Columnist Paula DelGiudice: Boaters urged to dry dock

Paula DelGiudice

Thursday, Dec. 14, 2000 | 9:18 a.m.

Paula DelGiudice's outdoors notebook appears Wednesday. Reach her at desertdenizens@aol.com.

With snow in the mountains and the holidays around the corner, some Southern Nevada boaters have dry docked their boats for the winter. If that sounds like you, you've made a good choice, according to the Nevada Division of Wildlife. Out-of-water storage is the best place for your boat if you don't plan to use it this winter.

NDOW recommends covering the boat to protect it from the elements. The ideal storage situation would be a climate-controlled storage area, but they can be costly. A good form-fitted canvas cover or even inexpensive plastic tarpaulins can serve the cause just as well.

In addition, there are some things you should do to take care of your boat before you store it away for the winter.

Boats should be stored with the bow up slightly, the outdrive down and the drain plug removed. Some of the boaters in my neighborhood have taken the opportunity to decorate their boat that is now parked in their driveway awaiting the beginning of a new year and a fresh new boating season. The colored lights festooning the boats look as lovely as those on any eaves.

HUNTERS CHECK IN: It's not over until all the paperwork is finished, and that applies to hunting big game in Nevada. For those who were lucky enough to draw big game tags for the past hunting season, the paperwork isn't complete until you return the questionnaire that you received with your big game hunt tags.

Information gathered from the questionnaires plays a vital role in wildlife decisions, especially those pertaining to the establishment of tag quotas and season data recommendations submitted each year to the Nevada Wildlife Commission, according to Mike Cox, NDOW staff biologist.

"The data collected from the questionnaires is more than a measure of hunter success. It is a check and balance on the growth or decline of a herd in conjunction with annual surveys conducted by air and on the ground. The data also helps determine the economic benefits that big game hunting provides within the state," Cox said.

With the exception of mountain lion, all hunters who receive a big game tag are required to complete and return questionnaires to the Wildlife Services Office (formerly Hunt Application Office) at P.O. Box 1345, Fallon, NV 89407. This requirement applies whether or not a hunter was successful. The deadline for returning questionnaires is Jan. 31, 2001.

GAMBOA HONORED: Victor Gamboa, NDOW game warden assigned to Lake Mead, has been named Nevada's Boating Law Enforcement Officer of the Year by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA).

In making the award nomination, NDOW supervising game warden David Pfiffner said: "Officer Gamboa is dedicated to boating safety in all of its many facets and regularly goes far beyond the call of duty. Each year he gives countless hours to the agency as he goes the extra mile to ensure Nevada's waterways are safer for all users."

Gamboa has also assisted as a training officer for state law enforcement academies and has served as a field training officer for NDOW. He also created a program that teaches law enforcement officers basic Spanish phrases and key words that they may encounter while performing their duties. The award was presented to Gamboa at a recent meeting of the Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners in Henderson.