Hey! Take Your Garbage With You!

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The officers who enforce Minnesota's fish and game rules have an order for ice anglers: Pick up your trash.

Conservation officer Bret Grundmeier of Hinckley spends hours each season encouraging anglers to clean up after themselves. He says it's disappointing to find so much trash left behind.

The enforcers see everything from wood to empty propane cylinders, beverage bottles and cans, and even bags of human waste.

Paul Kuske, a conservation officer based in Pierz, says the area outside a fish house isn't a front yard, it counts as public waters.

Littering carries a fine of up to $1,000. Conservation officers can also issue civil citations, which don't require proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

Fish house removal deadlines are March 2 in southern Minnesota and March 16 in the north.