The Lake and River Enhancement program provides technical and financial assistance for the protection and enhancement of aquatic habitat to ensure the continued viability of Indiana’s publicly accessible lakes and streams for multiple uses.
LARE operates under the Indiana Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Fish and Wildlife.
Funding provided by LARE to lake associations and other groups is used for purposes including investigating problems affecting lakes, management of invasive aquatic vegetation and sediment removal.
The program is funded by annual boat registration fees.
While these funds are designated for lake-specific uses, in July 2010 the State Budget Agency reported that funds for the LARE program were reverted to the general fund for the 2009-2010 budget.
This significantly limited funding and projects, including a suspension on new LARE grant awards.
In August, LARE announced the lifting of the new grant suspension. Legislation changes to the program and a revised application process also were announced at that time.
This week, LARE released a set of interim policies that reflect these changes. They are meant to provide guidance to potential project sponsors and contractors that wish to apply for 2012 grants.
To help lake groups understand the recent changes, Kosciusko Lakes and Streams is hosting an informational open house.
LARE staff will be present to allow citizens to visit about all aspects of the LARE program as well as provide comments regarding the interim policies.
According to KLAS Director Dr. Nathan Bosch, “This is a great program our state has to protect our local lakes and streams. Many of our local lake associations rely on LARE funds to protect the lakes. We are happy to host this because we think it is good information for our lake groups to have.”
The open house will take place at Grace College, 200 Seminary Drive, Winona Lake, on Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m.
For more information on the event, visit the KLAS website at water.grace.edu or contact Anna Burke at 574-372-5100, Ext. 6446.
