.jpg)
District 6 - Two Harbors
CO Sean Williams (Ely #1) reports he again patrolled areas of the BWCA monitoringfishingactivity.Anglersreported difficulty catching walleyes, but a very aggressive smallmouth bass bite. Clouds of mosquitoes and biting flies were also noted. Violations included angling without alicense in possession, failure to display watercraft registration, and no PFD on a watercraft.
CO Brent Ihnen (Ely #2) checked anglers, boaters, and ATV operators this week. He also spent time patrolling for AIS violations around area lakes.
CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Grand Marais) spent the week checking anglers and ATV riders. Problem-bear complaintswerehandled.Enforcement action was taken for boating, angling, and ATV violations.
CO Hudson Ledeen (Grand Marais #2) reports nuisance bears continue to be problematic throughout the area. ATV riders, anglers, and boaters were checkedduringtheweek.Timewasalso spent patrolling in the BWCA.
CO Anthony Bermel (Babbitt) reports teaching at the CO Academy and preparing material for future instruction. Squad maintenance was completed.Bear-relatedcallshavebeen common. Time was spent on a couple occupying public land. They moved all their belongings and a camper onto the property and erected a chain and “No trespassing” signs. A citation was issued for posting public property, and steps were taken ensure the removal of personal property. Additional time was spent on water patrol, with three individualsfoundwith21walleyesover their limit. Citations were issued and the fish were seized.
CO Don Murray (Two Harbors) worked boating and angling activity during the week. Most anglers reported more bugs than fish biting this past week. Enforcement action was taken for licensing violations. Murray also handled nuisance-bear reports and investigated a wetland violation.
District 5 - Eveleth area
CO Curtis Simonson (International Falls #2) reports spending time this week working area lakes and rivers. Nuisance-animal complaints were handled throughout the week. He also assisted local agencies with various calls for service. ATV activity was monitored throughout the week as well.
CO John Slatinski IV (Ray) reports boating and angling were again popular activities on area waterways. Problem-bear complaints and avariety of other wild animal-related concerns were heard. Information for deterring bear activity can be found on the DNR website. Equipment maintenance was tended to. Assistance was provided to other agencies for amissing person and domestic assault.
CO Troy Fondie (Orr) reports between wind, rain, and hail over the past week, he was able to get to area lakes. Additionalrainhasbeenforecastforthe upcoming week. Area forest roads were checked, and ATV activity continues to be monitored. Bears and beavers continue to cause problems.
CO Sean Cannon (Cook) spent time this past week checking anglers and monitoring boating activity on area lakes, working ATV enforcement, handlingnuisance-animalcomplaints and working on ongoing investigations. Violations encountered included angling without a license, no license in possession, PFD violations, expired watercraft registration, and operating an ATV on a state highway.
CO Aaron Larson (Tower) worked primarily angling and ATV activity. He spent most of his time on Lake Vermilion and the Eagles Nest lakes. Violations were related to angling licenses, boat registration, boating safety equipment,andillegal-lengthwalleyes. Larson also fielded questions and took nuisance-bear complaints.
CO ShaneZavodnik(Virginia)spent time investigating a birch-pole-theft case and assisting with scenarios for the CO Academy at Camp Ripley. Additional time was spent attending an event as an Honor Guard member and handling bear-related complaints.
CO Duke Broughten (Aurora) spent the week monitoring fishing, boating, and ATV activity. Anglers reported limited success this week. Weather appears to have limited the number of anglers and boaters on the water. ATV activity remains constant. Broughten also fielded calls regarding nuisance animals and abandoned property.
Water Resource Enforcement
WREO Dustie Speldrich (North Metro) attended the funeral for Minneapolis Police Officer Jamal Mitchell with the LEMA Honor Guard. She reviewed restorationordersandfollowed up on ongoing cases. Questions regarding turtles laying eggs in construction sites and abandoned baby mice were answered.
WREO Luke Belgard (SW) worked angling, boating, and ATV enforcement this past week. Ongoing wetland and waters cases were worked. Time was spent monitoring public access sites for AIS violations.
Aviation Section
CO Pilot Jason Jensen (Brainerd) reports flying Leech Lake creel surveys and a fisher telemetry survey. Anglers were checked via seaplane and aquatic plant management violations continue to be located on these flights. Aseaplane training flight was also accomplished during the week.
CO Pilot Tim Gray (Bemidji) flew survey flights for the DNR Fish and Wildlife Division. Gray also flew a District 1 CO over possible Wetland Conservation Act violations and found some sites for follow up in fall.
CO Pilot Charles Scott (Grand Rapids) repositioned aircraft and planned upcoming mapping flights. Scott also updated navigation equipment in multiple aircraft.
NR Pilot Brad Maas (Brainerd) completed a cattail photo flight by airplane in the northwestern part of the state. Seeing the results of last year’s spraying efforts helps with future hybrid cattail spray planning. He also worked on the cattail spraying manual review, attended an aviation webinar, and completed administrative tasks.
NR Pilot Grace Zeller (Brainerd) continued fixed wing transition flight lessons. She attended training webinars and worked on modernizing the maintenance tracking sheets.
Enforcement Education
Please check the DNR website at www.mndnr.gov for a current class listing of all DNR Enforcement Education Courses and instructor training sessions.
If you missed a fall class and are over 18, check online for the online course information. (It’s also at www. mndnr.gov.)
Please check the DNR website www. mndnr.gov for a current class listing of all DNR Enforcement Youth and Adult Snowmobile Safety Courses and instructor training sessions.
Please direct questions to 1-800-3668917 or 1-888-MINNDNR.
Reminder: Anyone born after December 31, 1979 cannot purchase a license to hunt in Minnesota without first taking a DNR Safety Training Course and receiving a certificate. In addition, many states have even more stringent mandatory Hunter Education requirements. Check before you go!
Reminder: Any resident born after December 31, 1976, who operates a snowmobileinMinnesotamustpossess a snowmobile certificate. Two options are available to complete certification. Ages 11 and older can take the online course and hands-on day or attend the traditional youth course. Those 16 or older can take the online course.
Reminder: Anyone born after July 1, 1987, who operates an ATV on public lands and waters in Minnesota must successfully complete the ATV Safety Training online course. People under age 16 must complete the ATV online course and riding component before riding on public lands.
Please direct questions to 1-800-3668917 or 1-888-MINNDNR.
SCHEDULED INSTRUCTOR TRAINING SESSIONS If you are 18 or older and would like to become an instructor for Snowmobile Safety, ATV Safety, Firearms Safety, Trail Ambassador or one of the Advanced Hunterprograms,contactyour local conservation officer or regional safety training officer. Instructor clinics are scheduled throughout the state and are listed on the DNR website.
See Also: http://www.dnr.state. mn.us/safety/instructors/training. html
