Grand River Dam Authority Police Department |
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EMERGENCY 911 GRDA Police 918-256-0911
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Charter Boat Requirements |
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Even those that don’t live on the lake or own a boat appreciate the opportunity to enjoy an evening lake cruise or to celebrate a special event with a lake excursion. Whether it’s a bachelorette party, a company event, fishing excursion or a family celebration, many people will seek to hire a boat to charter on the lakes, even through social media.
If you're required to provide any money, fuel, or supplies before or after the operator allows you to get underway on the vessel, the vessel is operating as a charter. When looking for a boat to charter for a lake excursion, one of the first questions that should be asked of those that offer the service, is if they a permitted by GRDA for boat charters.
In order to protect the public from the dangers that can be posed by unlicensed boat charters, GRDA regulations require that all charter services be property permitted to provide these services.
300:35-15-6. Commercial boat operators permit
(a) Any person, firm or corporation operating for pecuniary gain or profit or any business that, directly or indirectly, is engaged in the performance of the carriage of any person, or persons, or of any goods, wares, merchandising or other freight, for a valuable consideration, whether directly or indirectly flowing to the owner, charterer, operator, agent or any other person, upon the lands or waters of GRDA shall obtain an annual permit.
(b) No vessel, while carrying passengers for hire, shall be operated or navigated except in charge of a person covered by a policy of insurance that clearly covers the scope of duties resulting from such commercial enterprise.
Not only must these services be permitted by GRDA, there are other things to consider:
- Is the charter and boat operator properly insured for the operation of a boat for hire? Most insurance policies are for recreational use only, and any claims that occur during a paid charter would void the policy.
- Is the boat “captain” and their crew properly trained in the operation of a boat, how to deal with emergencies and have the knowledge and experience required to safely navigate the waters of GRDA lakes and rivers?
- Are charter employees subject to alcohol and drug testing?
- Is the boat properly licensed, maintained and equipped?
- If they are serving food, beverages or alcoholic beverages as part of the cruise, do they require licenses from the county health department and/or ABLE Commission?
The fact is that anyone with a boat that wants to supplement their income by doing boat charters can reply to these requests. When it comes to boat charters, you can’t assume that it is a legally operated charter because many people are operating their vessels in an unlawful fashion. They are putting passengers at risk by not having the proper skills, not keeping their vessels in a state that’s seaworthy and not having the appropriate life-saving equipment on board. All too often private individuals will respond to social media inquiries about boat charter requests that are not properly permitted or licensed to provide that type of service. Boat owners and operators may be unaware they are violating the law because they have owned the vessel a long time, and they deem themselves as properly trained. This may not be an issue, till the moment that a crisis occurs during a chartered excursion that can result in injuries, death and millions of dollars’ worth of lawsuits for damages.
Before accepting an offer for a boat charter, make sure that the first question that you ask is if they a permitted by GRDA to provide that type of service. If not, you need to protect yourself and your loved ones by looking somewhere else.
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The weather may be winter, but with the onset of the boat shows, it is apparent that the time to get back on the water will soon be upon us. Boaters and other outdoor recreationalists can see all the latest trends in water recreation at the shows that provide the inspiration for what we will do when the weather warms up.
GRDA Police will again join many of our lake friends at the 2023 shows to provide all the information you need to enjoy the GRDA lakes and rivers. Our personnel will be on hand at several venues this year to promote our lakes and rivers. We enjoyed participating in the Oklahoma Boat Expo in Tulsa January 5-8, and we are currently preparing for the Tulsa Boat, Sport and Travel Show at the Sagenet Center at Tulsa Expo Square January 30 through February 5 and the Oklahoma Tackle, Hunting and Boat Show in Pryor that will be held February 10-12.
Stop by our booth and get the latest information about GRDA waters and ask about WOKA. We look forward to seeing you at the shows!
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Protecting the Bald Eagle
from Lead Poisoning
The wildlife that we have in the region of the GRDA lakes and rivers are without a doubt one of the most fascinating aspects of playing and living in this area. Thanks to federal regulations protecting the American Bald Eagle, we have seen their population increasing in recent years, and everyone enjoys the majestic wonder of watching these iconic symbols of our country. But the fact is, as much as we do to try to protect these birds, some of our practices while hunting and fishing are resulting in their death.
Over the past twenty-five years, lead toxicity—or lead poisoning—has become an increasingly apparent concern impacting bald eagles along with other bird species and wildlife.
