CLUBS

CLUBS
Muzzloaders form
The Salem Hunting Club Muzzleloaders has been chartered with the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association. Club officials are Lowell Iden, president, Larry Iler, vice president, Dwayne Stuckey, secretary, and Jeff Simmonds, treasurer. For more information call (330 547-5663.
BOATING
Operation Overboard
Operation Overboard, an annual effort of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to enhance early season boater safety on Ohio's waterways, will begin this month across the state.
"With unseasonably warm weather, boaters already are enjoying Ohio's lakes and rivers," said Jeff Hoedt, chief of the ODNR Division of Watercraft. "It is important they remember that even though the air temperatures may be warm, water temperatures are still dangerously cold and an accidental overturn could be deadly."
Operation Overboard, initiated last year, directs state watercraft officers and local marine patrols to specifically look for potential safety hazards such as improperly loaded and overloaded boats during vessel safety checks conducted at boat ramps and on waterways. The program primarily is focused on people using small boats on inland waters.
Watercraft registrationincreased in Ohio
COLUMBUS - Franklin County remains the top county in Ohio in the number of registered watercraft last year, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Franklin County has 27,810 registered watercraft, followed by Cuyahoga, Summit, Hamilton, Montgomery, Stark, Lucas, Butler, Lorain and Trumbull counties.
Ohio registered 417,204 watercraft last year, just short of the record high number of 418,701 registered in 2000. Ohio remains eighth nationally in watercraft registrations. Last year, marked the fourth consecutive year Ohio had more than 400,000 registered watercraft.
Watercraft registrations increased in 46 counties, including Delaware, Ashtabula, Clermont, Warren and Licking. Recreational boating contributes an estimated $1.4 billion annuallyto the state's economy and supports 19,500 Ohio jobs.
Boating statistics also revealed that approximately 3.5 millionOhioans participate in boating each year. Typical boat owners take 18 boating trips each year and spend about 50 percent of their time on the water fishing.
The Division of Watercraft reminds boaters whose due to expire March 1 that they may renew their registrations online through the ODNR web site at www.ohiodnr.com if they have no changes to make on their renewal forms.
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