State seeks conservation warden recruits

[Skunk]

State seeks conservation warden recruits

by The Sawyer County Record

December 17, 2009

Men and women who are passionate about the outdoors and the environment could help protect Wisconsin’s natural resources by applying to serve as a state conservation warden. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is accepting applications through Dec. 28 for a 2010 warden recruit class..

The Department expects to hire 12 new conservation wardens to fill existing vacancies in the state’s warden force. It’s anticipated the recruit wardens will begin their formal training about the middle of June.

“Many of our veteran wardens are at or nearing retirement so we need to move forward as soon as possible to hire their replacements,” said Darrel Waldera, training director for the DNR Bureau of Law Enforcement. “By the end of 2009, there will be 22 vacant warden positions throughout the state, with 20 more wardens eligible to retire by the end of December 2010.”
There are 206 officers in Wisconsin’s conservation warden force. New wardens would be ready to be  placed in local communities  around the state by the middle of 2011, after completing a full year of training.

With the department’s budget finalized for this fiscal year, Chief DNR Warden Randy Stark says he is “pleased we’ll be able to continue filling some of our vacant warden positions. Considering the current economic conditions we feel very fortunate to be able to hire new wardens.”

What does it take to join the ranks of the Wisconsin Conservation Warden Service?

“We need men and women with integrity, strong verbal and written communication skills, and an interest in enforcing the regulations that make Wisconsin a healthy place to live and recreate,” said Stark.

But those aren’t the only criteria necessary to become a state conservation warden. Well qualified candidates must meet high standards and be able to successfully withstand the scrutiny of a thorough background investigation.

Applicants must be at least 21 years old and have a valid driver’s license. In addition, the minimum education standard is 120 academic college credits. However, candidates who have at least 60 credits can apply if they have worked at least two years as a certified law enforcement officer.

“People who are interested in a warden position need to understand these are the minimum hiring standards,” Waldera said. “The hiring process will be extremely competitive.”

“Much of a warden’s day-to-day work puts him or her in contact with people,” says Regional Warden Barbara Wolf. “Whether checking folks to see if they have the proper permits for certain outdoor activities, following up on a complaint or conducting a boating or snowmobile accident investigation, wardens must be skilled at putting people at ease, maintaining control of the situation and getting the job done professionally.”

The DNR Bureau of Law Enforcement’s mission statement calls for protecting, enhancing and promoting the safe and wise use of natural resources through enforcement, education and community-based wardening that guarantees fair and equal treatment.

“Conservation law enforcement is also about life long learning, being adaptable and having multi-cultural competence,” according to Wolf. “There is a strong component of conflict resolution, a capacity to build community relationships and the determination to try and solve problems in our efforts to fulfill this mission.”

Application and examination materials will be available online through Dec. 28 on the State of Wisconsin Wisc.Jobs website. People without computer access may visit local public libraries or Wisconsin Job Service offices to access the application and examination through computers at those locations.

For more information, contact Sherry Van Haren at the Bureau of Law Enforcement or call (608) 266-2174.

http://www.haywardwi.com/articles/2009/12/18/outdoors/doc4b2a98094677a248363726.txt

[ihookem]

GOOD, I will be happy to pay them out of my license.

[Skunk]

We sure do need a few more over on the NE side of the state.

[Duckdog]

I think we need more wardens like we need an extra hole in our heads!  Liscence numbers are declining and we are in a financial pitfall and we should spend more money? The numbers of hunters and fishers will most definitely decline even more due to the discust over the deer numbers and lack of fish stocking.  What will they be protecting... empty woods, lakes and rivers?

When I see the local warden's trucks, I see beat pieces of crap that are mudded up to the gills.  I spend a lot of time the bush and my vehicles never look like that and none have dents like those do.  We're paying for all of the "toys" they have!

I know we're all entitled to their own opinions, but I have to side with Russ Decker in that we need to clean house in the DNR.  I wouldn't just stop at the deer biologists, but would take a good hard look at all of the people we're paying for, and then worry abut replacing them.

[ihookem]

You have a point Duckdog. Still, I'm so tired of the violators.

[379 Peterbilt]

When I see the local warden's trucks, I see beat pieces of crap that are mudded up to the gills.  I spend a lot of time the bush and my vehicles never look like that and none have dents like those do.  We're paying for all of the "toys" they have!

True, LOL. The inside of a wardens truck resembeles a mini Cabelas shop, with some high dollar gear. They dont skimp on spotting scopes either, quality wise anyway. Not that it's a bad thing though.

[banen]

My problem isn't with the wardens, more the bozo's in Madison but I sure don't think we need more. 

