NDOW Says “Don’t Put That Boat Away Just Yet”
September 12, 2008
Just as Memorial Day marks the official beginning of the annual boating season on Lake Mead and Lake Mohave, Labor Day marks the official ending. With their children heading back to school, many boaters put their boats away for the year. But that could be a big mistake.
“Some of the best boating water of the year is available right now. Boaters who put their boats away too early are really missing out,” said Nick Duhe, boating education coordinator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. “The water temperature is still reasonably warm, daytime temperatures are comfortable, the summer winds are gone and there is very little boating traffic.”
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) protects, restores and manages fish and wildlife, promotes fishing, hunting, and boating safety. NDOW’s wildlife and habitat conservation efforts are primarily funded by sportsmen’s license and conservation fees and a federal surcharge on hunting and fishing gear. Support wildlife and habitat conservation in Nevada by purchasing a hunting, fishing, or combination license. For more information, visit www.ndow.org
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Game Wardens Report Kids Not Wearing Life Jackets
June 3, 2008
Despite a law mandating life jacket wear for kids, Nevada game wardens are reporting a disturbing trend on local waterways. Many children are not wearing life jackets while boating. The law was changed early this year upping the age requirement by one year, and now all children under the age of 13 years are required to wear life jackets while underway on a boat.
“We only have anecdotal information on this issue right now,” said Lieutenant David Pfiffner, the supervising game warden on Lake Mead. “But we issued enough citations over the holiday weekend that we want to again emphasize how important life jackets are, particularly to this vulnerable population.”
Over the Memorial Day weekend, traditionally the kickoff to boating season, game wardens issued at least 11 tickets for kids not wearing life jackets, alarming wardens and other boating officers who patrol and enforce state law. “Kids can drown in a second, so we really want to encourage parents to make sure their children have life jackets and are wearing them,” said Pfiffner. People who ride Personal Watercraft (PWCs) and people who are towed behind a boat are also required to wear life jackets, he said.
Besides life jacket wear, game wardens also remind boaters that people born on or after January 1, 1983 must take a boating education course to operate a motorboat of more than 15 horsepower on Lakes Mead and Mohave and on the Colorado River near Laughlin.
The boating education correspondence course can be ordered online at www.ndow.org. Boaters can also choose to take it online at this address as well. There are also several other organizations, such as the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, that offer safe boating courses.
“People really should take the course, even if it is not required,” said Captain Fred Messmann, Nevada’s boating law administrator. “Our statistics clearly show that people who take a boating course get in fewer accidents. Taking a course can even save boaters money on their insurance.”
Even if a boater is not required to wear a life jacket or take a boating course, both of these safety tips are great precautions for a safe boating trip. “People don’t think about life jackets or a boating course until they get into trouble on the lake,” said Pfiffner. “We could avoid a lot of accidents and fatalities if boaters would take a few precautions ahead of time.”
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) protects, restores and manages fish and wildlife, promotes fishing, hunting, and boating safety. NDOW’s wildlife and habitat conservation efforts are primarily funded by sportsmen’s license and conservation fees and a federal surcharge on hunting and fishing gear. Support wildlife and habitat conservation in Nevada by purchasing a hunting, fishing, or combination license. For more information, visit www.ndow.org.
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Wildlife and Parks Posting New Alien Invaders Signs
May 29, 2008
Aquatic nuisance species signs geared toward raising public awareness
PRATT — It’s the boating season, and the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) wants all boaters to have fun. However, staff want to ensure that boaters protect the resource they enjoy from dangerous aliens — commonly called aquatic nuisance species (ANS).
KDWP staff are in the process of placing new ANS signs across the state to raise public awareness of precautions that must taken to prevent spread of zebra mussels and other ANS. These signs are not all the same and target several different species in addition to zebra mussels, including Asian carp, white perch, and others. Signs will be placed at all KDWP managed areas to remind the public to take precautions every time they visit a lake.
In addition to specific species overviews, the signs will continue standard information on the prevention of ANS spread, including the following measures:
- empty bait buckets on dry land, not into a lake or other water body;
- never move fish caught from one body of water to another;
- inspect equipment (boat, trailer, anchor, duck decoys, waders) and remove any visible organisms, vegetation, and mud;
- wash equipment with 140-degree water, a 10-percent chlorine and water solution, or a hot saltwater solution;
- drain all water from boat and equipment before leaving a water body;
- do not release anything from an aquarium (water, plants, fish, or animals) into or near a body of water or storm drain; and
- contact the Emporia Research Office at (620) 342-0658 or a local KDWP office if find any aquatic nuisance species are found.
ANS may also be reported through KDWP’s Operation Game Thief — 1-800-426-3843 — or online at www.ksogt.com. For more information, visit the KDWP website, www.kdwp.state.ks.us. Just type ANS in the search box for details, including photographs, of aquatic nuisance species in Kansas.
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Divers Work To Keep Invasive Tunicates From Spreading
May 27, 2008
OLYMPIA — For the third year in a row, divers are heading to several marinas in Puget Sound to remove colonies of invasive tunicates from boat hulls with the aim of preventing their spread to other area waters.
From the end of May through June 30, divers from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and contract divers will work to remove the rapidly spreading species at six marinas. This is the third year WDFW has worked to contain the non-native siphon feeders that compete for food and smother native sea life including clams, mussels and oysters.
