Warden Blotters: Late summer casework by wardens statewide
Warden Blotter: State lands not a dump; angler gets medical lift & too many turkeys
Iowa, Grant and Green counties
Warden Marty Stone of Fennimore organized a multi-agency boating safety group check on the Mississippi River Pool 10 recently, involving officers from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Clayton County Sheriff's Office and Wisconsin DNR conservation wardens. Officers worked to make the waters safe for all to enjoy, and issued dozens of boating-related violation warnings and arrested four intoxicated boat operators near Prairie du Chien.
Warden Ryan Caputo followed up on a couple of turkey complaints involving hunters who did not register turkeys. In one case, a turkey fan and meat were seized and enforcement action was taken. Warden Caputo also found an individual who shot a jake in 2011 and also never registered it.
Warden Dave Youngquist of Spring Green and Recruit Lee Posusta investigated a timber-cutting notice violation and water regulation violations of a logger. Enforcement action is pending.
Warden Rick DeWitte of Cassville was checking fishing activity along the Mississippi River below the Dubuque lock and dam and observed anglers throw soda cans into the willows along the shoreline. Enforcement action was taken.
Outagamie, Winnebago, Fond du Lac and Oconto counties
Wardens Jason Higgins of Oshkosh and Brandon Smith observed a person reel in a rod, cast it and reel it in again while fishing on the Fox River. Higgins had received a complaint regarding the person fishing without a license. The investigation revealed the subject had been fishing for approximately 8 hours. On the next day, Wardens Higgins and Smith observed the subject fishing in the exact same spot. The individual was cited for both days and his fishing pole was seized. The subject's fishing privileges were suspended for failing to pay a fine for fishing without a license from the previous year.
Wardens Jason Higgins of Oshkosh and Thomas Truman of Winneconne received a complaint of a person fishing with too many lines on Lake Winnebago. Higgins and Truman responded and observed the person fishing with four rods/baits. The person was cited for fishing with too many hooks, baits or lures.
Wardens Tom Truman of Winneconne and JJ Redemann worked boat patrols and fishing enforcement through the month. Five fishermen were contacted during the month who did not have valid fishing licenses and citations were issued.
Wardens Truman and Redemann located hundreds of cardboard boxes that had been dumped on the Rat River State Lands. Through investigation it was learned that the suspect had responded to an online posting to remove a basement full of boxes from a residence and legally dispose of them. The suspect instead took the boxes and littered them on the state lands. The suspect failed to clean up his litter when given the opportunity. A citation was issued for littering.
Wardens Truman, Redemann, Brandon Smith and Jason Higgins of Oshkosh assisted with the Bullseye for the Youth Event held at Critters in Winneconne. The wardens and local 4H club mentored more than 100 kids at a BB Gun Shooting/Gun Safety Station.
Warden Al Erickson of Fond du Lac worked aquatic invasive species (AIS) enforcement at area boat landings in Fond du Lac in recent weeks. Several traffic stops were made on adjoining roadways for observed AIS violations such as transporting weeds attached to boat trailers and failing to drain water from live wells. Enforcement action was taken.
Wardens Ryan Propson of Appleton and Tom Sturdivant of Neenah, while working boating enforcement on Lake Winnebago, contacted an individual who had operated his personal watercraft (PWC) faster than slow no wake (SNW) while within 200’ of shore. Upon contact, the operator exhibited signs of impairment and admitted to consuming several alcoholic beverages. The operator was subsequently arrested for Intoxicated Boat Operation.
Warden Ryan Propson of Appleton contacted two individuals who were illegally netting minnows on the Fox River. It’s illegal to harvest minnows on any VHS water body, transport live fish away from a water body, use bait minnows from one water body on another water body and fish by a means other than hook or line while within 200’ of a dam. Enforcement action was taken.
Warden Tom Sturdivant of Neenah issued several citations for fishing without a license in the latter part of the summer. One individual, who was fishing in Jefferson Park (Menasha), had been cited in 2009 for the same offense.
Sauk and Columbia counties
Warden John Buss of Sauk received a complaint from the Sauk-Prairie Police Department about a person who went into the car wash and dumped the oil from his tractor down the sewer. Enforcement action was taken and Warden Buss is seeking clean up restitution for the business.
Warden Mike Green of Wisconsin Dells gave two hunter education talks at the Lake Delton Sportsman’s Club and the LaValle Sportsman’s club with Deputy Warden Dan Nehls.
Warden Paul Nadolski of Portage worked with area team wardens and Columbia County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) in a group effort to respond to complaints on the Highway V sandbar in the Wisconsin River just upstream of Lake Wisconsin. Several arrests were made including a domestic that occurred while deputies and wardens were on the island. Arrests for boating violations including Operating While Intoxicated (OWI) were made that afternoon and evening.
Warden Nadolski also responded to a wildfire in Pacific Township. It appears that someone dumped the remains of a burning barrel next to a brush pile. Strong winds that day reignited the burn and brush pile. Luckily a passer-by noticed the smoke coming from the wooded area and called for help. Portage Fire Department responded and extinguished the fire. The investigation has been turned over to the Poynette Ranger for follow up.
Warden Ryan Volenberg of Poynette arrested five individuals for operating a motorboat while under the influence of an intoxicant (OWI) on Lake Wisconsin. Volenberg also assisted with the arrest of two other operators for OWI. Blood-Alcohol Content ranged from 0.10 to 0.22%.
Warden Ryan Volenberg and Deputy Warden Dan Nehls were checking shore anglers on Lake Wisconsin, when they encountered a man having a medical emergency. Wardens Volenberg and Nehls requested emergency medical services immediately and monitored the angler until the ambulance arrived. The wardens assisted with carrying the subject up the rocky shoreline to the ambulance. The angler was transported to the Sauk Prairie hospital.