Wisconsin Conservation Wardens provide 24 hour per day, 7 days per week response to Department of Natural Resources problems.  During off hours and weekends, they are usually the only Department employees who are available for response to citizen calls and concerns.

This report will center on four problems:

    1.    Warden enforcement effort has declined substantially since 1979.
    2.    Workload pressures are causing serious morale and personal problems.
    3.    Compliance with natural resource and recreational vehicle laws is declining.
    4.    Pressures on the resource have grown dramatically.

• Wisconsin ranks 49th in the United States in number of wardens per hunters and fishers.  Wisconsin has 1 warden per 12,500 hunters and fishers.  The national average is 1 warden per 7,700 hunters and fishers.

• Between LOST HOURS OF EFFORT and LOST EFFORT FROM GROWING NEEDS, law enforcement has seen a net loss of 158 full time employees since 1979.

• Law Enforcement is experiencing serious employees morale problems due to workload.  Wisconsin wardens are trying to provide three shifts of coverage with a single shift.

• Complicated and continually changing regulations have caused a great deal of confusion among resource users.  In many communities, the warden is the DNR.  When citizens have questions, they call the DNR.  It is not uncommon for a warden and his/her family to endure over 800 phone calls in a single month.

• Wardens routinely respond by themselves to a dangerous situation involving weapons.  Assaults on Conservation Wardens have been steadily increasing during the last 10 years.

• Compliance with regulations has declined since 1979.  In 1979, DNR was issuing approximately 13,000 citations per year.  By 1996 we were issuing 22,000 with a 85% reduction in warden effort.  Most wardens feel that compliance with hunting and fishing laws is decreasing.  A growing element of the populations seems to be exhibiting a brazen disrespect for the resource.

• Snowmobile enforcement is seriously understaffed and compliance is declining.  Boating enforcement and education is seriously understaffed and compliance is declining.  ATV enforcement and education is seriously understaffed and compliance is declining.

• Wisconsin resources are under a tremendous amount of pressure from recreational use and from development.  The pressure on Wisconsin's resources is increasing.  We need to protect that resource for current and future generations.

• Pressures from a booming economy have caused an increased environmental workload with a decrease in two warden positions since 1987.  From 1987 to 1996 the number of hours spent by conservation wardens on environmental protection has increased from 2500 hours to 6669 hours, or a 166% increase.  From 1987 to 1996 the number of hours spent by conservation wardens on spills response has increased from 3067 hours to 6000 hours, or a 95% increase.  Environmental complaints have increased from 1023 complaints in 1987 to 2215 complaints in 1996, or a 116% increase.

• Poaching and pollution threatens tourism, the economic engine that generates $6.6 billion in Wisconsin every years and supports 182,086 jobs.

• Our law enforcement employees are struggling.  Many are stressed beyond what is reasonable to expect of an employee and many are experiencing "burn out."  Our field wardens are in such a hurry to meet increasing work demands that they do not have time to talk with the people they serve.  The public is complaining about lack of response or ability to get in contact with a warden.  Service to the public is declining and citizens realize that fact.

• In 1995, the Bureau of Law Enforcement produced a workload analysis report that indicated a shortfall of 137 conservation warden positions to do the "minimum job."