Here was my 2009 season.

$165.00 for a license
5 days in the woods
Saw two wardens
Saw 0 deer

Whats wrong with that picture. 

[mogwai]

When I see the local warden's trucks, I see beat pieces of crap that are mudded up to the gills.  I spend a lot of time the bush and my vehicles never look like that and none have dents like those do.  We're paying for all of the "toys" they have!

True, LOL. The inside of a wardens truck resembeles a mini Cabelas shop, with some high dollar gear. They dont skimp on spotting scopes either, quality wise anyway. Not that it's a bad thing though.

There are a couple ways to become familiar with the inside of a warden truck.  One is to be in cuffs. 

How did you guys learn so much?

[379 Peterbilt]

The last time I looked inside a wardens truck was when they paid a friendly visit to my house for some chit chat. Perhaps this will be a surprise to you mogwai, but one can stand next to the truck and look inside it, without getting in or being 'cuffed' as you'd apparently prefer the dramatic plot.

[Skunk]

The last time I looked inside a wardens truck was when they paid a friendly visit to my house for some chit chat. Perhaps this will be a surprise to you mogwai, but one can stand next to the truck and look inside it, without getting in or being 'cuffed' as you'd apparently prefer the dramatic plot.

Good point Peterbilt. We had a warden (long since retired) that used to invite us to come along with him on some of his patrols. It was a real trip driving around in the woods at 1:00 AM without the lights on (sometimes at high speeds) when he was trying to sneak up on a poacher.

[Duckdog]

I have a retired warden living a couple hundred yds from me and what a lazy sob he is.  I think his wife and kid spent more time in the truck than any prisoner did.  He ran her to school every day... of course I'm sure he paid for the gas some how!  They used it for grocery shopping, and everything else.

I'll stand by my opinion... we need more of them like we need a case of the clap.

[Doug B.]

I have a retired warden living a couple hundred yds from me and what a lazy sob he is.  I think his wife and kid spent more time in the truck than any prisoner did.  He ran her to school every day... of course I'm sure he paid for the gas some how!  They used it for grocery shopping, and everything else.

I'll stand by my opinion... we need more of them like we need a case of the clap.

I truely think we could use more wardens and less of the "paper pushers" in Madison and the rest of the state making and keeping a job for themselves! More than likely pull in a better income than I do.

[buck460XVR]

I think an increase of a dozen or so wardens would be a good thing for the state. The ones we have are stretched thin and have to cover far more area than is efficient.

When I see the local warden's trucks, I see beat pieces of crap that are mudded up to the gills.  I spend a lot of time the bush and my vehicles never look like that and none have dents like those do.  We're paying for all of the "toys" they have!

A warden's truck is a tool, not a personal vehicle or a "toy". How clean it is has no bearing on how well it works. If it was clean, you'd probably whine he was wasting  your money and his time washing it. Most wardens don't have the time to wash their truck everytime it gets dirty....or do they have the time to take it in to be fixed and repainted and be without it everytime they get a dent in it chasing another violator.  Go to a construction site and look at their "work" trucks and tell me if you see any difference. Many of the "high priced toys" you see in the cab are purchased with the wardens own monies and are again "tools". High priced optics are not options, but needed due to the distance used and the thousands of hours the warden looks thru them. Gettin' a backtag number @ 500 yards or seeing what species of fish is being boated and kept @ 1000 yards cannot be accomplished with a $50 pair of binos from Wal-Mart. Good clothing is needed because of the longs hours spent in bad weather under adverse conditions. They don't have the option to go back to the truck and warm up when staking out a poacher. Computers used for checking for valid licenses and prior convictions while in the woods are a no brainer. Most skilled carpenters have tools much better and thus much more expensive than the everyday handyman also. There's a good reason for this.  Every profession has it's tools and the better the tools the better the job.

I have a retired warden living a couple hundred yds from me and what a lazy sob he is.

 If that is really true, than IMHO, he is an exception. I have become friends with several wardens over the years, none of them I would consider lazy, and their schedule is chaotic. Like a doctor, they get calls at all hours of the day or night and cannot say it can wait. Many think cause they only see them during hunting season that they have the rest of the year off. Here in Wisconsin there is always a season going on that they need to work. If it ain't hunting season, than it is fishing season, or ice fishing season, or snowmobile season. When their normal daily patrols and emergency calls are done, there is court appearances and the many hunter safety classes and informational meetings they attend. I doubt if I would want to deny them the  little family time they have, even if it was just taking their child to school. Being a warden is a thankless job and there are many less demanding jobs that pay much more. Might be why so many of those that trash wardens could never make it as one themselves.

