The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources recently hosted a formal recognition ceremony for 18 people and one dog in honor of their lifesaving efforts in 2024 and so far in 2025.
“It’s impossible to predict when the call will come that someone is in grave danger and needs help, but these individuals responded at a moment’s notice to situations that otherwise could have ended in tragedy,” stated Col. Rodmen Smith, DNR Enforcement Division director, according to a news release.
“In many of these cases, we worked alongside our public safety partners and civilians in the area. I can’t say enough about the character and commitment of them and our enforcement staff to keeping the people of Minnesota safe.”
Conservation Officer Michael Fairbanks in the Deer River station was awarded for an ice rescue on Little Winnibigoshish Lake on Jan. 11, working alongside a Deer River police officer to rescue a woman who broke through the ice on an all-terrain vehicle and was found unresponsive on the lake’s surface.
COs Matthew Boyle and Shane Zavodnik were recognized for life-saving efforts for a pilot trapped under a crashed aircraft in November 2024 near the Eveleth airport. The pair trekked through rugged terrain and a spruce bog to reach the man, who had been pinned for 90 minutes while soaked in gasoline.
CO Patrick McGowan from the Walker station was recognized for rescuing six young duck hunters who had flipped a boat on Leech Lake on a cold November morning. McGowan rescued the six hunters without lifejackets from the water after the duck boat sank, transporting them to shore where first responders were waiting.
Detroit Lakes CO Jacob Swedberg and a civilian were recognized for their efforts in a canoe rescue last October. Swedberg reached out to Kevin Quittschreiber, the son of the late CO Kyle Quittschreiber, who lived on the lake with the right equipment and was able to assist. The two traveled by boat in high winds to the stranded canoeist who was showing signs of hypothermia, bringing them to shore to an awaiting ambulance.
Multiple people and K-9s were credited for a missing hunter rescue in Aitkin County last September. Three COs and K-9 Bolt, along with DNR K-9 Unit Leader Capt. Phil Mohs and K9 Mack, located the lost 71-year-old hunter after dark. K-9 Bolt first found the hunter, who was in a remote, heavily vegetated area and unable to walk out of the woods.
Pengilly CO Jimmy Van Asch earned two lifesaving awards. The first was for a Sept. 2024 rescue of an elderly boater who was stuck in heavy vegetation, showing signs of hypothermia by the time he was located. The second was a Dec. 2024 response for a hunter experiencing severe chest pains. Van Asch arrived to the hunter on snowmobile, transporting him to a waiting ambulance.
Northeast Minnesota regional training officer David Schottenbauer was recognized for lifesaving efforts at a CO training at Camp Ripley in Sept. 2024. A fellow CO was stung by a bee and had a life-threatening reaction. Schottenbauer is a registered nurse and quickly took control of the scene, coordinating a Life Link helicopter and directing another officer in the use of an EpiPen.
