Article by Larry Jock
NOAA urges emergency beacon owners to check their registration
As warming temperatures continue to lure more boaters, campers and hikers to the great outdoors this summer, NOAA satellites are ready to capture distress signals from emergency beacons.
Additionally, officials with NOAA’s Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking System (COSPAS-SARSAT) are urging beacon owners to review the registration and identification numbers for their devices before their excursions.
"It’s critical for beacon owners to check this information and make sure their phone numbers and an emergency point of contact are included, so first responders can act without delay,” said Chris O’Connors, NOAA’s SARSAT program manager.
NOAA satellites have aided in 97 land and sea rescues so far this year
By law, all emergency locator beacons must be registered with NOAA. To register or update a registration, visit http://www.sarsat.noaa.gov/beacon.html.
O’Connors added that beacon owners planning a trip can provide their itinerary in the additional data field of the registration information. “Having this knowledge is invaluable for rescuers and can drastically cut down the time it takes to save a life.”
SARSAT is a high-tech system that uses a network of satellites to quickly detect and locate distress signals from emergency beacons onboard aircraft, boats and from handheld personal locator beacons. When a satellite pinpoints a distress signal within the United States, or its surrounding waters, the information is relayed to the SARSAT Mission Control Center, at NOAA’s Satellite Operations Facility in Suitland, Md. The information is then sent to a Rescue Coordination Center, operated by either the U.S. Air Force, for land rescues, or the U.S. Coast Guard, for maritime rescues.
Now in its 30th year of operation, SARSAT has been credited with more than 30,000 rescues worldwide, including more than 6,830 in the United States and its surrounding waters.
DE Division of Fish and Wildlife seeking shots for photo contest
Have you taken a great photo of a young angler in action? If so, the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife invites you to enter the 2012 Delaware Fishing Photo Contest. The winning photo will be featured on the cover or inside of the 2013 Delaware Fishing Guide to be published next spring.
“After the success of last year’s contest, we are hoping that once again photographers from all over the state will share some of their best images with us, so we can share them with the fishing public,” said Division of Fish and Wildlife Director David Saveikis. “This year, we are reminding photographers that summer is a great time to catch young anglers – the next generation of conservationists – in action as they carry on Delaware’s fishing traditions.”
The contest is open to Delaware residents of all ages, with a maximum of three entries per person. To be eligible, photographs must depict youth participating in fishing activities and must have been taken in Delaware. Adults may be included in the photo, such as a parent or grandparent fishing with a child.
A judging panel comprised of DNREC staff and professional photographers will be looking for photos that best portray this year’s contest theme, “Carrying on the Tradition.” Judges also will be looking at technical criteria including resolution, clarity and composition.
The contest opened on April 1. Entries may be mailed to the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, Attention: Amanda Belford, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901. All entries must be postmarked or delivered by Saturday, Sept. 15, and must include a completed and signed entry form and photo release form. Information and forms are available on the Division’s website at http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/fw/Pages/FWphoto_contest.aspx and the Fish and Wildlife Facebook page (search Delaware Fish & Wildlife), or may be requested by calling Amanda Belford at 302-739-9911, or email [email protected].
Photos must be 8 x 10 paper prints, with no frames or mats and no markings or signatures on the front or back. Normal processing of RAW image files, minimal cropping and minor adjustments to color and contrast are acceptable. HDR and focus stacking are permitted as long as manipulation is disclosed upon entry. Nothing should be added to the image or, aside from dust spots, taken away. The entrant must hold all rights to the photograph and must not infringe on the rights of any other person. Images that involve unlawful harm to fish or damage to the environment should not be submitted and will not be accepted. Entries will not be returned.
The Division’s 2012 Hunting Photo Contest will accept entries from Saturday, Sept. 1, 2012 to Saturday, Jan. 12, 2013, with similar guidelines.
