Trent Anderson will be the next conservation officer for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in Cook County.

Anderson is currently stationed in the St. Cloud area working as a CO for the DNR.

Anderson will arrive in mid-February to Cook County. He will take over the station and coverage area on the west end of the county, though he will frequently work in areas like the Gunflint Trail and across the BWCA. Anderson will be taking over the post that became open with the departure of CO Kylan Hill, who left for another station closer to the Twin Cities this month.

Joe Friedrichs from Paddle and Portage spoke with Anderson about his expectations for the new job in Cook County and his experience in the BWCA. This transcript has been edited for context. The full audio of the conversation is shared below. 

Paddle and Portage: You are going to be coming up to Cook County and taking over the West End station, the area where Kylan Hill, who we interviewed on Paddle and Portage recently, has covered for the past several years. Kylan is going down south toward the Minnetonka area, and you’ll be getting up here in mid-February. Are you familiar with Cook County and the BWCA?

Trent Anderson: Yeah, just like many of the residents and the people who go up there on an annual basis, I fell in love with the area. When I was a kid, I would come up for fundraisers trips. I remember going up there with my dad and my uncles when I was a kid and I was that stereotypical person falling behind on the portages and eating too much at camp, that type of stuff. But as I got older, I continued that passion for it. And I worked along the Gunflint Trail at a resort up there for a handful of years and that’s when the passion really kind of set in for the area. I got to experience a lot of different things. I love fishing. I love hunting, always have. I just got to absorb all that the area had to offer and go on quite a few trips into the Boundary Waters. And I’m at the stage in my career and my life where it worked out well for our family. So I’m happy to make the jump up there and get back to that beautiful country up there.

P&P: You know a current Cook County CO, Hudson Ledeen, from the academy and other times in life?

TA: Hudson and I are longtime friends, actually. So it’s going be fun to work with him. We went through academy together. I was stationed in Central Minnesota here. I’m currently the Saint Cloud station officer. But we know each other very well. I’m happy to work with him and Tom (Wahlstrom) as well as all the other partners that are in the area, including the Forest Service. 

P&P: It gets cold all over Minnesota during the winter, but it gets very cold up here and in the BWCA. Are you ready for that?

TA: Yeah, just like anything else, it’s about the equipment, relying on our partners, and making sure that we’re doing it safely. And that’s something when you become a conservation officer or anything else, just be prepared for that. I feel lucky that I appreciate all the different seasons. So it’s not me dreading the cold or anything, it’ll just be a new challenge. And just like anything else, making sure to be prepared with your different layers and have a backup plan and then a backup plan for your backup plan inevitably breaks. The goal at the end of the day is to make sure we all get home safely.

P&P: Is your family moving up here in February when you arrive for work?

TA: Yes. We’re all very excited about it. I’m excited to share it with our kids. My wife’s also very familiar with the area too. We met along the Gunflint Trail. So, we’re excited to get back. Just like the residents of Cook County, just like people who visit the wilderness areas, and they have an opportunity to share that with their family. We’re really looking forward to contributing to the community and making this long-term.

Listen to the audio below to hear the full interview with Joe Friedrichs and Trent Anderson.