(A) There is hereby created in the department of natural resources the division of parks and watercraft. The division shall do all of the following:

(1) Administer and enforce all laws relative to the identification, numbering, registration, titling, use, and operation of vessels operated on the waters in this state;

(2) Promote, and educate and inform the citizens of the state about, conservation, navigation, safety practices, and the benefits of recreational boating;

(3) Provide for and assist in the development, maintenance, and operation of marine recreational facilities, docks, launching facilities, and harbors for the benefit of public navigation, recreation, or commerce if the chief of the division determines that they are in the best interests of the state;

(4) Provide wild, scenic, and recreational river area conservation education and provide for corridor protection, restoration, habitat enhancement, and clean-up projects in those areas;

(5) Coordinate and plan trails in accordance with section 1519.03 of the Revised Code;

(6) Administer any state or federally funded grant program that is related to natural resources and recreation as considered necessary by the director of natural resources.

(B) The division shall create, supervise, operate, protect, and maintain, and promote the use by the public of, a system of state parks and wild, scenic, and recreational river areas. As part of that responsibility, the division shall control and manage all lands and waters dedicated and set apart for state park purposes. The division shall do all of the following regarding those lands and waters:

(1) Protect and maintain them;

(2) Make alterations and improvements;

(3) Construct and maintain dikes, wharves, landings, docks, dams, and other works;

(4) Construct and maintain roads and drives in, around, upon, and to the lands and waters to make them conveniently accessible and useful to the public.

Added by 131st General Assembly File No. TBD, SB 293, §1, eff. 9/14/2016.