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News Release

Senior Officer Billings Named Boating Officer of the Year

Richmond, VA — 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.

To learn more about boating in Virginia, visit www.dgif.virginia.gov.