Indiana boaters are paying a little more this year when they register their watercraft, providing increased funding to make Indiana’s lakes and streams safer and cleaner. This year the Lake and River Enhancement program plans to expand in order to provide for the removal of sediments, the control of exotic plants and
animal species, and fund increased boater safety. John Gross, DNR Director, said last year the old fee structure provided the LARE program with $1.1 million. The new fee structure, which will cost the average boater only $15 per year, is expected to generate a total of $3.7 million annually.

This new funding will help pay for expanded law enforcement patrols by the DNR’s conservation officers and improve boater safety programs and the purchase of new boater safety equipment. Next year, the DNR plans to allocate as much as 20% of the funds earmarked for law enforcement to assist local law enforcement with increased boat safety activities. The funds may be used to pay for patrol hours or
purchase new or additional equipment for sheriff departments that provide marine enforcement. Also, to implement the new sediment removal and exotic species components of the law the DNR’s division of soil conservation is accepting applications from the development of aquatic plant survey and aquatic plant management plans.

Indiana is cracking down on drunken boaters out-of-control personal watercraft operators—even boats without enough life jackets on board. As Memorial Day approaches and boating season kicks into gear, as many as 25 new conservation officers are being added to a force of 145 to patrol Indiana’s lakes, rivers
and reservoirs in a campaign by state officials to cut boating injuries and deaths. At the same time, conservation officers are in charge of enforcing laws and ensuring safety of 952 lakes and reservoirs, the Indiana waters of Lake Michigan, more than 20 rivers and 356 miles of the Ohio River—an impossible task. There were 218,477 boats registered in 2002. Last year DNR officers spent 25,513 hours on the water—200 more hours than the year before.

The biggest problem that remains on Indiana’s waterways is failing to have enough life jackets on board. In 2003, 1051 tickets and warnings were issued because boaters didn’t have a life jacket for each person on board—as required by Indiana law. This is the most common violation cited and the penalty is a $255 fine. All seven people who died in boating accidents last year were not wearing life jackets, according to state officials. Fourteen boaters died in 2002, and five weren’t wearing life jackets. In 2001, all but two of the 14 boaters killed weren’t wearing the floatation gear.

In Indiana, many credit the decline in accidents to a sweeping set of boating laws passed in 1995 by the General Assembly—in part because of the cooperation and efforts of Senator Robert Meeks, R-LaGrange. At present he does not see much interest in any new requirements for boaters.

At present, no special license or training is required for most boaters in Indiana. Anyone with a driver’s license can operate a boat. A majority of states require boaters to complete safety education or obtain a license, according to the boating law administrators’ association. However, no one younger than 15 in Indiana can legally operate a boat greater than 10 horsepower or a personal watercraft. Boaters age 15 and older who don’t have a driver’s license can still drive a boat or PWC if they have a state-issued identification card and complete a boater education course approved by the state. This can be done online at www.boat-ed.com/in.