Since invasive tunicates or “sea squirts” were first discovered on a sunken boat in 2004 near Edmonds, more than a dozen colonies have spread throughout the Sound from Des Moines to Birch Bay. The tunicate problem is so severe that the state Legislature has provided emergency funding for WDFW to develop and carry out an eradication plan.
“These critters have a bad rap sheet,” said Allen Pleus, aquatic nuisance species coordinator for WDFW. “They have no natural predators and once they spread, they’re really tough to remove completely.”
Pleus and his crew of divers are targeting six marinas where the hulls of a number of recreational boats have become infested. The plan is to remove the invasive tunicate colonies before boating season gears up and people unwittingly spread the species to other waters. The marinas are located in Blaine, Semiahmoo, Elliot Bay, Des Moines, Dockton on Maury Island and Pleasant Harbor on Hood Canal.
“We’re trying to contain the problem while working on more long term eradication solutions,” Pleus said. “This is our third year in those marinas where numerous established colonies have been identified. This year, we’re attempting a full eradication at Dockton.”
The biggest problems come from rarely used or abandoned boats that are docked permanently at the marinas, Pleus said. “Boats that haven’t been moved in years are covered with these animals,” Pleus said. “This poses a much higher risk, especially if these boats are moved.”
To address the situation, Pleus said WDFW is informing boat owners about their liabilities and the potential fines they face if their boats are moved without being cleaned.
However, success with permanent removal from Puget Sound waters ultimately depends on the efforts of many people, Pleus said.
“We’re working closely with the Puget Sound Partnership, marina and boat owners and other agencies to not only contain tunicates, but eliminate them completely,” he said. “The timing is critical.”
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Tri-State Safety Brings Multitude of Agencies Together, Focus on Boating Safety
May 1, 2008
Officials to emphasize safety as boats launch during May 3 event
PHOENIX — A consortium of state, local and federal boating agencies is hosting the fifth annual Tri-State Boating Safety Fair at Lake Havasu State Park to educate boaters about boating safety May 3 at from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The theme of this year’s fifth annual safety fair will encourage boaters to take a boating education class, focus on the effects of operating a boat while under the influence of alcohol, and convey the importance of wearing life jackets.
A team of safety professionals from Arizona, California and Nevada will come together to conduct boating safety demonstrations on the river and encourage everyone to wear life jackets. “We want to reach as many people from both sides of the river as possible before this year’s boating season, reminding them of how important it is to exercise safe and responsible behavior when on the water” said Kevin Bergersen, Arizona’s Boating Law Administrator.
Visitors at the event and along the river will receive a “boating safety bag” full of small gifts and educational materials about boating laws in the three states through which the Colorado River runs. “Boating officials and law enforcement officers from each state will hand out boating safety bags and answer questions at 27 different boat launch ramps along the Colorado River,” said Bergersen.
Raynor Tsuneyoshi, California’s Boating Law Administrator agrees, “Outreach is the key to getting these important safety messages conveyed to the public since mandatory education is not a prerequisite for owning a boat.”
Navigation rules, boating laws, the consequences of carbon monoxide poisoning and operating under the influence of alcohol are just some of the topics that a boat owner should know. “Encouraging boaters to take a boating education class and our interaction with them is a positive method for conveying information that could save someone’s life,” he said.
The Boating Safety Fair will include public safety information booths, a demonstration of a water rescue, free vessel safety checks, and a drawing conducted by California’s boating safety campaign for a chance to win a personal watercraft and a seven-day house boating trip. Safety Fair participants can register to be in the drawing by taking the Tri-State Boating Safety Quiz at the event. Winners will be notified at the end of the summer boating season.
The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary and state boating safety agencies will be conducting free vessel safety checks to ensure that a boater has all legal requirements and safety gear aboard the boat. In addition, corporate sponsors, such as Kawasaki, will be giving families a chance to bring in one outgrown or unsafe life jacket to trade in for a brand new one from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., while supplies last. Newer self-inflatable flotation devices are more comfortable, affordable and durable than ever. New styles will be on display.
Several different states, and local and boating safety organizations will host events and demonstrations throughout the day. The California boating safety team will demonstrate “hooked goggles” that simulate the debilitating effects of alcohol, and water rescue demonstrations will be performed with the cooperation of various law enforcement agencies, utilizing devices that detect and measure carbon monoxide poisoning.
Boating officials will also take time to educate boaters on the recent discovery of quagga mussels at lakes Mead, Mohave and Havasu, reminding them to clean their boats and trailers thoroughly to prevent the spread of the destructive species on the Colorado River system.
“Quagga mussels are a nasty invasive species that should be taken seriously because they do tremendous damage to boats, infrastructure and ecosystems,” said
Fred Messmann, Nevada’s Boating Law Administrator. He said experts will be on hand to demonstrate cleaning techniques, explain the issue and provide clarification to boaters with questions.
Day-use entry fee at the park will be waived, however, the boat launching fee of $9 will still be charged. The public is encouraged to stay the entire day to picnic, swim, fish and watch the events. For more information about the boating safety fair, call Lake Havasu State Park at (928) 855-9394 or go to www.BoatColoradoRiver.com.
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) protects, restores and manages fish and wildlife, and promotes fishing, hunting, and boating safety. NDOW’s wildlife and habitat conservation efforts are primarily funded by sportsmen’s license and conservation fees and a federal surcharge on hunting and fishing gear. Support wildlife and habitat conservation in Nevada by purchasing a hunting, fishing, or combination license. For more information, visit www.ndow.org.
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