Although the Cook County News-Herald knows that the majority of sportsmen and women are law-abiding folks, there are a few who run afoul of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Conservation Officers. Periodically, the DNR provides a report of some of the miscreants the Conservation Officers (CO) have encountered. The News-Herald shares these stories as a reminder to all to be safe and to follow the rules!
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) worked anglers and boaters and checked campers during the holiday weekend. One camper left a nice pile of firewood and some pretty flowers for the next users; they also left a fire burning which the officer located and extinguished before the wind off Lake Superior caught a spark and burned the adjacent pine forest and cabins. Manning worked boating safety in the BWCAW on the 4th; compliance was better than usual. Manning also worked in the vacant Silver Bay station, and investigated a possible illegal pesticide application in an area lake.
CO Darin Fagerman (Grand Marais) found many unregistered boats during the week. One boat hasn’t been registered since 1999. Too many violations for life jackets were also encountered. Relatives of cabin owners take the cabin boat out without checking if there are any life jackets in them. Even if the boats have life jackets, most people spend way too much time trying to find where they are. In an emergency they aren’t much good if they aren’t readily accessible. Fishing continues to be great. Catching has been good too.
CO Tom Wahlstrom (Tofte) checked anglers and boaters on Lake Superior who were enjoying the nice weather over the 4th of July holiday weekend. The officer checked wetland complaints and fielded questions about the upcoming deer season. Wahlstrom provided marine assistance to the Cook County Sheriff’s Department in the search for a missing swimmer in the Temperance River.
CO Bret Grundmeier (Hinckley) collected two baby deer fawns that had been illegally captured and were being kept as pets. The initial story from the captors was they rescued the fawns after the mother had been killed on the road. An admission finally came explaining how they took the fawns while the mother wasn’t around because they “just wanted them.” The fawns were sent to an animal rehab where they will eventually be released to the wild and the captors will be sent to court.
CO Phil Seefeldt (Moorhead) reports a busy holiday weekend with many people on the lakes. An example of a child’s honesty: A boat operator was observed without a life jacket. When contacted the operator said he didn’t know he had to have one. His 7-year-old daughter spoke up, “Dad, I told you you had to wear a life jacket.”
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