Weekly CO report
District 1 – Baudette area
CO Tony Hams (Warroad North) spent the week checking area anglers, monitoring ATV traffic, and following up with various complaints. Violations encountered were no license in possession, overlimit of walleye, and angling without a license.
CO Coby Fontes (Warroad South) spent the week patrolling Lake of the Woods, with enforcement action being taken for a lack of proper safety equipment. Fontes also taught the law and ethics portion of a firearms safety class to a group at the Warroad High School.
CO Nicholas Prachar (Baudette West) reports significant activity in the woods with the dawn of bear baiting for the 2024 season. Time was spent working bear baiting activity, ATV activity, and patrolling for angling and AIS violations. Enforcement action was taken for children on ATVs with no helmets.
CO Jeremy Woinarowicz (Thief River Falls West) worked with COC Oberg teaching the law and ethics portion of the Thief River Falls Youth Firearms Safety class and patrolled during the opening weekend of bear baiting. Enforcement action taken for no PFD on watercraft, no angling license, no helmet on juvenile ATV passenger, excessive speed on ATV, and Fail to Display ATV registration.
CO Sarah Jahn (Thief River Falls East) spent time working ATV activity which has increased in the last week people were reminded to have lights on and that all passengers and operators under 18 need helmets. Bear baiting activity has started and was monitored. A Public Waters Wetland violation complaint was taken and addressed. Enforcement action included no lights on ATVS and no helmets on passengers as young as 2 years of age.
CO Nick Bruesewitz (Karlstad) reports monitoring ATV activity and checking bear baits throughout the week. A nuisance bear complaint was handled, and assistance was given to local law enforcement agencies. Various ATV violations were addressed.
CO Brice Vollbrecht (Blackduck North) patrolled Blackduck area lakes and Upper Red Lake. Anglers are still catching fish, but the bite changes daily. Officer fielded several calls on problem bears causing damage to farm crops. A region meeting was attended, and officer assisted at the scene of a motor vehicle accident.
Blackduck South vacant.
Baudette East vacant.
Weekly CO report
District 2 – Bemidji area
Last updated: 2024-08-19
CO Tom Hutchins (Crookston) reports checking anglers and boaters this week. Time was also spent working on bear baiting activity. Various wildlife related complaints were also received.
CO Andrew Ladzinski (Bemidji #1) spent time patrolling local lakes and ATV trails. He also attended a regional meeting on new law updates and followed up on multiple nuisance bear calls, with activation of licensed hunters. Enforcement action was taken for OHM operating on roadway, no license in possession, no watercraft safety equipment, expired watercraft registration, and litter.
CO Jake Swedberg (Detroit Lakes) spent the week following up on nuisance animal complaints and getting ready for the upcoming hunting seasons. CO Swedberg answered many calls regarding nuisance animals and provided assistance and guidance to the landowners. CO Swedberg also worked area ATV trails and state forest lands.
CO Jordan Anderson (Osage) assisted local area hydrologists, in reference to public waters and WCA violations. Additionally, CO Anderson started the first step of field training with COC Bobby Stringer. The pair patrolled local state forests for bear baiting activity. Enforcement action was taken for an illegal stand on state forest and DWI arrest.
CO William Landmark (Moorhead) started field training with COC Jepson. The officers spent the week following up with wetland calls, aquatic plant calls, and checking boaters and anglers in the Moorhead and Pelican Rapids stations. Anglers were finding a good number of panfish, while walleye fishing remained slow. As the days get shorter, PWC operators are reminded that operating hours end one hour before sunset. Enforcement action was taken for angling without a license, angling with extra lines, no fire extinguisher on a watercraft, and no PFDs on a paddleboard.
CO Angie Warren (Mahnomen) spent time on angling and boating activity. AIS regulation compliance was monitored. Follow up was conducted on open investigations. Patrol for ATV and off-road vehicle activity was conducted.
CO Brady Manteufel (Bagley) transported equipment to St. Paul for the State Fair and also worked the the info booth at the Game Fair in Anoka. Assisted a local PD with ATV information. The CO began reviewing and checking on bear bait registrations and sites, along with handling additional bear complaint calls.
