Conservation Officers Honored

Idaho Fish and Game conservation officers Marshall Haynes and Barry Cummings are the 2006 recipients of the agency's Conservation Officer of the Year award. Two conservation officers are honored with this award each year. Southwest Region District Conservation Officer Bill London nominated Haynes, whose patrol district includes parts of Boise, Elmore and Ada counties. "Marshall (Haynes) is a leader in wildlife protection through enforcement of game laws, through field based biological studies and management, and through public outreach programs," London said in his nominating letter. "It is by melding these differing aspects of wildlife management that Marshall is able to promote É Fish and Game's conservation programs." Haynes has led regional enforcement efforts to protect bull trout, a threatened species that occur over a large part of his patrol area. And as an avid wild turkey hunter, Haynes made arrangements this past spring with a local rancher and the National Wild Turkey Foundation to make the dream of hunting wild turkeys a reality for one disabled boy who uses a wheelchair. Haynes helped make a life-long memory for this young man when he shot a large tom turkey. In the Clearwater Region district conservation officer Mark Hill nominated Cummings. His contribution to the successful conclusion of an investigation into the illegal killing of a gray wolf in the past year earned Cummings recognition from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. His enforcement efforts also resulted in a nonresident angler being cited for catching 58 trout over the limit and paying more than $4,000 dollars in fines. And this past fall, his investigative skills resulted in felony charges against an individual for the unlawful killing possession and waste of multiple elk. "His investigations are thorough, and the accompanying reports are detailed and accurate, which contribute to successful prosecutions," Hill wrote in his nominating letter.