This week’s Conservation Officer reports from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources contains a confusing situation on the St. Croix River last week. It’s told with the wry wit that sometimes pops up in these official tales about the unusual things people do in the Great Outdoors.
CO Chris Tetrault (Maplewood) and CO [Ryan] Hanna spent time on the St. Croix River over the weekend. During an angling check, a person was unable to identify himself as he forgot his name and date of birth. After further investigation, he provided a name to the officers, but without a date of birth. He was later identified as someone else. It was found he did not have an angling license and didn’t want to get in trouble. He was cited for angling without a license and providing a false name to a peace officer.
The fine for fishing without a license is $50 for residents, while a fishing license is about $20. Giving a fake name is punishable by up to 90 days in jail or a $1,000 fine.
Also noted were a couple other issues facing the St. Croix: excessive wakes, and invasive species:
CO Bret Grundmeier (Hinckley) spent time instructing at the current Conservation Officer Academy and dealing with Wetland Conservation Act violations. There were also quite a few complaints of wake boats causing damage to shorelines. Some lakeshore owners sent Grundmeier videos of waves created by wake boats damaging shorelines and docked equipment. Wake boating activity on smaller lakes in the Hinckley area only recently became more popular and wake damage complaints have steadily increased over the past few summers.
CO Ben Karon (Pine City) spent the past week checking boaters and anglers on area lakes and rivers. Remember to clean vegetation off of boats and trailers. Time was spent on ATV patrolling trails. The most common violations found were for registration issues.