ST. PETER — Not many jobs come with a built-in best friend, but for Mitch Nowak, his role at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources includes a loyal 24/7 companion: a cheerful yellow Labrador named Hank.
St. Peter-based conservation officer Nowak and K9 Hank are among the newest additions to the DNR’s statewide K9 unit, according to a June announcement.
The pair joins eight other handler and dog teams whose specialty is detection: finding aquatic invasive species, locating possible game and fish violations, and providing education.
Each team also collaborates with agencies across the state, assisting in search-and-rescue missions and detecting evidence for local law enforcement.
Joining the K9 unit has been a priority for Nowak since he joined the DNR almost three years ago.
“It just opens up so many more avenues for this job,” Nowak said. “It allows me to be more of an asset for the state, for our own stuff, and then to help out our neighboring agencies, whether that be the county, state or whoever.”
Nowak moved to St. Peter from the Redwood Falls station last April, and his station covers parts of Nicollet and Le Sueur counties. He entered the K9 program in late January, and by March, he and Hank were enrolled in K9 school.
By being introduced to the same odors repetitively, Hank learned to recognize target scents and alert him when they were nearby, Nowak said.
“It’s quite the process, but I mean, they actually would surprise a person how quick they catch on.”
Graduated from training and now at age 1½, Hank joins Nowak on his day-to-day duties as a conservation officer.
Hank knows how to sniff out venison, turkey, duck, pheasant and grouse, Nowak said, in addition to detecting firearms and casings.
Lately, though, the primary focus of the K9 unit has been zebra mussel detection.
Zebra mussels are an invasive species native to Eastern Europe and Western Russia, according to the DNR website. They have striped D-shaped shells, typically measuring between one-quarter inch and 1½ inches long.
The mussels present a threat to Minnesota waters. They clog water intakes, outcompete native mussels, can cut swimmers’ feet and encrust equipment.
Where the human eye might miss a small shell, Hank is skilled at uncovering the mussels’ hiding spots on boats and other watercraft.
The training Hank and the other dogs in the unit receive make them useful educational tools to show people where to look when they inspect their boats for invasive species.
“It’s a great way for us to show those people, ‘Hey, this is where you should look to,’ because we just want to keep our overall goal, like with zebra mussel stuff, keep our waters clean,” Nowak said. “It’s already a big environmental issue; we want to try to just mitigate the damage that causes across the state.”
Besides teaching and inspecting lake-goers, Hank and Nowak help kids learn about protecting the natural world.
K9 teams do regular demonstrations at the Minnesota State Fair and also make school visits to interact directly with younger students.
Nowak said having Hank by his side keeps the kids more engaged in their teachings.
“I like getting the younger generation involved with our natural resources, and everybody loves dogs, right?” Nowak said.
There are three other K9 handler and dog teams across southern Minnesota, located in Rochester, Worthington and Montevideo.
Conservation officer Matt Brodin and K9 Molly, stationed in Brainerd, joined the unit at the same time as Nowak and Hank.
“Our dog and handler teams increase the DNR’s ability to protect Minnesota’s people and natural resources, and these two new teams will make us even more effective and efficient,” stated unit leader Capt. Phil Mohs in a DNR press release. “We’re excited to have them on board and working toward ensuring future generations of Minnesotans have the same or better opportunities to enjoy our natural resources than we do today.”