Corps Urges Boaters To Make Safety On The Water A Priority
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Published: 07 May 2021
Last year, 27 Oregonians died in recreational boating-related incidents – the most in three decades. Incidents overall spiked in 2020. Of 96 fatal and non-fatal occurrences – a 20-year high – three happened at Portland District reservoirs operated by the U.S Army Corps of Engineers.
The Oregon State Marine Board tracks these and officials attribute the increase – in part – to the pandemic.
“A big reason for that was record numbers of people getting outdoors as the COVID-19 pandemic limited other options,” said Randy Henry, boating safety program manager for the Oregon State Marine Board. Many of those people were new to boating,” he said.