It's preparing to be another long freeze-up, according to Bethel Search and Rescue volunteer Mark Leary. Pictures of the Kuskokwim River with floating chunks of ice are making the rounds on Facebook. BSAR President Mike Riley warns boaters to stay off the river.
Riley says that they do not want any boaters to get stranded because “there is no way to get to them.”
Leary says that boaters should not travel far from home, and should pack gear to take care of themselves and their boats just in case they run into trouble.