Columnist Paula DelGiudice: Visitors to flood recreational area

Paula DelGiudice

Friday, May 25, 2001 | 9:59 a.m.

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

Memorial Day weekend is a great time to focus on outdoor activities. Because it usually signals the beginning of the summer, agencies and outdoors people gear up for this transition in seasons.

The agencies in charge of managing our natural resources prepare for the onslaught of humans. The National Park Service, managing Lake Mead, makes sure that all of its facilities are ready for its visitors. The U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management are in charge of local areas where outdoors people enjoy their free time on long weekends, such as Mount Charleston and Red Rock.

All their facilities will be filled to the brim with visitors. Game wardens with Nevada Division of Wildlife are on duty this weekend patrolling lakes Mead and Mohave, looking for those who have been drinking and driving their boats or misusing resources in other ways. In addition, NDOW fisheries staffs have been out stocking most of Southern Nevada's waterways during the past few weeks preparing for the influx of visitors.

One of the most interesting stocking reports comes from Eagle Valley Reservoir. NDOW recently stocked 5,500 browns from its Gallagher Hatchery on Tuesday, May 15. Heavy stocking at Echo Canyon has also produced good catches. The largemouth bass and crappie fishing are below what's expected for this late in May.

With the weekend being one of the three busiest boating weekends of the year, it potentially also is one of the deadliest.

"We want people to have a good time when they come to Nevada. We want them to enjoy the water, but we also want them to return home with their families intact," said David Pfiffner, NDOW supervising game warden.

In an effort to keep boaters safe, NDOW is bringing in officers from other areas of the state. Pfiffner hopes the extra manpower will enable the agency to maintain a higher profile in problem areas.

"We're hopeful that the extra warden will not only help us to stay on top of problems when they do happen but also help to prevent them from happening in the first place."

A big problem for boaters is alcohol. In Nevada, boaters who are operating under the influence of alcohol will be arrested and booked into the county jail.

Boaters also need to be sure they have the required safety equipment on board. Each boat must be equipped with at least one wearable life jacket, of the correct size, for each person on board. If the boat is 16 feet or longer, a Type IV throwable cushion also is required. Most boats are also required to carry at least one fire extinguisher, two or more if the vessel is longer than 26 feet. Navigation lights are required after legal sunset.

Boaters can obtain more information on Nevada's boating laws from local boat dealers and NDOW offices in Las Vegas and Henderson. Boaters may also call NDOW at 486-5127.