103°F
weather icon Cloudy

Ranger: Think about safety before entering lake

With summer heat beckoning visitors to the cooler temperatures of Lake Mead, rangers at the National Recreation Area offer reminders about basic safety tips to ensure a safe time on the water.

“I want them to think about what they’re doing when they’re out here,” said Lee Lipinski, a park ranger who spreads safety messages and information to visitors.

He didn’t address recent drownings directly, but said lake staff have “heightened awareness” of the need to relay safety information. The National Park Service has investigated seven possible drownings at the lake this year.

Lipinski said rangers — mostly on the weekends — will walk beaches and other areas to hand out safety flyers and ensure that visitors have everything they need to stay safe.

The main message, unsurprisingly, is to wear a life vest — especially kids.

The park provides free vests on a rack at Boulder Beach for kids to use. The service is run on the honor system — just return the vests when you leave.

“I know it works,” Lipinski said Sunday. “We roved the beaches this morning and there were only two jackets left hanging. All of the other jackets were out on kids on the beach.”

Lipinski warned against giving children arm floaties, aka inflatable water wings. If children get into water that is too deep, Lipinski said, their first instinct is to panic and raise their arms, which could let the floaties slip off.

Visitors who use floating pool toys, such as inflatable rafts, should also wear life vests, Lipinski said. If they get off the toy to cool off in the water on a gusty day, the wind can quickly sweep the toy away.

“It’s too late to think about once you’re out there and you’re in trouble,” he said.

Other basics include wearing sunscreen, staying hydrated and taking breaks in the shade, Lipinski said. But it all comes down to paying attention to your surroundings.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re an adult or a kid,” Lipinski said. “If you’re not paying attention to the conditions, yeah, it can get serious.”

Contact Blake Apgar at bapgar@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5298. Follow @blakeapgar on Twitter.

Lake Mead: The deadliest national park in U.S.

In a recent report, Outside magazine ranked Lake Mead as America’s deadliest national park, based on an analysis of fatalities over the past 10 years.

From 2006 through 2016, 275 people lost their lives at the 1.5 million-acre park east of Las Vegas. That’s about 100 more than at second-deadliest Yosemite National Park and 120 more than third-deadliest Grand Canyon National Park, according to Outside.

Boating and intoxicants

Alcohol is allowed on boats, but the driver cannot drink or even have a drink near them.

Marijuana is still illegal on the federal level, and Lake Mead National Recreation Area is federal land, so pot is not permitted at all.

Rangers patrol the water by air and boat. If you are caught breaking the rules at the lake, a ranger will tell you to stop and explain the rules to you. If you don’t stop, they can call law enforcement.

“It’s usually not the case,” park ranger Lee Lipinski said. “Most people are really good about it.”

MOST READ
THE LATEST
Toll Brothers gets split decision

The development of the area near Boulder Creek Golf Course known as Tract 350 (the sale of which is slated to pay for the majority of the planned replacement for the aging municipal pool) may have hit a snag last week as the planning commission voted 5-1 to deny the developers’ request to build houses closer to the street than is allowed under current law.

Council gives nod to 185 new hangars

There is at least one part of Boulder City that is set to see growth in the coming years. A lot of growth.

Boulder City ready to celebrate America

Boulder City resident James Cracolici may have put it best when he called the annual July 4 Damboree, “The crown jewel of all events held in Boulder City.”

BC can ban backyard breeders

Although there is nothing on any city agenda yet, the resolution of the issue of whether pet breeding will be allowed in Boulder City took a huge step forward last week as Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford released an official opinion on the intent and limitations of state law that had been requested by city staff last year.

Completion dates for two road projects pushed back

Mayor Joe Hardy tacitly acknowledged that Boulder City gets, perhaps, more than its fair share of funding from the Regional Transportation Commission, given the city’s size.

Businesses recognized at Chamber awards night

The Boulder City Chamber of Commerce’s annual installation and awards night featured many business owners in town and even had an appearance, albeit an A.I.-generated one, by Audrey Hepburn.

Parallel parking approved

Like so many other things in the world of Boulder City government, the issue of reconfiguring parking in the historic downtown area along Nevada Way, which generated enough heat to cause council members to delay a decision up until the last possible moment, ended with more of a whimper than a bang.

Ways to reduce summer power bills

Now that the thermometer is on the rise outdoors, the cost to cool homes and businesses on the inside is doing the same.