Officials Warn of Thin Ice

1/7/12 – Wisconsin is not exactly a winter wonderland these days – and authorities are urging people to stay off the ice, even on lakes that appear to be frozen over. The Madison Capital Times Web site had a picture of dozens of people ice-fishing this week on Monona Bay, as the thermometer hit a record 51 degrees. Dane County sheriff’s deputies were called to rescue a deer Friday that fell through the ice on Madison’s Yahara River. The animal died. A few people have recently fallen through the ice on Wisconsin waters – and a snowmobiler was killed in Rusk County last month while trying to skip over patches of open water. Beaver Dam Fire Chief Alan Mannel says there’s been no reports here of animals or people falling through the ice, which he says is definitely still on the thin side. Mannel says some good old-fashioned common sense will go a long way in preventing a tragedy. Those who venture onto the ice are not only jeopardizing themselves – but also those who might be called to rescue them.