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Hudson Ledeen
Hudson Ledeen has some big shoes to fill. As of January 4, 2023, Hudson took over the conservation officer position held by Mary Manning, who retired at the end of the year.
Mary, a well-known dog musher, began her DNR conservation officer career in Cook County in 2005.
After completing 16 weeks of training, Hudson graduated from the Conservation Academy on Tuesday, September 13, 2022, at Camp Ripley. He was one of eighteen graduates who are trained to enforce state laws on game and fish, wetlands and waters, recreational vehicles, wildland fire, invasive species, and assist in teaching safety training and education classes, among other things.
“Our natural resources are Minnesota’s crown jewel, and our conservation officers are on the front lines of working to ensure future generations have the same or better outdoor opportunities than we have today,” said Col. Rodmen Smith, director of the DNR’s Enforcement Division. “We demand a lot from our conservation officers. I have no doubt these new officers will join their dedicated colleagues in always answering the call.”
Before his recent assignment to Cook County, Hudson worked as the Community Coordinator for the Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness organization in Ely. Through his community coordinator position, which was dedicated to protection, preservation and restoration of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Hudson built relationships with community members around Ely, the North Shore and Gunflint Trail.
“I left my job with the Friends of the BWCA in December of 2021 to begin Peace Officer training. When I finished that I went straight into the DNR conservation officer academy,” said Hudson.
Long devoted to the outdoors, Hudson has a passion for conservation and land stewardship. He received an Applied Science Degree in Natural Resource Technology with a focus on forestry and wildlife from Vermillion Community College. Hudson has removed beaver dams, trapped and relocated bears, tagged migrating birds, worked as a fishing guide, canoe outfitter, a snowmobile and ATV safety instructor, and is an avid hunter and angler whose idea of a perfect evening involves “punching holes through the ice and hooking into the perfect eating sized walleye.”
“This was my dream station to get,” said Hudson. “I don’t know how I got so lucky.” Hudson will patrol from the town of Grand Marais up the Gunflint Trail to Gunflint Lake and then east to the Canadian border to the Grand Portage Reservation, the route that Mary Manning had.
As for settling in, Hudson and his wife Katie and their almost 15-year-old dog Phoebe are living east of Grand Marais. Katie is a full-time student taking classes in education to one day become a teacher. The couple is expecting a new puppy in a few months, so Hudson will have at some point in time, a partner on some of his duties.
So far, said Hudson, the work in the field and the transition to Cook County is going well. “Everything is great. Super. You are lucky to have two great CO’s here, Tom (Wahlstrom) and Kylan (Hill). Great guys. I plan on making this my career job. I hope to stay here until I retire.”
According to the DNR, “There are 155 field stations across the state, each covering about 650 square miles. While this year’s conservation officer class will cut down on the number of vacancies, there still will be more than 15 field stations without full-time, dedicated coverage. The DNR is holding a CO Academy this spring and plans to begin the hiring process next month for a 2024 Academy.”
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