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June 11, 2009
Richmond, Virginia — The Virginia Department of Game and
Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) announced that Senior Conservation Police
Officer Wes Billings has been named Virginia’s Boating Officer of
the Year 2009, and with that he has been nominated for the
National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA)
Boating Officer of the Year 2009.
Senior Officer Billings has served as the VDGIF representative to
The Friends of Claytor Lake, a group dedicated to preservation and
safety of Claytor Lake, for 13 years. Officer Billings organizes
activities on Claytor Lake with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary
that include patrol coordination; Operating Under the Influence
enforcement efforts and safety violation reporting; search and
rescue operations; boater safety issues at the State Park
fireworks display; public outreach programs; and patrols of areas
of the lake that receive frequent complaints about boater or
personal watercraft operation. He has built a strong working
relationship with the Auxiliary by working closely with them and
by attending monthly meetings of the Flotilla.
Billings served as the Department’s representative on the
Appalachian Power Company (APCO) navigational aid study. He
assisted with the drafting of the Navigational Aids on Claytor
Lake document that was submitted to and accepted by APCO. The
document is now being used as the primary resource for the
placement of navigational aids along the 22-mile impoundment.
In the course of his work he patrols the New River in a six-county
area from the North Carolina state line to the West Virginia state
line. He has made boating arrests in seven jurisdictions. He
consistently leads the district in number of boat inspections,
boating arrests, and boat patrol hours. Arrests include Operating
Under the Influence, reckless operation, underage and reckless
operation of a personal watercraft, no wake violations, safety
equipment and lighting violations. In addition to powerboats,
Billings has also patrolled by canoe and kayak.
Based on his experience in recreational boating enforcement,
education and outreach to the community, Senior Officer Wes
Billings has been named Virginia’s Boating Officer of the Year
2009, making him the Virginia nominee for the NASBLA Boating
Officer of the Year. The National Association of State Boating Law
Administrators is a national nonprofit organization that works to
develop public policy for recreational boating safety. NASBLA
represents the recreational boating authorities of all 50 states
and the U.S. territories.
It is the mission of the VDGIF to maintain optimum populations of
all species to serve the needs of the Commonwealth; to provide
opportunity for all to enjoy wildlife, inland fish, boating and
related outdoor recreation and to work diligently to safeguard the
rights of the people to hunt, fish and harvest game as provided
for in the Constitution of Virginia; to promote safety for persons
and property in connection with boating, hunting and fishing; to
provide educational outreach programs and materials that foster an
awareness of and appreciation for Virginia’s fish and wildlife
resources, their habitats, and hunting, fishing, and boating
opportunities.
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