F&G Officer Named Wildlife Officer of the Year

Idaho Fish and Game Conservation Officer Barry Cummings has been named the Shikar-Safari Wildlife Officer of the Year. He is the district conservation officer for the Lewiston District in the Clearwater Region and supervises the activities of six officers. Cummings was recognized for the quality of his work around the state. He is sought out for his assistance and opinion with projects. For example, he volunteered to help the Hunter Education Program in developing a training film for the ethics portion of the class. Cummings was praised by Latah County Deputy Prosecutor Mike Cavanaugh, who wrote that Cummings's wildlife decoy operations have helped reduce the amount of "road hunting," poaching and trespassing that had forced many landowners to close off their land to all hunters. Cummings worked with landowners to let him use their land for the decoy operation. When he caught violators, he helped with their prosecution. In exchange, the landowners agreed to reopen their land to lawful hunting. In addition to his other duties, Cummings also works as a firearms instructor, ensuring that officers' training combines the fundamentals with innovation yet with officer's safety as a top priority. "His work is meticulous, thorough and always of the most professional quality," Regional Conservation Officer Mark Hill wrote in his nomination letter. Cummings also was recognized by the state of Idaho as the conservation officer of the year in 2005.