Welcome to our
ICE SAFETY education site...

* Our mascot Skipper Says  STAY SAFE !    
                                         "When you  See Ice, Think Twice  about going onto the ice!"

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 What Does the Ice Color Mean (general guideline)

White /Opaque- Saturated with water, snow on top, weak, porous, air pockets formed Blue /Clear-Dense, strong, "safest" type ice.

Black/light gray- melting ,can occur even when air temp is below 32 degrees.Weak.

Mottled/Slush- aka "rotten ice" thawing, slushy and deceptive! 

ASK YOURSELF these questions first before even considering going on ice. Have the temperatures been fluctuating? Is it early in the season or near Spring? Is there snow on the ice? How deep is the water and how large is the area? Is the ice rippled, flowing water, cracks, holes, or water at the shores edge? Are there chemicals that run-off into the lake, farmland nearby? fresh or saltwater? is the water spring-fed? Has the ice thawed and refrozen? Is the color  brown, dirty from leaves resurfacing thawing? Is it worth the risk ?
NOW...Strongly Consider the strength of the ice is not the same everywhere even on the same frozen body of water! No ice is completely safe and can suddenly become very dangerous!                          See Ice, Think Twice
About Us...                                                               Here's What To Do!
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Project Skipper was developed to educate children and parents about the dangers of ice-covered lakes, rivers, and ponds and to teach life-saving techniques to prevent drowning.
Project Skipper is a Waterloo, Illinois based Not for Profit Corporation that was started in memory of Kathy and Kadin Baxmeyer, a young mother and her son who drowned after falling through thin ice on February 19th,2010. Kathy's and Kadin's family members and friends out of need to see others not suffer an ice related drowning developed the Skipper program, Project Skipper has been reaching children and parents in many ways through teaching the simple lifesaving steps. The Skipper message has been well received and growing. There are new opportunities that  present themselves which help us to spread our message
The SKiPpeR Steps to take if you fall through thin ice into water...
        "S" Stay Calm    
        "K" kick  
        "P" pull    
        "R" roll   
* IMPORTANT*   Stay Calm-don't panic. Kick feet hard like a swimmer making yourself horizontal to the water and the ice . Now, prop elbows up onto the ice edge and continue kicking and then pull with arms out, kick and pull, kick and pull till out of the water. Once out and on the ice DO NOT STAND! Instead,roll on the ice all the way to the safety of the shore. Immediately tell an adult you fell into cold water.   (Navy Seal based steps)

        Children's Ice Safety book
               See Ice, Think Twice 
                  NOW available on Amazon.com

A story about ice safety-See Ice, Think Twice. gives important safety steps while explaining the dangers of frozen lakes, rivers, and ponds in an easy to understand dialogue intended for young children with a color page included. On a snowy day, three young siblings learn a lifesaving lesson in ice safety. Perfect for use with teaching lesson plan on safety
Danielle  Dunlap,a graduate in education from McKendree University in Lebanon, Illinois authored the children's book. As a full time mom of five she understands the importance of teaching safety to her children. In an effort to raise awareness of ice safety steps , she has authored an easy -to - read story. The author and the illustrators goal is to stress the need for children to stay safe around frozen water. Her mother, Karen Kohler Kaiser, illustrated the images . The book is dedicated to Kathy and Kadin Baxmeyer (sister to Karen, Aunt to Danielle, Kadin nephew and cousin.)who fell through ice and drown February 2010.

This is a  ideal book to read and discuss ice safety with your young child... Buy Now on Amazon

ICY INFORMATION:  Think Twice before going out on that ice...

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Ice on lakes, rivers, and ponds can be very inconsistent; therefore, the ice is             

 Extremely Dangerous. When a lake is spring fed there may be currents (flowing water under the developing ice from natural water moving underneath), causing the forming ice to be unpredictable in how it develops.  This makes it weak to hold weight. Conversely,stronger ice will be blue and clear and will not look visibly cloudy in the layers. Ice is likely to be thicker nearer to the shore, shallow area, than over the deep areas of the water.

When snow is atop the ice,do not feel secure that the ice under is fully frozen!

Snow is an insulator and causes the ice formation to be slow forming underneath.Ice thickness is not always an indicator that  the ice is not dangerous.Going on the ice may prove unwise and when the ice gives,one may indeed be in a life or death situation. STAY OFF THE ICE!