District 6 - Two Harbors
CO Sean Williams (Ely #1) reports: cool, and wet weather arrived over the week along with strong winds. Heavy fishing activity seemed to pause with the temperature drop, although angler success did not with several walleye limits checked. Violations included: angling in a designated trout lake with no trout stamp.
CO Brent Ihnen (Ely #2) continued focusingonfishingandboatingactivity this week. Officer Ihnen also patrolled for ATV and OHM activity on area trails. Additional time was spent at public accesses monitoring AIS compliance.
CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Grand Marais) spent time patrolling Cook and Lake County on ATV. Small remote lakes were checked. High winds over the weekend kept most anglers on shore. Wildlife complaints were handled as well.
CO Hudson Ledeen (Hovland) focused on angling and ATV activities. Bugs are out and the fishing is pretty decent. Nuisance bear complaints continue to be an issue. Bird feeders will attract bears into yards. Get rid of the bird feeders.
CO Anthony Bermel (Babbitt) finished up a litter case, with enforcement action taken. Time was spent on another investigation. Equipment maintenancewasattendedto,andATV trails were patrolled. Questions were handled related to the new electronic license system, and a few wildlife calls were handled.
CO Megan Franzen (Silver Bay) spent the week primarily monitoring ATV and angling activity. Time was also spent maintaining station equipment. CO Franzen also responded to a report of an orphaned fawn, and the fawn was successfully transported to a rehabilitation center.
CO Trent Anderson (Tofte) focused on angling and ATV activity for the week. Nuisance bear complaints were handled. Reminder to remove any easily accessible food source such as bird seed, compost etc. before bears become a problem. ATV patrols were conducted and training was completed with area DNR staff and first responders.
District 5 - Eveleth area
CO Paul Kennedy (Int’l Falls #1) returned several calls about nuisance beaver in the area with permits being issued. He followed up with a Lake ServiceProviderregardingpermitting requirements.Kennedyalsomonitored ATV activity as some local trails undergo repairs.
COJohnSlatinskiIV(Ray)Timewas spent monitoring ATV complaint areas. Follow up was completed on a wetland complaint. Aquatic invasive species compliance was worked on area roadways. There was high traffic volume in thearea andcontactsweremade for AIS deficiencies. A funeral was attended for a fallen Mn State Patrol Trooper.
CO Troy Fondie (Orr) reports bear problems continue as do bear sightings. Bear hunters continue to express frustration with the inability to obtain a bear license. Strong winds limited (CoCnotinntuineudeodn boating activity over the week. Area public access sites were checked. Frustration with the new license system was heard. ATV activity continues to be monitored.
CO Sean Cannon (Cook) spent the majority of the week checking anglers and monitoring boating activity on Lake Vermilion. There was a welcome return to more seasonable temperatures, however high winds off and on throughout the week kept the numbers of anglers down, and the bite was hit and miss for those that did head out. A few anglers were able to find decent numbers of fish willing to bite, but many were checked with empty livewells. Time was also spent checkingriveranglersandmonitoring ATV activity.
CO Aaron Larson (Tower) worked primarily angling and ATV activity. He spent time on local trails checking for activity. Some activity was located and registrationviolationswereaddressed. He also spent time working nuisance bear complaints. Time was also spent in and around the state parks in his stations working complaints from park staff.
Aviation Section
CO Pilot Ryan Hanna (Grand Rapids) participated in various aviation related events to showcase the wonderful work that the DNR aviation division does. Many on lookers were pleased to hear how aviation plays a role in the DNR.
CO Pilot Charles Scott (Brainerd) completed training with unit pilots. Yearly training curriculums were updated and aircraft maintenance items were completed.
CO Pilot Brianna Shaw (Brainerd) Interviewed with Outdoor News regarding the ongoing 2026 Lake Vermillion Open Water Creel Survey. Shawcompletedatrainingflightinthe Cessna206withCOPilotCharelsScott and TFO Nick Klehr. The training focused on mock search and rescue missions utilizing various aerial search grid patterns and camera orientations.
NR Pilot Gracie Zeller (Brainerd) coordinated with CO Hanna to ensure current and identical programming for certain aircraft’s radios.
