Make sure saftey is part of your plan

This has got to be one of the smoother breakups in recent memory. The snow is gone, the roads are dry, and the ground in my yard is almost dry. I don’t remember things being so dry and mud-free around the house during breakup in a long time! The motor home is in the shop getting ready for summer and the boat is next on the list. The fishing gear is good to go, the rifle range where I shoot is drying out and things are about ready to start happening. Have I forgotten anything?

I haven’t but what about you? Have you taken that boating safety course you’ve been meaning to sign up for? It’s late to get a recreational boating safety certification for this coming season, but if you can get into a course, better late than never.

The Alaska State Parks folks are responsible for one of the two most popular boating safety courses available in Alaska. The course is usually offered as a long, one-day event. I know several of the state park rangers locally are certified boating safety instructors and may be scheduling classes. You can call the state parks office in Palmer at 745-3975 and ask about boating safety courses or you can go to the state boating safety website at http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/boating/index.htm to get information on the program.

The boating safety people have posted some excellent videos on some of the hazards of boating in Alaska, including coldwater immersion and a new video called “Boating Alaska.” Contact information for the boating safety staff in Anchorage is also listed so you can find out about possible scheduled courses in our area.

The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary provides the second popular boating program. Their course normally is offered over the course of several weeks, involving two to three evenings per week. You can find the current schedule of classes for the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary at its website: http://cgauxalaska.org/Public%20Education.html. From looking at the schedule, it appears most of the scheduled courses are over or are happening right now. There are some names and phone numbers listed in the class schedules if you want to call and discuss future class timing.

Another service offered by the auxiliary involves a courtesy inspection of your boat to make sure everything is functioning and that you have all the necessary and required equipment. This Courtesy Marine Inspection is scheduled for May 14 at Greatland Welding, on the Palmer-Wasilla Highway. Another inspection usually occurs at Big Lake North Campground over Memorial Day weekend. I usually get my boat inspected every year to make sure I haven’t overlooked anything. The decal on my window showing I passed can save me some time later in the season if I happen to encounter Coast Guard officers, Alaska State Troopers, or State Parks Rangers looking to do some boating enforcement.

The other class you should consider taking now in order to legally hunt this fall involves the state hunter education program run through the Department of Fish and Game. The slate of hunter education classes is just starting in the Mat-Su, so you can contact the Palmer F&G office at 746-6300 for information. If you decide to take a regular class, you’ll need to go to the F&G office to sign up and pick up your course packet. They can give you the specific details about what you need to do to be prepared for your course of choice.

There are three different hunter education courses available: a basic course, a bowhunter course, and a muzzleloading course. Check the current hunting regulations booklet to see what course is required for your situation. All three courses involve classroom instruction, a written test, and a shooting proficiency test if you sign up for the regular course. All three courses are available as online courses, too.

If you choose to take the course online, the signup procedure is different as is the payment of fees. You will need to complete the online portion, including a written test and must print out a certificate of course completion. You then must call the F&G office and get on the list for an online field day, which includes a shooting proficiency test. The two course types, regular and online, are not interchangeable for class days and shooting proficiency testing. Online students must sign up only for the online field day and regular course students can only attend regular courses and shooting proficiency testing dates. The folks at F&G can answer questions if this all is a little bit confusing.

Here are the dates for upcoming hunter education classes in the valley: the basic course (in Palmer at the Elks Camp) April 30, May 21, Aug. 6, and Oct. 1; in Wasilla (at the Grouse Ridge Shooting Grounds) May 23-24, July 25-26, and Nov. 7-8. These two-day classes are in the evening. Online field days for the basic course are July 10 and Aug. 25 in Palmer and Aug. 1 and Dec. 19 for Wasilla.

The regular bowhunter course dates are May 14 and Oct. 8 at the Elks Camp in Palmer. The online field dates are May 12 and 26, July 9 and 21, and Sept. 8, also at the Elks Camp.

The muzzleloading regular course dates are May 7 and Oct. 15 at the Elks Camp. The online field dates are May 22 and Oct. 23 at the Elks Camp as well.

Now that we’re all good to go, I hope I remembered to gas up the rig. If not, that gas station stop is going to really hurt!

Howard Delo is a retired fisheries biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Leave him a message by emailing sports@frontiersman.com.