CO Jamus Veit (Bemidji #2) spent the week monitoring area angling and ATV activity. Nuisance bear calls and other various complaints were handled.
Pelican Rapids vacant.
Weekly CO report
District 3 – Fergus Falls area
Last updated: 2024-08-19
CO Hanna Wood (Fergus Falls) finalized her background this week. She also worked on updating trainings.
CO Tricia Plautz (Henning) finalized an aquatic vegetation violation, conducted equipment maintenance, and took an injured goose call. Several calls continue to be fielded on dogs running on neighboring properties. A background investigation is ongoing and preparation for upcoming training was completed.
CO Ryan Brown (Elbow Lake) reports checking anglers and boaters throughout the week. Fishing success has slowed over the past few weeks on some area waters. Time was also spent assisting local agencies and fielding wildlife complaints.
CO Shane Osborne (Evansville) checked fishermen, boaters, and ATV riders. Several questions were received about the upcoming hunting seasons. Since Labor Day weekend is early this year many hunting seasons don?t start until September 1 which is not on a Saturday. Please consult the 2024 hunting regulations for current season dates and times.
CO Jake Homan (Alexandria) spent the week patrolling Douglas County. Time was spent with neighboring officers following up on station cases. Douglas County Fair was also attended.
CO Felicia Znajda (Osakis) spent time this week enforcing ATV and OHM laws while traveling to and from a regional meeting. She attended the newest conservation officer academy graduation where she posted the colors for Honor Guard. CO Znajda also assisted her surrounding partners to investigate big game violations. Several wounded animal complaints were handled.
CO Emily Douvier (Morris) worked on a background investigation this week. A border water meeting was also attended.
CO Daniel Baumbarger (Glenwood) reports enforcement efforts for the week were concentrated on checking fishermen, and ATV operators. Additional time was spent following up on wetland cases and assisting neighboring officers with an on-going case. Several calls were fielded about the upcoming waterfowl season.
Wheaton vacant.
Weekly CO report
District 4 – Walker area
Last updated: 2024-08-19
CO Corey Sura (Remer) handled several miscellaneous calls regarding bears or bear hunting, as well as campground complaints. An annual training was attended. Sura assisted several other state and local agencies at a motor vehicle accident.
CO Michael Cross (Lake George) attended training and continued a background investigation. Numerous calls for service were additionally handled.
CO Jacque Johnson (Longville) investigated shoreline complaints. Enforcement action was taken on various fishing/watercraft violations.
CO Adam Seifermann (Staples) attended the graduation of CO Academy Class 23 at Camp Ripley and continued to work on a new employee pre-employment background investigation.
CO Nick Baum (Park Rapids) patrolled the local area for recreational vehicle, angling, and bear baiting activity. CO Baum investigated and took enforcement action on a complaint of an individual keeping a fawn in an enclosure. CO Baum investigated a complaint of a motorcycle operating on the Heartland Bike trail and took enforcement action on the illegal operation. CO Baum found several individuals enjoying the local OHM trails with the recent rain. CO Baum wants to remind OHV riders to ensue vehicles are currently registered and they have all required equipment before operating on trails.
CO Mark Mathy (Cass Lake) primarily worked on a background investigation of a CO applicant and attended meetings on the new licensing system. Bear baiting started and some time was spent checking the baits. Problem bear and beaver complaints continue to come in. An aquatic plant case was worked, and enforcement action was taken for unpermitted weed roller use.
CO Patrick McGowan (Walker) worked Leech Lake for boating and angling activity. Time was spent field training a new conservation officer candidate on boat operation and patrol tactics. The officers also assisted local law enforcement agencies with calls for service. Enforcement action was taken for numerous boating and angling violations.
CO Landyn Saewert (Wadena) reports working angling and ATV activity throughout the week. A report of a dumped deer missing its head was taken. It was later discovered that a person had picked up a car killed deer, cut the head off then dumped it into the ditch. Enforcement action was taken for littering. Another report of a car killed deer missing antlers was also investigated.
ATV rec officer vacant.
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