Indiana Conservation Officers are reminding the public that operating off road vehicles and motor vehicles – in public freshwater lakes and streams-- is illegal, a concern that's come to light as a rare state endangered plant is in danger of being destroyed. At Bass Lake in Starke County, vehicle tracks have been observed along the shore in areas of the lakebed that are now exposed due to extremely low water levels have not been seen in Indiana in over 20 years. Under normal circumstances, certain types of aquatic vegetation are adapted to tolerate fluctuations in water levels, even in drought. But when vehicles are operated in a lake, which again is illegal – the effects to the local ecosystem may be destroyed, and the effects may be irreversible.

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