Over the past months I have been having some concerning interactions with local Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
This week our neighborhood in Garrison has been having a direct encounter with sick fox hanging around. I called the local DNR and my conversation was quite interesting.
I explained the situation we were having with this fox. He asked what I expected him to do about it. I told him to come and take care of it. He said I should contact the local animal hospital. I told him that they had been contacted already and they said to just let it alone. He said, well there you go. I said that some of my neighbors have pets and that the fox appears to have mange and mange is very catchy.
He asked if we could just trap it. I said that we don’t have any traps. He says to just shoot it then. I tell him it is illegal to discharge a firearm in the city limits. He says to find someone with a good air rifle then. I ask, what I am supposed to do with it after I shoot it. His answer: to bury it in the woods. Then he says to just shoot it in the vitals and it will probably run off and die somewhere.
It was not much comfort in his lack of being willing to help. I will give him this much, he had all of the answers for me to do what I thought was his job.
But it does not matter who this person is, or what he has become. My only reason for his lack of helping is it was probably taught from his higher ups. If one cannot go to a game warden for assistance with a wild animal, where does one go?
This is not the first time of being put off by the DNR. We also had problems with bears that had cubs coming into people’s yards and on their decks.
Numerous people called the DNR, but were told that they no longer move them, they kill them. We have been told that if they moved them, they would just be someone else’s problem. We were also told that all of the traps are in use.
So which is it? Do they trap them to kill them or trap them to relocate them to a more suitable environment?
What alarms me most though is a lot of our government agencies have drifted away from serving the community, to policing the community. When these agencies are more interested in controlling the public versus assisting the public, we have a problem. That is not the type of government that is supposed to be the way of the United States. Our War Veterans fought other countries abroad to rid that type of government.
This has become the norm from the top on down to the local level. They no longer believe that they have to answer to the citizens (taxpayer).
It also bothers me that an employee of the state would do something as I view wrong just because it came from a higher up employee. I think people in these higher up positions need to take a true, hard look at their daily routine.
Do they set out to assist or arrest?
Now the hard part, what type of government do they wish to represent. I have always had a dislike for tax cheats. Now I think I am starting to see their point. We aren’t getting our money’s worth.
Larry Charlson is a resident of Garrison.
Comments (15)
Add commentLarry
The answer is arrest/ticket. That way they can justify their jobs. You should have shot it & laughed at him as he wrote you a ticket for dicharging a firearm in town. They really like to get laughed at.
Lead poisoning
That's what I'd do too. Before you shoot the fox make sure you get the name of the DNR "person", shoot the fox and when the police come to ticket you give them the name of the DNR person and say that you had THEIR permission to shoot it. Take the fox to the animal hospital and tell them to test it and bill the DNR.
Not all DNR officials are lax like that.
Larry : If your interested in what our DNR is doing every week
Read the Outdoor News website every Thursday morning , the DNR provides a weekly summary from all over the state from the previous week. Its called cuffs & collars .
Im certain its available on line from other sources as well.
On Outdoor News , click on MN ,then scroll down to Cuffs & Collars to understand what these COs deal with .
The DNR also has a monthly publication available called the Conservation Volunteer. Ive been reading it since 1970.
It may help you understand the the mission of the organization , and help provide you with answers about wildlife all over the state.
Ive learned one thing for certain reading the weekly summary , COs must maintain a sense of humor.
Larry, are you ...
... that reliant on the government to solve your problems? Most of us would have just shot or trapped the thing, bagged it and dumpstered it. Come on, Larry, man up.
