Roll of Honor
Russell John Nelson
Incident
Conservation Officer Russell Nelson was killed in a float plane accident while searching for illegal duck hunters 12 miles south of Aitkin, Minnesota. The pilot was also killed in the accident, which occurred shortly after takeoff from Big Pine Lake. Officer Nelson was killed two days before his 28th birthday and had served with the agency for six years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MN-4E2F7278- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Conservation Officer Nelson gave the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources 6 years.
Thank you for your service to the Saint Paul community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Conservation Officer Nelson.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Conservation Officer Russell John Nelson is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In MN, 84 of 293 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 28.7% of this state's fallen. That is 2.3 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Minnesota Department of Natural Resources - Enforcement Division, 11 of 18 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 61.1% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Russell John Nelson's cause is highlighted.
How Russell John Nelson Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Russell John Nelson is highlighted in Sep.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
17 officers from Minnesota Department of Natural Resources - Enforcement Division are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
