Two Harbors area

CO Sean Williams (Ely #1) reports he assisted with the investigation of several fires in the Ely area over the weekend. Dry fuels, warm weather, and strong winds made conditions very dangerous. Residents and visitors are reminded to be careful with open flames and off-road vehicles.

CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Grand Marais) checked anglers in the BWCAW and area lakes. He worked with officers Oberg and Schottenbauer during a detail in the BWCAW. Enforcement action was taken for fishing in a closed area, lack of navigation lights, illegal-length fish and PFD violations.

CO Hudson Ledeen (Grand Marais #2) reports that beautiful weather over Memorial Day weekend gave ample opportunities for people to enjoy the outdoors. ATV riders, anglers, hikers, boaters, campers and bears running about has summer in full swing. Ledeen helped teach a firearms safety class and field day for students from Cook County Middle School. A detail was worked over the weekend at the Pigeon River Point of Entry with other conservation officers, checking anglers coming back into the U.S. from Ontario. Enforcement action was taken for drain plugs left in boats, overlimits of fish, and uncountable/unidentifiable fish fillets.

CO Anthony Bermel (Babbitt) assisted with the ATV trail closure during the wildfire near Ely. Lots of time was spent on the water checking anglers and boaters. Enforcement action was taken for insufficient PFDs, youth ATV passengers without helmets, riding ATVs on a state highway, and no ATV safety certificate. Instruction was given at the youth ATV safety class in Winton. Thanks to the volunteers who helped out. There have been numerous ATV accidents so far this season involving youth. Unlawful youthful operation and youths without helmets will be enforced aggressively. These laws are intended to keep youthful operators safe and violators can expect to receive citations.

CO Matt Miller (Silver Bay) checked boats and anglers at the Pigeon River Port of Entry. Anglers were checked on area lakes and complaints handled in state parks. Several violations were found that could have been prevented by users reading the signs directly in front of them. Assistance was given to area agencies as their summer activity picked up, and an ATV safety talk was given in Silver Bay. Enforcement action was taken for angling, boating, and state forest violations.

CO Kylan Hill (Tofte) reports seeing an abundance of bugs and people utilizing the recreational opportunities in Cook County throughout the week. Hill took part in a fish and game check at the Pigeon River Port of Entry. A few hundred vehicles were contacted, with nice numbers of fish and bears harvested in Ontario. Violations included possession of fish overlimits, transporting uncountable fish, and failure to remove the drain plug prior to transporting. Fishing has picked up a bit with reports of walleyes and bass dominating the bag. Hill monitored ATV activity along county roads and made a few stops for illegal operation. Nuisance-bear calls were taken and one person was cited for burning garbage in their yard. The highlight of the week was certifying roughly 40 excited kiddos in firearms safety.

CO Don Murray (Two Harbors) worked a border detail over the busy holiday weekend. Water recreation and ATV activity were high with very seasonal weather. Fire danger remains high in the area so please check local burning restriction before burning. Enforcement action was taken for fish-overlimit and failure to remove watercraft drain plug violations.

Ely #2 vacant.

Eveleth area

CO Darrin Kittelson (International Falls #1) reports the holiday weekend on Rainy Lake was busy but not as busy as past Memorial Day weekends, even with the exceptionally nice weather. Enforcement action for the week included illegal-length walleyes, overlimit at the U.S. Customs Port of Entry, license violations and boat safety issues. A meeting at Camp Ripley was also attended for the ongoing Academy.

CO Curtis Simonson (International Falls #2) reports working ATV activity and checking anglers on Rainy Lake and the Rainy River this past week. Enforcement action taken this past week consisted of transporting filleted fish on special regulation waters, angling without a license and boat registration issues. The warm weather had many people out enjoying outdoor activities.

CO John Slatinski IV (Ray) reports most activity this past week was centered on the water. Anglers have reported good success overall. Recreational boaters and paddlers were also out in force. Options were explained for dealing with bears. Food sources need to be removed in order to have success in getting a bear to move on. Keep neighbors in mind when making the choice to feed any wildlife. ATV use was monitored, state campground complaints were visited, and time was spent on invasive species enforcement.

CO Troy Fondie (Orr) reports monitoring area lakes for boating and fishing activity. ATV activity was checked, as were area forest roads. Fire danger is extreme and numerous fires were reported over the week. Fishing success remains poor.

CO Aaron Larson (Tower) worked primarily angling and ATV enforcement. Larson spent time checking anglers across his station, finding violations related to fishing licenses, boat registration, and boating safety equipment. He also came across ATV violations related to juveniles not wearing helmets. Larson conducted an investigation related to livestock predation and assisted at a forest fire near Ely.

CO Marc Johnson (Hibbing) primarily worked ATV, angling, and boating enforcement. The holiday weekend provided warm weather, allowing many people to enjoy it while recreating. Time was also spent following up on a trapping complaint that resulted in charges as well as the seizure of several furbearers. Other violations encountered included taking fish without an angling license, trespassing, and expired boat and ATV registration.

CO Shane Zavodnik (Virginia) reports a busy Memorial Day weekend. Time was spent responding to a fire that had gotten out of control and spread into the woods. When Zavodnik arrived at the scene, the fire starter admitted to throwing a box spring on the fire, throwing embers into the pine straw which was next to an electrical box and propane tank. He also responded to a reported ATV crash involving a juvenile. During the investigation, the juvenile was found to be going out for ?one last ride? and without a helmet on. It was found that the juvenile had rolled the ATV over on a dirt road due to excessive speed. Multiple ATV, angling, boating safety, and fire violations were addressed. He and neighboring CO Johnson also investigated a trespass case over the weekend.

CO Duke Broughten (Aurora) spent the week monitoring fishing, boating, and ATV activity. Anglers reported moderate success. ATV activity was high over the Memorial Day weekend. Dry conditions have created high fire danger. Broughten spent time checking compliance with AIS laws and also fielded calls regarding injured animals and trespass.

Cook vacant.

Water Resource Enforcement Officers

WREO Jeff Humphrey (NE) assisted in a Memorial Day weekend work detail at the international border in Cook County. He also worked public accesses and inspected boats for invasive species compliance. Humphrey gave an AIS presentation/training to Lake County deputies and spoke with Northern St. Louis County AIS inspectors during the middle of the week. Humphrey participated in a monthly WREO meeting. He followed up on active wetland and waters cases in the region.