- Details
IDNR Report
The emergency order restricting watercraft to idle speed on Sylvan Lake has been rescinded, and normal boating operations may resume.
The emergency order restricting the operation of motorized watercraft on the Indian Lakes Chain in LaGrange County, which consists of Dallas, Witmer, Hackenberg, Westler and Messick lakes, as well as on the West Lakes Chain, which consists of Waldron, Steinbarger, Tamarack, and Jones lakes in Noble County are still in effect.
- Details
IDNR Report
The Indiana DNR has placed boating restrictions on watercraft on the West Lakes Chain, the Indian Lakes Chain, and Sylvan Lake.
The emergency order restricts the operation of motorized watercraft on the Indian Lakes Chain in LaGrange County, which consists of Dallas, Witmer, Hackenberg, Westler and Messick lakes, as well as on the West Lakes Chain, which consists of Waldron, Steinbarger, Tamarack, and Jones lakes in Noble County. The restrictions are due to concern regarding high-water levels.
The DNR also placed an idle speed restriction on motorized watercraft on Sylvan Lake.
A boating restriction is put into effect when surface water conditions are likely to enter dwelling structures as a result of a wake.
For information on Indiana boating advisories, please visit: on.IN.gov/boatadvisory.
- Details
St. Joe Parks Report
St. Joseph County Parks is now taking registrations for "Outdoor Adventures" summer nature camps at St. Patrick's County Park located in South Bend, Indiana.
“We offer campers a variety of activities,” says Amal Farrough, Interpretive Services Manager. “Depending upon the age group activities may include kayaking, nature games, creek/swamp stomping and other outdoor fun!”
Five camps are offered for children entering kindergarten through 8th grade.
- June 11: Escape Room: The Eradicator (ages 11-14)
- une 23-27: Splish, Splash, Splatter! (ages 5-6)
- uly 2: Outdoor Skills (ages 11 -14)
- uly 7-July 11: Who Done it? (ages 10-11)
- uly 28-August 1: Junior Indiana Master Naturalist (ages 9-12)
For more information, or to request registration materials, please call 574/654-3155, or visit www.sjcparks.org.
- Details
IDNR Report
The Indiana Natural Resources Commission (NRC) granted final adoption to allow the limited, regulated trapping of bobcats in designated southern Indiana counties.
Bobcat Trapping Rules
In 2024, the Indiana General Assembly passed legislation (SEA 241-2024) directing the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to have rules in place for bobcat harvest by July 2025.
The approved rules include:
- Establishing a bobcat trapping season in 40 southern Indiana counties, including a limit of one bobcat per trapper and a cumulative season limit of 250 bobcats for all trappers combined.
- Allowing bobcats and their parts that are legally acquired to be sold.
- Allowing bobcats that are found dead to be kept by people with a permit.
- Adding bobcats to the list of species for which a game breeder’s license is required.
The NRC granted preliminary adoption of the rules in September 2024, and it later held two public comment periods and two public hearings.
Research maintained by the DNR and Purdue University shows that the bobcat population in Indiana has expanded during the last two decades. This research can be reviewed at on.IN.gov/dfw-rule-changes.
Bobcats have well-established populations in the 40 counties where trapping will be allowed. Analysis shows that this high-quality habitat can support regulated harvest while also maintaining a healthy, sustainable bobcat population.
After the rule’s adoption, DNR anticipates that Indiana’s first bobcat trapping season will begin this fall. A summary of all rules and regulations will be available in the annual Hunting & Trapping Guide, which is typically available in August.
- Details
IDNR Report
Indiana DNR Director Alan Morrison announced that organizations in 20 Indiana counties across the state will receive $1,116,940 in grants to fund 53 lake and stream projects through the Lake and River Enhancement (LARE) program.
Funded projects are in Dearborn, Fayette, Fulton, Hamilton, Johnson, Knox, Kosciusko, LaGrange, LaPorte, Marion, Marshall, Monroe, Noble, Owen, Porter, Pulaski, Putnam, St. Joseph, Steuben, and Sullivan counties.
Grants totaling $643,300 will support 11 sediment or logjam removal projects in 10 counties. Another $473,640 will be used to support 42 projects to combat aquatic invasive plants, involving 52 bodies of water in 13 counties.
Aquatic invasive plant control grants help control or manage aggressive non-native species that compete native species and dominate plant communities. The grants, often give to lake associations, can also provide economic benefits to lake communities by improving lake conditions for those who fish or boat.
Click the link to see which lakes the DNR is offering funding for weed treatments:
The grants are funded through the LARE fee paid annually by boat owners when they register their crafts with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. This user-funded program benefits boaters all over the state by allowing for the completion of lake and stream projects that would be difficult for local organizations to fund on their own. Grants are awarded on a competitive basis, and local sponsors share at least 20% of the cost.
Funded projects for the planning and removal of sediment and logjams help improve recreational access by removing nutrient-rich sediment and woody debris near inlets or navigational channels, helping prevent bank erosion and the formation of new channels. These types of projects receive the highest priority for LARE funding, and they are only funded for projects focused on large-quantity debris removal.
Here is the link to waters that will receive sediment and logjam removal:
A list of grant recipients and sediment and logjam removal projects by body of water, county, project type, and grant award can be found at lare.dnr.IN.gov and clicking on project awards at the top of the page.
Reports on all past LARE-funded projects can be found at larereports.dnr.IN.gov.