RALEIGH, N.C. (June 29, 2010) – “Boat Safe, Boat Sober” is a timely message for this July 4 holiday weekend, expected to be a busy time on waterways. Operating a recreational vessel while under the influence of an impairing substance or with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher is illegal. The maximum penalty is a $1,000 fine and possible jail. “Consider ‘Boat Safe, Boat Sober’ as the same sort of message that ‘Booze It and Lose It’ is for highways,” said Capt. Chris Huebner, the state boating safety coordinator with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. “Last year, 29 percent of fatal boating accidents in North Carolina were alcohol related.” Operation Dry Water, a national campaign to combat intoxicated and dangerous boaters, indicates impaired operators are a leading threat to public safety in North Carolina. During last weekend’s Operation Dry W

RALEIGH, N.C. (June 22, 2010) – The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is alerting boaters, anglers and hikers that Duke Energy is lowering water levels at Tanassee Creek and Wolf Creek lakes to facilitate inspection procedures. Unexpected rapid increases in water flow, due to water releases, make it unsafe for hikers and anglers to be in areas below the dams. Additionally, water levels in both lakes were lowered enough to eliminate the use of the lakes’ public boat ramps. Levels are expected to drop even further before the repair work is completed. Work is expected to take a number of weeks. For status updates, visit Duke Energy’s website, www.duke-energy.com/lakes/nantahala/nantahala-lake-levels.asp, or call 800-829-5253 and choose option 5. 

RALEIGH, N.C. (June 7, 2010) – North Carolina law enforcement agencies will again participate in Operation Dry Water, June 25-27, a national weekend of boating sobriety detection and enforcement aimed at reducing alcohol-related accidents and fatalities. “Operating a recreational vessel while under the influence of an impairing substance or with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher is against the law,” said Capt. Chris Huebner, the state boating safety coordinator. “Penalties may include fines up to $1,000 and jail. The greater peril is an accident. More than 20 percent of boating-related fatalities are alcohol related.” Operation Dry Water is organized by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators and the U.S. Coast Guard, with leadership for the North Carolina campaign by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and assisted by partner law enforcement agencies. Wildlife officers are charged with enf

RALEIGH, N.C. (April 27, 2010) – The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has launched a new, easier way to find more than 200 free public Boating Access Areas across the state. The Interactive Boating Access Area Locator lets boaters search for a ramp by address, body of water, or amenities. Once they locate a Boating Access Area, users can zoom in and out of the map, find an address, identify latitude and longitude coordinates, and print directions. “Providing access to public waters and providing informative, easy-to-use tools to locate that access go hand in hand,” said Erik Christofferson, chief of the Division of Engineering Services. “This interactive map, along with our more than 200 Boating Access Areas, is another way we are helping boaters across the state get in the water.” To access the map, visit the Boating and Waterways page on www.ncwildlife.org  and click on Interactive Boating Access Area Locator. .

RALEIGH, N.C. (April 20, 2010) – The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has purchased two coastal sites for Boating Access Areas, thanks to grant money from the Waterfront Access Marine Industry Fund. The Sneads Ferry site, at 302 Fulcher Landing Loop in Sneads Ferry, has an existing ramp that has been opened to the public. It will be renovated to include new docks, ramps, and parking lot. Design of the Hampstead site — off Route 17 in Pender County — has begun and should be completed in 18 months. The site, when completed, will include new docks, three new launch lanes, a parking lot and bulkhead. “The funding for these sites, made possible through the leadership of the General Assembly, is allowing us to acquire and protect waterfront land for public use,” said Erik Christofferson, head of the Commission’s Division of Engineering Services. “As a result, boaters in North Carolina will have greater access