Boating season is only about 10 weeks away, and with it comes heightened concern about the potential spread of zebra mussels.

Besides attaching themselves to boats, motors and trailers, they can also hitchhike from lake to lake on docks, boat lifts and other equipment that will soon be dunked into water.

To lower that risk, a new state law requires mandatory training for those in the business of dock and boat services.

About 70 company owners and workers met this week in Chanhassen for the first of 21 training sessions to be held statewide.

"We need to get you up to speed to protect our lakes and to protect you," Jay Rendall, invasive species prevention coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, told the group.

NORTH TONAWANDA -- A federal grant will contribute nearly $700,000 toward the rebuilding of an old marina, which will take place as a shuttered yacht club is refurbished into a new, public waterfront restaurant where boaters can pull in for a meal.

"This is very good news for people who have been looking for things to do along our riverfront," Mayor Robert Ortt said today. "We hope to be able to do some work this spring."

To help bring new life to the former home of the Niagara River Yacht Club on River Road, next to Gratwick Park, the city has also been in the midst of setting up a lease agreement with the same company that runs Templeton Landing restaurant on Buffalo's waterfront.

WASHINGTON -- Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced more than $7.5 million in competitive grants to 10 states for 11 projects to support recreational boating through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Boating Infrastructure Grant program.

“Recreational boaters and anglers contribute to our nation’s thriving outdoor recreation economy and play an important role in conservation of our rivers, watersheds and oceans,” Secretary Salazar said. “These competitive grants will help provide quality opportunities and access to America’s great outdoors for our nation’s boaters and anglers, while creating jobs by funding major construction projects to build docks, boat slips and facilities.”

Outdoor recreation, including boating and fishing, contribute an estimated $730 billion to the U.S. economy each year, Salazar noted.

A new study released by the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation reveals that RBFF's Take Me Fishing brand and Take Me Fishing advertising continues to achieve high levels of awareness and is positively affecting decisions to participate in boating and fishing.

The study, based on an online survey, found that consumers who recall a Take Me Fishing print ad are more than three times more likely to intend to go fishing, take someone fishing or go boating for the purpose of fishing than consumers who do not recall the ad. In another analysis, the study scored Take Me Fishing print advertising 74.4 out of 100 on its ability to influence readers' decisions to go fishing in response to the ad's call to action.

The Ohio Boating Education Course will be offered from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 10 at the Cambridge Watercraft Field Office, 1225 Woodlawn Ave., according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Watercraft.

The fee for the course is $5, which covers the cost of course materials.

Interested persons must pre-register by calling the Cambridge office, 439-4076, to take the course.