Local authorities issue warning on ice conditions - Brainerd Dispatch | News, weather, sports from Brainerd and Baxter

BRAINERD — Days of historic warm weather and rain in Minnesota this December led officials to issue warnings about the state of the ice.

“The ice isn't safe at all,” said Eric Klang, Crow Wing County Sheriff. “I would not recommend going out onto it. It's just too unstable and it's not consistent ice.”

The ice is deteriorating quickly, Klang said as he talked about hearing reports recently of ice being around 3 inches, where it was at 6 inches or more about a week prior.

Cass County Sheriff Bryan Welk issued a warning Dec. 28 to residents and visitors of Cass County regarding the dangerous ice conditions caused by uncharacteristic warm weather. The rain, thawing, and refreezing cycles have weakened the ice, rendering it hazardous for any recreational activities, including ice fishing, skating and snowmobiling.

“We know that the holiday weekends are a popular time for outdoor recreation but currently there is no safe ice to do so,” Welk said. “Conditions range from poor ice to no ice at all on Cass County lakes.”

On Thursday, Dec. 28, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources issued a statement on the degraded ice conditions. In recent days, DNR conservation officers and county sheriff’s deputies across the state responded to instances of fish houses and recreational vehicles falling through the ice.

“When it comes to ice conditions, the calendar doesn’t matter,” said Col. Rodmen Smith, director of the DNR Enforcement Division, in the news release.

In central to southern portions of Minnesota, marginal ice conditions turned to open water. The ice farther north deteriorated as well, with ice-angler rescues on Upper Red Lake at least three times since Dec. 17, the release read.

“We've had reports of five shelters that have gone through the ice,” said Jim Guida, a Brainerd area Minnesota DNR conservation enforcement officer, Wednesday, Dec. 27. Guida said the ice in the area is deteriorating fast and is not able to support shelters and in many cases, it's not able to support people walking out as well.

On Tuesday, Dec. 26, Jeff Kramer was out on Merrifield Bay on North Long Lake attempting to rescue his fishing shelter, which had partially fallen through the ice.

When he put the shelter out on the water a few weeks ago, Kramer said there was almost 8 inches of ice. Though when he checked a few days before Christmas, the ice was already starting to deteriorate, it just happened quicker than he thought it would.

Kramer went to check up on the conditions the day after Christmas and found his shelter partially submerged.

Also noting the deteriorating conditions was Faron Jackson Sr., the Leech Lake Tribal Chairman, who said they have seen far too many people venturing out onto the lakes.

“We really haven't had any really cold weather so there's just a real light, light sheet of ice on the lake and that creates a dangerous situation for everybody,” Jackson said. “You know, it's dangerous not only for the people that go through the ice, but also for the first responders who rescue them. They've got to put their lives in jeopardy as well.”

Welk said some smaller lakes have ice but the warm temperatures, rain and wind have deteriorated the ice conditions and it has begun pulling away from the shoreline.

“It’s crucial for everyone’s safety that individuals avoid venturing onto the ice until conditions improve significantly,” Welk said.

The DNR said that while temperatures are forecasted to drop, ice conditions will remain poor until there’s a string of cold days to form new, clear ice.

Mille Lacs County Sheriff Kyle Burton said the ice is not faring any better in his neck of the woods either, as he too hopes for an ice reset.

“When it rains on the ice and then it refreezes, oftentimes it just ends up not being very good ice throughout the whole season,” Burton said. “So maybe this isn't all bad, that we kind of get to push the reset button here and maybe have a chance at having some safer, better ice as the winter gets longer. But we can't control the weather and I know people want to get out there and they want to fish. I get that. But it's not worth your life or losing an expensive piece of equipment.”

Besides hearing of a few shelters falling through the ice and responding to a few welfare checks, all three sheriffs said they haven't needed to rescue anyone from the ice in the past week and would like to keep it that way.

“We feel that no fish is worth your life and we want them to look at it that way,” Jackson said. “Be safe because every life matters. … We'll have plenty of time as it gets colder and the lakes freeze.”

No ice can ever be considered “safe ice,” but following these guidelines can help minimize the risk:

TIM SPEIER, staff writer, can be reached on Twitter @timmy2thyme , call 218-855-5859 or email [email protected] .