Annual ice-breaking operations have begun in Lake Superior and all of the western Great Lakes, the U.S. Coast Guard announced on Monday.
Known as Operation Taconite, the project is the Coast Guard's largest domestic ice-breaking operation, encompassing the St. Mary's River, the Straits of Mackinac and Lake Michigan as well as Lake Superior, according to a Coast Guard news release.
It includes the cutter Alder, homeported in Duluth, which on Monday was directed to manage ice-breaking in western Lake Superior. The cutter Biscayne Bay, out of St. Ignace, Mich., was sent to break ice in the St. Mary's River. Additional icebreakers will join the work in coming days and weeks.
As a result of the operation, certain waterways may be closed, but none is closed currently, according to the news release.
Recreational users are reminded to plan their activities carefully, use caution on the ice and stay away from shipping channels, according to the news release. Recreational users and island residents also should stay tuned to local media for the status of waterway closures.
