NORTH AMERICAN WILDLIFE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS ASSOCIATION “The Voice of Resource Law Enforcement” 2021 NAWEOA OFFICER OF THE YEAR John S. Pretty Wildlife Enforcement Officer Environment and Climate Change Canada Conference Facebook Page SPRING 2021 https://www.facebook.com/groups/173505916518726/ 75th Edition NAWEOA Newsletter NAWEOA EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS President Rick Langley [email protected] Arizona, US Vice President Kurt Henry [email protected] Manitoba , Canada Past President Shawn Farrell [email protected] New Brunswick, Canada Secretary/Treasurer Steve Beltran [email protected] Illinois, US Director Region 1 Brock Lockhart [email protected] Saskatchewan, Canada Director Region 2 Martin Thabault [email protected] Ontario, Canada Director Region 3 Josh Thibodeau [email protected] New Brunswick , Canada Director Region 4 Jason Sherwood [email protected] Wyoming, US Director Region 5 Jesse Gehrt [email protected] Kansas, US Director Region 6 Daniel Fagan [email protected] Florida, US Director Region 7 Larry Hergenroeder [email protected] Pennsylvania, US Webmaster/Newsletter Editor Mike Reeder [email protected] Pennsylvania, US Conference Liaison Jason Sherwood [email protected] Wyoming, US SOUVENIR PATCHES AVAILABLE 2017 is the only current patch available. The cost per patch (including shipping and handling) is $7.00 each USD. MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO: NAWEOA Mail to: George A. Wilcox P.O. Box 480 Millville, PA 17846 [1996 through 2010 patches are only available over-the -counter at the Game Warden Museum The President’s Report By Richard Langley Happy 2021 NA- are not able to hold conferences and general member- WEOA Members! It is ship meetings and elections. The Board is being forced hard to believe the year to make decisions and take some actions on behalf of we have had and the the membership in a “good faith” effort to follow changes we’ve seen in the those by-laws and the constitution. We are making past year. I never thought adjustments and cleaning up the by-laws where we we would be where we are can to cover these situations in the future. Changes to right now. Enough said. the constitution must be voted on by the membership. The biggest challenge has been the number of terms for board members. Our Canadian board members I hope you all are have been gracious enough to continue to serve de- in good health and taking care of yourselves and your spite their terms being “over”. My term as President loved ones. COVID has touched many of us and our would normally be up in July 2021, and I will contin- fellow Officers. ue to serve until that time we can have an election by the membership (hopefully July 2022). We are trying As most of you know by now, we have made to be as transparent as possible and do what is best for the decision to postpone the 2021 Nashville Confer- the Association. We are still auditing the books, plan- ence, again! We feel that it is much better to wait a ning budgets, and we will present the budget to the year and be able to gather without restrictions than to membership. risk holding a conference where we cannot gather in a social or training environment, must wear masks, and We appreciate those members who replied to travel is tightly restricted. Putting on a conference is a the survey sent out in February. We learned more huge undertaking and requires thousands of hours of about our members and your expectations of us. We work. We simply cannot take the risk of holding a plan to do more outreach and even conduct a virtual conference in 2021 and risk the health of our members event in the near future. Please stand by and partici- and the financial well-being of the Association and pate in these opportunities! One of the exciting things our Tennessee hosts. The good news is that the Ten- we are trying to do is bring a new look to a classic nessee Wildlife Officers Association was able to nego- logo. We will present this new concept to the member- tiate with the host hotel and secure dates for 2022 at ship for approval very soon! the same rates as they contracted in 2020! We also had Utah lined up as a conference host for 2022 and they Please hang with us through these times. We have graciously agreed to postpone and host the con- are still here and Nashville 2022 will be EPIC! Please ference in 2023. Once we get past this bump in the bring someone who has never attended a conference. I road we have a lot of exciting conferences coming up! look forward to seeing everyone there. Please take the The Board did hold an abbreviated winter meeting time to read the updates from the Regional Directors over two days in February. We are trying to accom- to see what is going on with the US and Canadian modate all of the COVID restrictions and take care of agencies. Share this newsletter with a co-worker and NAWEOA business in a virtual world. We are quickly help make everyone aware of who NAWEOA is. finding that our constitution and by-laws were never written for a virtual environment and years where we NAWEOA Newsletter Spring 2021 3 The Vice President’s Report By Kurt Henry Hello to all. I As vice president I am partly responsible for booking know the last thing the location for the next winter meeting and with the any of us want to prospect of the conventions continuing, we feel the hear, is another thing next meeting is most likely to be with our next host cancelled from region. So we’ll be working with Utah to find a suita- COVID!! It’s the ble location for March of 2022. There has been some new four letter word interest in hosting conventions in the next few years of the day. So we all so this is a logical location now and in the future to know that Nashville assist the host committees. is still going to host a great event in the As our duties have changed with the recent events, I summer of 2022 and none of us will have an excuse hope we all are staying well and still managing to do not to show up!! I am looking forward to a world somethings for our own enjoyment. I do so stress that back to the new normal if it ever comes. it is the utmost importance to keep our mental health as a priority. Everyday stress has been compounded The executive and I have been working thru all the by all of these restrictions and limitations. Do not let day to day issues via emails and some conference it go unchecked, take time for yourself, your family calls to best fit the needs of the association but very and, as much as can be, with your friends. Reach out much look forward to an in person meeting so we can to our brothers and sisters in green to ensure we all bring in some new ideas that need buy in from the get thru this. membership. I thank all members for being patient with the association at this time, all be it COVID was number one on most of our plates. Be safe take care see ya in Nashville in July 2022 NAWEOA Newsletter Spring 2021 4 The Past President’s Report By Shawn Farrell Hello everybody. I training conference will be rescheduled for 2022 same hope you have all location and in July. I would like to thank Josh weathered well over Landrum and the Tennessee Wildlife Officers Associ- the winter. It is hard ation for committing to next year as well thanks to the to believe a year has host hotel, the Millennium Maxwell House for their gone by and we are understanding and waiving this year’s cancellation still fighting COVID- fees. The Millennium will host our NAWEOA family 19. We are certainly next year. living in different times and many of us The NAWEOA executive board has faced many ob- have had to change stacles while not have the annual conference but we the way we conduct daily business and work duties. are doing our best to make things work. We realized As game wardens, our roles have expanded during they were facing a few obstacles this year by not hav- this crisis as what was “normal” is no longer. We are ing an annual conference. One of the big items that still manning provincial borders, screening flights en- occurs every summer is elections. As we all realize tering the province and doing resident checks on those these are extraordinary times. Outgoing board mem- who need to isolate. Vaccinations are slowly rolling bers have agreed to extend their positions for the next out so hopefully the end is near. This year the NA- year so hopefully we will continue with elections in WEOA executive meeting was held virtually. This is 2022. certainly not the best way to conduct business, but we Lastly, I would like to thank the executive board and J managed to get some items looked after. -reps for everything you do to keep the wheels rolling. It is a pleasure to work with you all. As a board and in consultation with the Tennessee Wildlife Officers Association we still feel that in the To our membership, take care of yourselves and fami- interest of our members’ health and welfare that this ly, stay safe and I look forward to the summer 2022 year’s conference will again be canceled. Our annual when we can all meet again.