North American Game Warden Museum
Encyclopedia
The North American Game Warden Museum is a museum
in the International Peace Garden
on the Canada–United States international border between the Canadian province
of Manitoba
and the U.S. state
of North Dakota
. The museum is located on the American side of the border. Initially founded on a temporary basis at the International Peace Garden in the 1990s, it became a permanent museum in 2005.
The museum is sponsored by the North American Wildlife Enforcement Officers Association and aims to raise the professional profile and celebrate the work of game warden
s and conservation officer
s. This museum's states on its website that its purpose is to "honor these heroes and educate the public about their work and the natural resource
s they protect."
s and their colleagues, conservation officer
s. The name each group of professionals goes by depends on their governmental jurisdiction; for example, in Michigan
the title "conservation officer" is used.
This museum's management has set forth a fourfold mission statement:
73 Game Wardens/Protectors/Conservation Officers are listed on The Officer Down Memorial Page
.
in rural
and even remote locations can be lonely, dangerous and even fatal work for game wardens. Recognition of the ultimate sacrifice of these officers at this museum is considered to be important, concomitant to recognition at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial
.
Officers are exposed to other risks beyond being killed by hunters, trappers and armed fishermen. Heart attacks, motor vehicle, boating, snowmobile and airplane accidents, animal attacks, drowning
, hypothermia
, etc. also take their toll while on duty.
In North America
game wardens are typically employees of state
or provincial
government
s. 26 of the 50 U.S. states have government departments entitled Department of Natural Resources or a similar title. These departments typically patrol state
or provincial park
s and public lands and waterways dedicated to hunting
and fishing
, and also enforce state or provincial game and environmental laws on private property
.
Game wardens/conservation officers are front and center in keeping out (or in check) invasive species
.
In an increasingly interconnected and globalized world, their concerns are much more comprehensive than local enforcement. They also enforce broader conservation laws, such as the Endangered Species Act
, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918
and similar laws/treaties. or the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act (in Canada) which implements the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna
(CITES). As necessary, they will work in tandem with appropriate national or federal agencies, such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or Environment Canada
.
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
in the International Peace Garden
International Peace Garden
The International Peace Garden is a 3.65 sq. mi. park located on the international border between Canada and the United States, in the state of North Dakota and the province of Manitoba. Established on July 14, 1932, the park plants over 150,000 flowers each year...
on the Canada–United States international border between the Canadian province
Provinces and territories of Canada
The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories...
of Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
and the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
. The museum is located on the American side of the border. Initially founded on a temporary basis at the International Peace Garden in the 1990s, it became a permanent museum in 2005.
The museum is sponsored by the North American Wildlife Enforcement Officers Association and aims to raise the professional profile and celebrate the work of game warden
Game warden
A game warden is an employee who has the role of protecting wildlife. Game wardens may also be referred to as conservation officers or wildlife officers...
s and conservation officer
Conservation officer
A conservation officer is an employee who has the role of protecting conservation values.-United States:*Michigan Conservation Officers*Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries - Enforcement Division*Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police...
s. This museum's states on its website that its purpose is to "honor these heroes and educate the public about their work and the natural resource
Natural resource
Natural resources occur naturally within environments that exist relatively undisturbed by mankind, in a natural form. A natural resource is often characterized by amounts of biodiversity and geodiversity existent in various ecosystems....
s they protect."
History
This museum has been located at the International Peace Garden since its inception. Originally founded on a temporary basis in the 1990s, the permanent museum opened in 2005 at the same location “for its natural beauty, central North American location and recognition as an international tourism destination.”Purpose
The underlying purpose of this museum is to raise the professional profile and celebrate the work of game wardenGame warden
A game warden is an employee who has the role of protecting wildlife. Game wardens may also be referred to as conservation officers or wildlife officers...
s and their colleagues, conservation officer
Conservation officer
A conservation officer is an employee who has the role of protecting conservation values.-United States:*Michigan Conservation Officers*Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries - Enforcement Division*Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police...
s. The name each group of professionals goes by depends on their governmental jurisdiction; for example, in Michigan
Michigan Conservation Officers
Michigan Conservation Officers are the enforcement branch of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Their primary duty is to enforce the environmental laws in the state of Michigan. Since Michigan Conservation Officers are fully commissioned peace officers they are empowered to enforce all...
the title "conservation officer" is used.
