I have a world of respect for California Game Wardens. More than any other enforcement agent I’m personally aware of, a warden is required to stand alone when other law enforcement agents can call for backup and wait.
Think about city and county police officers who have a radio strapped to their shoulder and can expect backup within a short time. A game warden in the field can only dream of such support as they walk into a scary-looking situation and face down the bad guys.
Sure, they work together when they can, but they often enter situations alone with no backup nearby.
Why is it such a thin green line? Just look at the numbers.
In California, with 159,000 square miles of area that offers habitat and wildlife diversity unequaled by any other state, the average warden has a patrol district of something like 600 square miles.
The state has 840 miles of coastline, thousands of miles of rivers and streams and over 3,000 named lakes and reservoirs, not to mention 3 of the 4 North American desert habitats and scores of high mountain peaks.
Only several hundred field wardens and supervisors guard California’s wildlife, spearhead the state’s response in off-highway toxic spills and handle numerous other incidents.
Other duties besides patrol and enforcement come along with the job. A warden often acts as arbitrator for issues involving conflicts between wildlife and people.
They recommend recreational activities and serve as educators to the public by speaking at schools and service groups as well as with the media.
The green line is spread even thinner than the numbers indicate. Major metropolitan areas have concentrations of wardens because of the high level of angling activity. Many of us who fish out of major harbors see wardens quite often.
This concentration skews the average patrol district of wardens in outlying areas. I’m guessing that some tracts of 1,000 square miles are patrolled by a single warden.
That makes it too easy for poachers to get by with activities that ruin fishing and hunting for the rest of us.
As a society, we justifiably place greater budgetary priority on our personal safety and property value than we do on the safety of our critters and other natural resources.
That philosophy explains why we have tens of thousands of police, sheriff and California Highway Patrol officers in our state, while we support only several hundred game wardens statewide.
Have you thought about earning the green uniform of a warden and working for the State? It is an admirable career choice.
Wardens ensure the future of wildlife resources for the people of California through responsible enforcement of appropriate laws, regulations and rules.
They protect the safety of the public and work in the homeland security arena, respond during natural disasters, investigate illegal commercialization of wildlife, combat pollution and enforce habitat protection laws.
Some anglers and hunters have stories of stern Wardens who treated them meaner than they thought was called for, during the course of routine encounters. I wont argue that, but there are many other stories of wardens doing good deeds.
I recall when a local game warden was checking my boat and discovered that I had injured my finger pulling an anchor. That warden put everything aside, patched up my finger (more professionally than I could have done) and did everything possible to be helpful.
I also know that I can call on wardens and their supervisors whenever I have a question or need some insight on a situation. My renowned hat is respectfully doffed to the men and women of the thin green line.
— Capt. David Bacon operates WaveWalker Charters and is president of SOFTIN Inc., a nonprofit organization providing seafaring opportunities for those in need. Visit softininc.blogspot.com to learn more about the organization and how you can help. Click here to read previous columns. The opinions expressed are his own.
