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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (April 7, 2011)
The INDEPENDENT, April 7, 2011 Now is perfect time to get boats ready The sun is starting to shine a little more and the days are get- ting longer, which means it’s time to de-winterize your boat and plan for your spring and summer water adventures. The Oregon State Marine Board of- fers some reminders and sug- gestions for getting your boat ready for the first excursion this season. First, make sure you have your boater education card. “All boaters who operate a mo- torboat over 10 horse power need to carry their boater edu- cation card with them out on the water,” said Ashley Massey, Public Affairs Specialist for the Marine Board. “Youth ranging from 12 to 15 years of age will need a card to operate a boat on their own, if the motor is un- der 10 horse power. If the boat is over 10 horse power, youth must be supervised directly by a card-holding adult (16 or old- er). When operating a personal watercraft (PWC), youth 12 to 15 will need a card and be di- rectly supervised by a card- holding adult over 18.” Visit www.boatoregon.com/OSMB/ BoatEd/questions.shtml to learn more about the mandato- ry education program. Second, make sure your boat registration is current. “A second renewal reminder will be mailed to boaters toward the end of April. The renewal notifi- cation has a special identifica- tion number on it allowing boaters to renew their registra- tion online. It’s simple and there’s no online processing fee. The best part is you can print a temporary permit after ordering online, so you can go boating right away,” Massey said. “For folks new to boating or who didn’t renew for a few years, you can contact the Ma- rine Board and speak with a registration specialist who can help you, or simply send in your payment to us,” Massey adds. The cost for registering your boat is a flat, $3 per foot fee, rounded up. Third, make sure your boat is good shape before you get to the water. “Prepare ahead of time to ensure a stress-free ex- cursion. We have links on our website to do-it-yourself in- structions online, including en- gine maintenance and informa- tion on blended fuels,” said Massey. For the not-so-me- chanically inclined, many ma- rine centers and boat dealers will de-winterize your boat. The U.S. Coast Guard created a pre-underway checklist to help boaters prepare for their first outing at www.uscgauxnh.org/ forms/PreUnderwayCheck list.pdf. Fourth, be sure to carry an aquatic invasive species pre- vention permit if you’re operat- ing a paddle craft. Permits are required for operators of boats 10 feet long and longer when the boat is in use. Annual paper permits cost $7 through ODFW license agents, field offices and online at www.dfw.state.or.us. One year and two year Tyvek tags are also available from the Marine Board office in Salem for $5 and $10. These tags can also be ordered online at http://www.boatoregon.com/OS MB/Clean/docs/Boating_pub lic_order_form_2011.pdf. For operators of state-regis- tered boats, the permit fee is al- ready rolled into the cost of reg- istering your motor boat. For more information about this program, visit www.boatore gon.com/OSMB/Clean/AISPP main.shtml. Finally, be sure to check your equipment. “Safety is paramount,” Massey says. “Make sure your life jackets are in good condition (no mold, bro- ken buckles, tears, etc.) and that there are enough to prop- erly fit everyone on board. It’s strongly recommended to wear a life jacket because even though the air temperature may be warm, the water is cold. Also be sure to have fire extinguish- ers, a sound producing device, and visual distress signals. If you are going out to fish, be sure to have a good anchor with plenty of line and a buoy. Another reminder is to AL- WAYS anchor from the bow, not the stern, which can easily cause a boat to swamp and capsize. The Coast Guard Auxiliary and U.S. Power Squadrons conduct free vessel safety checks around the state and alert the boater if any safety equipment is needed. One last reminder is to watch the weather and be ready to head in if the wind picks up. There’s also a lot of debris in the water, so keep a sharp lookout for any hazards. Boaters can get all this infor- mation and more by visiting www.boatoregon.com or calling 503-378-8587. Registration payments can be mailed to OSMB, P.O. Box 14145, Salem, OR 97309. Turtle alert: Some turtles illegal to own Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) biologists warn Oregonians not to buy red-eared sliders, nonnative in- vasive turtles which are illegal in the state. Red-eared sliders, named for the red “ear” (mark- ings) on the side of their heads, are offered for sale on Internet sites, by street vendors and in