The Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday weekend coincides with the Minnesota DNR’s “Take a Kid Ice Fishing,” starting Saturday through Monday. During the weekend, Minnesota residents can go ice fishing for free if they are fishing with a child 15 years old or younger. Minnesotans 15 years old or younger don’t need fishing licenses any…
Four were injured in a fish house fire on New Year’s Day on Upper Red Lake. Beltrami County Sheriff Ernie Beitel reports that the call came in the early afternoon of a propane tank exploding within the fish house. The four injured occupants of the fish house, two men and two women, were taken to…
The Minnesota DNR confirmed a report of zebra mussels in Thunder Lake. According to a release, a lake property owner, in the Remer area of Cass County, contacted the DNR in October after finding zebra mussels on a boat lift being removed for the season. A shoreline search by the DNR did not reveal additional…
A vehicle drove through the ice on Lake Bemidji on Christmas Eve, with one of two occupants not surviving the incident. According to a release from Beltrami County Sheriff Ernie Beitel, an adult female was able to escape the frigid waters on her own and was immediately transported to Sanford Bemidji’s ER. A male was…
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is reminding Minnesotans to properly dispose of their Christmas trees and other holiday greenery to avoid the spread of invasive species. According to a release, a pest of concern includes the elongate hemlock scale, a small insect from the East Coast where many decorative Fraser firs are grown. This insect…
Some parts of Minnesota have already seen anglers venturing out onto the lakes, but with the widely varied weather this month which has included rain, snow, and swinging temperatures, ice conditions are a bit unpredictable this year. “The week between Christmas and New Year’s is typically the kickoff of the ‘wheelhouse season,’ and we anticipate…
Two fishermen were rescued from Lower Red Lake earlier this week after becoming stranded on the ice. The Red Lake Tribal Police Department and Conservation Law Enforcement say the call came in Tuesday around 11:50 a.m. and tribal responders arrived at McKenzie’s Landing where the fishermen had launched from. The Bemidji Fire Department also responded…
Two new reports from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency show that water in the Rapid River Watershed near Baudette is generally good. This watershed was heavily impacted by failed ditching efforts in wetlands to make usable farmland in the early 20th century. Management efforts in the watershed included forest management and restoring heavily ditched wetlands….
The DNR says caution is vital as lakes begin to freeze. Officials say ice thickness this time of year is highly variable. Parents are urged to talk with their kids about staying safe around the ice. “There’s nothing worse than when a time of year that should be festive turns tragic,” said Lt. Adam Block,…
Featured photo: Conservation Corps member Jenny Sherren at the Caldwell Fire. The Conservation Corps of Minnesota and Iowa is seeking more than 200 applicants. The Corps carries on the tradition of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) of the 1930s and works on a number of projects on public lands. Applicants must be 18 to 25…
