July 2021 - 27

Game warden
Kyle Lash from Jackson and Grant
Gerharter from Cody grew up in Wyoming
loving the outdoors. The paths to their careers
as game wardens, however, were completely
different.
" I grew up in Thermopolis, " Lash said. " My
dad was an avid outdoorsman and knew all
of the local game wardens. Since I was a little
kid, I wanted to be a game warden. "
Lash pursued his degree in wildlife biology
at the University of Wyoming but worked as
a wildland firefighter in the summers to pay
for school.
" I graduated in 2009 during a recession, "
Lash said. " There weren't many job openings
for game wardens, so I took a job in Jackson as
a habitat technician with the Game and Fish. "
Lash went on to work as a damage
technician in Cody, but he never lost sight of
his goal to be a game warden. In 2009, Lash
took the game warden exam, went through
the police academy and went to Green River
as a game warden trainee.
Lash achieved his dream. After working in
Cheyenne and Kaycee as a game warden, he
returned to Jackson as district game warden
in 2013.
Like Lash, Gerharter's father got him
interested in the outdoors.
" I thank my dad, " Gerharter said. " Ever
since I could sit up, I was hunting and fishing
with him, bouncing around in his pickup. "
Gerharter started as a game warden in
Green River, went to Casper and Kaycee
and is now the south Cody game warden.
Time in the field for both consists of
patrolling the district - from the water to
the backcountry and everything in between
- on a horse, boat, truck, four-wheeler or
their own two feet.
" Game wardens are the day-to-day field
personnel who work with the public, " Lash
said. " I spend maybe 10 hours a month in the
office while the rest of the time is in the field
and working with local landowners. "
Both wardens stressed being a game warden
takes a wide array of skills, including, and
maybe most importantly, the ability to build
relationships.
" I would say my job is about one-third law
enforcement, one-third wildlife management
and one-third public relations, " Gerharter said.
" The relationship building is important because
we work with a variety of constituents. "
A minimum requirement to be a Game and
Fish game warden is to have a bachelor's degree
Wyoming Game and Fish Department south Cody Game Warden Grant Gerharter (left) speaks with the manager of Hoodoo
Ranch, J.D. Radakovich, on a snowy morning. (Photo by Dawn Wilson)
" I would say my job is about one-third law enforcement, one-third
wildlife management and one-third public relations. The relationship
building is important because we work with a variety of constituents. "
- Grant Gerharter
in wildlife management, range management,
biology or other closely related fields. Degrees
such as criminal justice, education, outdoor
recreation, etc., to not qualify. Wardens must
pass the Wyoming Game Warden Exam, and
must obtain and maintain a Wyoming peace
officer certification as per the Wyoming Peace
Officer Standards and Training requirements.
Lash and Gerharter recommend building
relationships with local wardens, even
potentially shadowing them, to learn more
about the position.
Most game warden positions are with state
agencies, but federal agencies, like the National
Park Service and U.S. Forest Service, offer
similar positions.
Wyoming Wildlife | 27

July 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July 2021