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“If you don’t know, don’t go.” That’s the simplified safety message from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife about venturing out on frozen lakes and ponds. In other words, if you don’t know the thickness of the ice you’ll be on, don’t go out onto it.
Winter can be a great time for outdoor recreation, including ice fishing, ice skating, snowmobiling and other activities that require being on or crossing frozen waterways. But, sadly, being out on the ice can also be dangerous, especially with changing weather and ice conditions that may lead to ice that is too thin to hold a person or a vehicle.
Climate change is affecting many things in Maine. Ice thickness is one of them. Although it is late January, recent rains and warm temperatures have made many iced-over water bodies unsafe. In many places, the ice is thinner than in the past and ice may be layered with slush and snow, making it less stable.
As a result, state and local officials have warned that the ice in many locations in Maine is unsafe.
On Friday, a father and his 4-year-old son broke through the ice into Etna Pond in Carmel while on a walk. The father, 51-year-old Kevin Howell, pushed his son out of the water who ran home to get his mother. She called 911 and, with an anchor and rope, went to rescue Howell, who was the Carmel town manager. She also broke through the ice and fell into the pond. Penobscot County sheriff’s Detective Jordan Norton, who was nearby and the first to respond to the 911 call, rescued the mother. Howell’s body was recovered by divers.
On Saturday, five people, including three children, fell into Moose Pond in Denmark when the utility task vehicle (UTV) they were riding in broke through the ice. Someone nearby heard their cries for help and all five were rescued while standing on top of the UTV in about seven feet of water.
“It’s been an unusual winter compared to what we’re used to,” Mark Latti, a spokesperson for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, told the Portland Press Herald on Sunday. “Like last year, the ice has come in late, and [there is] treacherous ice in certain areas well into January. So like we always do, we’re urging people to check the ice before going out, and not just check it in one area.”
You can use an auger, chisel or ax to check the ice thickness. Ice should be at least 4 or 6 inches thick to hold a person. Ice 5 to 7 inches thick should hold a snowmobile. Game wardens recommend that you check the ice thickness in several spots, as it can vary widely. Avoid areas around inlets, outlets and culverts as flowing water can weaken the ice.
Blue or clear ice is typically the thickest. Be wary of black or white ice.
Officials also encourage people to carry ice picks and to wear a flotation device or flotation suit for additional safety.
Again, the wildlife and fisheries department’s central advice is to know the ice thickness before venturing out on the ice over any waterbody. And, know it yourself. Do not rely on what others have posted on social media or trust that because other people are out on the ice that it is safe.
“Just because winter weather is here doesn’t mean that the ice is safe,” Warden Hunter Howard says in a video posted on the department’s webpage on ice safety.
Again, if you don’t know the thickness of the ice, play it safe and don’t go on it.
