Boating Safety Education Grant Recipient Profile:
Hamilton County Park District

Each year the Division of Watercraft provides funding assistance through its Boating Safety Education Grant Program to more than two dozen community organizations offering programs that enhance boating skills and boating safety education in Ohio. Among the 30 programs funded this year is the Paddling Sports Program offered by the Hamilton County Park District in the greater Cincinnati area.

The Paddling Sports Program is one of many courses available through the park district’s Adventure Outpost, which is based at Winton Woods. The grant award of $14,139 is being used across two years to offer a river kayaking program that will provide participants more advanced paddling training and practical hands-on experience. Classes will occur on Winton Lake and on a section of the Little Miami River. Instructors are certified through the American Canoe Association.

The 6-hour kayak paddling class will be held May 22, June 13, and July 10 and is limited in size. The class includes a review of the Kayak Quick-Start basic education program and on-the-water training. This first training phase takes place on Winton Lake and requires the participant to perform a wet exit from the kayak, to demonstrate other rescue maneuvers, and to paddle a kayak while outfitted with a half-skirt and helmet. The second phase is conducted on a section of the Little Miami River and includes instruction on how to read a river and how to handle small rapids. Participants then demonstrate their wet exits and rescue maneuvers on moving water.

Following completion of this program, participants will have an opportunity to participate in a more advanced paddling course this summer (on the Great Miami River, under more challenging river conditions).

This is the second Division of Watercraft Boating Safety Education Grant for the Hamilton County Park District, which is entering its fourth season in offering paddling programs.

The Boating Safety Education Grant Program is funded by boaters through the Ohio Waterways Safety Fund. This fund comprises funding assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard, a share of the State Motor Fuel Tax, boat registration and titling fees, and Waterways Conservation Assessment fees.