OutdoorNebraska

44 Nebraska Game and Parks Commission • 2018 Annual Report O F F I C E R S A S S I S T O T H E R A G E N C I E S Conservation officers encounter and address many other types of illegal activity such as drugs, thefts, trespassing, assaults, etc. They also respond to any emergency situation in the communities where they live – floods, tornadoes, fires, missing persons and major crime occurrences, among others. They are frequently called upon by other law enforcement agencies to provide assistance and backup particularly in the more rural areas of the State where law enforcement resources are often very limited. In 2018, officers assisted: • other law enforcement agencies in recovering the body of a drowning victim on the Missouri River • motorists stranded in a blizzard on Interstate 80 west of Ogallala by using their patrol vehicles to transfer them to a safe location • the take-down of a marijuana grow operation in southeast Nebraska • the Omaha Police Department in searching for a murder victim near Plattsmouth • the Nebraska State Patrol with manhunt for a felon in the North Platte area • in a response to a thunderstorm at Lake McConaughy, where power lines were downed, individuals were injured or missing, and a fatality was reported. F I S H , W I L D L I F E A N D E D U C A T I O N R E S P O N S I B I L I T I E S Among the Law Enforcement Division's responsibilities is support for agency and statutorily mandated educational and informational programs like hunter and boater education, civic organization informational programs, and various school programs. Each year, the division presents more than 1,000 education programs, sponsors mentored youth hunts, and supports the Cornhusker Trap Shoot, Youth Skills Camps and Outdoor Discovery Programs. The division often is tasked with assisting other agency divisions with non-enforcement projects and programs, including: • fish and wildlife survey work • fish kill investigations and wildlife damage complaints • issuing fur buyer permits • wildlife management and park area maintenance issues • coordination with and permitting of wildlife rehabilitation organizations W H O M E E T S A C O N S E R V A T I O N O F F I C E R ? A 10-year average shows that a single conservation officer will contact 1,065 fishermen, 545 hunters, 28 fur harvesters, 2,606 park patrons, 528 boaters, and another 2,311 miscellaneous individuals, as well as give 30 community-based programs each year.

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