some pet stores. “This time of year, we seem to see more illegal turtles for sale, although it’s a year-round problem,” said Rick Boatner, ODFW Invasive Species Coor- dinator. “We are especially con- cerned about small turtles that are sold as pets for children and commonly carry the bacte- ria salmonella on their skin and shells.” Turtles less than four inches in shell length are banned from sale and distribution by the U.S. Food and Drug Adminis- tration to protect infants, young children, pregnant women and others. Under Oregon Depart- ment of Agriculture rules, it is il- legal to import turtles less than four inches into Oregon. If you are in possession of a red-eared slider, contact your local ODFW office for advice. Never release a nonnative tur- tle into the wild; it hurts both na- tive habitat and species. Red-eared sliders are native to the East Coast of the United States. In Oregon, they com- pete with native turtles for food and habitat, especially nesting and basking sites, and can spread diseases to which the state’s native turtles have no immunity. Oregon has only two native turtles: the western painted and the western pond, both are list- ed on the state sensitive species list and highlighted in the Oregon Conservation Strat- See Red-eared on page 20 Page 15 Power of the People By W. Marc Farmer, General Manager, West Oregon Electric Cooperative I Can Dig It! Once used as Seventies slang, it also fits during the Spring and Summer months for those who become anxiously engaged in gardening, landscaping, construction proj- ects, the honey-do lists, road repairs, and so forth. It is a time of concern for us here as we inevitably incur outages from those who dig where our power lines are located. This creates a safety haz- ard and puts lives in jeopardy. It also causes additional work for our crews who have to drop everything to go repair the line and restore power to our affected members. To save us all from harm, and save time and money, let me share with you information on a new number you can call before you start digging. It is as easy as it gets as it has only three numbers – 811. The new 811 number is a national “Call Before You Dig” phone number designated by the FCC to eliminate the confusion of mul- tiple “Call Before You Dig” numbers, and to help saves lives, costs, and minimize damages to underground utilities. The call will be directed to a Local One Call Center where personnel will notify affected utility companies, who will send crews to mark un- derground lines for free. Knowing where underground utility lines are buried before you dig helps prevent injury, expense, and penalties. Every year, al- most 700,000 utility lines across the U.S. are hit by digging proj- ects. Only 52% of people planning to dig are likely to call to have lines marked before digging. The penalties for not calling before hand are significant. The person causing the damage to under- ground facilities, (it is the same for telephone, gas, electric, ca- ble), will be charged for the repair of the facilities. They will also be subject to enforcement actions by the Oregon Public Utilities Commission and Civil penalties of up to $1,000 for the first viola- tion and up to $5,000 for each subsequent violation. Civil pen- alties for intentional violations of the Oregon Excavation Law are up to $5,000 for the first violation and up to $10,000 for each sub- sequent violation. So, let’s all be safe and call the 811 number before any digging around underground utility lines. It will end up saving us all a lot of time, money, and possible injuries. On the same token, it is also a time that a lot of folks trim or fall trees on their property. We invariably end up putting lines back up that someone has dropped a tree across or a limb has fallen upon. If you are falling any trees that have the potential of falling across our power lines, please notify us and we can make arrangements to drop the line until the tree is down. It is free if we drop the line, but it will cost you if you drop the line. We charge the full costs of repairs to anyone who damages any of our lines by negligence. If you notice limbs or trees that pose an imminent danger to our lines, please give us a call so we can notify our tree trimmers to put it on their schedule. This will help us be proactive rather than reactive and have to come out during a storm or at af- ter hours to repair a downed or damaged line. Together, we can keep our lines and our people safe, our costs down, and the system up and on. Thank you for helping us to help you. State Farm ® Providing Insurance and Financial Services Home Office, Bloomington, Illinois 61710 Bunny Girt, Agent 1229 N. Adair PO Box 543 Cornelius, OR 97113-0543 Bus 503-357-3131 Fax 503-357-9667 bunny.girt.b71g@statefarm.com
