Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - September/October 2020 - 58

CURRENTS
greatly benefit mental and physical health during a time
of considerable stress and uncertainty. The resolution also
commended the PFBC staff for completing annual spring
stocking operations within hundreds of Pennsylvania
waterways without the assistance of community
volunteers due to ongoing public health concerns.
*	 The PFBC Bureau of Law Enforcement Director
Colonel Corey Britcher provided the Board with a
report related to enhanced Boating Under the Influence
(BUI) enforcement surrounding the Independence Day
holiday weekend. Colonel Britcher reported that from
July 3 through July 5, Waterways Conservation Officers
participated in Operation Dry Water, a nationally
coordinated effort between law enforcement agencies
to prevent boating incidents related to impairment.
Throughout the operations in Pennsylvania, officers
encountered 2,490 boats, resulting in 298 boating
infractions, 1,224 warnings, and 14 BUI arrests. One
of the arrests was due to drug-related impairment.

The highest recorded blood-alcohol concentration was
.237. Colonel Britcher noted that prior to the enhanced
BUI enforcement period, the PFBC led a statewide media
campaign to alert the public and stress the importance of
staying sober while operating watercraft.
*	 In his report to the Board, Executive Director Timothy
Schaeffer also stressed the importance of boating safety
education. Executive Director Schaeffer indicated that
seven boating related fatalities have already occurred during
2020, and none of the victims were wearing life jackets. He
mentioned that launch permit sales for unpowered boats,
such as kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards, have increased
by approximately 50% amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
With more new boaters on the water this season, Schaeffer
urged the public to become familiar with basic boating safety
steps including wearing a life jacket, having a float plan,
never boating under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and
monitoring weather conditions to avoid storms and highwater conditions.

photo-courtesy of Commissioner Richard Lewis

A Message from Commission President Richard Lewis
To my fellow Commissioners,
I offer thanks for the trust you
have placed in me. As we move
through the next year, I am
looking forward to seeing the
Bureau of Boating established and
staffed, to implementing our new
strategic plan goals and projects,
to sustaining the increased interest
and participation in fishing and
boating across Pennsylvania, and to resurveying our diverse
angler population to determine their needs and wants. Thank
you for the honor of electing me Pennsylvania Fish and Boat
Commission (PFBC) president.
To the PFBC staff, I am extremely grateful for the diligent
work and personal commitment you put forth to continue all the
Commission's programs and activities through the Coronavirus
(COVID-19) pandemic. My hat is off to each of you.
To my fellow anglers and boaters, I do not come into this
office with a "wish list" of personal agenda items to achieve.
Rather, I come in with a strong desire to use science-based
decisions to manage our Commonwealth's bountiful water and
aquatic and fishery resources to serve the needs of all anglers
and boaters while protecting the health and safety of the
Commission's employees, partners, volunteers, and customers

during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pennsylvania has "something
for everyone," from water-skiing to wild and scenic river floats,
from cold water to warm water fishing, from kayaks to paddle
boards to personal watercraft.
I caught my first fish, a small Brook Trout, when I was
4-years-old in a 3-foot wide brook in a meadow on a Catskill
Mountain farm. I am a non-selective angler. By this statement,
I mean that I enjoy catching fish with flies, lures, or bait. I enjoy
releasing fish for another angler to catch, and I enjoy keeping fish
for frying, grilling, or smoking. I enjoy catching Striped Bass, wild
trout, stocked trout, Smallmouth Bass, Largemouth Bass, and
panfish. I am happy to live in a state with 86,000 miles of rivers
and streams, and I remain just as excited about fishing now as I
was 72 years ago when I caught that first small Brook Trout.
My 50-plus-year career in forestry and natural resources
management has been good to me, as have been my hundreds of
fishing, boating, camping, hiking, and hunting experiences. As
long as my age and health hold out, it is time for me to "give back"
for all those great years.
I intend to be an accessible president. If you want to
communicate directly to me clearly and constructively about
the areas where you feel the Commission can do a better job
for all Pennsylvania anglers or boaters or about the things we
are doing well (and should keep doing), you can reach me at
rlewisfandbcom@aol.com.

Errata
On page 5 of the July/August 2020 Pennsylvania Angler &
Boater magazine, "What Does It Take?", an incorrect spelling of a
name was used in the table. The correct spelling is Shaina Painter.
On page 11 of the July/August 2020 Pennsylvania Angler
& Boater magazine, "Summer Bass Fishing in Mini Lakes",

58

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * September/October 2020	

a regulation was incorrect. The last sentence under Colyer
Lake should have read: "The lake is managed under Catch
and Release Regulations to allow populations to become
self-supporting."

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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - September/October 2020

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