A recent national study revealed that 47% of bald eagles and 46% of golden eagles had signs of chronic lead poisoning, which is the result of repeated lead exposure. As many as 33-35% of eagles had acute lead poisoning from exposure to high lead levels. These statistics came from samples taken across 38 states over the course of eight years.
The increasing lead levels in rehabilitation eagles’ blood suggests that lead toxicity is tangibly impacting the health of bald eagle populations. A lead fragment the size of a grain of rice is lethal to a mature bald eagle, meaning that a standard 150 grain lead bullet can poison 10 eagles. The problem of lead poisoning in bald eagles is confirmed by local officials with the Wild Heart Ranch and the Sutton Avian Research Center that provide rehabilitation services for our local wildlife, including bald eagles. In fact, Wild Heart Ranch has reported the death of at least two bald eagles in the past month due to lead poisoning.
The problem that is creating the health concerns in our local wildlife is the use of lead ammunition and fishing gear. Sportsmen and sportswomen have a longstanding history of championing conservation, both through protecting habitats and wildlife management. The research on lead toxicosis in bald eagles indicates that these exposures are unintended consequences from lead ammunition fragments and lead fishing tackle that are left behind in the field.
Because these exposures are accidental, such as when a fish breaks the line or when a gut pile is left behind, the best way to decrease the risk of lead exposure is to transition to non-lead ammunition and tackle. Education around this issue is imperative not just for the health of bald eagles but also humans. Lead fragments from ammunition spread far beyond the wound channel. This means that lead fragments may exist in gut piles left behind in the field that raptors, and other wildlife may feed on and it also poses a risk to meat processed for human consumption. A study using 324 randomly selected venison packages from processors found that 34% contained as much as 150 separate lead fragments. The use of lead weights and sinkers for fishing can also have a detrimental impact on the eagles since they feed on the fish that are often affected by the use of these lead fishing products.
To decrease the risk to our wildlife and humans to lead poisoning when hunting or fishing, hunters are encouraged to switch from lead shotshells and rifle cartridges to steel or copper. It is for this reason that GRDA regulations restrict the use of lead ammunition while hunting on GRDA lands. Anglers should also transition from the use of lead sinkers and other fishing weights to those made from steel.
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GRDA Bat Monitoring Efforts
Often considered as excellent indicators of environmental health and habitat integrity, bats are of great relevance to ecosystem balance and serve many important economic and ecological roles such as seed dispersers, pollinators and insect control specialists.
Many species of bats call GRDA’s lakes and rivers home, including four that are listed as either threatened or endangered. In an effort to better understand the habitat preference and foraging activity of these bats, GRDA's Ecosystems and Watershed Management Department has the capability to use acoustic monitoring devices to record and analyze bat calls.
In recent years, the Eco team has been deploying these devices within GRDA's various watersheds. These monitoring devices can be strapped to a tree or motor vehicle to perform stationary or mobile surveys and record calls passively or actively in real time. Since each species of bat produces an acoustically unique signature with their call, calls can then be identified and correlated with things such as weather, water quality, land use and potential food. While their studies and literature show that these environmental parameters and landscape characteristics do appear to have some effect on bat communities, the most important factor seems to be geographic location, particularly the proximity to appropriate roosting habitats.
Along with this acoustic monitoring effort, they work with federal and university partners to perform management activities at three caves around the shoreline of Grand Lake as part of the Hydropower license for Pensacola Dam. These activities include population estimates, nighttime exit surveys and White Nose Syndrome Monitoring.
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2023 Boating Safety Course Dates Announced
Sign Up to Take the Course Now!
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Do Your Business Online
There is a host of information available on our website at grda.com for those that live and work on our lakes, and much of the business you need to conduct with GRDA can be done online. This includes completing applications and paying for required permits.
When you go to grda.com, you can click on the link for Lake Permits. Review the list of permit applications available to include Dock Permits, Fishing Tournament permits, Construction permits, Buoy Placement permits, Special Event permits and a variety of others. Select the permit application that you need and email the completed application to our permit office at lakepermits@grda.com.
You can also make payment for required permits on the same page of the website using the tab for GRDA ONLINE PAYMENT CENTER. Whether you need to pay the fees for a new permit or the annual fees for a permit such as a dock, you can do it all online using a credit card at the online payment center.
