Photo By Renwick Martin | 2025 Fishing Opener read more read more
After a delay due to a shipping catastrophe that left the initial award wrinkled and bruised, the fiscal year 2024 Water Safety Award was finally awarded to the St. Paul District park ranger team after the conclusion of the fishing opener at Cross Lake Recreation Area in Crosslake, Minnesota. On hand were Cross Lake park rangers Ellie Tabako and Aaron Springer, who accepted the award from Lt. Col. Joshua Rud, acting St. Paul District commander, in a small ceremony.
The water safety award, awarded to the entire St. Paul District recreation and natural resources staff, is in recognition of the zero water-related fatalities at St. Paul District recreation areas in fiscal year 2024 (Oct. 2023-Sept. 2024).
This past year there was an emphasis on encouraging visitors to wear life jackets. Several recreation areas took part in the “I Got Caught” initiative, which rewards visitors for wearing a life jacket with various prizes, including beach towels and windshield sunshades. Additionally, life jacket loaner stations were installed at various recreation areas, offering guests an opportunity to borrow a life jacket free of charge.
The Corps recommends all visitors wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved life jacket while recreating around water, regardless of your swimming ability. Shawn Weissenfluh, lead park ranger at Sandy Lake Recreation Area, added that it’s not just wearing a life jacket that’s important, but also the fit. “It should fit snugly, and sizing should be based on weight,” Weissenfluh said. A study of water-related accidents shows that 90% of the people in water-related fatalities were not wearing a life jacket.
Weissenfluh said he is most proud of how the recreation and natural resources staff recognizes the importance of talking about water safety, adding that “zero water-related fatalities can, in large part, be attributed to the hard work each employee puts in to promote water safety.”
| Date Taken: | 08.19.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.19.2025 10:41 |
| Story ID: | 545937 |
| Location: | CROSSLAKE, MINNESOTA, US |
| Web Views: | 28 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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Army Corps of Engineers
