoy a clear summer’s night by land or by sea is simply to enjoy stargazing. Here is a sampling of what you can see on an August night in Ohio.

The peak of the annual Perseids meteor showers generally occurs during the second week of August. This year the “new” moon is August 12 – which means no moon is visible, which means it will be an awesome time to see lots of “shooting stars.” The meteors are abundant and readily visible to the human eye, if only for the briefest of moments. Areas away from cities and bright lights on clear nights are best for viewing the stars.

Constellations are formations of stars that include names such as the Big Dipper (Ursa Major) and Little Dipper (Ursa Minor). August viewing times improve significantly about 11 p.m. each night and then closer to 10 p.m. near the end of the month as sunset becomes earlier. Look up into the northern sky for the Big Dipper, which is a four-star square tipped by a three-star tail, as viewed from Earth by the naked eye. To its right, is the Little Dipper, which features Polaris (the North Star).

The star named Arcturus often is mistaken as the planet Mars in the western sky. It’s somewhat orange appearance is easy to confuse with a planet. In August Mars will be closer to the earth than every before in recorded history. With a regular telescope you will be able to see the sand dunes of Mars.

The constellation Hercules can also be seen dimly in the western sky and appears as a four-star square that includes two additional stars shaped in triangular position above the constellation Northern Crown.

Some of the brightest stars in the August night can be seen in the sky directly overhead in the early night before midnight. Vega, Aquila, Altair, Cygnus and Deneb are among the brightest stars in what is called the “summer triangle”, which comprises three separate constellations. By correctly locating the star Cygnus, excellent viewing conditions and a pair of binoculars likely will reveal a faint band of light known commonly as the Milky Way. The summer triangle constellations also include the formation known as the Northern Cross, which is found in the triangle formed by Vega, Deneb and Altair.

To the East are the constellations known as Pegasus (the Winged Horse) and its adjoining Pegasus Square. First locate the large four-star square in the eastern sky, then follow its collection of nearby stars to the right of the square, which forms the wings of Pegasus (the winged horse made famous in ancient Greek myth). To the left of the star in the upper left corner of Pegasus Square are two parallel lines of stars extending out like insect antennae. This is the Andromeda constellation.

Finally, looking into the southern night sky this month is a bright star, which is the planet Jupiter. Immediately below Jupiter is a dimmer star, which is Antares. Following the line of stars extending on either side of Antares is the constellation Scorpius (the Scorpion). To the left and slightly below Jupiter nearer the southeast horizon is the constellation Sagittarius.

Viewing objects in the night sky is a delightful way to enjoy boating. For a list of boating safety tips and rules pertaining to nighttime navigation, please browse our Watercraft web site.

July 12, 2007

Act Responsibly When Alcoholic Beverages Are Consumed

While many boaters believe that having a beer on the boat is a natural thing, the message reiterated this summer by state watercraft agencies and their partners is that alcohol and boating don’t mix. Despite tougher laws to get drunk boaters off our waterways, there remains a significant number of alcohol-involved boating accidents.

An unfortunate national spotlight this summer has been cast upon the central Missouri waters of Lake of the Ozarks where seven people have died this year in alcohol-related accidents. A highly popular summer boating and tourist destination, the Lake of the Ozarks is noted for its Party Cove, where as many as 2,500 boats and 10,000 people may gather on a single summer weekend day or a holiday.

Among the five Ohio accidents (across the whole state, not just one body of water) that resulted in fatalities this year (through July 1), three incidents involved alcohol. About one in every three fatal boating accidents in the U.S. is related to excessive alcohol consumption.

In an effort to curb boating and drinking, Ohio (in 2003) and some other states have lowered their legal tolerance level from a blood alcohol content of .10 to .08 on waterways as well as roadways. Ohio watercraft officers last year made a record 107 arrests for boating while under the influence.

The core message is to boat responsibly. Boaters are encouraged to take along a variety of nonalcoholic beverages such as water and soda. Take plenty of food and be sure not to become overheated.

Will some boaters continue to consume alcoholic beverages while boating? Certainly. Can we hope they do so responsibly? Avoiding alcohol consumption while boating is the safe way to go.