Maine Outdoor Journal

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Joel Wilkinson

John Patriquin/Staff Photographer

A WARDEN'S WORK

• The Maine Warden Service provides law enforcement and

search-and-rescue services to those enjoying Maine's natural resources.

It was the first such agency in the country.

• Wardens answer 18,000 calls annually and conduct more than 350

search-and-rescue missions. They also inspect 130,000 sportsmen and

women and recreational vehicles a year.

• The service is made up of various teams, which include the Aviation

Division, the Dive Team, the K-9 Team, the Incident Management Team,

the Evidence Response Team, the Forensic Mapping Team, the

Investigations Division and the Landowner Relations Program.

MISSION STATEMENT

"THROUGH EDUCATION, community involvement, professional law enforcement and search-and-rescue practices, we serve and protect the public while conserving Maine's fish and wildlife and other natural resources."

When Col. Joel Wilkinson took over the Warden Service two years ago at the age of 35, the service was by all accounts underfunded, understaffed and, according to an outside professional review, kind of unhappy.

Wilkinson began with the basics, bringing his staff together to redefine the Warden Service's mission. Now many of the 100 field wardens in the state have renewed confidence in their leadership.

The question now is, how many wardens will be left and how well will they function after the Legislature tries to plug a more than $30 million budget deficit?

The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife's budget, which is $22.5 million in 2009, will be on the chopping block this winter. And if the 128-year-old service is trimmed, warden jobs may be lost.

"I think the Warden Service is getting to the point where it is getting maxed out on what it can provide as far as a 24-hour, on-call, ready-to-go service," said Sgt. Tim Spahr, a 13-year veteran. "I think it is going to get to the point where it is going to have to get larger or have less responsibility."

The service was established in 1880, becoming the first fish and wildlife law enforcement agency in the United States. But today, fish and wildlife protection is a small percentage of what Maine wardens do. They police those who ride ATVs, snowmobiles, boats and personal watercraft, and search for those lost in the woods and waters. There are 100 field wardens who respond annually to 18,000 complaints and conduct more than 350 search-and-rescue missions statewide.

Yet the guy at the helm of this waterlogged ship is unafraid of the towering budgetary waves ahead. And while Wilkinson can't solve the monetary quandary (that's for lawmakers to decide), he can dictate how the game wardens serve the people of Maine, and how well.

Despite the storm ahead, many are saying, so far so good.

BUDGET BULL'S-EYE

Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is unique, because it operates predominately off revenue from fishing, hunting, ATV, boating and snowmobile fees, not tax dollars. The department has received relatively little general fund money from the Legislature in recent years. Last year, its budget of $22.5 million was made up of just under $2 million of general fund money.

It's never enough to cover the work of biologists and wardens. Some think the Warden Service – which accounts for 54 percent of the department's budget – may shrink if its budget is cut further.

"I don't think we'll be able to cut IFW any more, because they are already at that point. The Legislature won't be able to reduce IFW any more," said Sen. Bruce Bryant, D-Dixfield, chair of the Legislature's Joint Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife,

But George Smith, director of the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine, thinks wardens will be cut because biologists' salaries are paid, in part, with federal money.

"It's the easiest way to save money," Smith said. "They can't really raise fees, because they are raising fees in 2010. They don't have anywhere to go."

Still, some think the changes Wilkinson has made in the service may help guide it through these desperate financial times.

THE NEW GUY

A game warden for 14 years, Wilkinson has worked as the service's Dive Team leader, as a member of its Critical Incident Team, as an investigator, as an instructor – even as a member of the color guard.

He is what you'd call a players' coach.

"Right out of the gate, I recognized some things we need to do as an agency to build back that sense of ownership for our entire staff," Wilkinson said. "We are faced with increasing demands from the public... and meeting additional issues with no additional staffing."

Wilkinson, now 37, had the entire staff work on a new mission statement, which he then had every warden sign. He put an emphasis on wardens educating the public on their core missions. He increased communication within the service, and established a policy to allow all employees to alert him to problems.

"They're the eyes and the feet on the ground. They know what they need," he said.

Two years after an outside management review of the service determined that "the majority of employees say morale and team spirit are down," Wilkinson's leadership seems to have brought new faith.

"Things are definitely different than when he took over. I don't think we were in the current shape without Joel being the colonel," said Sgt. Kevin Adams, a 17-year veteran. "Before, there were a lot of meetings by my supervisor that I didn't know what the heck was going on. And of course, that leads to rumors. I feel he's opened up the lines of communication."

Pat Dorian, who retired from the service in September after 36 years, said Wilkinson has provided calm, sound leadership.

Even Smith, who has been critical of the service, tips his hat to Wilkinson.

"Joel came in with an agenda for change. He's taken it much further. His vision statement is excellent," Smith said. "Now he's working on policy that will match up, holding wardens accountable for their performance."

Even groups not traditionally served by the service have noticed a change.

Last summer, wardens helped Maine Audubon protect the endangered piping plover on beaches. The wardens' work was paid for with a $11,925 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, said Jody Jones, Maine Audubon's ecologist.

Jones said while the work focused on education rather than apprehension or fines, the assistance of the uniformed wardens really helped.

"It makes a big difference having somebody like a warden, who has the capacity to fine someone or take them to court," Jones said. "Maine Audubon has just been strictly educational."

However, Jones said, funding the wardens' work through grants is an uncertain solution.

"We all realize the Warden Service needs more money," she said.

CHALLENGES AHEAD

Wilkinson is hopeful the service could become more efficient. But he's worried too. With a new governor taking office in 2011, he may run out of time.

"I'm concerned about the stability of the organization at a time we've instituted a number of changes, and when we're going well, and moving forward quickly," Wilkinson said. "I try to carry optimism into every day, even into the toughest times."

But Smith, who called Wilkinson the right leader at the right time, said the department's financial problems are "beyond him."

And Spahr said it's not the colonel who needs to save the service – it's the public.

"I think it takes an understanding of the people who support us, an understanding of the people who fund us in the political realm, and an understanding of our whole public safety work by the public," Spahr said. "How many people would know a game warden does all these things? I don't think it is a common understanding."

Staff Writer Deirdre Fleming can be contacted at 791-6452 or at:

dfleming@pressherald.com