[Cheesehead]

There are bad people in every profession. We I experienced a local warden giving a "safety speech" to a group and it was the most arrogant, chest thumping, sexist thing I have ever seen from a "professional". His first statement immediately alienated half the crowd. He said men were naturally better equipped for hunting and women were capable of little more than having babies and gathering seeds. Then he said his job was more important and dangerous than any military or police since everybody he dealt with had a gun. Like you average deer hunter is an extreme threat! All while strutting around and slapping his Glock on his hip. Then he said he would love to arrest and charge with "concealed weapon" any hunter that had his cased rifle hidden/covered by a jacket in a vehicle. 99% percent of the crowd were shocked and the other 1% were not listening. It left a lasting impression.

Cheese

[buck460XVR]

There are bad people in every profession.

I agree Cheese. This holds true for wardens, cops, teachers, priests and politicians. In reality, there is not a higher percentage of "bad" ones than any other profession.....it's just these professions are held to a higher standard and are more visible than what most others do for a living. I'm sure the majority of wardens in the state are just as disgusted with the type of warden you speak of as I am with the dirtballs in my profession......just as us law abiding hunters are disgusted with dirtball poachers and violators.

[Cheesehead]

And to put this fool in a position of public speaking, is inexcusable. He worked in NW WI.

Cheese

[Cheesehead]

Personal attacks on this forum are against the rules, and you talk ethics?

Troll alert.

[Cheesehead]

I will voice my discontent with all forms of government when ever I get the urge. Or are you going to try to stop me?

[Skunk]

I'll happily bow and scrape when cheesehead tells us the details of this mystical warden malfeasance.  Othewise, it's just another character attack, but the DNR folks are immune, right???

mogwai,

My feeling about it is that I don't need to know the warden's name to clearly see the picture of what Cheese is describing. I don't doubt for a second that the story is completely true. I've witnessed many people just like that throughout my life. Not just Game Wardens. The warden that Cheese describes has probably long since been fired anyway (due to his attitude). So his name would probably not even be relevant anymore. And no, the DNR is far from being immune, at least in this forum.

[Duckdog]

Think what you want, and defend them using our gas money and trucks for their own personal use OK if you want.That's your right.  But they are, for the most part, a bunch of oportunistic losers.  Obviously, some of you cats defending them and their antics are looking at the world through rose colored glasses.  It seems you are the same people defending the wolves and fishers. If you want to bow before them and stare at their belt buckles, have a nut, but I won't, and it appears most on here will not either.

[Graybeard]

Lots of posts missing here now. I'm going to leave the thread open for now as I think it's a valid discussion if kept to the discussion with the personal attacks and name calling left off.

One member has been given a final warning and if the inappropriate behavior continues will be given one ten day ban to cool down and rethink whether they really wish to be here. After that any continuance of past behavior will result in their permanent ban from the site.

So act like adults and have a discussion or this thread will end.

[myronman3]

There are bad people in every profession. We I experienced a local warden giving a "safety speech" to a group and it was the most arrogant, chest thumping, sexist thing I have ever seen from a "professional". His first statement immediately alienated half the crowd. He said men were naturally better equipped for hunting and women were capable of little more than having babies and gathering seeds. Then he said his job was more important and dangerous than any military or police since everybody he dealt with had a gun. Like you average deer hunter is an extreme threat! All while strutting around and slapping his Glock on his hip. Then he said he would love to arrest and charge with "concealed weapon" any hunter that had his cased rifle hidden/covered by a jacket in a vehicle. 99% percent of the crowd were shocked and the other 1% were not listening. It left a lasting impression.

Cheese

 i happened to be in the same room with cheese that day.   the events happened EXACTLY as cheese described them; the things the warden said was shocking, and it was clear he viewed every hunter as a criminal.  if i remembered the goon's name, i would spill it.  he was the same guy that walked into a chicago cop's vacation home over some baloney about shore rip-rap work being done on the property and damn near got his head blown off by said cop, and warden did get a physical tune up at the same time.   sadly, the cop got the short end of the stick on that one.     
   at any rate, i witnessed the presentation and i can tell you that the company was also so shocked that it never invited the warden back to speak again.   

[myronman3]

edited

[jcn59]

I've had some random visits with Warden Dave Swanson in the Minong area and they were positive.  I think he earns less than he's worth.   We need to have this guy recruit the new wardens, and at the same time we need to take our tar and feathers to Madison.

[myronman3]

  i too have met a few wardens around the rice lake area.  most of them were really good.  warden russ fell and a few others who's names i dont remember.  good guys doing a tough job.   
   like someone said above, there are bad apples in every profession.   most of the wardens are top notch.