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Warning signs have been installed along a stretch of the Wapsipinicon River after several occasions during the last year when first responders were called out for search-and-rescue because of kayaking incidents involving downed trees in the river.

Because of the number of emergency calls in that area, Clinton County Emergency Management Agency’s (EMA) drone program flew the area of the river and discovered a number of downed trees submerged and extending out of the water, a news release says. These trees were making the river passage dangerous, especially for kayakers with little experience.

This led officials with EMA and Clinton County Conservation to install large signs warning boaters of the dangers in the 1.5 miles (north fork) stretch of the Wapsipinicon River, the release says.

EMA Operations Officer Dan Howard, the EMA lead drone pilot, and an avid kayaker have observed a lack of emergency training among kayakers, the release says.

“From the search-and-rescue calls I have responded to with the drone, some kayakers are not experienced enough for this stretch of river and have little or no training on how to properly handle a kayak in a dangerous situation,” Howard said. “It is one thing to calmly paddle down an easy, slow-moving river, but when the conditions change and the current picks up because you enter a dangerous area with downed trees in the water, the circumstances can turn deadly in a very short time.”

He said kayakers who miss signs of dangerous conditions can easily find themselves trapping their kayaks in downed trees or other debris causing a potentially fatal emergency. The search-and-rescue missions on the Wapsipinicon have mainly taken place in the north fork of the river, west of the Hagenson Pond Area off of Highway 67 in Clinton County, the release says.

The north fork of the river is about 1.5 miles long and is in heavy tree cover with large trees and other debris in the water that can be dangerous to kayakers. Howard said the current and the depth of the river vary during different times of the year depending on snow and ice melt, rain, or lack of rain. He added the river can change daily and the dangers also can change, making each kayak trip a different adventure.

Howard said there are more beginner kayakers because of the pandemic last year. He recommends that beginners seek experienced kayakers’ opinions on safety and purchase of equipment.

Howard offers these safety tips:

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