Defines various terms. Amends the following definitions: (1) Fund. (2) Wildlife. Removes the following definitions: (1) Harvest season. (2) License. (3) Selling season. Makes various changes to natural resources commission procedures. Makes various changes to the department of natural resources (department) powers and duties. Removes coordination between the Indiana natural resources foundation and the President Benjamin Harrison conservation trust program. Reduces the Benjamin Harrison conservation trust project commission from 20 members to 17 members and amends who is appointed to the commission. Removes the hometown Indiana grant program. Amends various boating and wakeboard regulations. Raises the financial threshold for certain actions in a boating accident from $750 to $2,000. Raises the financial threshold for certain actions in an off-road vehicle accident from $750 to $2,500. Requires the state land office to approve the legal description of a utility easement. Requires a person to file a utility easement with the state land office after the easement is recorded in the county. Provides that the department shall charge a fee for a utility easement and put fees in the President Benjamin Harrison conservation trust fund. Creates an exception for a fee for a utility easement. Provides expiration terms for an archeology plan or development plan authorized by the division of historic preservation and archeology. Creates additional requirements for development plans. Repeals the program that helps landowners with problems created by localized deer populations. Repeals the game bird habitat restoration fund. Removes the department's ability to adopt rules to establish and operate a lottery system to allow an individual to purchase a license to take more than one antlered deer within a one year period. Repeals the requirement that the department deposit $20 dollars from the cost of every nonresident license to hunt deer into the fish and wildlife fund. Removes the penalty for a person who acts as a hunting guide without a guide license. Amends the permit to possess live minnows and live crayfish. Replaces "wildlife" with "wild animal" throughout IC 14-22-34. Establishes the forestry equipment and maintenance fund. Permits the department to immediately remove certain low head dams to provide emergency protection to life or property. Makes various changes to ginseng licensing provisions. Adds improving water quality to the list of purposes for which a conservancy district may be established. Allows the division of water to perform certain functions on behalf of the natural resources commission. Requires the natural resources commission to coordinate with the department for purposes of a reporting requirement regarding conservancy districts. Requires the proceeds from royalties or other compensation paid for minerals taken from beneath the navigable waters of the Wabash River to be deposited into the Wabash River heritage corridor fund and the oil and gas fund in certain amounts. Allows the department to use a timber licensee's bond to recover the costs of damage associated with the issued license or ensure performance of the contract. Requires a person who violates the timber sales provisions to repay the cost of damages not covered by the bond paid by the person, and prohibits a person who does not repay the cost of damages in full from purchasing timber from the department for at least one year. Allows an applicant for a water well drillers license to request informal review by the department for the applicant's failed exam. Provides that, before a continuing education program is presented, either a sponsor of a continuing education program or a licensee who plans to attend a continuing education program may request informal review of a decision regarding water well drilling contractors that was made by the department. Provides that the director may do the following: (1) Seize and confiscate the wild animal in the name of the state of Indiana. (2) Sell or dispose of the wild animal. (3) Deposit proceeds, if any, into the fish and wildlife fund. Establishes that a person may not chemically, mechanically, physically, or biologically control aquatic vegetation in the public: (1) waters containing state owned fish; (2) waters of the state; or (3) boundary water of the state. Removes fee scheme used to increase upland game bird population. Removes game bird and exotic mammal regulations. Makes conforming changes.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Senate Bill (S): 14-8-2-107, 14-10-2-5, 14-11-2-1, 14-11-4-1, 14-12-2-14, 14-12-2-15, 14-12-2-16, 14-12-2-18, 14-12-2-21, 14-12-3, 14-15-4-2, 14-18-10-2, 14-21-1-25, 14-21-1-26.5, 14-22-6-4, 14-22-9-10, 14-22-16-4, 14-22-34-1, 14-23-6.6-7, 14-30.5-2-2, 14-30.5-2-6, 14-31-3-11, 14-31-3-15, 14-38-1-13, 25-36.5-1-3, 25-36.5-1-10