With high water levels, boaters urged to take care

I first started at the Bemidji (Minn.) Pioneer as an intern in the summer of 1996. That would begin six years as a news reporter, sports reporter and copy editor for a small, six-day-per-week daily newspaper in northern Minnesota. I wrote a large range of stories from multiple beats, to features to sports, my favorite being the coverage of the Red Lake Reservation High School basketball team named the Warriors. Here is a collection of my stories from my time at the Pioneer.

May 29, 1999

By Devlyn Brooks

Bemidji area lakes, although at high water levels, should be safe for boaters this Memorial weekend, according to a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources official. But those using area rivers should be concerned about the high water levels and fast-moving currents.

According to a DNR news release, high water levels on many rivers in Minnesota are expected to remain for the next week or more, and therefore they ask recreational water users to take some precautions.

Butch Belcher, a DNR regional trails and waterways supervisor in Bemidji, said Friday that boaters, canoeists and kayakers alike, should pay attention to overhanging trees on high water rivers and for sweepers, trees that have fallen into the river and are floating along the surface.

"Fast-moving currents in rivers is the thing to watch for (around Bemidji)," he said. "The lakes should be OK."

He said those using the Mississippi River should be wary of the stretch from the Iron Bridge Landing all the wat to Bemidji because it is notorious for hanging trees. He added that even though DNR maintenance crews have been out cleaning rivers this past week, there still may be stretches which they have not yet reached.

As for those using area lakes, he cautions them to slow down when entering the shoreline to help avoid further erosion damage.

"We sit pretty good. The lakes are all high, but it doesn't hurt much here," he said. But added that high water on lakes in the Fergus Falls and Detroit Lakes areas is so high it has even inundated accesses.

According to the DNR news release, recreational water users who are heading out this weekend should be aware of natural and man-made debris in high water rivers and lakes.

"The debris could include trees, as well as man-made items that have swept into the river by the high water," the release states. "Since some of the debris floats at or just below the surface, a boat that is moving fast may not see it in time to avoid a collision -- resulting in a broken propeller, capsizing, a damaged lower unit on the motor or worse."

The release also states that the DNR urges water users to check public accesses for any restrictions on each particular body of water before heading out.