Corruption In DNR
Larry, don't you just love it. Try this out. The head of DNR wildlife in Brainerd, we'll call him Gary D., owns, processes, harvests and buys wild rice as a personal business. He has a partner, we'll call him Rod U., who holds a position in Ducks Unlimited in our area. Two years ago, 2 DNR employees were caught lowering the level of a lake in northern Crow Wing County/Southern Cass County by tearing out a dam, so as to accomodate the harvesting/growing of wild rice. Can you imagine waking up in the morning and finding your pontoon sitting in the mud at the end of your dock because the lake level went down 3 feet plus, overnight. When I confronted these 2 employees, they said they worked for DNR waters. Later revealed they were employees of Mr. Wild Rice, the head of wildlife, not waters. So, now we have a department head sending 2 of his employees out to do work on the government dollar (your taxes) so it would benefit his privately owned business. These employees were on government time, using government vehicles and tools, for the private interest of their supervisor. After following up on this, we find out they were defended by the DNR regional office in Grand Rapids, their friends in the Bemidji office (fellow DNR employees), and the their superiors in St. Paul. Later we find out, through a DNR insider, that this same wildlife manager from Brainerd, is using a DNR airplane to check on the progress of wild rice throughout the summer while he is alledgedly checking on the wildlife herd, deer etc. It was later revealed by a DNR insider that this is prevalent throughout the state and in fact there is a click of these employees that do nothing but defend each other, when caught, as they use the taxpayers dollar for their own personal benefit. The commissioners, both current and most recent past, defend and condone these practices. They are well aware of them. Guess what, this local wildlife manager is still doing the same thing today to benefit his personal business. PS: Wild Rice comes under DNR Waters, not Wildlife Division. You don't say whether you talked to a CO (game warden) or someone in the office. My bet is you talked to a desk jockey in the office as the Conservation Officers seem to be the only ones in the entire DNR system that are doing their job with some sort of respect for the department and the taxpayers. It's criminal and has to come to an end soon. More corruption in the Brainerd office to follow. Different story, same office. We must rally the troops and demand a meeting with the commissioner, in our area, on our terms and demand immediate action.
Interesting read Charlie!
Interesting read Charlie!
I have an extra Tin Foil hat for you to wear. I got a new one for my birthday!!!
More DNR Corruption in Brainerd Office
Hey Larry, here's another one. While sitting at a county board meeting 2 years ago (Crow Wing County), waiting for a zoning issue to come up, there was an issue brought up where ATT was applying for a permit to construct a cell phone tower in the Pine Center area. A citizens group was there to oppose it. A woman got up to speak, identified herself as a DNR Employee in Brainerd and spoke against the tower. We'll call her Pam P. It turns out she is a supervisor in some enviromental services ?? department. She was stating that many birds are killed every year as they fly into these towers. A few weeks later, I read a letter in the Dispatch where the Brainerd Area Audubon Society (birds) was having their annual banquet and if you wanted to attend, contact president Pam P. See the connection. Again, we have DNR employees using taxpayers dollars to promote their own private interests. Again, this was brought up the chain of command only to be defended by the hierarchy. Again, corruption from the top down in the MDNR. When I finally talked to the most recent former commissioner, he stated "there is nothing he could do as there is such a deep rooted group of these people in the DNR that his hands were tied". See the problem. Again we need to demand an immediate meeting with plenty of advance notice, with the commish, in our area, on our (citizens) terms, with immediate action including dismissal of employees and cleaning up the entire operation in the MDNR. It is way out of control. You're not alone on this one Larry. We need to organize on a large scale and resolve this issue now or it will continue to grow out of control. I have much more documented information on these issues, including names and witnesses.
More on DNR Lack of leadership
Remember the two deer that got shot in someones front yard in Forest Lake this spring. The DNR want's you to forget about it. How about those neat "Invasive Species" stickers that everyone was supposed to have on their boats by an imposed deadline this spring. How much money was wasted on that boondoggle. They were supposed to be free. (This Year). Want to bet they would cost next year. The MDNR needs a complete overhaul from the top down and you won't get it with little Markie Dayton running the show. The scum at the DNR is safe until Dayton is gone. Tear down their union and fire the leadership.
