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Nevada Department of Wildlife participates in campaign to promote boating education
During the week of April 20-26, 2015, the Nevada Department of Wildlife in conjunction with the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators encourages boaters to Spring Aboard by enrolling in a boating education course.
Working in partnership with states wildlife offices, many course providers will offer incentives or course discounts for students who enroll in or complete a course during the Spring Aboard campaign. In Nevada, boaters can visit ndow.org to find online courses or to find local Coast Guard Auxiliary courses in their areas. Boaters can also visit NDOW offices in person and get a correspondence course free of charge.
Boaters born on or after Jan. 1, 1983 are required to take a boating education course to operate a boat on Nevada’s interstate waters, which includes Lakes Mead, Mohave, Topaz and Lake Tahoe, as well as the Colorado River South of Davis Dam. NDOW has also released a podcast at nevadawild.org that talks in great detail about boating safety and education in Nevada.
“An informed boat operator is much more likely to be a safer boater,” said Game Warden Captain David Pfiffner, Nevada’s Boating Law Administrator. “As a boating education agency, we want boaters to be safe, because safe boating saves lives.”
If boaters who fall under the law do not have a boating card, they will very likely receive citation if stopped on the water, according to Pfiffner. Although game wardens aren’t on the water looking to write tickets, boating education has been law in Nevada so long that there is no reason for a boater to not have it.
As part of this spring effort, many of the private organizations are offering discounts on boating courses. “We think it makes sense to offer a discount to get people excited about boating safety,” said Kerry Moher from BoaterExam.com/USA, a course provider that is offering 50 percent off the cost of online courses during this week. “We think a big push like this can motivate boaters to take a course and ultimately create a safer boating public.”
In 2013 U.S. Coast Guard statistics showed that, when the level of operator education was known, 80 percent of boating deaths occurred on boats where the boat operator had never received boating education instruction. Many states require completion of a course verified by NASBLA as meeting the national boating education standard for powerboat rental or operation.
The Nevada Department of Wildlife 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. Find us on Facebook, Twitter or visit www.ndow.org.
The National Association of State Boating Law Administrators is a national nonprofit organization that works to develop public policy for recreational boating safety. NASBLA represents the recreational boating authorities of all 50 states and the U.S. territories.
The association offers a variety of resources, including training, model acts, education standards and publications. Through a national network of thousands of professional educators, law enforcement officers and volunteers, NASBLA affects the lives of over 73.5 million American boaters.
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