Although only a handful of residents attended, they still showed support for fishing and hunting fee increases proposed by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, to become effective in 2018.

Together, the increases would raise another $9.8 million for the state’s Game and Fish Fund which is dangerously close to becoming insolvent, said Craig Soupir, Water Area Fisheries supervisor, who led the meeting with Jeanine Vorland, area wildlife supervisor on Tuesday at the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center.

Most of the increases fall into the 13 to 14 percent range. A fishing license, for instance, would increase from $22 per year to $25; a resident deer hunting license would be raised to $34, from $30. Those two items alone would raise over $3 million, according to the DNR. The GGF funds wildlife and fishing operations in 5,500 fishing lakes, 18,000 miles of fishable rivers and streams or in one of its 1,500 Wildlife Management Areas.

The hunting and fishing areas get little help from outside sources. User fees fund the vast majority of operations. Fees have not kept pace with rising costs and in 2018, unless something changes, the Game and Fish Fund will fall to under $5 million.

The fund does not get any help from the state lottery or the Land and Legacy Fund, officials said.

The GFF has taken hits from flat revenue, an average per-year increase of insurance of 9 percent, and the additional manpower expenses that need to be used on issues of flooding, diseases and invasive species.

Conservation officers are also having a hard time, with 21 vacant stations right now, said Officer Jeremy Henke. An average district is 650 square miles; he is covering 800 square miles right now, from Alden to Preston. If he had to drive from the far reaches of his district to the other, he is using empty hours of driving, instead of accomplishing duties.

“There are areas I might only visit once a month,” he said. “My primary areas are in Austin and Albert Lea; Preston doesn’t get the attention it deserves.”

There are almost 14,000 square miles of state land that right now has no coverage at all, he said.

“Our number of field officers is the same as it was in 1950,” he said. “We have more duties, more violations today; back then, there were no wetlands, no ATVs, jet skis,” he said.

If staffed fully, there are between 150 and 160 officers in the state.

Vorland noted that Minnesota deer licenses are relatively inexpensive; others attending said they could easily see the increase being acceptable to most.

“Everyone I’ve talked to is in favor of the increase,” said Dean Petersen of North Mankato.

James Krulish of Lyle, agreed, adding that some of Minnesota’s fees could be raised even more than proposed, such as the non-resident fees.

“We’re one of the better destinations” for hunting and fishing, he added. Minnesota’s small game licenses are half of what they are in Iowa.

For a full listing of fees, go to http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/licensedollarsatwork/index.html