Warden Tales: The Great Deception

It wasn't long into my first assignment as a wildlife officer in western North Carolina that I realized that the government and its officials weren't held in high esteem.  This was in 1985 - long before the anti-government gained momentum on a national scale.  Many still talked of “the government taking our land” to form the Great Smoky Mountain National Park (while some land was taken through eminent domain, many were also compensated for their land).   The Trail of Tears wasn't some distant event from history - the Tsali access area kept history current.  And the US Forest Service was widely criticized for everything from cutting too many trees, not cutting enough trees, to locking up roads to inhibit access to “our land” (it was pointed out more than once that the “US” in the Forest Service name also spelled "us" – "that means the land is ours").

Sandwiched in with the park service and forest service, game wardens didn’t stand a chance.  Our sergeant warned us away from any socializing with anyone that hunted or fished.  “They will screw you over,” he warned.  Since everyone in the county seemed to hunt and fish that pretty much eliminated the prospect of finding a friend.

But, that first fall I found one family that was different.  They spoke in support of wildlife management and understood the benefits of successional forests.  I saw them often on the lake and up and down the trout streams.  They worked with the fishing club to establish brush piles for fish on the lake.  They were one of the few parties of bear hunters that didn’t go silent when we drove up.  Even the ole sarge admitted they were pretty good guys.

I had worked nearly a year when I saw the dad of this group and one of his grown sons out on the lake.  It was late spring and the smallmouth bass were turned on – everyone was catching them.  I was working from boat to boat when I spied my friends.  I had seen their licenses and safety equipment before, so I just pulled alongside to say hello. 

Nothing seemed abnormal.  They asked if I had seen many fish and what the other anglers were using to catch fish.  After several minutes I asked, “How ‘bout ya’ll? Are you catching anything?”  There was a moment of silence that was a bit uncomfortable for us all.

The daddy nodded to the livewell and said, “We’ve caught a few.”

I opened the lid and quickly assessed there were more than two limits.  A quick count aloud confirmed they were four or five fish over.

I figured there had to be a really good explanation.  Maybe one of the other brothers had been with them and they had just dropped him off.  Maybe they just lost count.  I couldn’t imagine them intentionally breaking the law.  They were my friends – almost to the buddy stage.  I guess the daddy could see the gears turning as I tried to make sense out of the situation.  He finally broke what seemed like a year of silence.

“I know it looks bad for us, but we didn’t intend on keeping ‘em.”

I guess I looked even more puzzled.

“You know how the fishing is pretty poor on the other side of the lake?”

I nodded.  Everyone knew that.

“Well, we are stocking these fish over there.”

As I write it now that explanation seems utterly ridiculous.  But at the moment, as my mind reeled, it sort of, in a weird way, made sense.  They had, after all, helped with all manners of restoration work to improve fish habitat.  They had given me violation reports on poachers.  They had even made me feel welcome in a county where there is no red carpet welcoming government officials.  I considered them friends.  Surely, I thought, they wouldn’t violate the law and then lie to me.

“This looks bad,” I offered more weakly than I liked.  “But, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.”  I pulled away uncertain of what just happened.

A few weeks later the uncertainty grew into clarity when an officer from the neighboring county called and told me he had charged the father/son duo.  He caught them pulling off the lake with a livewell of bass that once again exceeded the creel limit.  I guess they were shooting for genetic diversity in their “stocking.”

That episode swung me hard in the other direction.  I never really trusted anyone after that incident.  Years later that mindset led me to cite a mom out fishing with her family on Mother’s Day for not having a license – she should have known better and if she didn’t, well she did after “holding one.”  Or the time I thumbed through a Bible while searching a car, thinking what a perfect place that would be to hide marijuana.

I recall talking with an administrator who had received a compliant about a boating check about the complexity of a wildlife officer’s job.  I talked him through a routine boat check step by step beginning with the approach – 10 or more things that were taking place almost simultaneously.  I said, “And all the while, you have to wonder, is this guy going to try and kill me.”  He laughed and said, “Seriously, how often do you think that.”  I explained that survival dictated that every encounter be viewed that way because as sure as an officer drops their guard, the worse may happen.  Keep your head down literally or figuratively you'll never see it coming. 

Maybe it won’t be a life or death encounter.  Maybe the officer will roll up on their friend who feeds the officer a BS story that the officer believes and leaves him feeling foolish for the rest of his life.

************************************************************************

For an interesting look at the different types of wildlife officers, I suggest this paper by Craig J. Forsyth. 

What is a NC Wildlife Officer Worth?

In 1984, I recall sitting in a classroom at the Institute of Government in Chapel Hill, NC.  I was surrounding by classmates all anxious to become wildlife officers.  At some point during those first couple of days Major Ray Johnson came in and asked us a question.

“Is there anyone here who wants to be a state trooper?  If you do, let me know.  I have contacts over there and can probably get you hired if that is what you want.”

No one spoke a word.

“If you don’t want to be troopers, then I don’t expect to hear any comparisons to troopers.”

Major Johnson went on to tell us that we shouldn’t be concerned about what troopers are paid because in his experience, when troopers are taken care of, wildlife officers are as well. 

Major Ray Johnson (L) presents a plaque to the parents of slain wildlife officer Neal Mayes
from Wildlife in North Carolina 1984

Governor Pat McCrory’s proposed budget for 2015-2017 brings that into question.  In that budget, he proposes that 700 NC State Highway Patrol troopers who are not at top pay have their 5% step raises reinstated.  NCSHP had those steps in place for many years, but the steps were eliminated during the recent economic downturn.  The proposed budget also includes requests for raises for teachers and correctional officers.  As was pointed out in a recent article, the governor seems to be moving away from across the board pay increases for state employees and instead targeting specific groups.

