MN DNR Conservation Officer
District 1 – Baudette area
Last updated: 2026-07-20
CO Nick Bruesewitz (Karlstad) reports monitoring ATV traffic throughout the area. Time was spent investigating a wildlife management area violation.
CO Tony Hams (Warroad North) spent the week checking area anglers, monitoring local ATV traffic, and following up on various complaints.
CO Coby Fontes (Warroad South) spent the week patrolling Lake of the Woods. Enforcement action was taken for the use of an extra line and taking fish without a license.
CO Nicholas Prachar (Blackduck #1) reports steady ATV activity in the area. Time was spent patrolling local trails and attending technology training at Camp Ripley.
CO Bobby Stringer (Thief River Falls West) reports continued visibility and health-related issues due to the wildfires throughout northeastern Minnesota and Canada. Due to the conditions, Stringer wants to remind ATV and off-road vehicle operators of the importance of ensuring lights are on as foragers access the forests for berry season. Additionally, as bear-baiting season approaches, be on the lookout for parked vehicles along trails or access points. Enforcement actions for the week included a complaint of dogs chasing deer in Old Mill State Park.
Baudette #1 – vacant.
Blackduck #2 – vacant.
Baudette #2 – vacant.
District 2 – Bemidji area
Last updated: 2026-07-20
CO Jamus Veit (Bemidji #1) spent the week providing training at Camp Ripley, following up on ongoing cases, and monitoring angling/ATV activity.
CO Andrew Goodman (Perham) reports a slower week of boat and water activity with periods of smokey air consuming the area. Time was spent catching up on various complaints, reports, and site visits.
CO Jake Swedberg (Detroit Lakes) spent the week working on a public water investigation regarding potential excavation of a local lake. Swedberg also worked fishing activity on area lakes. He also went to the Clearwater Lake Association meeting with COs Manteufel and Schaefer. Swedberg and K9 Axel did a demonstration and checked boats at the access for AIS.
CO Curtis Jepson (Osage) spent the week patrolling state forest and boating activities. A common violation was the lack of life jackets while paddleboarding. A life jacket is required when using a paddleboard, but it does not have to be worn if you are over the age of 10. Also, a littering incident in a state forest was investigated and numerous nuisance-bear calls were fielded.
CO Angela Warren (Mahnomen) spent time on angling and boating activities. AIS checks were completed. Compliance was great. ATV and off-road vehicle activity was worked on area trails. A complaint of shoreline alteration was investigated. Follow up on open cases was conducted. Warren spoke at the annual Island Lake Association meeting.
CO Bill Landmark (Moorhead) spent the week focused on boat and water safety enforcement. Complaints continued to filter in regarding wake boats and personal watercraft operation. Landmark would like to remind boaters to be conscious of how their activity is affecting others and specifically remind PWC operators that it is illegal to jump wakes of other boats within 150 feet. A commercial minnow violation was investigated, a cease-and-desist order was issued for a wetland violation, and a background investigation for next year’s CO Academy was started. Enforcement action was taken for numerous violations including harassing wildlife with a watercraft, no life jackets on a watercraft, no life jackets on a PWC, and watercraft navigation light violations.
CO Grey Corbus (Pelican Rapids) spent the week monitoring angling and boating activity, fielding various wildlife-related complaints, and working with local government units on wetland and public waters violations. Enforcement action was taken for various boating violations, as well as wetland and public waters violations.
CO Brady Manteufel (Bagley) checked anglers and boaters this week, with a focus on boating safety and invasive species. Fishing success has slowed, but some decent catches were still reported. The annual Clearwater Lake Association meeting and an instructor’s class at Camp Ripley on a new report writing system were attended this week.
CO Ryan Schaefer (Bemidji #2) spent this past week checking local anglers and monitoring ATV activity. An injured bald eagle was rescued and transported to a rehab center in Park Rapids. Schaefer also assisted with an AIS detail and presentation to the Clearwater Lake Association. Schaefer also assisted the Bemidji Police Department and Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office with a variety of calls, including a foot pursuit/arrest, domestic, and suspicious activity incident on a local lake. Enforcement action was taken regarding a variety of ATV violations and careless operation of a motorcycle on a public roadway.
District 3 – Fergus Falls area
Last updated: 2026-07-20
CO Tricia Plautz (Henning) spent time at training, took calls of nuisance bears, and followed up on wetland cases with local government units.
CO Shane Osborne (Evansville) checked AIS, boaters, and ATV riders. Life jacket and PWC violations were the most common boating violations encountered over the weekend. Injured-animal calls were received and handled.
CO Jake Homan (Alexandria) spent the week patrolling Douglas County for angling and recreational boating activities. Time was spent following up on an ongoing trapping case. Enforcement action was taken for an overlimit of otters, lending and borrowing otter tags, failure to tend traps, and numerous other trapping violations.
CO Emily Douvier (Morris) reports working fishing and recreational enforcement. Calls were fielded regarding injured animals and wildlife-related complaints.
Wheaton – vacant.
District 4 – Walker area
Last updated: 2026-07-20
CO Patrick McGowan (Cass Lake) worked area lakes for angling and boating activities. McGowan also spent time working aquatic invasive species on boat trailers and watercrafts on Cass County highways. Enforcement action was taken for failure to clean lake weeds off trailers and numerous boating violations.
CO Jack Lien (Walker) patrolled area waters looking for boating safety violations due to the high volume of boaters around his area. ATV regulations were enforced as well. Lien conducted investigations regarding abandoned watercraft and nuisance-bear complaints. Time was spent assisting local agencies.
CO Corey Sura (Remer) patrolled ATV, boating, and angling activities in the Remer area. Enforcement action was taken for ATV operations on a state highway, allowing juvenile passengers to ride without helmets, expired watercraft registration, and PFD infractions. Sura continues to field a variety of nuisance-bear complaints.
ATV rec officer – vacant.
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