MORE RANGERS ON DUTY AT LAKE MEAD FOR LABOR DAY WEEKEND

[Andrew...@nps.gov]

National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior

LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA News Release

For Immediate Release: Sep. 3, 2009
Release No.: 2009-52
Contact: Andrew S. Muñoz, 702-293-8691

MORE RANGERS ON DUTY AT LAKE MEAD FOR LABOR DAY WEEKEND

LAS VEGAS - The National Park Service is expecting over 100,000 visitors to
Lake Mead National Recreation Area over the Labor Day weekend. Park rangers
want to remind visitors that a fun time at the lake begins with being safe
and responsible.

"We're gearing up for a busy weekend. We've brought in additional park
rangers from around the west to assist." said Andrew Muñoz, Lake Mead
National Recreation Area spokesman.

Lake attractions are looking forward to welcoming holiday visitors. They
offer plenty of ways of having fun on the lake offering lodging, boat
rentals, lake tours, and raft tours.

All summer the National Park Service has been encouraging both boaters and
beach swimmers to wear life jackets. For children 12 and under, they are
required to be worn while on a boat.

"We don't have lifeguards on duty. So visitors have to take responsibility
for themselves and their children when in the water," said Muñoz

Children caught wearing their life jacket will be rewarded by park rangers
with a free t-shirt.

Visitors will see more rangers patrolling in areas such as Placer Cove on
Lake Mohave, near Nelson, Nev. That area was recently closed to alcoholic
beverages.

“We typically see more cases of driving and boating under the influence on
holiday weekends. We want visitors to know that if they do it in recreation
area, they will go to jail. It’s easier to be responsible and have a
designated driver,” says Muñoz.

All rangers will continue their education efforts about new rules
prohibiting glass and Styrofoam containers in the entire park. That ban
went into effect in March but penalties won't be enforced until January
2009.

Park maintenance crews are asking visitors to help keep the lake clean by
making sure they throw away their trash. Receptacles are located throughout
the park in picnic areas, near beaches, along roadsides and launch ramps.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area encompasses 1.5 million acres in Nevada
and Arizona along the Colorado River. It includes both Lake Mead and Lake
Mohave. The park is the fifth most visited unit of the National Park
Service.

To plan your visit to Lake Mead National Recreation Area visit
http://www.nps.gov/lame.

- NPS -