Good Morning All
I am a member of the US Power Squadron and I have been teaching our Boating Course for over 5 years, I am also a Volunteer Boating Instructor for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and I teach their class also. I am a working mariner and usually log around 270 days on the water.
I teach boating classes as a volunteer to promote the boating. I am often asked in our classes about boating in other states and what the rules are. I go over reciprocity and explain how to go to a state's department of natural resource web page and search out and download the boating guides.
I was recently asked by our Assistant National Education Officer (Power Squadron) to research the state rules regarding the enforcement of capacity plate compliance for the states of Illinois and Indiana.
I went to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources web page and clicked on the tab for boating rules. This tab took me directly to a Boater - Ed webpage with a picture of the Indiana Boating Safety handbook with a "BUY" button. Clicking on the buy button takes you to a Kalkomey bookstore webpage which will sell me a pdf file that I can download for a $1.99.
I am hoping that this community of boating safety advocates can help me understand how charging someone to who is interested in finding out the regulations before they go out boating promotes boating safety!
Now I realize that the Department of Natural Resource agencies area generally underfunded and it has been somewhat difficult to obtain printed copies of the Boating Rules Digest in Illinois and I have actually printed them my self for classes. But at least I have never been charged for the download. I also do not like the fact that the states are allowing kalkomey to plaster the BOATER-ED logo all over official state materials, but it is even worse when you charge your citizens.
Scott Harmon
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Scott harmon
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