Flashback: 1987 high-tech warden

An area with 463 square miles and over 600,000 people with eight courts and 33 law enforcement agencies can make Montgomery County, Ohio, a handful for today's wildlife officer. That job seemed even bigger in 1987. This look back at one officer's efforts and his solutions is thanks to portions of a column written by Game Protector Tom Bowersox. It appeared in 1987's autumn issue of 'Ohio Wildlife', a publication once offered by the Ohio Wildlife Officers' Association. Working in a county like Montgomery takes more than a desire to make wildlife cases. It takes skill in people management, a working relationship with other law agencies, and positive interactions with the county's conservation clubs. It also helps to have an edge-up on the equipment you use. State Game Protector Kevin O'Dell, who was assigned to Montgomery County in 1983, received the standard issue of equipment to perform his job. Like most, he wished that he had access to that extra piece of equipment or burgeoning techno-gadget. For O'Dell, those associations with local sportsmen's clubs allowed him the possibility to receive equipment other county officers could only dream about. This was in no small part due to the hunting and fishing license writing fees that went to those club for the purpose of helping improve a wide range of public-service type projects. As O'Dell progressed through learning the ins-and-outs of his job, he began to recognize certain equipment shortfalls. Because his assignments included several major streams, including the Great Miami, Stillwater, and Mad Rivers, plus Wolf and Twin Creeks, fishing and litter violations were a large part of his 200 arrests per year. Sometimes, working these streams was troublesome. Stretches could be shallow and gravel-bottomed, making them difficult to maneuver using a conventional boat and motor combination. With O'Dell's encouragement, one of the local clubs purchased a 12-foot shallow-run Jon boat with a special five-horsepower Go-Devil five-horse motor. This long-shafted, hand-controlled motor made shallow water operation easy. Many unlicensed anglers and litterbugs were left wondering, "How did he ever find me?" Dayton had long been an industrial city, and large cities with industry near streams has often meant pollution problems. Montgomery County has had more than its share of extensive fish kills, situations that the Division of Wildlife investigates and the EPA investigate. Once during Odell's time in the county, a train derailment caused a tank car containing phosphorous to ignite and burn adjacent to the Great Miami River. Over 30,000 people were evacuated to avoid the noxious cloud that extended for 30 miles. In a futile attempt to put the flames out, water had been pumped on the tanker which washed substantial quantities of the chemical into the river. As expected, fish were killed for miles downstream. In another situation, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) entered Wolf Creek and then into the Great Miami, contaminating many fish in the river. Bottom-feeding fish were especially affected, testing well above the EPA standards. As a result, the Health Department banned fishing in Wolf Creek and a large part of the Great Miami River. As O'Dell faced these issues, one local conservation club provided him a digital dissolved oxygen, temperature, and pH meter. It proved to be a handy item to have during fish-killing pollution investigations. While fishing remains a big sport in Montgomery County, hunting occurs on the west side of the county. The most commonly hunted critter was the raccoon, which translated to night work for game protectors. A human's ability to see in the dark is marginal at best. To solve this problem, O'Dell approached a club which then purchased a Litton handheld nightscope, then a relatively rare and expensive item then most often only seen in the armed forces and specialized civilian law enforcement units. This compact night-techno scope caused many an illegal racoon hunter a trip to court – as well as plenty of back-road litterers who tossed their trash. In those days, camera equipment issues plagued most of the division's officers. Considering that during this period, an officer's primary camera was a Polaroid, you'll start to get the picture. While it had the advantage of instantly kicking out a finished photo, the film was expensive, bulky, prone to fading and smearing, and the camera wasn't suitable for distance photography. The more versatile 35mm gear was restricted to the division's investigators. For O'Dell, it wasn't a problem. A club had given him a fully automatic Minolta Maxim 7000 with a wide array of lenses for every possible need. While it was a great camera for its time, a current officer's smartphone does just as well in most circumstances – including the ability to be attached to a spotting scope. One stellar example of O'Dell's relationship with neighboring enforcement agencies was the Magnum at his hip. The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office agreed to train Magnum (a chocolate Labrador retriever) free of charge if they had access to his occasional emergency use. Accompanying Officer O'Dell during patrol, Magnum assisted in finding hidden and tossed guns, game, fishing tackle and stood between his partner and serious threats. Magnum also corralled several fleeing felons, one prison escapee, found one suicide victim