The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is warning drone pilots that interfering with firefighting efforts is illegal.
Because drones fly at the same altitude as wildfire suppression aircraft, they pose a risk of collision.
When a drone is flying over a wildfire, the DNR has to ground its firefighting aircraft, said Casey McCoy, the agency's fire prevention supervisor.
Last year, DNR pilots had to land firefighting helicopters during a wildfire near Little Falls because a drone was buzzing overhead. Even a small drone could cause a crash if it collided with a firefighting craft.
Authorities may impose temporary flight restrictions within a 5-mile radius of a wildfire. Even if those restrictions are not in place, drone pilots should expect to be penalized if their drone is caught near a wildfire.
John Reinan
Tower
A sucker sale that's become a ritual
While some anglers turn up their noses at snagging a sucker, others line up each spring to buy 100 pounds of the bottom feeder.
The Vermilion Lake Association sells suckers trapped during Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' walleye egg harvesting operation at the Pike River Hatchery near Tower. The idea started 50 years ago when some people thought Lake Vermilion's walleye population could be improved if there were fewer suckers.
That's proved not to be the case, said Jeff Lovgren, a longtime Vermilion Lake Association board member. "The ecosystem is in balance, and removing the suckers isn't going to help the walleyes," he said.