(Arnolds Park)– While there may be little to no snow this year for Winter Games, there is, for the most part, plenty of ice. As a result, authorities expect there will be more of an influx of all terrain and off road vehicles on the Iowa Great Lakes this weekend.
Jeff Morrison, a Conservation Officer with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, is reminding operators of those machines that safety will be the name of the game. He says they need to be aware that the ice this year is much smoother and slicker than usual…(click here for comment.) “With a lot of these ATVs you don’t have either studded tires or chains on them, they’re going to be difficult to drive on the ice. The ice is quite smooth and slick as I’ve seen in many years, and ATVs are kind of high profile and can have a tendency to slide until they don’t, then they tip, so I think there’s a good chance we could see some rollover or tip over accidents. Those can be pretty hazardous to the operators or passengers on an ATV.”
As a result, Morrison urges ATV and ORV operators to wear helmets.
He says anyone driving a car or pickup on the ice will need to be aware of the abnormally slick conditions as well.
Morrison also reminds snowmobile, ATV and ORV operators that it’s illegal to jump any areas of open water, such as under bridges or over seams…(click here for comment.) “That open water there, we’ve had problems in the past where it will get to be kind of an activity to go across open water there, the Highway 71 bridge is an area we’ve had problems with that in the past. It’s illegal to operate and skip open water, and it’s going to be enforced. So I want to make sure that any snowmobiles that are operating out there are aware of that before they make a mistake.”
And when it comes to seams, Morrison says they’re showing up in the usual places…(click here for comment.)
“Most of them are traditional. There’s one that runs from Eagle to Pocahontas–that one’s there every year–there’s one that runs off of Gull, and that one’s there almost every year. They’re in the traditional spots, maybe more so this year than last year, but they are also pretty bad. So you want to make sure that you probably stay in the bays and travel by land to most places if you’re going to go around the lake.”
Morrison adds the DNR will have additional officers on hand this weekend to keep an eye on things.
This photo shows just how smooth the ice is on Smith’s Bay of West Lake Okoboji
