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(Provided by IDNR)
Effective July 1, Indiana will require children under age 18 to wear an approved helmet when riding any off-road vehicle (ORV) on public or private property in Indiana, including Interlake and Redbird state recreation areas.
House Enrolled Act 1200, which was signed into law by Gov. Eric J. Holcomb on April 26, means changes to the rules at the two off-road-riding properties owned and operated by the Department of Natural Resources, Redbird and Interlake. Redbird SRA is near Linton, and Interlake SRA is near Lynnville.
Both properties previously required children and adults to wear approved helmets when riding all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and dirt bikes but not when riding side-by-side ORVs equipped with roll bars or overhead protection. HEA 1200 applies to both ATVs and side-by-side ORVs. The new law will add the requirement that children in side-by-side ORVs wear approved helmets.
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Eight Indiana counties will be able to address sediment problems in lakes and rivers, thanks to $617,500 in grant funding from the DNRÃs Lake and River Enhancement (LARE) program.
LARE grants are administered through DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife. Division director Mark Reiter said the funding will support 11 projects this year.
"The goal for these projects is to improve public accessibility to Indiana waterways and lakes," Reiter said. "Improved access will increase recreation opportunities for boaters, anglers, paddlers and others who love water."
The 11 projects were chosen in a competitive process from applications submitted by local sponsors, who agree to share at least 20 percent of the cost.
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A new boat ramp and larger parking area are now available for anglers at a public access site on Bixler Lake in Noble County.
The improvements at the 117-acre lake were made possible through an agreement between the DNR and the Kendallville Park Department.
The DNR leased an existing access site on park property off Sherman Street. Last fall, the agency replaced the ramp with funds generated from fishing license sales and taxes on boat fuel.
Additional upgrades scheduled for this spring include paving the parking area, designating space for accessible parking, installing a loading pier, and signage.
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Despite the low number of adult muskies now present in Lake Webster, DNR fisheries biologists were able to catch enough sexually ripe females this spring to obtain nearly 500,000 eggs.
That amount fills the annual quota needed to support Indiana's muskie stocking program.
Biologists captured 88 muskies in trap nets set over an eight-day period in late March and early April at the 774-acre lake in Kosciusko County. Fifty were adult males and 24 were adult females.
From this group, five females were "ripe" enough to provide nearly 11 quarts of eggs that were stripped from the fish, fertilized with milt from males, and then transported to the Fawn River Hatchery in Orland.
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DNR grants totaling more than $585,000 will be used to fight invasive aquatic plants in Indiana's lakes.
The grants were awarded by DNR director Cameron F. Clark through the Lake and River Enhancement (LARE) program in the DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife.
The 42 projects involve lakes in 16 counties. The applications were submitted by local sponsors who share at least 20 percent of the total cost.
LARE grants are funded through the LARE fee paid by boat owners annually when they register their boats with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. This user-funded program benefits boaters all over the state. The grants allow for the completion of projects that would be difficult for many local organizations to fund on their own.