This museum's management has set forth a fourfold mission statement:
- protecting "the wild" in an overcrowded, polluted and too-civilized planet, so that "natural gifts" are preserved for future generations through legal enforcement and public education;
- recognizing the important and dangerous role of game wardenGame wardenA game warden is an employee who has the role of protecting wildlife. Game wardens may also be referred to as conservation officers or wildlife officers...
s who often work alone in desolate and remote locations, facing armed foes; - honoring and memorializing fallen heroes and other officers, who work in a largely unsung role, thereby helping their morale, and
- educating the public about the work and mission of conservation officers, thereby increasing support for their efforts.
73 Game Wardens/Protectors/Conservation Officers are listed on The Officer Down Memorial Page
The Officer Down Memorial Page
The Officer Down Memorial Page, Inc. is a non-profit organization that maintains a website listing American, Canadian, central European, Australian, and New Zealander law enforcement officers and prison officers who have died in the line of duty....
.
Recognizing the wardens' roles
Confronting armed poachersPoaching
Poaching is the illegal taking of wild plants or animals contrary to local and international conservation and wildlife management laws. Violations of hunting laws and regulations are normally punishable by law and, collectively, such violations are known as poaching.It may be illegal and in...
in rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
and even remote locations can be lonely, dangerous and even fatal work for game wardens. Recognition of the ultimate sacrifice of these officers at this museum is considered to be important, concomitant to recognition at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial
The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., at Judiciary Square, honors the nearly 19,000 U.S. law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty throughout history. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund was established by former U.S...
.
Officers are exposed to other risks beyond being killed by hunters, trappers and armed fishermen. Heart attacks, motor vehicle, boating, snowmobile and airplane accidents, animal attacks, drowning
Drowning
Drowning is death from asphyxia due to suffocation caused by water entering the lungs and preventing the absorption of oxygen leading to cerebral hypoxia....
, hypothermia
Hypothermia
Hypothermia is a condition in which core temperature drops below the required temperature for normal metabolism and body functions which is defined as . Body temperature is usually maintained near a constant level of through biologic homeostasis or thermoregulation...
, etc. also take their toll while on duty.
In North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
game wardens are typically employees of state
State government
A state government is the government of a subnational entity in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, or be subject to the direct control of the federal government...
or provincial
Provinces and territories of Canada
The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories...
government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
s. 26 of the 50 U.S. states have government departments entitled Department of Natural Resources or a similar title. These departments typically patrol state
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
or provincial park
Provincial park
A provincial park is a park under the management of a provincial or territorial government in Canada.While provincial parks are not the same as national parks, their workings are very similar...
s and public lands and waterways dedicated to hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
and fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, and also enforce state or provincial game and environmental laws on private property
Private property
Private property is the right of persons and firms to obtain, own, control, employ, dispose of, and bequeath land, capital, and other forms of property. Private property is distinguishable from public property, which refers to assets owned by a state, community or government rather than by...
.
Game wardens/conservation officers are front and center in keeping out (or in check) invasive species
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
.
In an increasingly interconnected and globalized world, their concerns are much more comprehensive than local enforcement. They also enforce broader conservation laws, such as the Endangered Species Act
Endangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 is one of the dozens of United States environmental laws passed in the 1970s. Signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 28, 1973, it was designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of economic growth and...
, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918
Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 , codified at , is a United States federal law, at first enacted in 1916 in order to implement the convention for the protection of migratory birds between the United States and Great Britain...
and similar laws/treaties. or the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act (in Canada) which implements the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna
Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna
CITES is a multilateral treaty, drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature...
(CITES). As necessary, they will work in tandem with appropriate national or federal agencies, such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or Environment Canada
Environment Canada
Environment Canada , legally incorporated as the Department of the Environment under the Department of the Environment Act Environment Canada (EC) (French: Environnement Canada), legally incorporated as the Department of the Environment under the Department of the Environment Act Environment...
.
See also
- Department of Natural Resources (disambiguation)
- Environment CanadaEnvironment CanadaEnvironment Canada , legally incorporated as the Department of the Environment under the Department of the Environment Act Environment Canada (EC) (French: Environnement Canada), legally incorporated as the Department of the Environment under the Department of the Environment Act Environment...
- Environmental Protection Agency
- National Law Enforcement Officers MemorialNational Law Enforcement Officers MemorialThe National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., at Judiciary Square, honors the nearly 19,000 U.S. law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty throughout history. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund was established by former U.S...
in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution.... - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service