The Oklahoma State Game Warden Association

NAWEOA 2010 Conference - Pennsylvania

(LOGO 1) (LOGO 2)
Here’s the annual recap of the conference highlights from this past year’s meeting in PA. I am pleased to say that once again the annual NAWEOA Conference was a resounding success and a big thank you goes out to all of the Pennsylvania officers, their association, agencies and other hosting partners for the outstanding effort put forth. Although I do not have an exact number of officers in attendance at the conference, I am told that there were in excess of 300 in attendance throughout the week.

This year’s conference was located in Cranberry, a Township (suburb community near Pittsburg) in Pennsylvania. The host hotel was the Four Points Sheraton, Pittsburgh North which provided an outstanding atmosphere for the conference and attendees. The hotel had enough space for all of the events and most everything was held on-site. The theme for this year’s conference was “Keystone to Conservation”, a word play on Pennsylvania’s status as the Keystone state dating from colonial times.

First however, let me share a few “fast facts” about Pennsylvania and the deer population they are famous for –

The deer limit for hunters is 1 buck and 2 does per hunter per county X 67 Co.’s
The state counts approximately 45,000 road-killed deer annually
PA pays for special “late-night sniper squads” in the two largest metro counties to thin about 2,000 deer from populated complaint areas annually
Deer hunters are given 10 days after the kill to report their deer harvest
PA has approximately one million licensed hunters (deer license is included with the purchase of the general hunt license)

Though not part of the official conference, any members (and families) in attendance can count on some great family activities to enjoy with other warden families if they choose to attend a conference and arrive a couple of days early. On Sunday and Monday prior to official business, delegates continued to arrive and had a variety of tours to choose from. A whitewater rafting trip, a hiking and biking adventure or a tour of “Falling Waters”, or touring and a world famous Frank Lloyd Wright architectural masterpiece were all available to attendees and their families and of course the hospitality room was open at 8PM each evening to give guests a chance to renew old acquaintances and to unwind from the long trips many took to get to Pennsylvania.
(Pic 1)
Activities on Tuesday prior to opening ceremonies were limited to Pittsburgh trips and an annual NAWEOA golf outing. Two all-day trips to Pittsburgh to choose from were a trip to an amusement park or a trip to a National Aviary and the Pittsburgh Zoo. Association business began on this day as the NAWEOA board met for the Summer Executive meeting that was held all day.

At the NAWEOA Summer executive meeting our executive was busy reviewing a number of items scheduled for the agenda. At the top of the list was discussing the proposed budget for the upcoming year that would be presented to the membership for approval during the general business meeting. The budget can be found at the NAWEOA web site at http://www.naweoa.org/protected/budget/2010-2011Budget.pdf . The username and password to view this info can be obtained via your OK district director. Each Regional Director from around the continent gave a report as did the Newsletter editor, Webmaster, IGW Staff, Conference Liaison, and the Promotional Items team. Reports on future conferences were also heard from Saskatchewan and Idaho. The Museum Board gave a report as well. The entire executive meeting minutes will also be posted on the NAWEOA private site at http://www.naweoa.org/protected/minutes/index-minutes.htm.

On Wednesday, July 14, officers and families awoke early to assemble for Opening Ceremonies. The opening ceremony is always the most solemn event of the conference and the one which makes you most proud to be a wildlife enforcement officer. The Pennsylvania officers did not disappoint. The Honor Guard did a fine job bringing in the colors and we were all lead in the singing of both Country’s National Anthems by Jeff Jimmerson, who sings both anthems for each home game of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The fallen officer ceremony was performed by the Pennsylvania Honor Guard and United States Forest Service LEO Jason Haberberger. Christopher Upton of the USFS was honored by all for making the ultimate sacrifice. More information can be had at http://www.naweoa.org/FallenOfficers/us.php. After the invocation, NAWEOA President Kevin Schoepp officially opened the meeting. Former Pittsburgh Steelers great, Craig Wolfley was the keynote speaker and did an excellent job. PGC Executive Director Carl Roe and PF&BC Executive Director John Arway both spoke as well. Then we proudly honored the 2010 NAWEOA officer of the Year, Jeremy Peery of Wisconsin. Jeremy’s nomination was read and was very impressive and was followed by Jeremy sharing few words.

