Education Grants Announced

$365,419 in grants for 34 community organizations was announced in December by the Division of Watercraft. The organizations will use the grants to teach boating courses, including hands-on boating skills classes. The grants range from a low of $1,018 to a high of $28,666. Funding for the Boating Safety Education Grant Program is provided through the Ohio Waterways Safety Fund.   » news release

Boat Show Season Begins

See what's new in boating and immerse yourself in planning for the 2009 boating season by visiting a boat show this winter. Shows begin in Toledo  January 9th, Columbus January 10th, and Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Columbus on January 16. This year the Cleveland Boating and Waterfront Lifestyle Expo features the Ohio Sea Grant program for a day.    » read more

E-renewals Starting Up Again

Get a start on the 2009 boating season by renewing your boat registration online! If you missed your boat renewal in 2007 or 2008, as long as your boat was issued a PIN, you can still use the online method to renew. Online Boat Registration Renewal is simple and quick; most decals are delivered within a week of renewing. Online renewal opens January 2 and runs through September 30. Last year more than 11,000 boat registrations were renewed online. Fees remain unchanged; renewal letters for registrations that expire in 2009 will be delivered throughout January.    » Online Renewal

2008 Year In Review

As a new year begins, the Division of Watercraft takes a moment to highlight some of the more notable accomplishments that occurred in 2008.    » read more

Spotlight on Access: Award-winning Skyway Marina on the Maumee River

Skyway Marina, formerly known as the Glass City Municipal Marina, was opened in June and features a 100-slip marina that 74 new floating transient slips. The facility also offers boaters a retail store, meeting rooms, laundry facilities, showers, restrooms, marine fuel, and a waste pumpout system. »  read more

Where Did All the Water Go?

Winter brings its own type of beauty to our state parks: The lack of greenery allows you to see more wildlife and birds, as bright plumage stands out and nests are evident. And snow on the ground lets you track the footprints of creatures coming and going. But if you aren't accustomed to visiting a state park in the winter, seeing extremely low water levels in the lake can be disconcerting. Did someone pull the plug? Are we in a drought? Why does the water level drop?    » read more

EPA Firms Up Lake Ballast Discharge Rules

Ohio EPA has issued its final state certification to accompany a federal draft discharge permit that regulates discharges, including ballast water, from vessels. Ohio's additional conditions address concerns about invasive species while also protecting Ohio's Great Lakes commerce. A public information session was held on November 12, 2008, and a public hearing was held November 26, 2008, to take public comments on a draft version of the state certification. Several changes were made as a result of public comments filed. The final certification now allows an exemption for existing vessels that operate exclusively in the Great Lakes (laker vessels) from ballast water treatment requirements. This change was made to recognize that existing laker vessels will incur significant costs to comply with treatment standards, but also concedes that while laker vessels may transport species within the Great Lakes they do not introduce new invasive species.     »  www.epa.state.oh.us

What Do We Do in the Winter?

You know where they are and what they do during the rest of the year because you see them -- doing vessel safety checks and patrolling on the water. But when the weather turns cold and water turns to ice, what do Watercraft Officers do?    » read more

BoatUS Clean Water Grants Help Your Community

Would you like to help make your home waters a little cleaner? The BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water is offering grant funds up to $4,000 each for community non-profit groups to develop projects that address environmental problems on local waterways. This year's deadline to apply is February 2, 2009. In the past, groups have received funding to create brochures that help educate boaters about the availability of pumpout stations, built and installed information kiosks on waterway ecology, added monofilament recycling bins for anglers, erected signage on clean water practices, and hosted a river clean up contests. "The bottom line is that we will consider any project that strives to educate boaters about protecting the marine environment," said BoatU.S. Foundation Director of Environmental Programs Susan Shingledecker.   »  www.BoatUS.com

EPIRB Switchover

Boaters and others who have older, analog Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs) using a 121.5 Megahertz (MHz) signal will find these devices will no longer be detected by satellites and rescue agencies beginning February 1, 2009. The newer 406MHz digital emergency distress locator beacons are what you will want to have aboard your boats, especially if you boat on very large water areas such as Lake Erie. The older 121.5 MHz and 243.0 MHz EPIRBs already are banned in the U.S. and many other countries, however, some of these older units may still be in existence. The newer 406MHz EPIRB units must be registered through NOAA (www.beaconregistration.noaa.gov or 888-212-SAVE) and can be purchased through various marine product retailers.    » www.noaa.gov