Minnesota briefs: DNR sets one-fish walleye limit on Mille Lacs Lake for spring, fall

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) set a one-fish walleye limit for the spring fishing seasons on Mille Lacs Lake, Minnesota's second-largest inland lake.

The one-fish limit means Mille Lacs anglers may harvest one walleye 21-23 inches long, or one longer than 28 inches, between May 14 and May 31.

The one-fish limit is expected to return for the fall fishing season on Sept. 1. Walleye fishing will be catch-and-release in June. A two-week closure to reduce hooking mortality will be in place July 1-15, with catch-and-release walleye fishing resuming July 16 until Aug. 31.

"We must continue to manage state harvest very carefully on Mille Lacs so we can provide as much angling opportunity as prudent while protecting the opportunities for the future," said Brad Parsons, fisheries section manager for the DNR. "Two recent year classes show below average numbers of walleye, which means we need to factor in that fewer fish than normal will mature into spawning adults during the next few years."

REID FORGRAVE

LITTLE FALLS

Camp Ripley opens new fire hall

Minnesota's largest military base held a grand opening Friday for its new fire hall.

Camp Ripley's new, modernized, 24/7 fire hall has five private rooms, four offices that double as a sleeping area, a new day room and a full kitchen.

The Camp Ripley Fire Department responds to calls both on and off the 53,000-acre military base, with mutual aid agreements with Morrison and Crow Wing counties and the city of Pillager and a cooperative agreement with Mayo Clinic, which has a paramedic team on-site. Since the beginning of 2021, the department has responded to more than 20 structure fires and 360 medical calls.

"One of the Minnesota National Guard's organizational priorities is partnerships, and the Camp Ripley Fire Department meets that priority every time they support the local first responders in our surrounding communities," said Brig. Gen. Lowell Kruse, senior commander for Camp Ripley. "This department and fire hall is not only for Camp Ripley, but for our community partners as well."

Said Pat Boone, the Camp Ripley Fire Department chief: "This new fire hall ... affords us the opportunity to rest, prepare, and reset for any call that we are needed at. We have always been able to keep 24/7 operations, but this new building enables us to work smarter, and to be at our best whenever the moment calls for us to be."

REID FORGRAVE