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Saving Lives with ABC
The GRDA partnered with Americas Boating Club – Grand Lake years ago to help decrease the number of drownings on Grand Lake by increasing the availability of life jackets for lake users. The volunteers of the ABC will attend several events this year to distribute free life jackets to children that need a properly fitted PFD. The group is planning to attend the Grand Lake Boat Show, the Toes in the Grand Festival and Camp Bandage Grand Lake where they will fit and provide life jackets at no cost to hundreds of kids to ensure they are properly protected during their lake activities this summer.
The GRDA has provided funding for this program for years, and once again the agency has donated $5,000.00 to the ABC to buy life jackets for the distribution programs. The Grand River Dam Authority has committed over $35,000.00 to the ABC life jacket programs in the last seven years in an effort to reduce the incidents of accidental drownings in our lakes.
The life jacket programs conducted by the ABC includes the installation of life jacket loaner stations at several popular public use areas on Grand Lake that are stocked with a variety of sizes of life jackets for adults and children. The members of the ABC volunteer their time to purchase and stock life jackets at the loaner stations throughout the boating season. Anyone that does not have a properly sized life jacket can borrow a life jacket at any of the life jacket stations that are located at Bernice State Park, Wolf Creek Park, Honey Creek State Park, the Elk River ramp and Twin Bridges State Park.
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Do You Need Current Lake Information? |
Go to the GRDA Storm Ops web page to get current data including lake levels, lake parameters, storage details, flow conditions and much more.
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Did You Know?
Most accidents occur in boats under 26 feet in length. At the time of the accident, the most common activity was general boating for fun and relaxation followed by fishing.
Operator inattention, improper lookout, operator inexperience, machinery failure, and excessive speed ranked as the top five primary contributing factors in accidents.
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"Updates" on the Web
If you didn't receive our latest GRDA Update or you have a friend that wants to see our Updates, go to our website at https://www.grda.com/grda-police/ and click on the GRDA POLICE UPDATE for the latest version of our email release or to Join Our Email List.
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NAV TIME
A Summary of Boating Laws, Navigation Regulations & Tips
That All Boat Operators Should Know
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How Do Lifejackets Save Lives?
- By providing buoyancy if you unexpectedly find yourself in the water.
- By providing buoyancy if you purposely jump into the water to save someone else.
- By providing buoyancy when you are no longer able to keep yourself afloat due to fatigue, injury, or cold.
- By providing buoyancy if you are a weak or non-swimmer.
Lifejackets must be:
- the appropriate size for the intended user,
- appropriate for the intended activity,
- in good and serviceable condition, and Coast Guard approved to meet carriage requirements.
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Boating Tips From
Americas Boating Club
Grand Lake
Many will be planning to buy that new boat at the upcoming boat shows. Deciding on a boat requires several questions to be answered such as which type and style will best serve your planned use of the boat. Will you be on larger lakes like Grand Lake, smaller lakes or rivers? How many people do you plan to take on your boat? Smaller boats have capacity and weight limits. Larger boats may be yacht certified allowing more capacity. The design of the boat is important for safety. Some can handle rough water better than others should the weather or boat traffic make for rougher conditions.
Power boaters have more choices to make such as to an outboard or inboard engine. Each type has different benefits and costs. Then there are also propulsion systems such as stern drive (I/O), vee drive, straight shaft drive or jet drive depending on the boat’s design and purpose.
For fishing, there are many choices to be considered, but also, is the boat only for fishing or will it be used as the family boat for rides or towing water toys?
Other factors that should be considered along with the initial expense are operational, maintenance and storage expenses. These will all vary as to type of boat you have chosen.
Consider yourself invited to join the local boating club to have fun, plus the opportunity to take courses online or in the classroom to improve your boating skills and knowledge. Visit us online at usps.org/grandlake and send us an email with your contact information. Also visit us at Facebook: America’s boating club-grand lake for more information.
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2023
Special Events Schedule
January 30 – February 5: Tulsa Boat, Sport & Travel Show, Tulsa Expo Square
February 10 – 12: Oklahoma Tackle, Hunting & Boat Show, Pryor
March 3 – 5: Grand Lake Boat Show, Vinita
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Do you have a Special Event Planned?
PLEASE let us know about your lake or river events so we can provide the resources you may need to make it a positive experience!
If you have a special event you would like for us to help you promote,
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GRDA Police Dispatch 918-256-0911
GRDA Ecosystems and Education Center 918-981-8470
GRDA Lake Permits 918-782-1743
GRDA Pensacola Dam Tours & Facility Information 918-981-8470
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