(Wahpeton)– If you were out on the Iowa Great Lakes over the Memorial Day weekend, chances are you saw more Lake Patrol officers on the water and at boat ramps.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has doubled the number of officers that will be on the water this summer in the Iowa Great Lakes, thanks in large part to fundraising by the Iowa Great Lakes Water Safety Council. The organization raised 32-thousand dollars that resulted in the hiring of three invasive species officers. That’s in addition to the traditional five officers the DNR has had on duty in past summers in the lakes area, along with three new lake patrol officers funded by the DNR. That brings the total number of officers this summer to 11.
Water Safety Council spokesman Phil Peterson says the community funding for some of the additional officers this summer is only temporary. He says an increase in boat registration fees approved by the legislature last year will fund the program for 2007 and beyond.
Safety advocates say the additional lake patrol officers are crucial if a new nighttime speed limit on Dickinson county lakes is to be adequately enforced.
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