Editor’s Note: Confused about the E85 fuel question? You’re not alone. In fact, as this piece from BoatU.S. clearly shows, virtually everyone is confused by the differences, similarities and dangers of E15 and E10 fuel. Hope this helps.

SPRINGFIELD, VA – President Trump has officially moved to allow E15 (15 percent ethanol) gasoline sales year-round – a fuel prohibited for use in recreational boats and a decision that recreational boating groups say will needlessly put 142 million American boaters at risk. Protecting Boaters at the Gas Pump is a new website with a series of photos of gas station pumps in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin that clearly shows the challenges boaters face with poor ethanol warning labels at the pump, resulting in a greater risk of misfueling.

The effort is from the National Marine Manufacturers Association’s (NMMA), which was recently shared in “Boating United” campaign that urges recreational boat owners to tweet their members of Congress to stop the expansion of the government-mandated fuel. Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) supports the effort and is urging recreational boaters to share the website with friends:

https://spark.adobe.com/page/dYPx7SjouAr2k/

“The ethanol industry doesn’t want you to see these photos of gas pumps,” said BoatUS Manager of Government Affairs David Kennedy. “The confusion presented to consumers at the pump today is real. Putting the wrong fuel in your boat will likely void your engine’s warranty. We applaud NMMA for clearly showing the misfueling problem.”

E15 is currently banned for sale in many states by the Environmental Protection Agency during summer months over concerns that it contributes to smog on hot days. The push for more ethanol into the nation’s fuel supply is a result of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). When it was passed in 2005, RFS assumed that America’s use of gasoline would continue to grow. Since then, however, gasoline usage has not increased as forecast, which today forces more ethanol into each gallon of gas. Read more

Winter may have just begun, but it’s the perfect time to start making summer travel plans. Looking for uncommon travel experiences? How about a two-week stay at the historic Tawas Point Lighthouse, located in Tawas Point State Park off Tawas Bay in Lake Huron?

Starting today, the Tawas Point Lighthouse Keeper Program will accept applications for volunteer keepers for May 1 through Oct. 29. Those selected – the program gets more than 100 applications a year – will get to live in the restored keeper’s quarters. Each participant pays a $75 per-person fee and provides roughly 35 hours of service each week in and around the historic lighthouse that attracts visitors from all over the world.

“The Tawas area is known as Michigan’s Cape Cod,” said Hillary Pine, Tawas Point Lighthouse historian. “It’s a lovely area favored by bird-watchers, sailors, history enthusiasts and others. We make sure our volunteer lighthouse keepers have plenty of time to enjoy Lake Huron, Tawas Bay and other recreational
opportunities.” Read more

The new WagOne™ Ultimate Ball Thrower from Birchwood Casey® throws a tennis ball farther and more easily so your dog gets the workout, not you.

The WagOne™ Ultimate Ball Thrower features easy hands-free and slobber-free ball loading. Simply push the steel fingers onto the ball and its picked up for the next throw. The auto-cocking feature makes throwing easy on your arm and the rugged polymer handle provides plenty of leverage for launching the ball long distances. The design of the WagOne™ Ultimate Ball Thrower allows for easy right or left-handed use.

The WagOne™ Ultimate Ball Thrower is proudly made in the USA and sells for a retail price of $30.00.

(Nov.12, 2018) — Managing your hunting property is no easy task, and it’s a year-round effort. You have shooting lanes to cut, food plots and trees to plant, treestands to hang or move, ponds to build and more. Sometimes the work requirements can be overwhelming. Let the Realtree Half-Ton Hauler Lift-Assist and Swivel Utility Dump Cart by OxCart take some of the load off of you so you can accomplish more in less amount of time. Read more

In an ongoing effort to ensure that the Department of Natural Resources forest road inventory is as accurate as possible and to also encourage continued public input on the management of state forest roads, the DNR has proposed some changes to ORV use on state forest roads in Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula.

The proposed changes include:

• • Adding roads that previously were unmapped.
  • Deleting mapped roads that no longer exist.
  • Closing roads to conventional vehicle use (including ORVs); closing roads only to ORV use, and opening roads to ORV use.

Read more

In The Scouting Guide to Survival , current Scouts, Scout alumni, and readers interested in the outdoors are provided with time-tested advice on emergency preparedness. Some practical tips include:

· How to build a fire

· How to purify water

· How to signal for help

· How to build simple shelters

· How to survive in different environments

· How to practice survival first aid

· And so much more!

Available at www.amazon.com/J.-Wayne-Fears/e/B001HOIFOQ Read more

Melissa TX- The Wrap-A-Strap is a multi-use tangle eliminator for utility tie down and ratchet straps. They reside in almost every garage and shop across America. Every American has the same issue however with ratchet straps… they end up in a tangled mess. Entrepreneur Josh Brown from Melissa, TX was no stranger to the tangled mess that ratchet straps always seem to find themselves in. Released November of 2018 is the ultimate solution. The Wrap A Strap. This simple yet effective tool is a quick solution to not only storing your ratchet strap but also securing the excess slack on loads that don’t require using the entire length of the strap. By taking a few seconds to spin your strap on the Wrap A Strap and make the final locking loop and just like that, your strap will remain tangle free for easy storage. This comes in extremely handy when you need it again. Even better, no more trying to tie off excess straps on your load, just Wrap A Strap it. Durable polymer construction will keep your Wrap A Strap around for years of use. One for home and one for your truck. Wrap A Strap is a must have.

SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 17, 2018 – Western River Expeditions is taking reservations as of Nov. 15, 2018, for river rafting adventures in 2020 on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.

For those chomping at the bit to get on a raft in 2019, the company advises that its Grand Canyon programs are already sold out; however Western River can take bookings now for comparable river rafting trips for the 2019 season on whitewater rivers through Cataract Canyon (Colorado River) and Desolation Canyon (Green River). Read more

SOLOMONS, MD – The vintage 25-foot Old Town Camp Canoe was relaunched on Tuesday at the Calvert Marine Museum (CMM) after spending many years in storage. Patuxent Small Craft Guild (PSCG) volunteers have been restoring this beauty for the past eight months.

Built in Maine in 1960, this classic canvas canoe was used for years at YMCA summer camps in Calvert County. The canoe first hit the water at Camp Druid Hill on the Patuxent River near Huntingtown, Maryland. Camp Druid Hill was a residential summer camp for African American youths from Baltimore and is now King’s Landing Park. These large canoes, sometimes referred to as war canoes, were very popular at summer camps and were used to teach water safety and the importance of teamwork to children. The 25-foot model seats an experienced paddler in the bow and stern and a crew of up to 12 campers.

When the camp closed, the wooden boat was retired. In the late 1970’s, Augie Selckmann, Calvert County resident and avid canoe paddler, picked up the canoe at an auction for a mere $25. He covered it with fiberglass and it was later sold to George Surgent, the museum’s Boatwright. The PSCG volunteers have replaced several broken ribs and split planks, made new decks and inner and outer stems, stripped the fiberglass and re-canvased the boat. Read more