While the Lake Panorama Association Lake Patrol will be out monitoring boater activity next weekend for the 4th of July, so too will the Iowa DNR.

The DNR’s Kevin Baskins shares with us and lake boaters what it is DNR officials will have an eye on during the busy holiday.

“Certainly we are looking for safety equipment, making sure they have all the required equipment onboard (the boat)–life jackets, a working fire extinguisher.  Our officers are also out there to watch… one of the most common complaints and dangerous scenarios that we often see is people getting too close to one another, not maintaining the proper distances from other vessels.”

Baskins says boating while intoxicated is another offense the DNR will obviously be looking for next weekend, but he stresses that the DNR is not on the lake to play “bad guy.”  Baskins says their main focus is to keep everybody safe, and that includes by watching the weather.

“The weather conditions can change very rapidly in Iowa and I think we’ve seen a lot of this just in recent weeks, so we’re also out there to be able to work with vessel operators to let them know that there may be some bad weather coming and that it may be time to make it into shore.”

Additional boating safety rules and regulations from the Iowa DNR can be found by CLICKING HERE.

DNR Conservation Officer Jeremy King has officially confirmed to Raccoon Valley Radio that he will be out at Lake Panorama patrolling next weekend.