Lake County Board designates May 2025 National Safe Boating Week

The Lake County Board of Supervisors at its May 2025 meeting designated the week of May 2025 as National Safe Boating Week and urged recreational boaters on Clear Lake, Lake Pillsbury, Blue Lakes and Indian Valley Reservoir to wear life jackets and follow safe-boating practices, the board said. The proclamation was signed by Chair E.J. Crandall and acknowledged marine-patrol efforts by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

The board cited U.S. Coast Guard statistics in the proclamation, saying the Coast Guard reported 564 fatalities in recreational boating accidents in 2024, a decrease of 11.3% from the previous year; 377 of those fatalities were reported as drownings and 319 of the victims were not wearing life jackets. The proclamation also credited Flotilla 808 of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and local partners for providing free life jackets to children and for public education and safety checks.

“The more we can do to make sure that people are boating safely, the more we can prevent tragic events from happening on our lake,” the sheriff said, adding that education is the most important part of preventing fatalities. A board member noted conditions such as whitecaps and currents when dam operations raise flows, saying those hazards can make it difficult for people who fall from boats to reach shore.

The proclamation text urges all users of the named lakes and reservoirs to safeguard their lives by wearing life jackets and practicing safe-boating habits. The board and local marine patrols said they plan to resume safety patrols and free life-jacket checks and to continue outreach to boaters. The board held a brief photo session after the proclamation was read.

No roll-call vote or motion details were recorded in the transcript; the proclamation was announced as “passed and adopted” and signed by Chair E.J. Crandall.