(Pic 2)
Then officers were given some time to peruse the exhibit area and prepare for the officers luncheon. Guests and family members prepared for their own luncheon as well. A fine meal was served and a number of awards were presented by NAWEOA Vice-President Rich Cramer. Outstanding Service Awards, Lifesaving Awards and Torch Awards were all presented at the luncheon. Award details can be viewed at the following link: http://www.naweoa.org/Officer_Awards/current_award.php. This year NAWEOA received a substantial number of Award nominations which enabled us to honor many of our fellow officers.
(Pic 3)
The first NAWEOA (general) business meeting took place immediately after the officer’s luncheon. A number of important items were reviewed for the membership including the annual budget which was read and approved. In addition the membership gave the board permission to select a conference site for the 2012 conference as no jurisdiction has yet come forward to bid for 2012. Directly following the business meeting the officer exchange presentations were done by the US and Canadian officers awarded their trips from last year. Each year one officer from each Country is chosen to attend a state/province in the other Country on an exchange trip. Last year Dave Palmer of Ontario was the Canadian winner and Nathan Favreau of New York was the US winner. Each of them is then required to make a presentation on their all-expense paid trip at the following summer conference. They each had interesting trips and did a great job with their presentations.

A dinner cruise was held on the Gateway Clipper on the rivers of downtown Pittsburgh during this evening capping off a great day. The entire Oklahoma contingent enjoyed this activity and a fabulous time was had by all. There was actually an open bar on the riverboat throughout the evening cruise which made for some standing in a line! Of course, as before, each night starting at 8:00 pm the hospitality area was open and as the week went on the festivities grew livelier and livelier.
(Pics 4, 5, 6 & 7)
Thursday morning hours were taken up by numerous officer training sessions. The Pennsylvania training committee did an outstanding job in putting together an interesting and relevant training program. Some of those courses offered were: Hunting related shooting reconstruction, Waterfowl enforcement procedures, and Verbal Judo. The Retired Officer’s breakfast occurred this morning as well.
(Pics 8 & 9)
At noon busses began to board to take conference attendees to the site of the Flight 93 memorial in Somerset County that was established following the 9/11 attacks in 2001. Box lunches were provided to all as the trip would take some time. Once there, folks were given a tour of the memorial site and then delivered to the site of a State Game Lands/wetlands dedication in honor of all of the heroes of Flight 93 but most especially for passenger and fellow officer Richard Guadagno. Richard was a US Fish & Wildlife Refuge Officer and also a passenger on Flight 93. The wetlands complex on State Game Lands 93, adjacent to the Flight 93 Memorial was dedicated in Richard’s name on this day. An Honor Guard of USFWS Refuge Officers participated in this very well designed and solemn ceremony. One of these honor guard members participating was our very own Shelby Finney from the Salt Plains Refuge (previously the OK warden in Alfalfa Co.). Honor guard duties were also performed by the PA Game Commission’s Honor Guard. During and after this emotional ceremony there was not a dry eye to be found because in addition to all the obvious poignant issue represented on this day, we learned that the Guadagno family were present to receive a dedicated memorial flag and this memorial service was the first time since the 2001 tragedy that their son had been honored with his very own service (and this service was also recognized as Richard’s funeral)!
In the afternoon the annual Torch run/walk in honor of our Fallen Officers and to raise funds for our NAWEOA Museum took place from the dedication site. The weather was perfect and the course was quite nice and very safe. A great meal was provided following the run at the
dedication site. A great deal of money was raised for the International Game Warden Museum again this year.
(Pics 10 & 11)
Friday morning started with the Female Officer’s breakfast. There were several training sessions available in the morning to all officers as well. These sessions included such topics as: International Marine Investigators, Computer’s and Law Enforcement and Interview and Interrogation techniques.

Then officers departed for the annual Warden Skills competition around noon. A new twist this year was the Senior Games. These were events designed to be fun, challenging and easy on the bones where the Pennsylvania officers provided some unique and challenging events and a fun time was had by all! Following the Warden Games, all attending delegates were treated to another great meal and even some free beer.
(Pic 12)
Once back at the hotel there was time for some additional NAWEOA business as candidate speeches were done by all those running for open positions of Region Director in regions 1, 2, 3 and 6. The annual Saskatchewan extravaganza was next as the folks from Saskatchewan provided a program on what we can expect next year as we visit their beautiful Province. We can all expect to have a great time when we head north to Saskatchewan in 2011. Idaho then provided some additional information on their conference in 2013. We still need a location for 2012 but rest assured the board of directors is hard at work making sure that a conference site will be chosen.

After NAWEOA business was finished the evening was wrapped up with the hospitality area hosting a very, very, thirsty crowd. More food and lots of liquid refreshments were available to all.

