MIKE BRAUN Local team lauded

The Outdoors Page mailbag here at The Vindicator has been overstuffed lately. Here are a few of the more interesting items that have crossed this desk:
Members of the Western Reserve Fish & amp; Game Club's Armadillo Rifle Shooting Team recently received awards for a great shooting season.
Team members include Bob Kovalan (captain), Stephanie Paridon, Travis Annerino, Justin Murphy, Ashley Lewis and coaches Andy Dubaj and Tom Cline.
All team members received trophies from the Northeast Ohio Junior Rifle League Tournament.
Kovalan received a bronze medal for Jr. 4 Position Indoor Rifle Section and trophies for Class A winner and team first high score/high average. Paridon, who is co-captain, won trophies for Class B winner, kneeling position, and for team second high score/ high aggregate. Also receiving trophies were Annerino for Class C, prone; Murphy for Class C, handicap; and Lewis for Class D, prone.
The team is sponsored by the Western Reserve Fish & amp; Game Club, 1058 Third St., Niles. Rifle target practices for the new season start Sept. 10 and are every Monday at 6 p.m.
ODNR's request: The Ohio Department of Natural Resources is urging boaters who are planning on venturing out on Lake Erie to study their navigational charts carefully.
"Boating on Lake Erie is still one of Ohio's most exciting outdoor experiences," said Jeff Hoedt, chief of the ODNR Division of Watercraft.
"But operators must understand both their craft and their course before venturing out on the lake."
Lake levels are around low 1960s marks of 8 to 12 inches below their average levels for the boating season. A false sense of security has been given boaters because of higher-than-average levels on Lake Erie for the past 30 years.
Hoedt said boat operators should keep vigilant on their surroundings and possible hazards underwater, adding that boats can run aground in Lake Erie even several miles from shore.
Navigation course suggested: The division recommends Lake Erie boaters use up-to-date navigational charts (no more than 3 years old) that have information on water depths, shorelines, shoals, buoy locations, reefs and markers. Reading a navigational chart takes some practice and time and the division also suggests that boat operators take a course on navigation geared to the lake area they frequent.
These types of courses are available several times throughout the year from the ODNR, the United States Power Squadron and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and are usually listed on this page in the What's Doing column.
Camping guide: A new softcover book might interest the outdoors set.
The "National Park Service Camping Guide" (256 pages, $12.95) offers a glimpse at 118 National Park Service areas that offer camping.
Also included are 400 campgrounds with details on each one.
Information contained includes name and location, season of operation, number of RV and tent sites, sites with electric and water hookup, RV length limits, length of stay limits, camping fees, reservation information and types of amenities.
For information on this book, contact Roundabout Publications, P.O. Box 19235, Lenexa, Kan., 66285, or call (800) 455-2207 (www.roundpub.com).
braun@vindy.com