In a celebration of life, breast cancer survivor Debra Cole, 53, of West Greenwich will attempt to summit the 14,162-foot Mt. Shasta in Northern California this week. It is the second highest peak in the Cascades.

Diagnosed in 2005, Cole says she considers every day to be a gift and another opportunity to educate people about breast cancer. Over the weekend, she was scheduled to join a team of 28 other survivors and people touched by breast cancer in attempting to summit the mountain with the Breast Cancer Fund's Climb Against the Odds, a mountain expedition for breast cancer prevention.

Cole has actively been involved in breast cancer advocacy, mentoring and support throughout Rhode Island and on a national level since 2005. As a mother of two daughters, she has become especially passionate about preventing the disease by identifying and eliminating known environmental causes of breast cancer, including toxic chemicals found in our everyday environment.

"I can not sit back and hope someone else will do something about the epidemic of breast cancer," she said. "I need to do whatever I can, for as long as I can so that my own daughters will never have to hear the words, 'You have breast cancer.' This is not just my battle; this is a battle for us all."

More information about Debra Cole and her summit attempt is available online at www.breastcancerfund.org/climb09/debcole.

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Safe-boating patrols will be stepped up June 26-28 in a joint operation conducted by the Department of Environmental Management's Division of Law Enforcement and U.S. Coast Guard Units from Castle Hill and Point Judith.The effort is part of Operation Dry Water, a coordinated national weekend of Boating Under the Influence (BUI) detection and enforcement. The enforcement effort is aimed at reducing the number of alcohol-related accidents and fatalities, and fostering a stronger and more visible deterrent to alcohol use on the water.

Coordinated by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators working with the states, the Coast Guard and other partner agencies, Operation Dry Water will increase the number of BUI patrols to collect and report BUI and safety compliance data. Marine law enforcement officers will be out in full force on Rhode Island waterways throughout the long weekend, searching for boat operators whose blood alcohol content exceeds the limit of .08 percent.Rhode Island law sets limits and penalties for boating while intoxicated that are similar to the driving while intoxicated standards, and requires the same levels of testing.

"Curbing the number of alcohol-related accidents and fatalities is a key to achieving safer and more enjoyable recreational boating," said Steven Hall, chief of law enforcement. He said alcohol can impair a boater's judgment, balance, vision and reaction time, as well as increase fatigue and susceptibility to the effects of cold-water immersion. Sun, wind, noise, vibration and motion – stressors common to the boating environment – intensify the side effects of alcohol, drugs, and some prescription medications.

"Because of these factors, we recommend that people completely avoid alcohol whenever they are boating," he said, "and we will have zero tolerance for anyone found operating a boat under the influence of alcohol or drugs."

According to 2007 US Coast Guard statistics, 21 percent of all boating fatalities nationwide were a result of alcohol use.

tmeade@projo.com