August 2021 - 2

Work of the warden
FROM THE
DIRECTOR
By Brian Nesvik
T
here are many careers at the Wyoming
Game and Fish Department, but none are
as well-known as the game warden. I spent
15 years as a game warden, stationed in
Laramie, Glendo, Casper, Elk Mountain and Pinedale.
It's an understatement to say those were some of the
best days of my life. I was outside every day, snow or
sun. Sometimes I patrolled by truck or boat. I spent
many days horseback in some of Wyoming's wildest
places and a lot of miles on foot. That time - and the
wear on my boots - was more than ok with me. I'm
passionate about working on behalf of Wyoming's
outdoors, wildlife, hunters and anglers, and this was
inspired by a Wyoming game warden.
My first interaction with a warden was a brisk, October morning.
I was a 14-year-old kid hunting with my father and his good friend
when, for the first time, I met a game warden in the field. The quick
interaction made a big impression on me, and I decided then and
there I wanted to be a Wyoming game warden too.
By design the Wyoming warden is one of the most diverse and
fascinating jobs in the West. It's an exciting position only about 70
people hold at any given time. The role demands the ability to excel in
four main areas: law enforcement, wildlife management, wildlife conflict
handling and public outreach. Game wardens spend one-third of their
time enforcing fish, wildlife and boating laws and work hard to protect
Wyoming's diverse and abundant wildlife resource. They also take an
active role in wildlife management, collecting and analyzing biological
data for use in managing fish and wildlife populations. Further, a
game warden is often the public face of the Game and Fish and is the
person most likely to meet and work with the public, ranging from
mitigating wildlife damages to private property, checking harvested
game or giving tips on where to go for your outdoor experience.
There is no typical day for a game warden because each brings
something new. This is not an 8-to-5 job, either. The warden's office
for the most part is his or her patrol vehicle and the wildlands of
Wyoming. If there is a problem with poachers illegally spot-lighting,
wardens might start work after dark and may stay out until the sun
2 | August 2021
Matt Lentsch, Worland game warden, checks a family's fishing licenses. (WGFD photo)
comes up. A game warden tailors the day to best fit the situation
- each day is different from the last. My favorite activities
were protecting vulnerable big game on winter ranges from
poaching, patrolling the remote backcountry and flying aerial big
game classifications.
Last year didn't slow down the day-to-day operations of the warden.
In 2020, law enforcement logged more than 53,000 hours and patrolled
636,730 miles. While more people enjoyed the outdoors throughout
the pandemic, citations wardens issued dipped slightly. We're grateful
for that and appreciate the fact that most people are compliant with
wildlife and boating laws and believe in taking care of the outdoors.
If you have a question about wildlife or fish Wyoming's wardens
are a top-notch resource. They know the territory, the landowners,
the public access and regulations and they want to get to know you,
too. Introduce yourself to the local warden. Not only will you better
your experience outdoors, you'll mark off one of the activities on the
Game and Fish Inspire a Kid WYO 100 checklist. That interaction
is priceless. After all, meeting a warden afield is the reason I am here
today. I hope that whether you are 9 or 90, our red shirts will keep
inspiring you.
Read more about the work of Wyoming Game and Fish Department
law enforcement in the 2020 annual report, available at wgfd.wyo.
gov/law-enforcement.
https://wgfd.wyo.gov/law-enforcement https://wgfd.wyo.gov/law-enforcement
August 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of August 2021
