CALLING all DOVE HUNTERS and FARMERS who lease hunting rights
We need your help to keep the electric lines and our new broadband fiber safe during this hunting season. The glass tubes in the broadband fiber line are fragile. There can be up to 144 strands in a single black cable. If hit by shotgun shot, the fibers can break, and each individual strand requires special splicing repair. Because broadband is so new to fields and farm lanes in our rural community on the Eastern Shore, many hunters have not had to worry about this concern in the past. But now that we are working double-time to bring high speed internet to rural families who have been left behind in the past, we have many, many miles of overhead fiber optic cable that is easily damaged by a stray shotgun blast.
Here at Choptank Electric Cooperative and Choptank Fiber, we are dedicated to providing your farms and rural communities with the most reliable and cost-effective electricity and the best quality internet available. When broadband lines are shot, homes along that path lose access to the internet until a repair can be made. Not only are the homes at risk, but several local 911 services lease our fiber for emergency communications. If the broken line is located over a field of crops, getting in before harvest is difficult. And, by law, the cost of the repair is borne by the landowner or the hunter who damaged the line. The average repair runs $15,000 to $20,000.
We want to protect you from that expense and protect everyone who needs the electricity and internet service on our lines. So we are asking you to help us get the word out through our Don’t Shoot the Lines campaign. We’ve printed yard signs, run ads in the DNR Hunting Guide and in local newspapers. We are on social media, and we are directing folks to read more at www.choptankelectric.coop/DSTL. But grassroots word of mouth is going to be the most effective way to communicate this message.
If you have questions, need more information or want a yard sign, please reach out at valeriec@choptankelectric.coop. Thanks for working with us to keep everyone safe and online! Valerie Connelly is the VP Government Affairs & Public Relations at Choptank Electric Cooperative and a member of the Maryland and Cecil County Farm Bureaus.
Hunter's Safety Guide to Electrical and Fiber Equipment
Our cooperative is made up of 56,000+ members; we all rely on the safety and up keep of our power grid. Our power lines and utility poles are the foundation of how we all enjoy the comforts, convenience and the power of reliable electricity and quality internet. An increasing, and unfortunate, issue that’s occurring is our power lines being shot by hunters and gun enthusiasts.
We know the majority of hunters practice safe hunting and they understand the potential hazards when discharging a firearm. We encourage these experienced hunters who are familiar with the area to help identify locations of electrical equipment to the younger, less experienced, hunters and gun enthusiasts. Tampering or misuse of our fiber and electric lines can not only put yourself in danger but will also affect all other members that are down-line.
Maryland law has several provisions that prohibit hunters from damaging the property of another. Please be advised that if you or hunters you allow on your property cause future damage to Choptank’s equipment, you could be fined by the Department of Natural Resources and/or held liable for the cost of repairs.
Please respect yourself, your fellow members and our power infrastructure. Thank you for being a valuable member of Choptank Electric Cooperative; please find helpful safety tips to follow below.
Basic Electrical Hunter Safety Rules to Follow
- Be aware and take note of your surroundings.
- Do not shoot at or near power lines, fiber lines or electrical equipment.
- Familiarize yourself with the location of power lines and equipment on land where you shoot/hunt.
- Do not shoot at, or near, birds perching on utility lines. That goes for any type of firearm, including pistols, rifles or shotguns.
- Take notice of warning signs and keep clear of electrical equipment.
- Keep a safe distance from power lines and electrical equipment when hunting. Accidents can be easily avoided if you do so.
- Damage to the conductor can happen, possibly dropping a phase on the ground. If it’s dry and the electricity goes to ground, there is the possibility of electrocution and fire.
- Be especially careful in wooded areas where power lines may not be as visible.
- Never use utility poles or towers to support equipment used in your shooting activity.
- Never climb poles or place deer stands on utility poles. Energized lines and equipment on the poles can conduct electricity to anyone who comes in contact with them, causing shock or electrocution.
- Do not place decoys or any other hunting/shooting equipment on power lines or other utility equipment. Anything attached to a pole besides utility equipment can pose an obstruction, and a serious hazard, to electric cooperative employees as they perform utility operations.
