COLUMBUS, OH - State watercraft officer Heather Abele of Scioto County has been named regional Boating Law Enforcement Officer of the Year by the Northern Association of Boating Administrators. Abele is one of three award recipients from a 22-state region.
The regional award entitles Abele to compete this fall for national watercraft officer of the year honors. “Officer Abele was duly recognized for her outstanding work in patrolling southern Ohio’s waterways, helping to keep them safer and more enjoyable,” said Ken Alvey, chief of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Watercraft.
Abele is based at the ODNR watercraft remote field office in Chillicothe. She is a 1992 graduate of Buckeye Valley High School in Delaware County and a 1995 graduate of Hocking College with an associate’s degree in fish and wildlife management. She joined ODNR in 1994 as a natural resources aide and became a state watercraft officer in 2000.
Abele and her husband, Travis, reside in the Village of South Webster. The ODNR Division of Watercraft administers Ohio’s recreational boating programs, including watercraft registration and titling operations, boating law enforcement, and provides boating education programs.