Fishery Biologist Aaron Woldt, Alpena FRO, helped instruct a Department of Interior  Motorboat Operator Instructor Certification Course at the LaCrosse Fishery Resources Office, May 7-11.  Stewart Cogswell served as lead instructor, and other instructors included Anne Sittauer, Dave Wedan, Bob Clevenstine, and Tim Peiffer.

The primary goal of this course was to train new MOCC instructors to teach other Service employees to safely operate motorboats in the work environment.  DOI Policy 485 DM 22 requires operators of all department watercraft to successfully complete MOCC training and complete refresher MOCC training every 5 years thereafter.

Cogswell, Sittauer, Wedan, Clevenstine, Peiffer, and Woldt staged an informative, well organized course that included classroom, pool, and on-water instruction.  Instructors lectured on topics ranging from proper instructional techniques, DOI boating policy, MOCC course planning and logistics, on-water course set-up, boat orientation, state boating regulations, boat and trailer maintenance, emergency procedures, rules of the road, aids to navigation, towing, anchoring and beaching, slow and at-speed maneuvers, marlinspike, fire suppression, and weather.  Students also delivered lectures on pre-assigned topics for class critique.

Fourteen students received training and successfully earned MOICC certification.