Record number of calls shows Turn-In-Poachers hotline works

With help from calls of everyday residents, Minnesota’s Turn-In-Poachers (TIP) hotline has been a key asset to state conservation officers in their efforts to protect and preserve Minnesota’s natural resources.

A record 508 calls were made to the Minnesota TIP hotline in November. Of those calls, a record 479 cases were referred to conservation officers. Those calls resulted in nine Minnesotans receiving a total of $1,100 in rewards for reporting wildlife violations to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Turn-In-Poachers was formed in September 1981 by a group of concerned citizens and conservationist to initially curb the illegal harvest of game and fish in Minnesota. Calls today also include wetlands, all-terrain vehicle and snowmobile violations.

From 1981-2007, 27,042 TIP calls have been referred to conservation officers leading to 7,896 arrests. TIP rewards paid out since inception total $331,306. These are some amazing numbers for an organization staffed by a 20 person volunteer board of directors, 10 TIP chapters around the state and thousands of callers who cherish Minnesota’s outdoors, according to Al Thomas, executive director of TIP.

TIP, Inc. is a non-profit, privately funded organization. Outdoor enthusiasts report violations anonymously by calling the 24-hour hotline at 1-800-652-9093 or #TIP on their cell phone. Calls leading to an arrest are furnished cash awards ranging from $25 to $1, 000, but nearly half of the informants turn down rewards; they are more interested in protecting and preserving the resources.

The DNR and TIP are providing an online form that people can use for tips that are not time sensitive. It is available by clicking here.

“Everyone assumes we are part of the DNR or we receive state funding, but that’s not the case,” said Thomas. “As a non-profit we ask volunteers to help us raise funds through banquets and ask the outdoor community to join TIP with a membership. This is how we raise the funds to carry out our programs and supply conservation officers with more eyes and ears in the field.”

A recent TIP call to conservation officers has a Lester Prairie man facing total fine and restitution amounts of $3,000 for shooting and killing a trumpeter swan on Swan Lake, near Waconia.

“Cases such as these go to show the importance of TIP in protecting and preserving our natural resources,” said Col. Mike Hamm, DNR Enforcement Division chief. “They also show how invaluable TIP, its programs and its volunteers are to our field officers, and the importance of law-abiding outdoorsmen and women willing to make the calls.”

Hamm also praised the Minnesota State Patrol dispatchers and DNR employees who answer the TIP line.