Saturday began early with the Jurisdictional Representative breakfast. This is NAWEOA’s opportunity to say thank you to all the J-Reps present at the conference. The J-Reps are considered to be NAWEOA’s first line of contact with the membership and most do an outstanding job keeping the lines of communication open. A number of training sessions were available to officers throughout the day including Fish & Wildlife Forensics, Pennsylvania Venomous Reptiles, Man Tracking, Aquatics/Fish, Covert Undercover Projects and Pennsylvania Elk Season success.

A number of tours were available on this final day aimed primarily towards the spouses and families. Tours to Amish Country, Moraine State Park and others were available all day. The afternoon finished with the Closing Ceremonies and the passing of the friendship flame from Pennsylvania to Saskatchewan, the 2011 conference hosts.

The Saturday evening banquet brought to an end a very full and enjoyable week. Again there were a number of awards, presentations and announcements made. Election results were announced with Dave Webster (Region 1) and Dave Grant (Region 2) being re-elected to a second two-year term. Shawn Farrell (Region 3) being elected for a two-year term and Jeff White (Region 6) being elected to finish the unexpired term of previous Region 6 Director Hampton Yates. A number of Valor Awards were given during the banquet as well. A live auction followed and then we were entertained by a very good DJ.
(Pic 13)

Sunday was time to go home! I have gone on long enough, sorry about that but we have such a great organization and our conferences have become so outstanding that I want to share as much as I can. I will just finish off by saying...Thank You Pennsylvania!!

EDITOR’S NOTE: Wardens should watch the NAWEOA website for information on the 2011 conference in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and attend if at all possible. The advantages for going are far too many to list but a few points to keep in mind if you’re considering the trip:

SK can be driven, while seeing some great scenery, then attend the conference and be home in two weeks. Maybe even ‘buddy up’ to drive and save even more!
NAWEOA conferences cater to family participation and everyone in the family, regardless of age, are guaranteed to have a great time.
NAWEOA conferences are recognized by the ODWC as a “professional conference” and as such, provide 3 days of paid “professional leave” to officers attending the excellent training sessions.
OSGWA also encourages the professionalism and camaraderie gained from attending NAWEOA conferences by covering conf. registration fees (approx. $175) for any association member including retirees.
Recreational destinations like SK offer extraordinary contact opportunities with regional wardens, guides, and outfitters to help plan a great outdoor getaway.
Many expenses incurred to attend professional conferences may be considered tax deductible if you itemize (consult with your personal tax adviser for details).




