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Heather Abele  |
COLUMBUS, OH - Heather Abele of South Webster in Scioto County has been named the 2004 Watercraft Officer of the Year by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Watercraft.
Abele was recognized for her work in patrolling southern Ohio’s waterways and helping to keep them safer and more enjoyable. She works out of the Division of Watercraft’s Chillicothe office.
Abele 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.
The ODNR Division of Watercraft administers Ohio’s recreational boating programs, including watercraft registration and titling operations, and provides grants to local communities for enforcement, education and boating access facilities. The division investigates boating accidents and related fatalities, and enforces state boating laws on Ohio’s waterways. These and other Division of Watercraft programs are funded by a portion of the state gasoline sales tax, boating registration and titling fees and a grant from the U.S. Coast Guard.