Know the law before launch.

Byline: Mike Stahlberg The Register-Guard

Oregon State Police troopers Marshall and Martin Maher checked 13 boats during a routine marine patrol at Fall Creek Lake one day last month.

Citations issued that day by the brothers who shared Oregon Marine Board Trooper of the Year honors in 2006 serve as a reminder of some key Oregon marine laws as the 2007 boating season is about to get "on plane" for its long Memorial Day-to-Labor Day run.

The Mahers wrote tickets for:

No boater education card.

This year, boaters age 60 and younger are required to carry the Oregon boater education card while operating a motorboat of 10 horsepower or greater. In 2008, all boaters age 70 and younger will need the card.

Insufficient personal flotation devices.

Oregon law requires a readily available Coast Guard-approved flotation device for each person on board. Children age 12 must wear a life jacket whenever the boat is under way.

Allowing unlawful operation of a personal watercraft by a person younger than 16 years of age.

State law prohibits the operation of personal watercraft by persons younger than 16 years of age, unless accompanied by someone age 18 years or older. The law holds the owner, or person in charge, of the PWC responsible for permitting violation of the above rule.

Expired boat registration.

All motorized boats, regardless of length or type, must be registered in Oregon. Sailboats 12 feet or longer also must be registered. Oregon boat registrations are valid for two calendar years.

About the only serious marine law violation the troopers didn't spot at Fall Creek that day was boating under the influence of intoxicants - although they did cite someone for possession of marijuana.

So Oregon Marine Board officials aren't just whistling in the wind when they encourage boaters to have a safe, sober, and clean boating season in 2007.

Coast Guard statistics for 2005, the most recent year available, indicate that 87 percent of the drowning victims in boating accidents were not wearing life jackets.

And safety goes down when boaters are less than sober.

"Every year, we see situations where a fun day on the water turns tragic because of alcohol," said Ashley Massey, Marine Board public affairs specialist. "It's this simple: Boaters shouldn't consume alcohol while on Oregon's waterways."

Oregon Marine Board records indicate 50 percent of boating accidents, and one-third of boating fatalities, are alcohol-related.

In Oregon, a boater is legally presumed to be "under the influence" with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent or higher.

Boating Under the Influence of Intoxicants (BUII) in Oregon can be penalized by fines of up to $6,250, up to one year in jail, and loss of boating privileges.

To avoid that - not to mention the possibility of an accident leading to injury or death - Massey urges boaters to leave alcohol at home or on the shore and to take a break on land when feeling fatigued after drinking.

Finally, the Pacific Northwest faces a serious threat from a dangerous invasive species adept at hitching rides on boats and boat trailers. The quagga mussel, a Caspian Sea native that is a close relative of the zebra mussel, has found its way to Nevada, Arizona and California.

In the Midwest and Great Lakes regions, quagga and zebra mussels already have cost the public billions of dollars and damaged vast ecosystems.

"We desperately need boaters to take this problem seriously, or we'll be living with some very expensive and damaging consequences," said Randy Henry, a Marine Board policy and planning analyst.

Cleaning boats - especially those that have been used in Nevada, Arizona or anywhere east of the Rocky Mountains - is the key to keeping the invaders out of Oregon, Henry says.

"Never launch a dirty boat," he said. "It's really that simple."

The exotic mussels colonize in fresh water in dense mats - up to 700,000 per square yard - smothering native plants and animals. Filter feeders, the mussels deplete the supply of zooplankton needed by young fish.

Mussels can live in a dark, damp compartment for almost a month, so it's important to drain and flush boat bilges, live wells, bait buckets and other compartments that hold standing water. Boats that have been exposed to infested areas should be flushed with hot (140 degree) water or a solution of one cup bleach to a gallon of water.

LIFE JACKETS AVAILABLE TO BORROW

The Life Jacket Lending Program offered by the McKenzie River Guides Association and McKenzie Fire & Rescue makes it easier to comply with Oregon's life jacket laws while boating in the McKenzie area. The program, entering its seventh season, has loaned out about 800 life jackets annually. Jackets of all sizes can be picked up at the following locations: Mathers Market, Walterville Feed & Tackle, Ray's Market in Walterville, Leaburg Country Store, Vida Community Market, Walterville Fire Station, Riverview Market, Finn Rock Grill and Harbick's Country Store. The life jackets are lent on the honor system, and users are asked to return them when they are finished on the river so others can use them too.