Friday, June 26, 2009
DGIF to step up boating patrols
Mark Taylor
Mark Taylor's Outdoors column and notebook appears regularly in The Roanoke Times.
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Boaters who go cruising and boozing this weekend are risking a serious legal bruising.
Virginia is among the states participating in Operation Dry Water, a national campaign during which law enforcement agencies will ramp up their efforts to catch boaters operating watercraft while under the influence of alcohol.
Lt. Karl Martin, a conservation police officer with the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, said officers are always on the lookout for intoxicated boaters.
"In fact, we just arrested someone at Smith Mountain Lake last night," Martin said Thursday afternoon.
The difference this weekend will be the extent of the patrols.
Officers will not only be working today through Sunday at larger lakes popular among power boaters but will also be patrolling the region's rivers and streams.
The efforts will include increased patrols and boating safety checkpoints.
Boaters whose blood alcohol content exceeds .08 percent are considered legally intoxicated.
Penalties for boaters convicted of operating under the influence can include heavy fines, the loss of boating privileges and even jail time.
Martin stressed the importance for boaters to designate a driver who isn't drinking.
Increased safety is at the heart of the effort.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, alcohol was a factor in 21 percent of U.S. boating fatalities in 2007.
Adding to the danger of alcohol on the water are factors such as wind, sun, motion and boating traffic.
"Those stressors can intensify the effects of alcohol by three," Martin said.
Billings is boating officer of the year
The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries has named Wes Billing its Boating Officer of the Year.
The award brings with it a nomination for the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators Boating Officer of the Year award.
Billings, a senior conservation officer, patrols six counties in the New River Valley. According to the DGIF, Billings consistently leads his district in the number of boat inspections, boat patrol hours and arrests for boating-related infractions.
Billings has been the DGIF representative to the Friends of Claytor Lake for 13 years and also works closely with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.
Loaner fishing tackle available at Philpott, Fairystone lakes
To encourage more people to fish, the Philpott-Fairystone Safety Council has made available loaner fishing tackle for visitors to Philpott and Fairystone lakes.
The group also loans out life jackets for boaters.
To find out where to get the tackle, call the Philpott Visitor Center at (276) 629-2703 or the Fairystone State Park Office at (276) 930-2424.
