District 6 - Two Harbors
CO Sean Williams (Ely #1) reports storms, heat, and rain made for a slow start to the Independence Day holiday. The weather improved for the weekend and ATV, boating, and angling activity was extremely high in the Ely area. Violations included no lifesaving device onboard a watercraft, angling without a license in possession, and failure to remove the boat drain plug.
CO Brent Ihnen (Ely #2) spent time working area lakes for fishing and boating activities. Over the weekend, time was spend working afternoon and evening hours as well.
CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Grand Marais) checked anglers, boaters, and ATV riders. He spent time in the BWCAW over the busy holiday weekend. Enforcement action was taken for angling, boating, and PWC violations.
CO Hudson Ledeen (Hovland) spent the holiday weekend patrolling area lakes for boating and angling activity. Despitethethunderstorms,manyfolks were able to get out on the water to celebrate IndependenceDay.Enforcement action was taken for several boating violations. Time was also focused on ATV trails and forest roads.
CO Anthony Bermel (Babbitt) reports working the busy Independence Day holiday week. Time was spent working lakes inside and outside of the BWCAW and local ATV trails. Enforcement action included numerous instances of fishing without a license, no PFDs, unlicensed watercrafts, and minor consumption of alcohol. Additional enforcement action was taken for ATV violations and for litter.
CO Megan Franzen (Silver Bay) spent the week monitoring ATV and angling activity around the area. The weather was hot and humid over the weekend of the Fourth and anglers reportedvariedsuccess.Timewasalso spentrespondingtoawateremergency and public water-related complaints.
CO Trent Anderson (Tofte) focused on boating and angling enforcement over the busy Fourth of July weekend. Time was spent patrolling Lake Superior and inlandlakes. Anglers reported mixed success on the big lake with afew nice lake trout being seen. Enforcement actionwastakenonavarietyofboating and angling related violations. Boat operators are encouraged to review the new boating safety course requirements that came into effect on July 1. Please see the DNR website for more information.
CO Cassie Block (Two Harbors) spent time this past week patrolling the area for angling and ATV activity. Block also spenttimetrainingCOAcademycadets in an Officer Water Survival course. Time was also spent training with K9 partner Jet.
District 5 - Eveleth area
CO Darrin Kittelson (International Falls #1) reports fishing, boating, and ATV enforcement continue to be the mainemphasisoftheworkload.Recent storms and high wind days have made the water activities less pleasurable for the public. Nuisance-bear complaints continued to trickle in.
CO Curtis Simonson (International Falls #2) reports working area lakes and rivers this past week. The busy holiday weekend brought many people outandaboutonareawaterways.Some nasty weather on the Fourth of July postponed much of the activity. The remainder of the weekend weather providedopportunitiesforpeopletoget out and enjoy the water. Enforcement action taken this past week consisted of various boat safety equipment violations, registration issues on watercraft, and fishing violations such as possessing illegal-lengthwalleyes,unattended lines, angling with extra lines, and fishing license violations.
CO John Slatinski IV (Ray) reports recreational boating and angling were the popular activities this past week. Although the Fourth of July festivities were cancelled in area communities, people still flocked to the water in between storm systems. Boating safety checks revealed several deficiencies in basic safety equipment. Reports were mixed from the anglers.
CO Troy Fondie (Orr) reports monitoring angling and boating activities on area lakes. ATV activity on area forest roads was checked. Fondie visited public access sites and checked a couple of berry patches. The deer flies were plentiful, but the berries were not. Black bears appear all over the work area and hunters continue with voicing their disappointment in not being able to draw a license given the number of bears. Equipment work continues.
CO Sean Cannon (Cook) spent most of the week and holiday weekend on the water, checking anglers and monitoring boating activity. The bite continues to be slow, but a few anglers have been able to get on decent fish. The holiday weekend was busy on the lakes. Enforcement action taken this weekincludedfishingwithoutalicense, operating a PWC during closed hours, operating a PWC in a reckless manner, loud motorboat exhaust, no life jacket, operating without required navigation lights, and gunwale/bow riding.
CO Aaron Larson (Tower) worked primarily angling and recreational boating enforcement. Time was spent on Lake Vermilion and surrounding lakes including in the BWCAW. Enforcement action was taken over the busy holiday weekend including a walleye overlimit, a lake trout overlimit, angling license violations, boating safety equipment, recreational vehicle registration, and the possession of cans and glass in the BWCAW.
CO Marc Johnson (Hibbing) primarily worked ATV, angling, and boating safety enforcement. The holiday weekend was calmer than expected, in part due to rapidly shifting weather throughout the area. Violations encountered included taking fish without a license, expired ATV/boat registration, illegal operation of PWCs, and various safety equipment violations.
CO ShaneZavodnik(Virginia)spent time working ATV and boat and water enforcement over the week. Warm weather brought plenty of people out on the water over the busy Fourth of July weekend. Excessive boat noise, jet ski operation after hours, and alcohol enforcement were the primary focuses over the course of the weekend. Angler success remains mediocre due to bug hatches as of late.
CO Duke Broughten (Aurora) spent the week monitoring boating, ATV, and fishing activity. ATV and boating activity appeared lower than past years, especially for the Fourth of July holiday. Anglers reported limited success. Broughten worked compliance with AIS laws. Broughten also fielded calls regarding boater safety, nuisance animals, and ATV registration.
District 7 - Grand Rapids area
CO Vinny Brown (Northome) patrolled state forests, area lakes, and ATV trails. Wildlife- and ATV-related questionswereanswered.Enforcement action was taken for off-road vehicle registration issues, allowing youth to ride on Class 2 ATVs without helmets, and no throwable device on board watercraft.
COJaysonHansen(Bigfork)worked ATV, boating, and fishing activities. He patrolled area trails and campgrounds. Numerous game and fish-related questions were answered. He also responded to wildlife-related complaints.
CO Mike Fairbanks (Deer River) checked anglers, monitored OHV activity, performed safety inspections on watercrafts, and responded to animal-related complaints this week. Fairbanks and his K9 partner Fennec also assisted in locating overdue canoeists and spoke at a community event. Enforcement action was taken for no lifesaving device onboard watercraft, license issues, and insufficient PFDs.
CO Thomas Sutherland (Grand Rapids) workedangling issues and checked many individuals from out of state who were fishing in Minnesota. Sutherland took enforcement action for angling without a license, fishing too close to a dam,andnothavingenoughlifejackets.
CO Jimmy Van Asch (Pengilly) workedangling,boating,ATV,andAIS enforcementthroughoutthesurrounding areas. Numerous contacts were made with anglers, boaters, and ATV riders over the long holiday weekend. Enforcement action was taken for a variety of angling, boating, and ATV violations.
CO Taylor Hochstein (Hill City) continued to patrol ATV trails and monitor boating and fishing activities. Time was spent at the CO Academy providing water survival training to the cadets. Assistance was also given tootherlawenforcementagencieswith calls for service.
CO Brian Holt (Grand Rapids) worked a busy Fourth of July weekend in the Grand Rapids area. Lakes were busy mostly with recreational boating andsomefishingactivity.Timewasalso spent following up on complaints on the NisbettIslandWMAofillegalcamping, littering, and other WMA violations.