and recovered articles of stolen property. Magnum was retired due to a division policy change which disallowed K9 units. Over the last few years, dogs have returned to duty, patrolling with Natural Resource and Wildlife Officers in Ohio's parks, woods, and waters. Nothing is more dreaded and has caused more grief to a game protector than paperwork. It consumes more time than most thought possible when first hired, and their deadlines are never ending. Probably the most useful piece of club-purchased paraphernalia O'Dell received was an Apple IIc computer with printer and extra disk drive. Large and prehistoric by today's standards, this one item allowed an organizational ability that could not then be imagined – even if it had less computing power than today's officer's smart phone. While O'Dell was learning about computer operating systems and storage, nearly every division office was still operating with electric typewriters and steel file cabinets. O'Dell's professional relations with his 14 conservation clubs allowed him access to equipment that aroused envy in other officers. Lest you think these clubs spent all their money outfitting the Montgomery County Game Protector, O'Dell was also encouraging them to use those writing fees to invest in everything from gravel for wildlife area parking lots, hosting hunter safety courses, purchasing supplies for hunter safety instructors, stocking fish, and hosting special youth activities and events. Doing the job of game protector in 1987 required a very special individual with skills and talents no other job requires. Every game protector used these acquired skills daily, but for O'Dell many of the normal problems faced by a game protector were made a little easier due to the extra equipment, allowing him more time in the field to do his job safely and efficiently. Nearly 40-years later, the name 'Game Protector' is part of conservation history. Now, called 'Wildlife Officer', these men and women still find themselves wrestling with many of the same issues O'Dell had faced. Thankfully, technology has caught up with these officers and they seldom need to look for outside sources for their gear. They travel with on-board mobile computing stations, the internet connectivity we all now take for granted, linked-in smart phones with excellent cameras, the ability to call in a K9 or specialized investigator for assistance, and a far superior state-linked radio system. Oh, and speaking of cameras, they of course have their digital cameras in their gear bags, but you will also notice them wearing body-cams on their uniforms – ready to record every contact they make. Another change has been in the amount and quality of in-service training offered to each of the officers, training that helps them understand and perform their jobs at the highest standards. One thing remains especially important. Building and maintaining the positive relationships that ODNR and the Division of Wildlife cultivate with the people of Ohio and the conservation clubs they support. "We are stuck with technology when what we really want is just stuff that works." – Douglas Adams. Step outside • Today-Tomorrow: 32nd Annual Ohio Open Season Sportsman's Expo, Ohio Expo Center (Bricker Building), Columbus. For hours, events, seminars, and tickets: www.openseasonsportsmansexpo.com/ohio/ • Thursday: Trap and Skeet Practice, open to the public. 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. UCOA, 6943 Marion Township 243, Findlay. • March 28: Seneca County Pheasants Forever Banquet and Fundraiser, Meadowbrook Ballroom, 5430 W. Tiffin St., Bascom. Ticket cut-off date is March 20, so better hurry! $60 includes dinner ticket, annual membership, and subscription to the Pheasants Forever Journal of Upland Conservation. For tickets: events.pheasantsforever.org/events/annual-fundraising-dinner/3e790009-b09b-4ec6-a755-fa08e3568057. • March 28: Division of Wildlife St. Marys Fish Hatchery Openhouse, 01735 Feeder Rd, St Marys, OH 45885. 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Learn more about the history and purpose of Ohio's hatcheries, as well as their operations. • March 28-29: Steel Challenge Shooting Event, UCOA, 6943 Marion Township 243, Findlay. For complete details: http://www.ucoa-findlay.com/steel-challenge.html • April 5: Primitive Blackpowder Muzzle Loader Shoot, round ball only, 1 p.m. Black Swamp Muzzle Loaders Club, 8831 Township Rd. 19, McComb. Email: roadkill4u@hotmail.com • April 5: Trap Shoot, 1 p.m. Mount Blanchard Gun Club, 21655 Delaware Township 186. • April 11: Black Swamp Bucks Annual Banquet. Doors open at 3 p.m., dinner at 5:30 p.m. The Cube, 3430 N. Main St., Findlay. This home-grown organization has developed a statewide reputation for formulating a grassroots conservation effort, cooperating with other conservation clubs and ODNR to provide youth outdoor activities and education, providing habitat and conservation practices, and encouraging an ethical involvement in our hunting heritage. This fun fundraiser sells out quickly for both sponsors and individual attendies. Tickets are not sold at the door and are only available through a committee member or online at https://BlackSwampBucks.com/Banquet/. Hope to see you there! Abrams is a retired wildlife officer supervisor for the state Division of Wildlife in Findlay. He can be reached at P.O. Box 413, Mount Blanchard, OH 45867-0413 or via e-mail at jimsfieldnotes@aol.com.