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Georgia DNR Names Ranger Of The Year

Georgia DNR Names Tim Butler Ranger Of The Year

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. --(Ammoland.com)- The Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division selected RFC Tim Butler, a conservation ranger for Pulaski/Bleckley counties, as the 2011 State Ranger of the Year.

Runner-up to the Ranger of the Year award, RFC Tim Hutto of the Southeast Georgia Region, received the 2011 James R. Darnell Award. This award is titled “The Fawn” and is a James R. Darnell sculpture.

“The State of Georgia is fortunate to have people such as RFC Tim Butler and RFC Tim Hutto who dedicate their lives to protecting our natural resources,” says Col. Eddie Henderson, Wildlife Resources Division’s Chief of Law Enforcement. “I commend both honorees for their dedication and contributions toward Georgia’s conservation enforcement efforts.”

RFC Tim Butler has been a conservation ranger for only six years, but his reputation for accomplishing hard work and his dedication to a job well done have earned him the respect of his peers and the public. His accomplishments this year include conducting 16 special details to detect resource violations such as illegal duck shoots, fish shocking and night deer hunting.

Butler is best known for his night foot patrols and scouting for illegal baiting and night hunting offenders. He also employs online satellite imagery and tax records to gather intelligence, study topography and formulate tactics to address unlawful activity before it occurs.

Butler easily transitions from working with fellow conservation rangers to assisting and cooperating with other agencies, whether they are local, state and federal levels in investigative work. His public outreach includes conducting information and education programs, participating in local cleanup efforts, promoting Wildlife Resources Division at various venues, and being an after-school mentor and instructor for the local CHAMPS (Choosing Healthy Activities & Methods Promoting Safety) program.

Earlier this year, Butler also was recognized as the 2011 Waterfowl Officer of the Year honor and twice previously has been nominated for Ranger of the Year by his work section.

In the process of determining the Ranger of the Year, WRD selected one nominee from each of the seven DNR Law Enforcement regions.

They were:

• Region 1, Calhoun – Cpl. Shawn Elmore
• Region 2, Gainesville – Cpl. Adam Loudermilk
• Region 3, Thomson – Cpl. Derrell Worth
• Region 4, Macon – RFC Tim Butler
• Region 5, Albany -RFC Bob Holley
• Region 6, Metter – RFC Tim Hutto
• Region 7, Brunswick – Cpl. Chris Ridley

For more information on becoming a WRD conservation ranger, visit www.georgiawildlife.com/enforcement/law-enforcement-section

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WCO David L. Grove Scholarship Created To Benefit Future Wildlife Management Leaders

Pennsylvania Game Commission

HARRISBURG, PA --(Ammoland.com)- Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe today announced that a scholarship fund has been created in the name of Wildlife Conservation Officer David L. Grove to benefit future wildlife management leaders.

The scholarship is being administered by the Conservation Officers of Pennsylvania Association and the Fraternal Order of Police, Conservation Police Officers Lodge #114.

To be eligible for the scholarship, an individual must be a full-time undergraduate student who is of, at least, junior academic standing, and majoring in Wildlife and Fisheries Science in the College of Agricultural Sciences, or to a student with a senior academic standing majoring in Wildlife Technology at Penn State University DuBois campus.

“As the one-year anniversary approaches of when WCO Grove was killed in the line of duty, I encourage Pennsylvanians to contribute to this worthy fund,” Roe said.

“This scholarship fund seeks to honor his memory and help others pursue his dreams to serve his fellow Pennsylvanians, conserve our Commonwealth’s wildlife resources and preserve our rich hunting and trapping heritage.”

To make a tax-deductible contribution, make you check payable to the COPA-WCO David L. Grove Scholarship Fund, and mail it to WCO David L. Grove Scholarship Fund, Conservation Officers of Pennsylvania Association, 100 Nature Way, Milroy, PA 17063.

A graduate of the 27th Class of the Game Commission’s Ross Leffler School of Conservation, Grove was commissioned a full-time Wildlife Conservation Officer on March 8, 2008, and assigned to the southern district of Adams County. He was shot and killed in the line of duty on Nov. 11, 2010, while on patrol along Shrivers Road in Freedom Township, Adams County, as he was investigating reports of ongoing night-time shooting and possible poaching activity in the area. Grove, age 31, was a native of Fairfield, Adams County, and earned a bachelor’s degree in wildlife and fisheries science from Penn State University in 2004.

Before being appointed a WCO Cadet, Grove had served as a Deputy WCO in Franklin County, from 2001 until 2007. Grove also worked at the Penn State University Deer Research Facility in University Park, Centre County, from 2003 until 2004.

Grove graduated, in 1997, from Grace Academy in Hagerstown, Maryland, and he attended Appalachian Bible College, in Bradley, West Virginia, from 1997 until 1999.

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