75th Celebration: Game Warden to Conservation Officer

Idaho's first game laws were signed into law in 1864 to protect buffalo, deer, pronghorn, elk, sheep, and goat. They didn't provide enforcement. As Abraham Lincoln once said, "Laws without enforcement are just good advice." For the next 35 years, Idaho's wildlife protection laws were largely Ôadvice.' When the Idaho State Legislature established the Department of Fish and Game in 1899, they appointed Idaho's first Game Warden to enforce the fish and game laws. In turn, deputy game wardens were identified in each county. Since the State Game Warden's position was political, when Governors changed - so did the wardens. Most of these men and women were like the Montpelier jeweler, E.R. Kammerath, a deputized game warden who worked without pay starting in 1931. They were largely chosen for their woodsman skills and received little, if any, training. Kammerath received half of the fines levied on the poachers that he caught. The title of game warden fit the job description in 1899, but changing times brought new responsibilities, which expanded beyond fish and wildlife regulations. In 1978 these men and women, now called Conservation Officers, officially assumed the training and responsibilities of Idaho's Peace Officers. To learn more about Idaho's 75th Celebration and the history of Idaho's wildlife officers, go online to http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/75th.