Photo: Boreal Community Media files

From the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources - August 16, 2023

Two Harbors area

CO Sean Williams (Ely 1) reports nuisance bear reports have begun coming in again from areas of the BWCA. Campers are reminded to be very cautious with cooking and food storage, especially at very popular entry points. Violations included angling with no license in possession and failure to display current watercraft registration.

CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Grand Marais) checked anglers, bear bait stations and ATV riders. The officer attended a regional meeting in Cloquet. Equipment maintenance was completed.

CO Hudson Ledeen (Grand Marais #2) fielded multiple calls over the week regarding the upcoming bear hunting season. Bear hunters also began placing baits on Saturday and time was spent inspecting multiple bait stations. Fishing on Lake Superior continues to remain consistent. Enforcement action was taken for multiple angling and boating violations.

CO Anthony Bermel (Babbitt) worked area lakes and ATV trails throughout the week. Plenty of enforcement action to report: fishing without a license, no PFDs, illegal length northern, no helmet on ATV youth passenger, and speeding. A TIP was also received about a pontoon in the BWCAW. They were located and enforcement action was taken.

CO Matt Miller (Silver Bay) checked ATVs and boaters as summer activity hit a climax. Lots of pink salmon and some nice sized coho salmon are showing up in anglers boxes on Lake Superior, and the lake trout bite is picking up as fall approaches. Assistance was given to local agencies with attempting to locate a missing person. Enforcement action taken for ATV violations.

CO Kylan Hill (Tofte) reports spending more time out on Lake Superior checking anglers. The king salmon bite has slowed considerably, but pink salmon and lake trout are still being caught in large numbers. A few boating violations were handled. Hill attended a regional meeting in Cloquet and prepared for the bear bait season. A reminder to bear hunters utilizing ATVs: please verify that the road or trail you are using is open to ATVs. Quite a few of these trails are not considered legal for ATVs and you run the risk of receiving a citation.

CO Don Murray (Two Harbors) worked angling and bear baiting activity during the week. Angling success picked up this week with some nice fish being caught. Murray also attended a regional enforcement meeting and responded to a water emergency on Lake Superior.

Ely #2 Vacant

Eveleth area

CO Curtis Simonson (Int?l Falls #2) reports spending time this past week attending training, and handling trespass related issues.

CO John Slatinski IV (Ray) Assisted a local agency with a landowner report of a dangerous animal on their property and concerned because they had a group of people coming to assist with cleanup. A visit was made and the animal species the landowner spoke of was unable to be confirmed. Traffic was monitored for invasive species compliance. Boat plugs in drains are still being observed. Ontario Canada now has a similar requirement to Minnesota for boat plugs to be removed or opened while in transport. A regional meeting was attended with updates heard on recent legislative law changes. Equipment maintenance finished the remainder of the week.

CO Troy Fondie (Orr) reports monitoring area lakes and rivers. Area forest roads, public access sites, and ATV activity was checked. Equipment work continues. Free time was spent on administrative reporting.

CO Aaron Larson (Tower) worked primarily wetlands and public waters complaints. Larson spent time working with St. Louis SWCD on multiple wetlands violations. Larson also worked on a dumping complaint and attended a Region meeting.

CO Marc Johnson (Hibbing) primarily worked ATV, angling, and boating enforcement. In addition, time was spent following up on calls, attending a regional meeting, and assisting US Forest Service on an ongoing investigation.

Cook vacant.

Water Resource Enforcement Officers

WREO Jeff Humphrey (NE) reviewed three new wetland and waters incidents and updated several ongoing cases. He attended a regional meeting on new law and policy changes during the week. WREO Humphrey took part in a court trial providing testimony on a wetland violation case.