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The snowstorm did not seem to bring much enthusiasm from the outdoor crowd.
CO Sean Williams (Ely #1) reports snow conditions held out into the weekend. More snowmobile activity was seen over the week than any other week of the winter. Violations included operating a snowmobile on a road right-of-way and operating a motor vehicle on a snowmobile trail.
CO Brent Ihnen (Ely #2) spent much of his week checking anglers in his station. Additional time was spent patrolling for snowmobiling and ATV activity. CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Grand Marais) spent the week checking anglers and a few snowmobilers enjoying the last snowstorm. He assisted with a snowmobile safety field day held at the Cook County School.
CO Hudson Ledeen (Grand Marais #2) reports that anglers gave it their final hurrah as the winter trout season came to an end. Some snowmobilers were checked trying to ride the recent snow that hit the area even though trail conditions were rough at best. ATV operators are reminded to brush up on regulations before hitting the trails.
CO Anthony Bermel (Babbitt) reports efforts were primarily focused on snowmobile enforcement as rideable snow finally hit the area this week. Enforcement action was taken for modified exhaust, expired registration, failure to transfer ownership, no snowmobile safety, allowing illegal juvenile operation, and use of an extra line on a designated trout lake.
CO Trent Anderson (Tofte) focused on ice angling and snowmobile enforcement for the week. Time was spent assisting eager operators at the Cook County youth snowmobile safety field day. Violations encountered this week included various snowmobile- related violations.
District 5 - Eveleth area CO Darrin Kittelson (International Falls #1) reports time was spent at Camp Ripley instructing officers on emergency vehicle operations and high-risk stops. Snow, cold, and wind have kept fishing on the Rainy River to a minimum. The snow brought out a few snowmobile riders for one last ride.
CO Curtis Simonson (International Falls #2) reports spending time working the Rainy River and patrolling area forest roads. The Rainy River remains iced-up in most areas, but with the warm weather approaching this week, it should open up again.
CO John Slatinski IV (Ray) checked on angling activity as well as dock and shoreline projects. The snowstorm did not seem to bring much enthusiasm from the outdoor crowd. The rest of the week was spent at in-service training at Camp Ripley and taking care of equipment-related tasks.
CO Troy Fondie (Orr) reports monitoring area forest roads, checking angling activity, and continuing work on equipment. Free time was spent completing administrative tasks.
CO Sean Cannon (Cook) spent the majority of the week at Camp Ripley for training. Time was also spent monitoring snowmobile and trapping activity.
CO Aaron Larson (Tower) spent the majority of the week working snowmobile enforcement. Fresh snow brought some local snowmobile activity out as well as cross-country ski activity. Larson also spent time at training.
CO Marc Johnson (Hibbing) spent the week instructing at in-service training held at Camp Ripley. Training components included firearms, defensive tactics, and emergency vehicle operations.
CO Shane Zavodnik (Virginia) spent time instructing emergency vehicle operation tactics at Camp Ripley for spring in-service training. He also assisted the county with attempting to locate an individual with a felony warrant. Additional time was spent patrolling for recreational vehicle activity and working on station gear maintenance.
CO Duke Broughten (Aurora) spent the week monitoring ATV and snowmobile activity. Recent snowfall limited recreational activity. The snow brought a few snowmobiles back out but slowed the arrival of spring. Broughten also fielded calls regarding ATV registration, adult ATV safety requirements, and injured animals.
