Conservation Report 8-10-22 District-5

CO Darrin Kittelson (International Falls #1) worked fishing and boating enforcement on the Rainy River and Rainy Lake. Kittelson also attended meetings in regards to upcoming Academy training at Camp Ripley. Questions were fielded about a recent boating accident on Rainy Lake.

CO Curtis Simonson (International Falls #2) reports checking anglers on Rainy Lake and the Rainy River. Anglers reported fishing was good. Time was spent monitoring ATV traffic on forest roads and area trails, along with working in the BWCA for a few days. Enforcement action taken this past week consisted of fishing with extra lines, failure to display registration and not having enough PFDs.

CO John Slatinski IV (Ray) reports the rain held off for a successful National Night Out event in International Falls. There was a good turnout and many questions were answered on a variety of topics. Angling and boating activity continue to be strong with the fish bite slowing a bit this past week. That aside, there was enough success to provide fish for meals. Dodging storm cells on the water continued to be a common topic among campers, anglers, and boaters.

CO Troy Fondie (Orr) reports monitoring angling and boating over the week. Area forest roads were checked and public access sites monitored. Equipment work and administrative tasks were completed.

CO Aaron Larson (Tower) worked ATV, OHM, and angling enforcement. Larson took and investigated state park violations, shoreline violations, and wildlife-related calls.

CO Marc Johnson (Hibbing) primarily worked ATV and boating/angling enforcement. Time was also spent speaking at a youth police academy in Hibbing and assisting local law enforcement agencies search for a missing person. A National Night Out event was attended and multiple calls were followed up on.

CO Shane Zavodnik (Virginia) spent time working on a background investigation for the CO hiring process. He also spent time getting equipment ready for the boating operation week at the CO Academy.

CO Duke Broughten (Aurora) spent the week monitoring fishing and ATV activity. Few anglers were found on area lakes. Anglers encountered reported limited success. ATV activity remained high this week. Broughten also fielded calls regarding boat registration and safety education requirements.

Cook vacant.