Page 174 of Gov. McCrory's proposed budget

In all fairness, both the NCSHP and the Division of Adult Corrections have experienced substantial cuts in recent years.  Several prisons have closed and numerous correctional officers lost their jobs.  This is not about devaluing what troopers or correctional officers do or their worth to the citizens of North Carolina.  But, the governor’s budget does bring into question how much he values other state employees in general and specifically other state law enforcement officers.

During the recent declared state of emergency situations, wildlife officers worked around the clock ensuring that no motorists were stranded and forced to spend the night in their vehicles.  Every day, there are wildlife officers providing “law enforcement off the payment,” patrolling our state’s woodlands and waterways.  While their primary duties are to enforce the hunting, fishing, trapping and boating laws, their presence in these areas provides safety and security to those who enjoy quality of life activities such hiking, walking their dogs, canoeing, and a multitude of other non-hunting and fishing activities.

from www.wnct.com

The disparities between various staff of the NCSHP and other state law enforcement officers, including wildlife officers, is often a point of contention.  A comparison of various ranks through the News and Observer data base reveals how wide those differences can be.  The proposed step increases will only widen that gap.

So, what can be done?  The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) has struggled to hold onto funding since 2008.  Appropriated funds have decreased by 50% during that period.  The NCWRC can’t request increases – the commission is trying to hold onto what they have.  The Division of Law Enforcement (DLE) is just one division within the NCWRC.  DLE can’t request increases without alienating the rest of the commsission.

The best of course of action is for citizens to make their legislators aware of the value of wildlife officers and their desire to see them compensated at the same rate as NC State Highway Patrol troopers.  Each have a different, but valuable role in maintaining a safe environment for the citizens of North Carolina.  In a recent news conference, both Governor McCrory and Donald van der Vaart, secretary of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, discussed the value of state parks and our wild places to North Carolina's economic recovery.  Specifically, Governor McCrory told the group that “we need to develop a strategy for the future” to manage these areas.  That strategy should include adequate compensation for the services wildlife officers provide to everyone in North Carolina.

What can we do?  The contact information for your legislative members can be found at this site.  An email can express your opinion.  A phone call carries much weight.  Oddly enough the most effective communication to your legislator is a handwritten note or letter.

Major Johnson was a great story and joke teller.  I recall one he told was from the days when troopers and wildlife officers both trained there at the Institute.  The story goes that a trooper and wildlife officer both finished their business in the restroom and the wildlife officer failed to wash his hands.  As the trooper washed his hands he asked the wildlife officer,

“Don’t they teach you in wildlife school to wash your hands after you piss?”

As the wildlife officer walked through the door, he answered over his shoulder, “Nah, they teach us not to piss on our hands.”

In this case, wildlife officers can’t “dirty their hands” by making these contacts.  Friends and supporters have to take this step for the officers.

My Name is Canis Rufus and I'm a Recovering Red Wolf - "Hello Canis"

After 30 years as a wildlife officer, I came to believe that there were few things that stirred people up more than wildlife/human interactions.  One person’s “beautiful example of creation” is another’s “pest.”  One enjoys seeing raccoons on their back porch while another stuffs their children under the bed out fear of rabid ‘coon attacks.  When a yearling male bear wanders through a Piedmont town, news crews are scrambled and local schools go on lockdown.  In Asheville, the residents there follow the urban bear study on Facebook.

As is the case with most controversial topics, an individual’s position is often influenced by their proximity to the source of contention.  For example, I think it is cool that the gray wolf population is spreading throughout the western states.  However, I live 2500 miles away and don’t have the concerns some ranchers have for the predation of cattle.  It’s easy for me to support a critter that’s not in my backyard.  The truth is I don’t want wolves in my woods.

Not a Coyote
www.fws.org

Those same conflicting perceptions are in play in eastern North Carolina.  In 1987, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) began an experimental reintroduction of red wolves.   Prior to that date, red wolves, extinct in the wild, only existed in captivity.  These captive animals had suspect genetics and were likely interbred with coyotes.  The original plan called for the release of 35-50 animals on 144,000 acres of National Wildlife Refuge.  The current population is in the neighborhood of 100 wolves that range over 1.7 million acres, much of it privately owned.

The geographical expansion of the population has created a multitude of issues for the USFWS.  Compounding the management of red wolves is the exponential rise in the coyote population in this region.  And local farmers feel they have been misled over the past 25+ years.

The USFWS requested the Wildlife Management Institute conduct an independent review of the red wolf recovery program.  The 2014 study identified numerous problems with the program as it is currently structured.  Based in part on the findings of this report, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) has requested the program cease.

So now the “fun” begins.

Emotions run high on each side of the issue.  A recent Raleigh News and Observer editorial blasted the NCWRC for shirking its duties by “abandoning the red wolf.”  Local residents have taken advantage of various forums accusing the NCWRC of abandoning its obligations to landowners, farmers and hunters (due to the court ordered moratorium on coyote hunting).

At the core of the controversy, is the modern definition of conservation.  In the North American Wildlife Conservation Model one of the major management principles is that decisions will be based on “sound science.”  Traditionally, this is considered to be biological science.

Dr. David Cobb, chief of the NCWRC’s Division of Wildlife Management, asserts that “sound science” is more than biology.  In what he describes as the “Arc of Conservation,” social, political, and economic science also come into play in modern wildlife conservation.  To many purists, the inclusion of these others sciences is akin to blasphemy.

As we see with many other current events, polarized “conservation” groups often square off in philosophical battles that leave those entrusted with management of public trust resources caught squarely in the middle.  In this case, these groups, politicians, landowners, and a host of other wolf haters or lovers have placed the NCWRC in a spot where it is nearly impossible to win.