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Winter/Spring 2018
 From left to right:: Steve Gilbraith, Rose Nelson, Marvin Buchholz, Kevin Vnuk and Kerry Vnuk
Marvin Buchholz, of Ham Lake, has been named the Minnesota
Department of Natural Resources Snowmobile Volunteer Instructor of the Year for
2017.
During his almost 50 years as a volunteer instructor, Buchholz has
instructed more than 2,500 youth and adults about how to operate snowmobiles
safely and responsibly. In addition, he’s helped recruit and train more than 20
other certified instructors.
Between Marvin, who is the lead instructor, and four additional instructors that make up
his team, they have approximately 150 years of volunteer training experience
between them: Marvin Buchholz - 50 years; Rose Nelson - 25 years; Steve
Gilbraith - 25 years; Kerry Vnuk - 25 years, and Kevin Vnuk - 25 years.
“The best example I can give of the quality and character of
Marvin’s instruction is that Marvin is now teaching third and fourth
generations of the same families,” said Kevin Vnuk, who nominated him for the award. “They keep coming back to Marvin’s class
because of the quality and content of the class.”
Buchholz has been active in his community, too, serving for 47
years as volunteer firefighter for the city of Ham Lake. In addition to being
one of the department’s founders, he also was its longtime training officer.
He’s also been a member of the Ham Lake Lions Club for more than 40 years.
“Marvin has been an active participant in the sport of
snowmobiling for more than 50 years,” said Bruce Lawrence, recreational vehicle
coordinator for the DNR Enforcement Division. “He has ridden more than 100,000
miles on snowmobiles and at age 75 still rides hundreds of miles every year.
Congratulations, Marvin!
As demand
for Hunter Education/Firearm safety field days has been increasing steadily
over the past several years, we have also seen an increase in the number of
Field Days being offered by our volunteer firearms safety instructors. Our spring field day offerings are now at an
all-time high, due to your dedication and response to the interest of the
public.
The
Enforcement division has started an initiative to engage the Conservation
Officers with field days and new instructors. One of the goals is to provide an
opportunity for newly trained volunteer instructors to help out with these
field days so they can readily tie in what they've learned at the training clinic with
practical experience. You may be contacted by local officers or RTO’s to assist
with these field days. If it works out
with your schedule, we’d love to have your help!
While field days
for the online course are a popular option for many students, there is still a strong
demand and need for the traditional classroom courses.
Thank you
for your dedication to the DNR Safety Training Program and in particular, to Hunter
Education/Firearm safety – we could not do this without you!
The MN Volunteer Safety Instructors Association (MVSIA), along with the Anoka County Safety Instructors, are partnering with the American Heart Association to offer their First Aid, CPR, and AED certification course on Saturday, April 28, 2018. It is open to all ATV, Snowmobile and Firearms Safety Instructors. The fee for the course is $60, and will cover American Heart Association certification in First Aid, CPR and AED. Lunch and coffee are included in the Course Fee.
Go to www.mvsia.org and click on Upcoming Seminars for more information and how to register.
Beginning Wednesday April 18, Regional Training Officers on staff are:
Chelsie Leuthardt - Southeast Metro Regional Training Officer
Brandon McGaw - North Metro Regional Training Officer
Brett Oberg - Southwest Metro MN Regional Training Officer
Jen Mueller - Southwest MN Regional Training Officer
For specific information on the counties the RTOs are assigned, please consult the RTO map on the DNR website at: http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/education_safety/safety/instructors/rtomap.pdf. Contact information is provided.
Every once in a while we have the opportunity to share information about our instructors from around the state. Below is a link to a recent article from the Brainerd Dispatch:
http://www.brainerddispatch.com/community/people/4424511-faces-wallin-marks-50th-year-teaching-firearm-safety#.WsDWCzhUfOA.email
Here are a few reminders to help you stay organized with your safety class:
- Hunting Regulations booklets (quantities of 50 or more) can be ordered from the DNR Information Center at 888-646-6367. If you need a smaller quantity, please order them with your supplies thru the online class registration (make a note in the Comments section).
- Please check your box(es) of supplies when they arrive to ensure you have everything you need for your class. If something is missing, contact us right away at enforcement.education@state.mn.us.
- Always provide us a 30-day notice - or more! - of your class when requesting class supplies so we have sufficient time to ship them out.
Thank you!
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