Boating News
No-boat zone set near Selfridge - Coast Guard to patrol area due to terror fears
By Gene Schabath, gschabath@ detnews.com
HARRISON TOWNSHIP -- A permanent area where boats are prohibited has been established near Selfridge Air National Guard Base as part of heightened concerns over terrorism.
The U.S. Coast Guard will enforce the Waterside Security Zone, which extends a half mile into Lake St. Clair from the northern tip of the Harrison Township base. Like other recent national and local security measures, the zone was a response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C.
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The restricted area in Lake St. Clair has been enforced since last October -- before the start of the waterfowl hunting season. Officials say the restrictions now will be permanent. Boaters who violate the zone restrictions face a $10,000 fine and possible prison term up to 10 years.
"Those are actual penalties," said Lt. Rob Hemp, chief of operations for the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Division in Detroit. "It's not a good idea to encroach on a United States military installation. We don't want fishermen or personal watercraft operating in that area."
That portion of the lake will be marked by yellow buoys. Warnings about the restricted zone also will be broadcast periodically each day over marine radio bands, Hemp said.
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