Friday, May 27, 2005 | 9 a.m.
For the close to 250,000 people expected to visit Lake Mead National Recreational Area this Memorial Day weekend, bottled water, sun screen and life vests should be high on the list of things to bring. But park officials said to forget the fireworks and wood or charcoal for bonfires and barbecues.
"No wood fires or charcoal fires are allowed anywhere on the park this year," said Cobie Cavanbaugh, assistant fire management officer for the recreation area.
Sparks from a fire or fireworks could light up the grass and brush surrounding the lake that sprung up after winter and spring rainfall. However, gel and gas stoves are allowed in the park.
People who are caught with a charcoal or wood fire could face a $5,000 fine or up to 6 months in jail.
"A bonfire just isn't worth it this year," Cavanbaugh said.
The stringent restrictions will change the way Brandon Buffington, 21, celebrates Memorial Day weekend at Lake Mead. Instead of barbecuing he said he and his friends would pack a cooler of food or maybe go into town to eat.
"When I used to come out here, we used to have (bonfires) in past years," Buffington said.
His friend Tyson Uraschuma, 21, said they will spend the weekend "relaxing and having a good time over Memorial Day weekend."
They rented Jet Skis for the weekend, so they will be riding along with an estimated 5,000 boats and personal watercraft.
People riding a personal watercraft this weekend should have the same common sense they would use when driving a car, said Maureen Healey, executive director of the Personal Watercraft Industry Association.
"You wear your life jacket always and you never drink and drive," Healey said "Be very responsible. You always need to be scanning your horizon and don't follow too closely in someone's wake."
Boaters should have a routine maintenance done on their vessel before launching it on Lake Mead or Lake Mohave, said Roxanne Dey, Lake Mead National Recreation Area public affairs officer.
"Because it's so dry here, there's a lot of things you need to do to check your boat over before you stick it in the water," Dey said. "Check the lines, especially if you ski or if you have a wave runner. They can rot out in the heat. Make sure the fire extinguisher is OK. Make sure the life jackets fit everyone."
Ranger Ryan Regnell said life jackets are vital for people who are boating or using personal water craft. But he said it's even more important that they're worn properly and readily available.
"When we do the safety inspection on the boats in the water, I find life jackets still in the bag and stuck up in a hold somewhere where they can't get to them if something really happened," Regnell said.
And while there's no law against drinking while on a boat, Kay Rohde, chief of interpretation for the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, strongly discourages it.
"(When you spend) four hours on Lake Mead with the heat, the glare, the wind, the wind burn, the bounce of the boat and all of the environmental elements, your judgment is impaired as if your are legally drunk," Rohde said. "And then you added alcohol and 80 mph Jet Skis, and that's a recipe for disaster."
Dey expects 250,000 people in the recreation area this weekend, up from last year's Memorial Day turnout of about 214,000 people. Last year there were 23 deaths and of those two people died in boating accidents and 11 people drowned. This year there have been six deaths with one drowning.
To avoid long waits at the launch ramps, Dey said to stay clear of the prime hours 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Because the lake water level has risen from 1125 feet to 1142 feet, more launch ramps are available as opposed to last summer when Hemenway Harbor launch ramp was restricted to shallow launching.
Dey said visitors could avoid crowded shores by going to other less popular locations.
"We have 500 miles of shore just around Lake Mead, not even Mohave. It is a huge lake, and there's plenty of water for recreation," Dey said.
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