BETTER BOATERS

There’s something intensely satisfying about boating. Slicing through the water as the wind rushes over your face feels like a great adventure, but with adventure comes risk. That’s why the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and City Water, Light and Power offer the Melissa Kwedar Safe Boating Clinics, in memory of a Springfield teen killed in a 1982 boating accident. The free, two-day clinics are held on consecutive Saturdays and will teach basic boat knowledge, equipment, navigation, water safety, emergency measures and skipper’s duties to kids age 12 to 17. Everyone who successfully completes a two-day session will receive a boating Safety Certificate from IDNR, which is required for kids age 12 to 17 who pilot a motorized watercraft solo on Illinois waterways. Clinics are scheduled for 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. on April 2 and April 9, and at the same times on May 7 and May 14, all at the CWLP Property Management Center at 200 E. Lake Shore Drive, located east of the Spaulding Dam Boat Launch. To register, call 757-8660, ext. 1203. Space is limited.