	Back to the Magazine Index NAWEOA 2010 Conference - Pennsylvania (LOGO 1) (LOGO 2) Here’s the annual recap of the conference highlights from this past year’s meeting in PA. I am pleased to say that once again the annual NAWEOA Conference was a resounding success and a big thank you goes out to all of the Pennsylvania officers, their association, agencies and other hosting partners for the outstanding effort put forth. Although I do not have an exact number of officers in attendance at the conference, I am told that there were in excess of 300 in attendance throughout the week. This year’s conference was located in Cranberry, a Township (suburb community near Pittsburg) in Pennsylvania. The host hotel was the Four Points Sheraton, Pittsburgh North which provided an outstanding atmosphere for the conference and attendees. The hotel had enough space for all of the events and most everything was held on-site. The theme for this year’s conference was “Keystone to Conservation”, a word play on Pennsylvania’s status as the Keystone state dating from colonial times. First however, let me share a few “fast facts” about Pennsylvania and the deer population they are famous for – The deer limit for hunters is 1 buck and 2 does per hunter per county X 67 Co.’s The state counts approximately 45,000 road-killed deer annually PA pays for special “late-night sniper squads” in the two largest metro counties to thin about 2,000 deer from populated complaint areas annually Deer hunters are given 10 days after the kill to report their deer harvest PA has approximately one million licensed hunters (deer license is included with the purchase of the general hunt license) Though not part of the official conference, any members (and families) in attendance can count on some great family activities to enjoy with other warden families if they choose to attend a conference and arrive a couple of days early. On Sunday and Monday prior to official business, delegates continued to arrive and had a variety of tours to choose from. A whitewater rafting trip, a hiking and biking adventure or a tour of “Falling Waters”, or touring and a world famous Frank Lloyd Wright architectural masterpiece were all available to attendees and their families and of course the hospitality room was open at 8PM each evening to give guests a chance to renew old acquaintances and to unwind from the long trips many took to get to Pennsylvania. (Pic 1) Activities on Tuesday prior to opening ceremonies were limited to Pittsburgh trips and an annual NAWEOA golf outing. Two all-day trips to Pittsburgh to choose from were a trip to an amusement park or a trip to a National Aviary and the Pittsburgh Zoo. Association business began on this day as the NAWEOA board met for the Summer Executive meeting that was held all day. At the NAWEOA Summer executive meeting our executive was busy reviewing a number of items scheduled for the agenda. At the top of the list was discussing the proposed budget for the upcoming year that would be presented to the membership for approval during the general business meeting. The budget can be found at the NAWEOA web site at http://www.naweoa.org/protected/budget/2010-2011Budget.pdf . The username and password to view this info can be obtained via your OK district director. Each Regional Director from around the continent gave a report as did the Newsletter editor, Webmaster, IGW Staff, Conference Liaison, and the Promotional Items team. Reports on future conferences were also heard from Saskatchewan and Idaho. The Museum Board gave a report as well. The entire executive meeting minutes will also be posted on the NAWEOA private site at http://www.naweoa.org/protected/minutes/index-minutes.htm. On Wednesday, July 14, officers and families awoke early to assemble for Opening Ceremonies. The opening ceremony is always the most solemn event of the conference and the one which makes you most proud to be a wildlife enforcement officer. The Pennsylvania officers did not disappoint. The Honor Guard did a fine job bringing in the colors and we were all lead in the singing of both Country’s National Anthems by Jeff Jimmerson, who sings both anthems for each home game of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The fallen officer ceremony was performed by the Pennsylvania Honor Guard and United States Forest Service LEO Jason Haberberger. Christopher Upton of the USFS was honored by all for making the ultimate sacrifice. More information can be had at http://www.naweoa.org/FallenOfficers/us.php. After the invocation, NAWEOA President Kevin Schoepp officially opened the meeting. Former Pittsburgh Steelers great, Craig Wolfley was the keynote speaker and did an excellent job. PGC Executive Director Carl Roe and PF&BC Executive Director John Arway both spoke as well. Then we proudly honored the 2010 NAWEOA officer of the Year, Jeremy Peery of Wisconsin. Jeremy’s nomination was read and was very impressive and was followed by Jeremy sharing few words. (Pic 2) Then officers were given some time to peruse the exhibit area and prepare for the officers luncheon. Guests and family members prepared for their own luncheon as well. A fine meal was served and a number of awards were presented by NAWEOA Vice-President Rich Cramer. Outstanding Service Awards, Lifesaving Awards and Torch Awards were all presented at the luncheon. Award details can be viewed at the following link: http://www.naweoa.org/Officer_Awards/current_award.php. This year NAWEOA received a substantial number of Award nominations which enabled us to honor many of our fellow officers. (Pic 3) The first NAWEOA (general) business meeting took place immediately after the officer’s luncheon. A number of important items were reviewed for the membership including the annual budget which was read and approved. In addition the membership gave the board permission to select a conference site for the 2012 conference as no jurisdiction has yet come forward to bid for 2012. Directly following the business meeting the officer exchange presentations were done by the US and Canadian officers awarded their trips from last year. Each year one officer from each Country is chosen to attend a state/province in the other Country on an exchange trip. Last year Dave Palmer of Ontario was the Canadian winner and Nathan Favreau of New York was the US winner. Each of them is then required to make a presentation on their all-expense paid trip at the following summer conference. They each had interesting trips and did a great job with their presentations. A dinner cruise was held on the Gateway Clipper on the rivers of downtown Pittsburgh during this evening capping off a great day. The entire Oklahoma contingent enjoyed this activity and a fabulous time was had by all. There was actually an open bar on the riverboat throughout the evening cruise which made for some standing in a line! Of course, as before, each night starting at 8:00 pm the hospitality area was open and as the week