Warden Blotter - September 20, 2012 Wisconsin River & Spooner warden teams
Spooner Team
Warden Jesse Ashton of Luck apprehended two for exceeding their possession limit of panfish while fishing on Bone Lake. The couple was contacted fishing on the lake and was found to have 47 panfish in the live basket. Ashton located an additional 239 panfish cleaned in their freezer. The fish were seized and a citation was issued in excess of $1200 for exceeding their possession limits.
Warden Ashton gave a presentation to the Bone Lake Association meeting. Approximately 85 people were in attendance. Ashton covered many issues including clean boats clean waters and aquatic invasive as well some issued Ashton had with lake residents illegally treating their shorelines with herbicides.
Warden Ashton gave a power point presentation to a group of 35 trapper education students in Grantsburg at Crex Meadows. Ashton’s power point concentrated on the laws and methods of trapping.
Wardens Hagen, Swanson and Fell along with Wildlife Biologist Gary Dunsmoor participated in the classroom portion of the LTH Bear program at the Indianhead Rifle and Pistol Club in Spooner. The young participated in the actual hunt over the last weekend in August.
Wardens Miller, Heisler, MacKenzie and Windt assisted with the annual fish fry for a local community event “Relay for Life.” They cooked fish for the event and fed 150 to 200 people. The event was covered by local radio station and newspaper.
Warden Miller assisted at the Sawyer County Youth Day event at Summit Lake. There were 101 students that attended and another 50 or so people from the Sawyer County communities. Warden Heisler and Miller ran the laser shooting station for the kids and families.
Warden Chris Spaight (Grantsburg) received a citizen complaint about heavy boat traffic on the Yellow River on the weekends, caller was concerned about OWI and litter in the area. Spaight and Burnett County Rec. Deputy Ryan Bybee have both patrolled the area to reduce these issues.
Warden Spaight assisted the National Park Service with a “911” call on the St. Croix River. Spaight Transported NPS staff and 2 paramedics up river in Spaight department issued Jet Boat to the injured party. Spaight then transports the injured party and the paramedics back to a waiting ambulance.
Warden Spaight assisted the Burnett County Sheriff’s Department with serving a search warrant on a residence in Burnett County. During the search warrant a stolen ATV was located; Spaight and department staff were able to locate the proper information to return it to the rightful owner.
Warden Spaight attended a youth bird hunting event and Coyland Creek in Eastern Burnett County. Several hundred people attended the event.
Wardens Spaight, Rosen, Swanson, Dorn, and Tyznik assisted the Burnett County Sheriff’s Department with a search for a missing 3 year old girl in the Danbury area. Unfortunately, the young girl was found deceased in a waterway near her residence.
Warden Spaight and Crex Meadows educator Heidi Rusch gave 3 different wildlife education/ habitat talks to multiple age groups in the Fredric area.
Warden Shaun Tyznik (Amery) answered questions to sport shops and feed stores on the deer baiting/feeding ban in Polk County while handing out posters for display on the ban.
Wisconsin River Team
Wardens Barry Fetting and Ryan Caputo responded to a complaint that a homeowner hauled material to his residence and filled a wetland. Upon investigation the subject told the wardens that he used the fill to increase his useable yard space. It is illegal to place fill in a wetland. The case was forwarded to DNR water regulation staff for review.
Wardens Barry Fetting and Ryan Caputo attended three separate days of instruction required of youth hunters prior to their participation in the annual Sandhill Wildlife Area Youth Deer Hunt. Warden Caputo spoke to the students about hunter safety and laws specific to the Sandhill hunt. Warden Caputo completed his first of four field training assignments this month after working with Warden Fetting for the past five weeks. His next assignment will be in the Milwaukee Area.
Warden Ben Herzfeldt, of Schofield, responded to a complaint near a small lake regarding a homeowner pumping septic into the lake. Herzfeldt found that the holding tank was overflowing and running towards a wetland, which eventually drained into a lake after going through several swamps. Herzfeldt took photographs and forwarded the info to Marathon County Zoning for follow up with the homeowner.
Warden Ben Herzfeldt and Warden Supervisor Korey Trowbridge assisted with the annual COPS camp in East Troy. The camp involves families of fallen law enforcement officers from around the country. Herzfeldt spent time with the families and took them fishing and boating while Trowbridge taught archery skills.
Wardens Mike Rader and John Sinclair responded to a reported boat incident on Lake Wausau. Upon investigation, Rader and Sinclair found a fishing boat had passed between a personal watercraft (PWC) and the wakeboarder being towed by the PWC, striking the tow rope and wakeboard and narrowly missing the wakeboarder in the water. Enforcement action was taken for operating a boat at an unreasonable or imprudent speed and operating a motorboat within 100 ft. of a swimmer at greater than slow-no-wake speed.
Warden Jon Scharbarth and Warden Intern Hecht investigated a septage complaint where a subject not licensed to pump septic tanks pumped a tank and illegally disposed of the septage. Enforcement action was taken.
Warden Matt Weber, of Necedah, received information from the Necedah fire control staff in reference to a fire investigation in the Mauston area. A camper and its contents were set on fire at a residence. After conducting interviews with several suspects, Warden Weber identified the responsible party and took enforcement action.
Wardens Bill Miller and Wade Romberg, of Friendship, responded to a complaint of a fisherman keeping short walleyes. Upon contact the man had 15 short walleyes in a basket. Enforcement action was taken.
Warden Wade Romberg followed up with two littering cases and issued citations for the violations. In one case, an individual dumped an entire burn barrel on private property and the other, an individual dumped a clothes hamper filled with household items off a bridge into a creek. The suspects in the cases were also instructed to clean up the litter.