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Regional
Training Officer Shelly Patten was recently named the DNR Enforcement District 5
supervisor.
She joined the DNR in 1996,
serving as a conservation officer in the Deer River and McGregor field stations
before her regional training officer assignment.
District 5 includes
Itasca, Koochiching, and St. Louis counties.
Congratulations, Shelly!
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As you know, the ATV safety training you provide for eligible youth in your communities plays a tremendous role in keeping youth safe while operating ATVs. Unfortunately, recently there have been a number of accidents involving youth age 10 and under, as well as older adults – both groups that are either not eligible or have not received the required safety training.
Accidents and fatalities are down in the age groups that are receiving ATV training. Keep up the great work in educating both youth and adults on safe ATV operation!
The North Woods Quads ATV Club in Hill City went into overtime following a severe storm on July 21. Members divided time between working on their own property and taking care of trail clearing. Conditions on the trail were dangerous, with trees still falling three to four days after the storm came through. In some cases, club members cleared trail one direction, only to turn around and re-clear on the way back.
The Woodtick Wheelers had a club ride in the Hill City area just days after the storm. "We rode from Sonnys down to Swatara, where we grilled brats and rode back," said club president Dave Halsey. "We want to thank the entire club for all the hard work you put into clearing hundreds of trees from the trail last week. It was amazing to see so many large trees that you cut and moved off the trail."
While we're always thankful for a club's efforts to maintain trails, we owe a special debt of gratitude to clubs that take on this type of gigantic task to keep our trails safe and accessible. "Clubs not only work hard to build trails, they work hard (in the heat and height of deer fly season) maintaining them, including clearing them after big storms, so the rest of the riding public can get out there and ride," Halsey said.
Reprinted by permission from Minnesota Offroad magazine.
Thank you to all of you for going above and beyond - we appreciate your incredible work!
Student Registration-Parental Release and Self-Certification Form
As you know, each student fills out a Registration/Self-Certification form if they participate in your class and field day. After they have passed all course requirements and you have signed the form, tear off the yellow copy and give it to the student/parent. Inform them that they need to follow the directions on the back of the form in order to pay the DNR fee and to print their certificate. They DO NOT need to wait until you have submitted the Rosters – in fact, they should complete this process as soon as possible.
Class Supply Orders
- Please order your supplies at least 30 days in advance of the start date of your class. Go to our online registration page at: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/safety/instructors/course_registration.html
-When submitting your class information online, please only submit one order per class - if you've forgotten to add something to your class information, or need to make a change, please use our email address to notify us at: enforcement.education@state.mn.us.
- If your class is FULL, please let us know. Email enforcement.education@state.mn.us with your name, class date, city and county it is being held in. (NOTE: Do not click on the email you had received when we confirmed receipt of your class information as that email does not give us this information.)
- Check your box or boxes of supplies as soon as you receive them, in case you need additional materials, etc.
As always, we appreciate your volunteer efforts! Please know that we are here to answer your questions and provide you with the information you need to conduct your classes. Do not hesitate to call us if you need information or clarification on anything. Thank you!
Graden West (center), of New London, was recently recognized for 30
years of service as a volunteer MN DNR Firearms Safety Instructor. Graden
has taught 100’s of kids in the New London area as part of a group of volunteer
instructors who donate their time to help teach youth the importance of firearms
safety. Conservation Officer Shane Vernier (left) and Regional Training Officer
Frank Rezac (right), presented Graden with a framed print at a recent event at Prairie
Woods Environmental Learning Center.
Congratulations, Graden!
 From L to R: James Fogarty, Joseph Braun, Kylan Hill, Arnaud Kpachavi, Jacob Willis, Timothy Maass, John Slatinski, Brittany Friday, and Alexander Birdsall.
Nine Conservation Officer Cadets of Academy 17 recently graduated and have been assigned three months of field training activities.
After field training has been completed, they will be assigned to the following stations:
James Fogarty - LaCrescent
Joseph Braun - Thief River Falls
Kylan Hill - Zumbrota
Arnaud Kpachavi - Worthington
Jacob Willis - Maplewood
Timothy Maass - Bloomington
John Slatinski - International Falls
Brittany Friday - Red Wing
Alexander Birdsall - Thief River Falls
The mission of TSSA is to significantly reduce tree stand incidents through promotion, education, and best practices. September is the month that most hunters start heading back to the woods to cut trails
and hang stands in preparation for upcoming hunting season making it an opportune time to raise tree stand safety awareness. TSSA is looking to get hunters to start the season by putting safety first.
Falls from tree stands are annually the #1 cause of death and serious injury to deer hunters and involve all types of stands. Virtually 100% of these incidents are preventable by implementing three simple measures: First, inspect your equipment. Second, wear a full-body harness and third, stay connected from the time your feet leave the ground. It really is that simple.
Please help keep everyone safe this hunting season. Hunters and members of the industry alike can help spread the message of TSSA. Visit the TSSA website at www.TreeStandSafetyAwareness.com
or on social media at www.facebook.com/TreeStandSafetyAwareness or
www.twitter.com@TreeStandSafety .
TSSA encourages all hunters to take treestand safety seriously, every time you hunt from, hang, or move a tree stand. TSSA is a grassroots organization of hunting industry leaders with a sole focus on significantly
reducing tree stand incidents.
For more info on TSSA, contact Glen Mayhew, DHSc, at TreeStandSafety@gmail.com; 540-526-5157 or Jay Everett at jay@hssvest.com; 256-773-7732.
Once again, the DNR is partnering with Minnesota Outdoor News. Youth ages 11-17 who successfully complete firearms safety certification in 2016 can sign up to receive a complimentary 3-month subscription to Minnesota Outdoor News.
Copies of the subscription are being shipped with summer/fall firearms safety supplies, or you can find the form at:
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/outdoornews/index.html. Please mention this opportunity to your students in your classes.
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