Reminder for the week: Boaters urged to check gear for new season, be prepared for cold water

DOVER (Feb. 27, 2015) – To achieve public compliance through education and enforcement actions that help conserve Delaware’s fish and wildlife resources and ensure safe boating and public safety, DNREC Division of Fish & Wildlife Enforcement Natural Resources Police officers between Feb. 16-22 made 797 contacts with anglers, hunters, boaters and the general public, with no vessel boardings this week for boating safety and fishing regulation compliance checks. Officers responded to 24 complaints and issued 17 citations, five of which were related to the C&D Canal Conservation Area and associated recreational trail, where there is an increased Fish & Wildlife Enforcement presence.

An incident of particular note was:

· On Feb. 20, Fish & Wildlife Enforcement officers cited four teenagers for one count each of possession and/or consumption of marijuana following a traffic stop in the parking lot of the Marian R. Okie Memorial Wildlife Preserve near Massey’s Landing in Sussex County. The four teens were issued summonses to appear in court at a later date.

DOVER (Feb. 27, 2015) – The DuPont Nature Center at Mispillion Harbor Reserve, a DNREC Division of Fish & Wildlife facility located in the heart of Delaware’s Bayshore Region, will reopen on Wednesday, April 1 after being closed for the winter. Spring and summer hours from April 1 through Aug. 30 will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. For the month of September, the center will be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays and Sundays only.

WEST TRENTON, N.J. (Feb. 27) – The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) today announced plans for a One Process/One Permit Program to promote collaboration and enhance administrative efficiencies between DRBC and the four basin states (Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania) while ensuring that equal or better environmental outcomes are obtained.

Under the Division’s partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the sting also resulted in the arrest of several moving company employees o allegedly were in the United States in violation of law. – including one who had previous criminal convictions for sexual abuse of a minor and criminal possession of a loaded firearm. 

\”This sting operation – and our partnership with ICE and the New Jersey State Police – is protecting New Jerseyans from significant potential harm, even as it helps prevent consumer fraud,\” Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman said. \”Moving companies must comply with our laws. Consumers should learn as much as possible about any moving company – including learning whether it is registered – before entrusting its employees with their belongings.\”

The sting operation took place in early November 2014. It began with Consumer Affairs investigators who posed as consumers seeking to make an ordinary household move. They booked appointments with unlicensed movers who used online listings to solicit work. 

The unlicensed companies sent moving crews to the location of the undercover investigators’ fictitious address in Wyckoff, and unwittingly into the second phase of the sting. Upon arriving at the address, the unlicensed movers were inspected by Consumer Affairs investigators, as well as ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers, New Jersey State Police, and the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).