Conservation Officer reports
District 6 - Two Harbors
CO Sean Williams (Ely 1) reports: weather conditions became very mild over the week, as angling and atv activity ramped up as people took advantage of the weather. Walleye and norther success continued to be generally good, reports of trout being caught however were nonexistent. Violations included: failure to display current watercraft registration.
CO Brent Ihnen (Ely 2) patrolled his station this week monitoring ATV and OHM activity. CO Ihnen also checked fishermen and watercraft operators. Time was also spent patrolling for AIS compliance near area lakes and public water accesses.
CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Grand Marais) checked anglers on area lakes. Time was spent on the ATV checking remote lakes and ATV trails. Enforcement action was taken for ATV violations.
CO Anthony Bermel (Babbitt) reports working ATV, watercraft, and angling enforcement. Time was spent patrolling around the Peter Mitchell Day festival and fireworks. Enforcement action was taken for fishing without a license, insufficient PFDs, juvenile ATV violations, and open package of cannabis in a motor vehicle.
CO Megan Franzen (Silver Bay) spent the week primarily monitoring ATV and angling activity. Time was also spent responding to wildlife-related calls and assisting local agencies with a rescue. Black bears have been active around the area lately, and it’s important to keep garbage and other potential food sources locked away to avoid further and repeated encounters.
CO Cassie Block (Two Harbors) spent time this week attending K9 trials with fellow handlers. Block also spent time working AIS activity with K9 Jet at local public accesses. Time was spent working angling activity in the area.
District 5 - Eveleth area
CO Paul Kennedy (International Falls #1) responded to several calls about injured animals throughout the week. ATV and angling activity were monitored. Kennedy also responded with partner agencies to a report of a suicidal male armed with a handgun. After several hours, the situation was resolved peacefully with no injuries to anyone involved.
CO John Slatinski IV (Ray) Heavy tourist traffic in the area has led to an emphasis on monitoring for invasive species regulations compliance. Angling reports have improved along with the weather. Time was spent working in the boundary waters canoe area wilderness, where several groups were surprised to see a conservation officer.
CO Troy Fondie (Orr) reports monitoring angling and boating activities. Bear problems continue as do beaver problems. Forest roads were checked and public water access sites visited. Equipment work is on-going.
CO Sean Cannon (Cook) spent time this week checking anglers and monitoring boating activity. The high winds continued in the beginning of the week, but died off towards the end, making venturing out on the lake easier. 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 monitoring ATV activity.
CO Aaron Larson (Tower) spent time checking anglers and ATVs in his sta-
(CoCnotinntuineudeodnonPaPgaege8 7) tion. He also spent time fielding several calls regarding bear and deer. Violations were related to boating safety equipment and Lake Service Provider permits. Time was also used to work dumping complaints and public’s land use violations.
CO Marc Johnson (Hibbing) primarily worked ATV, boating safety, and angling enforcement. In addition, time was spent attending an active-shooter training hosted by SLCSO. Nuisance bear complaints continue to come in. Violations encountered included ATV speed, illegal OHM operation, and insufficient boater safety equipment.
CO Shane Zavodnik (Virginia) time was spent working ATV enforcement, and he a lso participated i n a multiagency law enforcement training over the week. Various ORV and ATV violations were encountered while out on patrol. Water activities remain slower than usual due to the continuous cooler temperatures throughout the region.
CO Duke Broughten (Aurora) spent the week monitoring fishing, boating, andATVactivity.Fishermenreported limited success. Fewer boaters were encountered this week, likely due to the cooler weather. ATV activity was lower than expected. CO Broughten fielded calls regarding bears, licenses, and ATV registration. CO Broughten also investigated a wetland violation.
Aviation Section
COPilotRyanHanna(GrandRapids) conducted one creel flight over Lake Vermilion in a long ongoing survey. These flights help fisheries determine fishing pressure along with other statistics.
CO Pilot Charles Scott (Brainerd) attended to aircraft maintenance and completed fiscal year end tasks. CO Pilot Scott also rescheduled canceled training flights.
CO Pilot Brianna Shaw (Brainerd) continued aerial counts for the Lake Vermillion Creel Survey. Shaw also assisted with staging aircraft for maintenance.