went on the festivities grew livelier and livelier. (Pics 4, 5, 6 & 7) Thursday morning hours were taken up by numerous officer training sessions. The Pennsylvania training committee did an outstanding job in putting together an interesting and relevant training program. Some of those courses offered were: Hunting related shooting reconstruction, Waterfowl enforcement procedures, and Verbal Judo. The Retired Officer’s breakfast occurred this morning as well. (Pics 8 & 9) At noon busses began to board to take conference attendees to the site of the Flight 93 memorial in Somerset County that was established following the 9/11 attacks in 2001. Box lunches were provided to all as the trip would take some time. Once there, folks were given a tour of the memorial site and then delivered to the site of a State Game Lands/wetlands dedication in honor of all of the heroes of Flight 93 but most especially for passenger and fellow officer Richard Guadagno. Richard was a US Fish & Wildlife Refuge Officer and also a passenger on Flight 93. The wetlands complex on State Game Lands 93, adjacent to the Flight 93 Memorial was dedicated in Richard’s name on this day. An Honor Guard of USFWS Refuge Officers participated in this very well designed and solemn ceremony. One of these honor guard members participating was our very own Shelby Finney from the Salt Plains Refuge (previously the OK warden in Alfalfa Co.). Honor guard duties were also performed by the PA Game Commission’s Honor Guard. During and after this emotional ceremony there was not a dry eye to be found because in addition to all the obvious poignant issue represented on this day, we learned that the Guadagno family were present to receive a dedicated memorial flag and this memorial service was the first time since the 2001 tragedy that their son had been honored with his very own service (and this service was also recognized as Richard’s funeral)! In the afternoon the annual Torch run/walk in honor of our Fallen Officers and to raise funds for our NAWEOA Museum took place from the dedication site. The weather was perfect and the course was quite nice and very safe. A great meal was provided following the run at the dedication site. A great deal of money was raised for the International Game Warden Museum again this year. (Pics 10 & 11) Friday morning started with the Female Officer’s breakfast. There were several training sessions available in the morning to all officers as well. These sessions included such topics as: International Marine Investigators, Computer’s and Law Enforcement and Interview and Interrogation techniques. Then officers departed for the annual Warden Skills competition around noon. A new twist this year was the Senior Games. These were events designed to be fun, challenging and easy on the bones where the Pennsylvania officers provided some unique and challenging events and a fun time was had by all! Following the Warden Games, all attending delegates were treated to another great meal and even some free beer. (Pic 12) Once back at the hotel there was time for some additional NAWEOA business as candidate speeches were done by all those running for open positions of Region Director in regions 1, 2, 3 and 6. The annual Saskatchewan extravaganza was next as the folks from Saskatchewan provided a program on what we can expect next year as we visit their beautiful Province. We can all expect to have a great time when we head north to Saskatchewan in 2011. Idaho then provided some additional information on their conference in 2013. We still need a location for 2012 but rest assured the board of directors is hard at work making sure that a conference site will be chosen. After NAWEOA business was finished the evening was wrapped up with the hospitality area hosting a very, very, thirsty crowd. More food and lots of liquid refreshments were available to all. Saturday began early with the Jurisdictional Representative breakfast. This is NAWEOA’s opportunity to say thank you to all the J-Reps present at the conference. The J-Reps are considered to be NAWEOA’s first line of contact with the membership and most do an outstanding job keeping the lines of communication open. A number of training sessions were available to officers throughout the day including Fish & Wildlife Forensics, Pennsylvania Venomous Reptiles, Man Tracking, Aquatics/Fish, Covert Undercover Projects and Pennsylvania Elk Season success. A number of tours were available on this final day aimed primarily towards the spouses and families. Tours to Amish Country, Moraine State Park and others were available all day. The afternoon finished with the Closing Ceremonies and the passing of the friendship flame from Pennsylvania to Saskatchewan, the 2011 conference hosts. The Saturday evening banquet brought to an end a very full and enjoyable week. Again there were a number of awards, presentations and announcements made. Election results were announced with Dave Webster (Region 1) and Dave Grant (Region 2) being re-elected to a second two-year term. Shawn Farrell (Region 3) being elected for a two-year term and Jeff White (Region 6) being elected to finish the unexpired term of previous Region 6 Director Hampton Yates. A number of Valor Awards were given during the banquet as well. A live auction followed and then we were entertained by a very good DJ. (Pic 13) Sunday was time to go home! I have gone on long enough, sorry about that but we have such a great organization and our conferences have become so outstanding that I want to share as much as I can. I will just finish off by saying...Thank You Pennsylvania!! EDITOR’S NOTE: Wardens should watch the NAWEOA website for information on the 2011 conference in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and attend if at all possible. The advantages for going are far too many to list but a few points to keep in mind if you’re considering the trip: SK can be driven, while seeing some great scenery, then attend the conference and be home in two weeks. Maybe even ‘buddy up’ to drive and save even more! NAWEOA conferences cater to family participation and everyone in the family, regardless of age, are guaranteed to have a great time. NAWEOA conferences are recognized by the ODWC as a “professional conference” and as such, provide 3 days of paid “professional leave” to officers attending the excellent training sessions. OSGWA also encourages the professionalism and camaraderie gained from attending NAWEOA conferences by covering conf. registration fees (approx. $175) for any association member including retirees. Recreational destinations like SK offer extraordinary contact opportunities with regional wardens, guides, and outfitters to help plan a great outdoor getaway. Many expenses incurred to attend professional conferences may be considered tax deductible if you itemize (consult with your personal tax adviser for details). Back to the Magazine Index
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