Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- DNR Division of Law Enforcement monitors Strawberry Reservoir ice activities for safety.
- Officers check licenses and educate on ice and snowmobile safety conditions.
- Unified law enforcement aims to enhance response efficiency with 140 officers.
HEBER CITY — Patrolling Utah's outdoors can be a monumental task, especially during the winter when there are potential hazards around every turn.
At Strawberry Reservoir, problems can potentially arise out of nowhere on the ice or on the slopes, requiring officers who patrol the area to have a diverse range of capabilities and skills.
With the recent unification of the law enforcement arms of the Utah divisions of State Parks, Outdoor Recreation, Wildlife Resources, and Forestry, Fire and State Lands, administrators hope to improve officers' efficiency in responding to a multitude of issues.
"We cover a lot of ground — just one specific officer," said Sgt. Ethan Justinger of the new Utah Department of Natural Resources Division of Law Enforcement. "It's good to be cross-trained to be able to check registrations or be able to check a fishing license, or know the basic regulations to those things, but once it gets more specialized, we want to make sure the correct officer is handling that situation."
Officially started in January, the DNR Division of Law Enforcement now employs a total of 140 officers.
On Thursday, some of those officers traversed the area's rolling hills on snowmobiles while others visited ice fishermen on the reservoir's frozen surface as they checked for proper licensing as well as safety.
"You could have 10 inches of ice in one spot, then you could go a few feet over, and it would only be an inch or two," Sgt. Jake Greenwood said when explaining potential conditions.
Greenwood said on a busy winter weekend, there can be as many as 200 or 300 people out on the ice.
Brody Craig said it was only his second time out on the reservoir during his first season of ice fishing.
"For me, Strawberry Reservoir — at least now — is very nostalgic," he said. "I would, very young, come out with my grandpa on his boat. We don't really have a boat now as a family, so it's fun to come out here, kind of remember those times while also ice fishing, making new memories out here."
Craig said he was glad officers were monitoring activities on the ice.
"I think it's a great thing to do," he said. "You shouldn't really be fishing and keeping fish if you're not paying for it."
Meanwhile, Justinger said officers were commonly encountering snowmobilers who didn't have the proper experience and training to operate those vehicles safely.
"When we're out talking to individuals, we talk to them about the avalanche safety equipment and knowing their limitations and their skills," Justinger said.
Greenwood said he hoped to simply keep people safe as they do what they love.
"There's a lot of opportunity to catch some of the best fish in debatably the state here at Strawberry," Greenwood said. "We enjoy seeing you out here, and we have a passion for the resource just like you do."
