---

When David Schneider used to partner with DNR Conservation Officer Brad Schultz on Water Patrol duty,  a favorite stopping-off spot to take a break on North Center Lake,  was an east-facing point.  A baby willow tree on the shoreline marked the grassy clearing where a boat could easily be beached.

 Schultz shared these memories with some 20 to 30 people gathered on a sunny Indian summer day for a bench dedication, honoring Schneider, also known as “Seaweed” or “Bear.”  

Schultz said Schneider would have loved this, people getting together enjoying nature.  Schultz gets a laugh in describing undercover conservation stings the two would pursue in outlying locales where they weren’t well-known.  Their backstory was father and son on a sporting weekend.  

The good natured outdoorsmen took down lawless hunters and fishermen, as they infiltrated poaching networks and befriended offenders in the act of violating a host of conservation laws.    

Schultz even took to calling Schneider “Pop.”

Schneider died at age 71, in 2006.  He enjoyed a 37 year public school teaching career, and served on Chisago County water patrol over 29 summers.

That small willow tree on their point is thick and gnarled now-- and the new bench dedicated to Schneider is just a few feet away.  

The lakeshore surrounds much of what has become Lindstrom’s Allemansratt Park now, the Anderson family half.   City park board member Shari Bachman said the city welcomes anybody interested in donating a bench, picnic table or any item that could benefit park users.  Contact Lindstrom city hall if you need details.

---