LAKE COUNTY, Calif. –
Lake County's team of game wardens has
increased over the course of this year,
which is leading to more enforcement on the
lake and the land.
In January, several new wardens joined the
local ranks after having finished the
California Department of Fish and Game
Academy last summer, according to Fish and
Game Lt. Loren Freeman.
That brings the number of local wardens to
six, he said.
“We're real excited about that,” Freeman
said.
Freeman said for about a year and a half
there were only three local wardens working
Lake and part of Mendocino County, with the
other three positions existing vacancies.
New hires at the start of the year from the
54th academy include Mark Michilizzi, John
Holley and Tim Little, according to Mike
Carion, Fish and Game Academy director and
assistant chief of Northern California.
Michilizzi is based in Middletown, Holley in
Clearlake and Little in Lucerne, said
Freeman.
Applications are now
being accepted for the Department of Fish
and Game (DFG) Warden Academy at Butte
College in Oroville.
The academy will begin in January 2013 and
is scheduled to end in September 2013.
The application deadline is Nov. 4, 2011.
An increase in the number of applications
received is expected as a result of the
first season of “Wild Justice,” a reality
show that premiered on the National
Geographic Channel in November 2010. The
popular show chronicles California game
wardens’ efforts to combat poachers and
polluters.
“‘Wild Justice’ has given many hopeful
candidates a clear picture of the intensive
law enforcement nature of a game warden,”
said DFG recruiter Lt. Jeff Longwell. “Game
wardens are charged with ensuring public
safety, investigating illegal sales of
wildlife and parts thereof, protecting the
state from pollution, enforcing habitat
protection laws, fighting illegal drug
trafficking, keeping the homeland secure and
responding during natural disasters.”
A California
Department of Fish and Game News Release,
October 13, 2011
Media Contacts:
Warden Pat Foy, DFG Law Enforcement
Kirsten Macintyre, DFG Communications
A California
Department of Fish and Game (DFG) K-9 and
her handler have proven to be a great asset
in the war against drugs in northern
California. German Shepherd Phebe and her
handler, Warden Brian Boyd, have been
responsible for the apprehension of 40
fleeing marijuana cultivation suspects on
grow sites hidden deep in forestland.
“Apprehension of marijuana cultivation
suspects is some of the most dangerous work
wardens do,” said Lt. Lynette Shimek,
coordinator of DFG’s K-9 program. “Marijuana
cultivation suspects are actively engaged in
the commission of a felony, usually armed .
. .
California wardens endorsed Jerry Brown
unhesitatingly in the Election Campaign
because of his past record . . .
"Fish
and Game Wardens, who protect California’s
fisheries, wildlife, and ocean resources,
endorse Jerry Brown for Governor. While
Jerry Brown was Governor of California, he
spearheaded an effort in the support of
fisheries and wildlife law enforcement by
instituting an increase of 50 new Game
Wardens to the small staff in the late
1970’s; a single increase unequaled by any
previous Governor the past 100 years.
The former Governor has proven during his
political career that he has a concern and
passion in supporting Game Wardens in their
fight against poachers and polluters."
. . .
read full endorsement
letter here
. . .
Cost-cutting or
conspiracy? Inquiring minds want to know.
The budget drafted by Gov. Brown and his
fellow Democrats includes a two-year, $71
million hit to the Division of Law
Enforcement in the state attorney general’s
office, a move that would eliminate hundreds
of law enforcement personnel, including some
300 members of the California State Law
Enforcement Association, a state workers’
union.
California game
wardens can stop and question motorists
leaving hunting or fishing grounds even if
they have no reason to believe the person
has done anything illegal, the state Supreme
Court has ruled.
The need to protect wildlife for future
generations outweighs the minor intrusion of
a vehicle stop on a participant in a
regulated activity like hunting or fishing,
the court said Monday in a unanimous ruling.
The opinion was written by Chief Justice
Tani Cantil-Sakauye, her first since joining
the court in January.
Two suspects in a
nationally televised wildlife poaching case
in Colusa County recently pleaded not guilty
to felony and misdemeanor charges. A related
case of witness intimidation remains under
investigation.
The case reached a national audience on the
National Geographic television series "Wild
Justice," which profiles the work of
California Fish and Game wardens. The Jan.
26 episode featured the program's most
gruesome poaching case yet.
One fish? Two fish? On
the banks of the Sacramento River, beneath a
chalky blue sky filled with geese, Game
Warden Patrick Foy holds up one finger.
With Northern California’s salmon population
plummeting in recent years, that one finger
is significant. Salmon have been pushed to
the edge of extinction thanks to dams, poor
water quality and diversionary water pumps
that also happen to hoover up fish. More
under the radar, but equally harmful, is
Foy’s target this evening, the Sacramento
area’s thriving salmon poachers.
It's no secret
the state has a huge budget deficit, but there's
reason to be optimistic: it has a huge hit on its
hands.
"Wild Justice,"
the National Geographic Channel's reality show about
California game wardens, drew a combined 3.2 million
viewers with its Sunday 9 p.m. preview and 10 p.m.
premiere, according to a network press release. The
10 p.m. debut became the highest-rated series launch
in the channel's history, reaching 2.1 million
viewers
. . .
read the full Sacramento
Bee story here
. . .
Watch the New Season of "Wild Justice" on
the National Geographic Channel starting
with:
Warden Brian
Boyd and his trainee John Fraley take an unusual
approach to catching hunters suspected of
trafficking bear gallbladders. Using real bear paws
to mask his tracks and a scent drag to imitate bear
presence in the area, Boyd hopes to lure the hunters
into a trap that will enable him to catch them
red-handed. Meanwhile, Wardens Jerry Karnow and John
Nores use aerial recon to track down what they
believe is a thrill-killing poacher. Later, San
Francisco Warden William OBrien organizes a squad to
inspect for illegal species sold in Chinatown. The
group finds a myriad of oddities, several suspicious
species for sale, and a suspect who eludes
questioning.
. . .
read full intro
. . .
Read
"War in the Woods" (the Book) by Lieutenant
John Nores Jr. and James A. Swan, PH.D
"Americans may
disagree over the legalization of marijuana,
but not when it comes to the pot plantations
fast turning once-pristine corners of our
public lands into environmentally ravaged
war zones. Guarded by armed gangs, who are
willing to kill innocent hikers and law
enforcement personnel to protect their
profits, these illicit wilderness farms
pollute and destroy the ecosystems wildlife
relies on"
. . .
read full intro
. . .
California Wardens Bag more Poachers . . . .
(SacBee, by Phillip Reese and Matt Weiser,
Sunday 12th Sep 2010) . . .
"The
road to the Lassen County town of Herlong is
wide, dusty and usually deserted. Most days,
motorists using it won't see anything
interesting. much less a bloodbath"
. . .
read full article
. . .
Get Your Official
Warden Pilot Challenge Coins here
DONATE TO THE CFGWA - VIA PAYPAL
Donate to the California Fish and Game Wardens
Association
The
California Fish & Game Wardens Association (CFGWA) was
founded almost 70 years ago by Department Game Wardens
who saw the need for an employees' association. Still
going strong with over 200 members.
Please help
us to protect and preserve California's fisheries and
wildlife.
With less
than 200 Game Wardens in our state, California has the
lowest ratio of wardens per capita of all 50 states and
provinces of Canada.
The CFGWA
is struggling to turn this around, but we desperately
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Please give
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Thank you.
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