More yet Larry
Hey Larry, Be careful who you contact with this issue. I contacted my State Representative, Larry Howes, with this issue and he sided with the DNR. He was in bed with them. Two weeks later, he received an award from the DNR for being some kind of hero. Let this also be a notice to those who have the option of voting for Larry Howes this fall. He can't be trusted to represent you as a democrat or republican/rino.
Let me interject some facts
Let me interject some facts on Charlie's 2 stories.
First off Wildlife is responsible for animals besides deer such as ducks. Wild rice plays a large roll in feeding the flocks of wild ducks and wild rice grows much better in shallow water than it does in deep water so lowering the water to encourage a good rice crop that will feed the flocks of ducks is part of their job. Habitat protection and improvement is an integral part of being a "wildlife manager" in the DNR.
Now for the second story. Towers are responsible for bird deaths and non-game DNR employees are just doing their job when they testify on issues like towers. It's what we pay them to do. Also, DNR employees have private lives too and many times have a passion for what they do in their public lives that carries into their private time.
It seems as if you are complaining that they care about doing their job well.
Well, I just fainted..............
fishhead just stuck up for the DNR. Call John Ward quick, fish needs to get to Hwy 25 and 18 fast!
Fish covers for DNR
First of all fish, regulating water levels is not part of wildlife. It comes under waters. Second, I didn't say they were doing it for the ducks to have food. They were harvesting it for their own profit. In other words they were marketing it and puting the money in their pockets. That's called stealing from the taxpayers and it's a crime in Minnesota. On the second issue, protecting the birds is one thing but identifying yourself as a DNR employee and testifying before a county board in an attempt to influence their decision on behalf of a private group is also wrongfully using your government job. Again, stealing from the taxpayers. Once again, a crime in Minnesota. If the lake levels needed adjusting for rice for the ducks, the citizens that live on the lake should have been notified in advance in order to prevent damage to their boats etc. Public hearings should have been held. These lakes belong to the citizens, not a couple of thieves working for a government agency. In both cases, it was criminal and the last thing the citizens need is for someone like you to skew the facts to protect the criminals in the DNR. It was wrong in both cases and you know it. Stop protecting your buddies. It makes you just as crooked. Now there's some interjected facts for you to digest. Why don't you let us know your relationship with the DNR. PS: The airplane pilot didn't lie about abusing the use of the plane. Again, more stealing from the taxpayers. You lose fish. Give up on this one. Your friends in the DNR belong in jail.
My cozy relationship with the
My cozy relationship with the DNR? LOL!!! Have you been living under a rock?
I've already stated the facts but you choose to ignore them.
The DNR and DU manage some lakes for rice production to benefit waterfowl. I'm sure if you contacted either you could get a list of those lakes.
Once Again
Nobody is doubting that they manage for waterfoul. You're missing the point. If they are manageing for waterfoul, why are they harvesting, buying, purchaseing and processing under a commercial license from the DNR, for profit for their own private business. And manageing for waterfoul doesn't give them permission to drain the lake without proper notification to the homeowners on the lake. Manageing for waterfoul is an excuse for stealing money from the taxpayers of the state. Go on line and you will see who has comercial licenses to buy, sell, harvest and process wild rice. It is very limited. They are using their government position illegally to profit for themselves. Your facts were already known. You are the one that is choosing to ignore the facts and choosing to change the subject to help cover it up. Do you have a special reason for covering for them.
More for Larry
It might be interesting to know, When Gary D. and his boys from the DNR lowered the lake level so they could harvest the wild rice, they not only damaged boats and shoreline they also left the fire department dry hydrant out of water, thereby leaving several hundred people without proper fire protection. A dry hydrant is a pipe placed in a body of water by the fire department that the fire department can hook on to in order to refill their tanker trucks. Usually in a rural area where municipal water is not available. Now fishhead, what's your excuse for this one. Once again, the MDNR is corrupt from the top down and there is no other way to put it. It needs a complete overhaul, starting with the commissioner and going directly from him to the Brainerd office.