The 15th annual Wintercade Ice Fishing Contest in Litchfield a couple of weeks ago was a huge success. It’s estimated that the event raised about $20,000.
Daniel Lease says over $172,000 was raised over the first 14 years of the event and half of the funds each year go to veteran’s organizations. He says the committee will meet soon to determine which organizations will benefit from this year’s Wintercade.
Lease says there were so many groups who helped to make the event possible, and they appreciate all of the donations they received for Wintercade. He says the winners of the top prizes and the winners in the fishing categories are listed on the Wintercade Facebook page.
The grand prize winner of the Farm Rite Bobcat UV34 UTV was Tim Koebnick of Litchfield. Scott Moeller of Chokio won the 1st place cash prize of $2,000. Donald Holtz of Hutchinson won the 2nd place cash prize of $1,500, and Beverly Vorbeck of Watkins won the 3rd place cash prize of $1,000. The 4th through 14th place cash prize winners of $100 each were Dillon Anderson, Lonny Bach, Lori Tierney, Mark Kruse, Savanna Pater, Barry White, Bruce Johnson, Ross Kaping, Gregg Schilling, Norm Malecek and Blake Koch. Leslie Young was the 15th place winner of $500.
The fish prize winners included $300 for Ryan Schwartz, $200 for Aaron Eckroad and $100 for Gunner Iverson in the bluegill category; $300 for Jeremy Settergren, $200 for John Spreiter and $100 for Phillip Baalson in the crappie category; $300 for Mary Krokstrom, $200 for Jesse Narr and $100 for Carter Wattenhofer in the northern category; $300 for Colleen Kotila, $200 for Phillip DeSchepper and $100 for Jesse Narr in the walleye/bass category; and the $50 perch prize winner was Ethan Geislinger.
Other notable prize winners included Leslie Young of Litchfield, Jeremiah Manwarren of Jackson and Sue Cron of Darwin who won the veterans awards; Cammy Moses who won the Eskimo fish house from Kadyl Trucking; Jaxson Piepenburg who won the Wild tickets from Hamm Seeds; and Ryan Wreede who won the $300 gift card from Scheel’s.
In recognition of his outstanding overall career performance, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer Andy Schmidt has been named the 2024 Conservation Officer of the Year. DNR Enforcement Division Director Rodmen Smith presented awards to Schmidt and 4 other officers on February 12th as part of an annual award celebration at Camp Ripley.
A conservation officer since 2008, Schmidt currently works in the Duluth West station. He’s spent his entire career working in the northeastern part of Minnesota, and recently accepted a promotion to become district supervisor in the area in early March. One of the other conservation officers honored was Shane Vernier who is stationed in Willmar. He patrols some of the state’s best waterfowl-hunting lakes and marshes and the public lands that surround them. Shane has been a conservation officer since 2015 and works hard to protect the habitat that draws waterfowl to the area. He’s committed to teaching the next generation of waterfowl hunters how to enjoy the sport ethically and safely.
Another conservation officer stationed in Willmar – Cassie Block – received the Willard Munger Wetlands Achievement Award. She’s been a conservation officer since 2020, and works in an area where waterways receive heavy pressure ranging from agriculture to recreational use. She prioritizes investigating and resolving complaints related to wetlands and water resources and emphasizes work around preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species.
REMOVE FISH HOUSE
With warm weather in the forecast for much of Minnesota during the coming week, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reminds anyone who still has a fish house on the ice to start planning for its removal. The shelter removal deadline for inland waters in the southern two-thirds of the state is 11:59 p.m. on March 3rd. The deadline for inland lakes in the northern portion of the state is 11:59 p.m. on March 17th. The DNR reminds all fish house owners to pick up and properly dispose of any trash as part of hauling their shelter off the ice.
LAKE MANAGEMENT
The DNR fisheries offices across Minnesota report that about 151 lakes in 40 counties will have their fisheries lake management plans updated in 2025. The DNR encourages people with thoughts on the future management of a lake scheduled for a 2025 plan update to call or email the area fisheries office listed for that lake before March 31. You can find more details on the Lake Management page at mndnr.gov. The lake management plans to be update in 2025 include Dunns, Hoff and Richardson in Meeker County; Andrew, Florida, Games and Norway Lakes in Kandiyohi County; Koronis and Rice in Stearns County; and Granite and Lake Waverly in Wright County.
On Wednesday morning at 8:24, the Meeker County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a structure fire in the 11000 block of CSAH 26 in Cedar Mills Township. Meeker County Deputies and Paramedic, Hutchinson Fire Department, Litchfield Fire Department, Cosmos Fire Department, and Silver Lake Fire Department all responded to the scene. Upon arrival, Deputies saw a steel 20×40 shed partially engulfed in fire. The shed and its contents are a complete loss. It is believed the fire originated in a utility room where a furnace and water heater were located. The property is owned by 58-year-old Henry Reiner. No one was injured as a result of the fire.
On Wednesday morning at 6:18, the Meeker County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a single vehicle crash at the intersection of County State Aid Highway 14 and 675th Avenue in Ellsworth Township. Meeker County Deputies, Dassel Fire Department, and Allina Ambulance of Hutchinson responded to the scene. The vehicle was southbound on County Road 14 when it left the roadway. The vehicle vaulted 675th Avenue and landed in a group of trees. The lone occupant, 57-year-old Steven Graphenteen of Litchfield, was taken to Meeker Memorial Hospital with significant but non-life-threatening injuries.